Previous Updates to Blackboard SaaS

All updates older than 3 months are listed on this page.

July 3, 2025

  • Ultra Courses:
    • AI Design for Documents: Instructors can now use the AI Design Assistant to help build Ultra Documents. The AI Design Assistant can help provide layouts, add stock images or AI generated images, and create knowledge checks.
    • Image Block Captions: Instructors can now add a caption above or below an image in the image block on an Ultra Document.
    • Assign Achievements Retroactively: Instructors can now assign achievements after an assessment is created, submitted, or graded. Students will automatically receive any achievements they’ve earned once the achievement is created.
    • “No Category” Option in Gradebook: Instructors can now set a gradebook item to “No Category” or remove a category once the item has been created.
    • Pop-out Rubric Enhancements: Several enhancements to the pop-out rubric in the gradebook have been made, including a warning pop-up if you attempt to close the rubric without saving; no longer automatically closing the rubric when Save is selected; and improved keyboard navigation.
    • Next/Previous Group Navigation: Instructors can now move between group submissions using the Previous and Next buttons, similar to grading an individual submission.
    • Expanded Activity page: Instructors will now see an expanded Activity page. This includes a course section, which shows new activity in open courses since the user’s last login, including shortcuts that go directly to the Gradebook, Messages, or Course Activity page within the course.
    • Student Engagement on Announcements: Instructors can now see which students have read an announcement by clicking on the Viewers column on the Announcements page.
    • Progress Tracking Tool: Instructors can now see the Progress Tracking settings under the Course Settings in the top right corner of the course. This is where instructors can activate or deactivate the setting.
  • Resolved Known Issues: 
    • Adding course link into folder or learning module causes an error
      • When adding a course link from a course folder or learning module into a different folder or learning module, an error is displayed and the link is not added.
    • Automated feedback not displayed for tests containing essay questions
      • If a test includes an essay question, automated feedback for other auto-graded question types, such as multiple choice or true/false, is not shown after the submission, even when the test is set to show automated feedback after a submission.
    • Bb Annotate: duplicate text function only duplicates first line
      • When grading an assignment and using the Text tool with multiple lines of text, then using the Duplicate option, only the first line of text will be duplicated.
    • Bb Annotate: inconsistent actions while in Comment Mode
      • When pressing and holding the backspace key to delete letters or words, the cursor jumps to the top of the text.
    • Bb Annotate becomes unusable when using browser zoom
      • When using Bb Annotate with your browser zoom set to 150% or more, the annotation tools may no longer respond or function correctly.
    • Editing a fill in the blank question breaks student access to student attempts
      • Editing a fill in the blank question in a question bank when it is added to a question pool in a test will break any student attempt that has that question included.
    • High contrast mode will not highlight selected answer on test
      • When taking a test, if the user has high contrast mode enabled on their computer, the selected answer for the test question will not be highlighted properly in high contrast.
    • Hyperlinks in Announcements and Messages are not displayed properly
      • When pasting a URL hyperlink into an announcement or message, and the URL contains an ampersand (&), the link is not preserved correctly and will become altered and unclickable.
    • NVDA Screen Reader does not read question text correctly
      • When using the NDVA Screen Reader, the question text in a test question is not correctly read aloud.
    • Rubric disappears while grading
      • When instructors try to grade assessments associated with rubrics, the rubric does not show up on the grading page.
    • Rubric not showing correct points when grading
      • When instructors try to grade assessments associated with rubrics, the score will not round properly, leading to a difference in the score being shown in the rubric and in the gradebook.
    • Rubric values being cached between submissions
      • When navigating between student submissions that have rubrics for grading, the rubric values are being cached between submissions. They will display correctly on the student’s page, but will be cached and saved between views on the instructor’s page.
    • Screen Reader JAWS detects unavailable buttons
      • In Ultra courses, users utilizing JAWS screen reader encounter accessibility issues. When navigating courses, pressing the down arrow key after selecting a course title causes JAWS to announce a disabled button, which can divert users to an unintended navigation list.
    • Students receive an error when viewing submission on a hidden test
      • When students attempt to view their submission on a test that has Release Conditions and the “Access until” date has passed, they will receive an error message.
    • Unable to assign users to groups in mobile app
      • When an instructor is using the mobile app and attempts to assign users to groups or move users between groups, the pop-up menu does not display with an option to move to another group.
    • Unable to click on “download original file” option when using VoiceOver on iOS devices
      • When using VoiceOver on iOS devices, the option to select “Download Original File” will not work.

