Blackboard Downtime Scheduled for Sunday, March 14, 2021

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 is required to encrypt the Blackboard data in an inactive state. This maintenance is designed to enhance security for any confidential information hosted on the Blackboard site. 

In preparation for this downtime:

• Instructors: Please refrain from assigning any work that is due on Blackboard during this maintenance window. When the system is offline, students cannot submit their work.
• Students: Please be sure to save or submit any work before this downtime. Any unsaved or unsubmitted work will immediately be lost when the system shuts down.

After Blackboard is back online, please clear your Internet browser cache and cookies before logging in using these step-by-step instructions.

The UMBC Blackboard team identified a time period during spring break that should have a reduced impact on our users. If our Blackboard site is down longer than expected due to unforeseen circumstances, updates will be posted to this news article. We appreciate your patience as we continue to improve our systems to bring you a better Blackboard experience.

As always, if you have any questions about teaching, learning and technology at UMBC, please consider the following options:

• PIVOT | Academic Continuity | Keep On Teaching | Student Technology Resources 

• Check our extensive FAQ collection 

• What’s new in Ultra? | Known Issues 

• Open a ticket via RT

• Follow the Instructional Technology & DoIT myUMBC groups

• Request a consult with instructional technology staff

  Although Daylight Saving Time starts March 14 at 2:00 AM, this maintenance will still begin at 9:00 AM East Coast Time.

• More Information about Blackboard Downtime Scheduled for Sunday, March 14, 2021