What’s New

USM OnTrack: Labster Introduces New Virtual Simulations!

Announcing new General & Organic Chemistry and Biology Labs!

USM OnTrack is continuing to support adoption of Labster for online courses. New simulations available    Labster is pleased to announce the release of brand-new, technique-based Organic...

Posted: November 2, 2020, 5:15 PM

Blackboard watchOS available to student beta testers

Test drive the latest tool to support learning on the go

Designed to complement the mobile experience for online learning, the upcoming Blackboard watchOS app provides students a brand new way to experience and access the latest updates in their...

Posted: November 2, 2020, 4:09 PM

Promoting Integrity in "Open Note" Online Exams

How UMBC's Largest Courses Do So w/out Surveillance Software

Update: Bass, Carpenter and Fritz have recently presented this effective practice at the following conferences: 10/27/21 Educause Poster | presentation file (UMBC login req'd) 10/12/21 UMBC...

Posted: October 29, 2020, 9:21 AM

Ultra enhances usability, gradebook, test timer in November

Flag student retention and other grade alerts in your stream

Usability and a few gradebook improvements come to Ultra in November. New, larger icons with thicker line strokes and blue backgrounds improve accessibility and better support quick scanning of...

Posted: October 23, 2020, 12:29 PM

GO Chat Recap: Badging & Micro-credentialing

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

Last week, we welcomed Sherri Braxton, Senior Director of Instructional Technology, as our inaugural guest on GO Chat to talk about her work on campus and beyond the loop for badging and...

Posted: October 23, 2020, 10:50 AM

New Content Editor Coming for Original Courses on November 6

Improved support for accessibility, file sharing, and coding

An updated, easier-to-use, more powerful Content Editor is coming to Original courses on November 6. There are lots of great reasons to like the updated Content Editor. Adding content has been...

Posted: October 16, 2020, 8:47 AM

National Distance Learning Week 2020 Lunchtime Series

Surviving to Thriving: Rocking the New Normal of e-Learning

One in four students take some of their courses online, and two-thirds do so at a public institution in the same state where they live (Allen, Seaman, Pouline, & Straut, 2016; Allen &...

Posted: October 13, 2020, 5:48 PM

More than 40% of UMBC Blackboard Courses Using Ultra

Ultra adoption continues to grow as UMBC faculty shifted to online learning in response to COVID-19 safety precautions. More than 40% of all active Blackboard courses are now using Ultra in the...

Posted: October 9, 2020, 1:33 PM

USM OnTrack Announces 2 New Workshops on Adaptive Learning

Explore how adaptive tools can support online learning!

  USM OnTrack  will be offering two additional free professional development workshops this month that will explore the ways adaptive learning tools can support online learning, particularly in...

Posted: October 2, 2020, 2:52 PM

Learn how to use VoiceThread with more free workshops!

Add media-rich, asynchronous engagement in your courses

VoiceThread is a collaborative, multimedia slide show that holds images, documents, and videos and allows people to navigate slides and leave comments in several ways – text, voice, audio file, or...

Posted: September 30, 2020, 1:58 PM