June 5, 2025

  • Ultra Courses:
    • Add Dividers to Ultra Document: Instructors can now add a divider to their Ultra Document, which can be resized based on the design of the page.
    • Enhanced Appearance of Knowledge Checks: The Knowledge Checks now have a few changes that make it easier to use. These changes include changing the location of the correct/incorrect answer label, text padding, answer metrics, and visual indicators.
    • Jumbled Sentence Questions: Instructors can now create Jumbled Sentence questions within tests and question blocks. Jumbled Sentence questions can also be AI generated.
    • Bb Annotate Enhancements: Enhancements were made to the Bb Annotate experience, including resolving several known issues that were occurring when using Bb Annotate.
    • Discussion Activity Indicator: Similar to the Gradebook or Messages indicators, users will now see an activity indicator next to the Discussions tab to show how many unread discussion posts the user has to read.
    • Gradebook Bulk Category Changes: Instructors can now change the category of multiple columns at once in the gradebook via the Item Management page.
    • Gradebook Navigation: Accessibility enhancements have been made to the gradebook to allow for better keyboard and screen reader navigation on the Gradable Items tab.
    • New Activity Log Filters: Instructors can now filter by more event log types when viewing the Student Activity Log, including an option for LTI Item Access.
  • Resolved Known Issues:
    • Bb Annotate: Comment Mode is not sticking after each comment
      • When grading an assignment and using the Comment tool, the Comment tool turns off after each comment is made.
    • Changing grade category for an LTI item with release conditions will not save
      • When an instructor attempts to change the grade category for a column for an LTI item (such as a textbook integration or VoiceThread assignment) and the corresponding content item has release conditions turned on, the category will not save.
    • Chrome/Windows – Unable to generate image from AI Generate option in module
      • When using Google Chrome on Windows, and creating a module, the instructor is unable to insert an image using the Generate Images option, and receives an error message stating “An error occurred processing the image.”
    • Grade history does not show who cleared grades
      • When a user deletes a test or assignment from the course outline, all associated attempts are deleted. However, the “Attempt Grade Cleared” record in the grade history, which should show who removed the attempt, has no user information.
    • Keyboard scrolling functionality is lost after screen interaction in assessments
      • After opening an assessment (i.e. test or assignment), using the arrow keys will scroll the page up or down. However, after interacting within the page, including clicking anywhere on the screen, the keyboard scroll function is disabled.
    • NVDA Screen Reader does not properly read numerical values in test questions and answers
      • When using the NVDA Screen Reader while taking a test, if the answers are numerical values only, the answer options are not properly distinguished.
    • Student created discussion board show as anonymous inside folder
      • When a student creates a discussion board, and the instructor moves the discussion board into a folder, the creator’s name changes from the student’s name to “Anonymous”.
    • URLs containing 4 dots not opening on iOS mobile app
      • Any URL that contains 4 or more dots in the URL text fails to open or load within the iOS Mobile App.

