What’s New

Free Webinar Series: Teaching with Blackboard Ultra

Monthly training for faculty, TAs, and staff in SP/SU2023

The Bb Instructor Webinar Series offers free 45-minute webinars designed for instructors who are getting started with teaching using Blackboard Ultra. Topics include getting started, creating...

Posted: February 3, 2023, 10:47 AM

Extra credit & exemptions come to Ultra assessments in Feb

New functionality enhances Ultra courses in time for SP2023

In early February, instructors will have the option to help students showcase their knowledge on assessments with the new extra credit setting. With this feature, instructors can assign one or...

Posted: January 30, 2023, 2:24 PM

Instructional Technology Welcomes Ben Amudzi to Team

I am pleased to introduce and welcome the newest member of the Instructional Technology team: Mr. Benedictus (Ben) Amudzi.  Ben joins the team as an Instructional Technology Specialist. He is...

Posted: January 23, 2023, 9:54 AM

Top 5 Ultra departments: Adoption increased as much as 100%

Departments may request Ultra as default when shells created

In a recent survey of Ultra users last semester, faculty and students expressed satisfaction with Ultra. During the Fall 2022 semester, faculty increased their use of Ultra in greater numbers. The...

Posted: January 20, 2023, 9:29 AM

Faculty and student satisfaction with Ultra exceeds 85%

Consistent praise for Ultra's clean interface, ease of use

In a recent survey of faculty who used Ultra during the FA2022 semester, 86.5% of faculty who responded said they would use Ultra again, citing its ease of use and consistent experience for...

Posted: January 19, 2023, 11:44 AM

Panopto Advanced Training Webinar

Learn about Panopto's advanced recording features

Did you know you can join a recording that is already in progress as well as resume a recording from a different device?  Or, that you are able to lock down or set preferred recording settings in...

Posted: January 19, 2023, 10:15 AM

Submit a Proposal for the 2023 M.O.S.T. OER Grant Program

Faculty and institutional grant opportunities available

The Maryland Open Source Textbook (M.O.S.T.) Initiative is pleased to announce a Request for Proposals for the 2023 OER Grant Program. For 2023, M.O.S.T. is seeking proposals for two grant...

Posted: January 10, 2023, 11:39 AM

UMBC Archiving Unviewed Panopto Videos (01/30/23)

No content will be permanently deleted at this time

To comply with recent changes to product licensing, beginning 01/30/23, all Panopto videos that have not been viewed during the preceding 18 months will be moved to archive storage. If one wishes...

Posted: January 5, 2023, 10:04 AM

Randomize test pages & lock discussions in Jan Ultra update

New option to create model essay response for graders

Test pagination was introduced to Ultra courses last year, creating new ways to present clusters of questions to students that focused on content or reduced cognitive load. In this month's update,...

Posted: January 5, 2023, 9:57 AM

Three Faculty Earn Quality Matters Certification in FA2022

12 of 17 USM’s QM certified courses are from UMBC

Three additional UMBC faculty have earned Quality Matters (QM) certification of their online or hybrid courses in the Fall 2022 semester following rigorous peer reviews as part of the Quality...

Posted: December 21, 2022, 10:07 AM