AI Initiatives

The Division of Information Technology’s AI site will help the UMBC community with information on using artificial intelligence (AI), especially generative AI (GenAI), to support UMBC’s Administrative, Instructional, and Research efforts. This site has been created to help employees advance their use of GenAI.

We recommend that our UMBC community begin by visiting GenAI Tools, a page that highlights free resources and provides guidance on using GenAI while safeguarding UMBC institutional data safely.

For staff seeking support, we encourage people to look at Administrative AI, as a starting point. Our goal is to save folks time, improve the quality of their work, and increase productivity. We showcase tools that DoIT provides to support these objectives.

We have launched myUMBC Answers, an AI-supported search bar. We are seeking partners to expand this tool. The key to leveraging myUMBC Answers is providing validated and accurate content, such as annual FAQs or handbooks.

Faculty, are encouraged to explore Instructional AI and Research AI. The UMBC Center for AI in the College of Engineering is an excellent resource for AI-related research and innovation.  Stay informed by following the center’s social media chnnels on LinkedIn, Bluesky, X, and Facebook.

Members of the UMBC community can subscribe to the UMBC AI Group to receive email about AI-related news and events. If you have news to share with the UMBC AI community or suggestions or comments on the site, please send them to umbc-ai@cs.umbc.edu.

 

AI News

Showing items tagged blackboard. Show All

Ultra Adoption by Faculty Eclipses Original for SP2024

Instructional Technology ready for Ultra migration support

In the final nine months of UMBC's Ultra migration, the overall faculty adoption rate continues to grow. For the spring 2024 term, Original course usage decreased by 33% between fall 23 and spring...

Posted: March 12, 2024, 2:43 PM

Ultra Courses to Support Additional Level of Nested Folders

Availability to begin after spring break

Designed for mobility, Ultra supports a condensed hierarchy for content nesting on the main course content page. Student preference and support were the primary purpose for Blackboard to reduce...

Posted: March 7, 2024, 9:19 AM

Gradebook statistics coming to Ultra courses in March

Additional features include AI enhancements, new settings

In continuous effort to improve the digital learning environment for both faculty and students, the March update to Ultra features several improvements designed to streamline course management,...

Posted: February 27, 2024, 3:02 PM

Blackboard to Present Exclusive Ultra Roadmap on Feb 21

Discover Ultra’s future: Join in person or virtually

Instructional Technology is pleased to partner with Blackboard on February 21 for the Ultra Lunch & Learn Roadmap. During this exclusive event, faculty can explore upcoming features in...

Posted: February 8, 2024, 2:56 PM

Collect surveys using new Forms tool in Ultra courses

Updates to grading workflows & settings for February update

In February, a new tool will be available in Ultra courses, designed to make information gathering simple and efficient for instructors: Forms. Whether assigning students to clinical experiences...

Posted: January 23, 2024, 1:09 PM