May 1, 2025

  • Ultra Courses:
    • AI Design Assistant Auto-generate AI Conversations: Instructors can now use the AI Design Assistant to auto-generate AI Conversation assignments for their students to take.
    • Achievements now shown without page refresh: When creating or editing an achievement, instructors can now see the achievement recipients without having to refresh their page.
    • “View submission one time” Test Setting: Instructors can now choose the “view submission one time” setting when choosing their submission review options. This will allow students to see the questions and answers one time, with feedback, while maintaining test security.
    • Qualitative Rubrics with No Points: Instructors can now create and use a no-points rubric for qualitative evaluation.
    • Enhancements to Discussions: Several enhancements to the discussions feature have been made, including: improved text input field; updated wording; removal of the avatar picture; instructor indicator on replies; enhanced search field; draft indicator; and a more streamlined response entry field.
    • Gradebook Accessibility Enhancements: New enhancements have been made to the gradebook area, including a more accessible experience for the Gradable Items tab and while grading an attempt.
    • Text-based Gradebook Columns: Instructors can now create custom text-based columns in the gradebook, which allow for up to 32 characters of text.
  • Resolved Known Issues:
    • Attachment links in announcements are sent with a broken URL
      • When an announcement is sent via email and contains an attachment, the link for the attachment is modified so that it cannot be clicked on or opened via email.
    • Copying a document or file into the same course fails
      • When an instructor attempts to copy an item, file, or Ultra Document within the same course, the item itself is not copied, and instead a course link is created to the original item.
    • Course Banner images not displaying for students
      • The course banner does not display to students. If they attempt to load in a new window, they receive the message “The specified resource was not found, or you do not have permission to access it.”
    • Downloaded grade history is missing submission receipt number for automatically graded tests
      • When students make an attempt for a test with automated grading, the record in the Grade History is logged as the event “Attempt Grade”. Unlike other assessments, the submission receipt number is missing.
    • Due date accommodations not being honored on assignments that prohibit late submissions
      • When an instructor creates an assignment with the option “prohibit late submissions” enabled, and an enrolled student has the “due date accommodation” turned on, the student is unable to submit after the due date. They can open the assignment, but then receive a “Time is up!” message.
    • Error displayed when instructor changes discussion due date
      • When an instructor attempts to edit a discussion to change the due date, an error message is displayed. The error message states “Invalid aggregation model”.
    • Exam feedback will show discrepancies between selected answers and what is displayed in submission review
      • When students review their submissions on a multiple choice question while the “Randomize Answers” option is enabled, the displayed answer choices may show in a different order than what was originally displayed when taking the test. This may cause a difference between what the student selected as correct and what is shown that they submitted.
    • Incorrect message displayed when late submission shows overdue
      • When an assignment or test is overdue, with no late submissions allowed, students see an incorrect message on their Activity Stream if they have not done the assignment. Instead of the correct message stating no late submissions are allowed, they see a message stating the attempt can be started.
    • Journal settings do not save during initial creation
      • When creating a Journal and setting a due date, the first due date will not save.
    • Keyboard does not consistently open when touching grade pill to enter grades
      • When using a mobile device and attempting to grade, clicking on the grade pill does not automatically open the keyboard to enter the grade. It may take several clicks to open the keyboard.
    • Rubric point range can be changed if rubric grade is overridden when anonymous grading is enabled
      • When using “point range” type rubrics in an Ultra Course with Anonymous Grading enabled, the criterion grades can change from what it was set as, if grading with the rubric, then overriding the total grade for the rubric.
    • Screen Reader interprets more than one table in the gradebook view
      • When a user is using a screen reader and is viewing the gradebook, the screen reader will read the page as if there is more than one table listed.
    • Screen Reader unable to distinguish prompt text in matching question
      • When reading question texts, for Matching and Numeric Question types, the question text is not read aloud. Additionally, it may read the question text together with the text from the first answer option.
    • Some discussion boards post grades automatically
      • Even when the option for “post automatically” is not selected, some discussion board grades will automatically post to students.
    • Unable to submit document for assignment on iOS app
      • When submitting to upload a document to an assignment using the Blackboard Mobile App on an iOS device, students are unable to submit the assignment.
    • Variables in calculated formula question are rounded down incorrectly
      • When creating calculated formula questions with variables exceeding four decimal places, the displayed values for test takers are automatically rounded to four decimal places. However, the calculations still use the unrounded variables, which can lead to discrepancies where an answer based on the rounded value is input and marked incorrect.

