Previous Updates to Blackboard SaaS

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

November 6, 2025

  • Ultra Courses:
    • Custom Achievement Badge Images: Instructors can now use the Unsplash image database when creating images for badges.
    • Bulk Change Question Points: Instructors can now change the point value for multiple questions in a test at one time. Instructors can change points based on a specific question type, selecting a specific list of questions, or selecting all questions. Any questions that already have answers will automatically regrade to the new point value.
    • Grade Pill Rounding: Instructors will now see students grades with decimal points in the Overall Grade column. The grade pill will display the points, including up to 2 decimal places, without rounding.
    • Gradebook Column Heading Navigation: Updates to the gradebook column headers were made, including changing the “Edit” option to “View Submissions” when clicking on a column header for an assessment (i.e., test, discussion board, etc.) submitted in Blackboard. When clicking on an individual student’s cell, the option now says “View Submission” instead of “View”.
    • Gradebook Download Changes: Instructors can now choose whether to include any hidden gradebook columns when downloading the gradebook for offline work. This option is only available when selecting the “Full Grade” download setting.
  • Resolved Known Issues:
    • Calendar in mobile app does not share to iCal on iPhones
      • When attempting to share a calendar from the Mobile App to the native Calendar app on an iPhone, the file does not share properly and will not load in the Calendar app.
    • JAWS not correctly identifying available content in forced sequence learning module
      • When JAQS is used with force sequence enabled, the screen reader incorrectly announces that certain content is unavailable, even though it is available and functioning as intended. This issue is specific to learning modules with force sequence enforced.
    • Keyboard navigation does not work for option menu items within gradebook
      • While trying to use the keyboard on a Windows operating system to navigate the gradebook options menu, the cursor focus does not change.
    • Question tags require a page refresh to display
      • When instructors create and apply tags to a question in the test, the newly created tags do not immediately appear in other questions or question banks.
    • Replies in gradable discussions do not always load for instructors
      • When instructors view student posts in a gradable discussion, some replies may not appear and are hidden behind a visual indicator.
    • Tests with “no category” show incorrect header when student takes test
      • When a test does not have a category assigned, by selecting the “No Category” option in the grading settings, students will see “components.directives.attempt-canvas.header” above the first question. They can still take the test like normal.
    • Ungraded forms incorrectly add 100 points to overall grade
      • Ungraded forms, set to be worth 0 points, are incorrectly contributing 100 points to the overall grade calculation under the “Points” tab. It will also have a different percentage listed on the “Weighted” tab if there are other graded forms in the course.

October 2, 2025

  • Ultra Courses:
    • Message Interface Changes: The Course Messages interface has changed, providing a more modern and sleek experience. Messages are now shown in chat-like bubbles, similar to other messaging apps. Users will also see the person’s avatar next to the respective messages, indicating who sent it. Time and date stamps are now included directly above each message sent, and group conversations are separated visually.
    • Save and Cancel Actions: Blackboard has standardized the Save and Cancel action across several assessments. This included replacing words like “Close” with “Cancel” and “Continue” with “Save”.
    • Tagged Questions: Instructors can now add metadata using the “Enter question tags” option while creating a question. This allows for easier searching in the Reuse Question panel, listing each tag under the “Categories” filter.
    • Requiring Questions before a Form is Visible: Instructors now must enter at least 1 question in a Blackboard Form before it can be made available to students or apply Release Conditions. Previously, instructors could make Forms available without questions.
    • Improved Student Experience in Fill in the Blank Questions: Students now have a cleaner view when answering a Fill in the Blank question on a test. They will now see the blanks inline with the question text, allowing them to enter the answer directly into the question text. Screen reader accessibility has also been improved for Fill in the Blank questions.
  • Resolved Known Issues:
    • Close button in expanded image is not keyboard accessible
      • When navigating to images within a document using keyboard navigation, the user can open the image. However, the keyboard navigation remains focused on the background content and the user is unable to close the image with keyboard navigation.
    • Discussion filter will not clear
      • When viewing a discussion, clicking on a student’s name will filter to show only their posts. However, clicking on their name again will not clear the filter.
    • Discussion text box does not wrap when long strings or long URLs are added to a reply
      • When users enter an extremely long unbroken string of characters or a long URL, the box expands horizontally instead of wrapping the text. This causes the input field to move outside the visible screen, preventing users from easily reading their reply.
    • Group messages sent via email are not delivered to students
      • When the “send an email copy to recipients” option is enabled for group messages, students in the group do not receive a corresponding email.
    • Instructor view of overall grade pill is inaccurate if some grades remain unposted
      • When viewing the gradebook and looking at the Overall Grade pill, some overall grades display inaccurately if students have unposted grades.

