What’s New

Group content release, peer assessment coming to Ultra

Frequently requested features available in April

In early April, a frequently requested feature finally comes to Ultra courses. Conditional release of content to groups or individual students allows faculty to create remedial paths to certain...

Posted: March 29, 2021, 10:57 AM

Coming Soon: Collaborate to Support 25 Videos Per Page

Increased engagement for moderators available in mid-SP2021

UPDATE #1: Gallery view is now available! Learn more in this FAQ. UPDATE #2: Students and participants gain access to gallery view with the May update. Spring will bring warm weather to the UMBC...

Posted: March 24, 2021, 8:00 AM

Reminder: Blackboard Downtime on March 14, 2021

Bb will be unavailable for 14 hours

Blackboard engineers will perform a system upgrade and maintenance on Sunday, March 14, 2021, from 9:00 AM ET to 11:00 PM ET. Blackboard will be offline during this period. Read more at our Bb...

Posted: March 14, 2021, 8:23 AM

GO Chat Recap: Engaging New Students Online

Here's what you missed from our Go Online Chat!

For our February GO Chat, we reflected on the transition from face-to-face programs for UMBC first-year students to a new online delivery required by COVID-19. Summer and Winter Bridge Programs,...

Posted: March 10, 2021, 9:59 AM

Essential Update to Respondus Lockdown Browser Available

A new update to Respondus Lockdown Browser (RLDB) is available for students to download and install. Outdated versions of Respondus Lockdown Browser may not allow students to save short answer and...

Posted: March 9, 2021, 4:06 PM

Blackboard Downtime Scheduled for Sunday, March 14, 2021

Bb will be unavailable for 14 hours

Blackboard engineers will perform a system upgrade and maintenance on Sunday, March 14, 2021, from 9:00 AM ET to 11:00 PM ET. Blackboard will be offline during this period. The downtime window...

Posted: March 5, 2021, 1:26 PM

Free Virtual Conference: UMD Disability Summit, April 12-14

Access and Crisis: Disability and the Collapse of Everything

In the wake of the 30th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act many are questioning how to continue to carry this energy forward. How can we foreground access in crisis? There are many...

Posted: February 25, 2021, 1:28 PM

Faculty Survey Suggests Shift in Pre/Post-Pandemic Teaching

31% increase in those open to non-traditional approach, FA21

"I teach mostly grad students. I did not expect to find any positives about remote teaching - in 35 years of teaching I had NEVER done it and did not plan on doing it before retirement [...] It is...

Posted: February 24, 2021, 11:05 AM

Chromebooks Supported for Ultra Tests & Respondus LDB

Beta extension available for Original & Ultra tests

An updated release of a beta Chromebook extension for Respondus LockDown Browser is now available for assessments in both Original and Ultra Blackboard courses. This version of the Chromebook...

Posted: February 24, 2021, 10:58 AM

Submit a Proposal for the M.O.S.T. 2021 OER Grant Prost

Faculty and Institutional OER grants available

The Maryland Open Source Textbook (M.O.S.T.) Initiative is pleased to announce a Request for Proposals for the 2021 OER Grant Program. For 2021, M.O.S.T. is seeking proposals for two grant...

Posted: February 12, 2021, 9:43 AM