April 3, 2025

  • Ultra Courses:
    • Print Ultra Documents: All users are now able to print an Ultra Document or save it as a PDF. For instructors, if the document contains knowledge checks, it will print with the question and all answer options. For students, if there are knowledge checks, they are printed based on whether the student has completed it or not.
    • Achievements in course copies: Achievements are now included when a course is copied. They are not available in a granular copy, only when the course is copied as a whole.
    • Achievements in Student Preview: Instructors can now view the Achievements page and any Achievements in the Student Preview mode.
    • Course Activity Report improvements: When sending a message through the course activity report, instructors can now choose several group labels, including all students, selected students, selected students with alerts, or selected students without alerts.
    • Activity Indicator Color: The color of the activity indicator was previously blue. It has now been changed to purple for a more consistent experience.
    • Improved student experience when test or assignment is hidden: When an instructor changes a test or assignment to Hidden from Students, a student who has the assessment open can continue working. Previously, this change would kick the student out.
    • Instructor Indicator for Student Feedback: Instructors now have a new ability to view if their feedback has been accessed by the student. If a student has not yet viewed the feedback, a “Not Reviewed” label will be listed next to the Completed status on the assignment or grades page. This will change to “Reviewed” when the student has looked at the feedback.
    • Student Indicator for Student Feedback: Students will now be able to see when they’ve received feedback, and will see a new grade indicator (a purple circle) next to any grade with feedback that has not been seen. The student will also see a new “View” option. Once they’ve viewed the feedback, the new grade indicator will be removed, but the “View” button will still be visible.
    • Enhanced group grading experience: Group grading has now been moved to the Flexible Grading experience. This grading view is similar to grading individual assignments or tests. To change an individual student’s grade, you now need to click on the group members list.
  • Resolved Known Issues:
    • Additional content in test submission cached between submissions
      • When test submissions include content in the Additional Content text box, that content remains visible when navigating between submissions, even if the next submission does not have any content in that field. If the first submission contains content, it will be visible in all other submission views, even if they don’t have content.
    • Due date missing for Cengage in Content Area
      • When creating Cengage content with a due date, the due date does not appear in the Content area, only in the gradebook.
    • Firefox browser giving error when uploading files
      • When using Firefox, release 135.0 or above, and attempting to upload a file, users will receive an error stating “Unexpected Error. Please try again. if the problem persists, please contact your administrator.” The file they are attempting to upload does not upload. This only happens on Firefox, release 135.0 or above, and is related to the Firefox updates.
    • Group discussion navigation does not update when switching between groups
      • When instructors are moving between groups in a discussion, the group name/number changes correctly. However, the list of students on the right side of the window do not update to show the correct students for the group.
    • Hiding columns from instructor also hides columns from category in overall grade calculation
      • When an instructor hides a column from the instructor’s view in the gradebook settings, it also disconnects the column from the category it is assigned to in the overall grade calculation. This then causes the calculation to be incorrect.
    • Message group option throws an error
      • When opening the group members page and selecting “Message Group”, users receive an error message and the message is not sent.
    • Needs Grading for journals skips next student when grading
      • When instructors access the gradebook to grade journals, once they click on the next arrow the first time, nothing happens. If they click it again, it moves forward but skips the next student and goes to the following one.
    • Next button in learning module is not enabled for automatically submitted test
      • When students take an exam in a learning module, and the exam is automatically submitted and graded, if the student attempts to view the test, the next button in the learning module does not work.
    • Points possible cannot be set to zero unless column is displayed as points
      • When creating a column or a test/assignment, the grade cannot be set to 0 unless the grade display option is set to Points. If it is set to Complete/Incomplete, Letter, or Percentage, the points will revert to 100.
    • Safari browser – typing in an existing Bb Annotate comment jumps to end of text
      • When graders attempt to edit a Bb Annotate comment using the Safari browser, any text they type is moved to the end of the existing text.

March 6, 2025

  • Ultra Courses:
    • AI Design Assistant Image Generation: When an instructor generates an AI image, the image will now be saved so that the instructor can select a previously generated image. The saved images will clear when the instructor chooses an image or exits image generation.
    • AI Design Assistant Learning Module Generation: When an instructor uses the AI Design Assistant to generate learning modules, any learning module generated without an image will show with a blank placeholder image, instead of having no image space at all. Additionally, all learning modules generated will have a refresh button in the lower right corner of the image, so the instructor can select a new image if the first one does not match the module.
    • Release Conditions Panel: When setting a release condition based on date and time, instructors will now see the due date listed under the “Access from” box, to ensure they will make the item available before the due date.
    • Anonymous Discussions: Instructors and students are now warned that when a discussion is made anonymous, system administrators can make a user’s name visible. This is to address instances where the feature is misused, such as bullying, or if comments concerning the student’s or other’s health or safety. Administrators are required to fill out a form with information on when the reveal took place, who requested it, and the reason it was requested. After refreshing the page, the student’s name will once again be hidden from the administrator.
    • Discussion Usability Improvements: Improvements have been made to the discussion topics and discussion posts for better visibility. For instructors, the participation metrics are now displayed directly on the discussion home page, and a new Edit button is available directly from the post.
    • Pop-out rubric when grading an attempt: When an instructor is grading an attempt on an assignment with a rubric, they can now pop-out the rubric into another window for easier grading while reading the assignment. Additionally, the instructor can now choose performance levels in bulk by selecting a performance level heading, selected cells are highlighted in gray, a warning will appear if the instructor has the rubric in a pop-out window and tries to leave without saving, and a warning will show if the grade was overridden, with an option to remove it and regrade with the rubric.
    • Student Submission Review for Tests: Students will now see a different review page when reviewing a graded test. The new page will show feedback, test content, submission timestamp and receipt information, and the final grade for an individual attempt or for the assignment as a whole.
    • Show/Hide Calculation Columns: Instructors can now configure visibility for calculated columns from the item management menu within the gradebook. However, the Overall Grade cannot be hidden.
    • Course Access Improvements: Improvements have been made for how courses are accessed, including: the toggle switch for opening a course has been replaced with radio buttons labeled Open and Closed; and on the courses page, the Hide Course option has been relabeled to Hide Course from Me to better clarify it is for that user only, not for students.
    • Copy Banners: Instructors can now copy a banner from one course to another. This option can now be selected when doing a granular course copy, and is included when doing a full course copy.
  • Resolved Known Issues: 
    • Alternate formats not showing for attachments in assignment instructions
      • When adding images or documents into the Instructions area of an Assignment, the documents do not have the Ally Instructor Feedback or Alternate Format icons like other documents.
    • Embedded OneDrive read-only documents display an invalid message to students
      • When a OneDrive document has been embedded as read-only, students are presented with a message that indicates they can make changes.
    • Users are unable to log in with SSO on mobile app
      • Users may be unable to log in via the mobile app, or may be presented with a blank screen after a successful login.