September 4, 2025

  • Ultra Courses:
    • Ultra Document Block Styling: Instructors can now use the block styling when creating or editing Ultra Documents. This can help provide more structured documents for students to view.
    • Question Titles: Instructors can now add, view, edit, and delete question titles wherever they are working on a question: in a test, on a form, or in a question bank. Words used in titles will also be searchable in the “Reuse Question” panel.
    • Time Limit and Extra Time Displays: All users will now see the time limit and any extra time presented in a consistent format. Previously, students would see the entire time they had, with any additional time added in. Now, all users will see, as an example, “Time limit: 20 minutes + 10 minutes extra time”.
    • Announcement Creation Page Updates: The “send to all course members” drop down has been removed from the New Announcement page.
    • Pop-out Rubric for Group Submissions: When grading a group submission, instructors now have the ability to pop-out the rubric while grading, similar to grading individual assignments.
    • Per-question Feedback on Group Submissions: Students can now view per-question feedback on group test submissions. The feedback provided by instructors was not visible previously to students, but they will now be able to see it, similar to an individual test submission.
    • “See more” Functionality in Question Pools: When adding a question pool, the filter by panel now has the “see more” functionality listed when a filter has more than 10 options to select from. This option is available for the Sources, Question Types, and Tags filters.
    • Improved Accessibility on Submissions List: Updates to the Submissions list in the gradebook has added better accessibility for moving throughout this page for users with both screen readers or keyboard navigation.
  • Resolved Known Issues:
    • JAWS Screen reader reads a multiple choice question option twice
      • In a test, when a student attempts a multiple choice question using the JAWS screen reader, each answer option is announced twice.
    • Removing a group set causes group submissions to be lost
      • When an instructor removes a group set that has assignment submissions, all of those submissions are lost. The grade will remain, but will only be visible to students.
    • Time limit inconsistencies when extra time is allowed in tests
      • When Extra Time is set for the time limit for the test itself, the test time is displayed as the entire time (time limit + additional time), instead of displaying the time limit plus any additional time granted separately.

August 7, 2025

  • Ultra Courses:
    • Increase Accessibility in Gradebook: Updates to the HTML coding of the gradebook provides an improved gradebook structure for students using screen readers or keyboard navigation. This change was done to both the student gradebook, as well as the student Overview page in the instructor gradebook.
    • Table of Contents in Learning Modules: Students will now see a full table of contents in each Learning Module. This panel is collapsible by the student. Additionally, assessments within a Learning Module now open within a full panel, instead of on the right-hand side.
    • LTI Display updates: When viewing an LTI content item within a course, such as an embedded video from Panopto, the content now takes up 100% of the width of the screen. Previously, it would not take up the entire screen, causing the content to be small and issues with the page around it.
  • Resolved Known Issues:
    • Feedback panel affects view of documents on group submissions with rubrics
      • When viewing group attempts, the inline view of submitted files collapses after expanding the feedback panel if the assignment is using a grading rubric.
    • Feedback text disappears from group submission when clicking grade pill
      • When text is entered into the overall feedback box without saving the changes, then a grade is entered, the page will refresh and the feedback in the overall feedback box is lost.
    • Folder names and descriptions appear to update without saving
      • When editing folders in Ultra courses, the name and description update in real time on the Course Content page as changes are made. However, if the Edit panel is closed without saving, the updated values still appear on the Content page until the course is refreshed.
    • Forced sequence modules cause Cengage LTI links to appear broken
      • In a module when force sequence has been activated, then a Cengage link is placed inside the module, the link will appear with the label “The link is broken. The corresponding placement has been deleted.”
    • Incorrect rubric headers after copy
      • When copying a rubric from an Original course to an Ultra course, the rubric’s row and column names are altered and replaced with values such as “grid.column1.label.”
    • Safari Browser – long question text prevents drag and drop reordering
      • In Safari, the drag-and-drop reordering of questions cannot scroll beyond the currently displayed content on the page. If a question is too long, other questions cannot be moved above it because the drop zone becomes unreachable.
    • Tests with future date release conditions hidden in gradebook
      • When creating a test with a future date release condition and selecting the “Show” option, the test does not show in the gradebook.

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.