February 6, 2025

  • Ultra Courses:
    • Learning Modules and Folders: Instructors can now change a folder to a learning module or a learning module to a folder when clicking on the item’s three dot menu.
    • Improved File Rendering: When viewing an uploaded document, such as a PowerPoint or Excel spreadsheet, the document will display in the original format, instead of having additional format changes.
    • Upload Images to Documents: When editing an Ultra Document, instructors now have a new Image block they can select to upload an image without needing to use the text box block.
    • Assessment access code updates: When a student is entering an exam with an access code, the access code will now be masked, similar to a password.
    • Improved Performance for Assignment File Submissions: When a student is attempting to upload a file right before the timer runs out, the file will continue and complete the upload process before the attempt is submitted. Additionally, if a file does not upload, students now have a re-upload workflow that will be presented to them.
    • Improvements to Discussion Avatar and Timestamp: When looking at a discussion board, the user’s avatar and date and time of submission are now at the top left of the submission, and are more easily recognized, instead of blending in with the submission text.
    • Enhancements to Course Groups: All groups that are created, including groups for specific assignments, will now be considered course-level groups, and can be created and viewed when creating the assignments. Additionally, instructors will now receive additional warnings if a group or group set is empty.
    • Excluded Attempts Removed from Needs Grading: When an instructor has excluded an attempt, that attempt will no longer be listed in the Needs Grading area, or included in any calculations.
    • Updates to the Assignment and Test workflows: In the August 2024 release, assignments and tests were separated out into two separate tools. During this update, all tests created prior to August 2024 that did not have any questions were converted to the Assignment tool. This does not affect any submissions, grades, calculations, or existing tests with questions.
    • Test Settings Updates: The following items were removed from the Settings panel on a test: collect submission offline, use grading rubric, maximum points, 2 grades per student, and peer review. This is to help separate the Assignment and Test settings and simplify the settings for a Test.
    • Improvements to Grading Interface: In order to optimize screen space and allow for a larger view of the student’s submission, the grading interface has been redesigned. The student’s name and the next and previous student arrows have been condensed and moved to the top bar, and the additional middle bar has been removed.
    • Improved Upload Grades Accuracy: Instructors can now upload grades and feedback for assignments, journals, and discussions, without having them stored as an override. They will now be stored as the grade for the attempt, which will remove the “New Submission” and “Override” labels, as well as remove the item from the Needs Grading list.
    • Improved Rendering in Bb Annotate: Files are now shown with the exact same formatting as they had when uploaded, instead of some files have the formatting changed or removed.
  • Resolved Known Issues:
    • Student activity report for assessment displays no activity details
      • When downloading the Student Activity Report for assessments, the file is empty and does not display any details.
    • Students cannot see rubric icon on assignments with multiple or unlimited attempts
      • When students attempt to view feedback for an assignment with multiple attempts or unlimited attempts allowed, they are unable to see the rubric icon.