Upgrade 9.1

About the Upgrade
The Victoria University Blackboard system has been upgraded to the latest release, version 9.1.

The new version of Blackboard has an updated look and feel, and several new features. The main changes are outlined below, along with a link to tutorials.

If you have questions about the new features or would like to report a problem, please raise a call with the ITS Service Desk by calling (04) 463 5050 or emailing [mailto:its-service@vuw.ac.nz its-service@vuw.ac.nz].

Blackboard 9.1 - Major Changes
Blackboard 9.1 contains a number of new features. These are detailed below.

New Features
An Overview


 * New accessibility options - Gold Level certified by the National Federation of the Blind (US) for Non-Visual Accessibility
 * Improved Assessment Manager features for Tests, Surveys and Question Pools;
 * Course Files - manage content at the course level (to be introduced later in 2011);
 * Web 2.0 User Experience - new look and drag and drop features;
 * New Grade Centre functionality;
 * Learning Modules - guide students through a structured learning experience;
 * Mashups - integrate multimedia Web 2.0 resources.

Removed Features
The following features that exist in our current version of Blackboard, version 8, are no longer available in Blackboard 9.1:


 * Digital Dropbox
 * Announcements filtering by date
 * Emailing announcements

New Features
More information

The most prominent change in terms of the user interface is a significant reduction in the number of clicks needed to navigate or edit course sites, and the addition of a drag and drop functionality that allows instructors to quickly and easily change the order and location of items on the page. Action (chevron) buttons  support quick access to editing, and contextual help links further improve usability. Click chevron buttons to edit, copy, delete or manage content. Click on the More help link in the content page you are editing to access contextual help.

In addition to the traditional course announcements page, instructors can now set up a course Home page with dynamic modules, such as What’s new – listing resources and activities recently added to the site, Needs attention (staff only) – listing course activities that require attention, e.g. student submissions that need marking, Alerts (staff only) - displaying past due date and early warning notifications, and To do (students only) - displaying the status of course work and tasks. Blackboard has also introduced an easier way of integrating multimedia Web 2.0 resources using the Mashup functionality. The three types of mashups currently available are Flickr photos, YouTube videos and Slideshare presentations.

Another change occurred in the way Blackboard 9 handles file attachments. A course file repository is a new feature that allows instructors to upload files into one place in the course, from which they can be linked to multiple course pages. Files added directly to course pages are also automatically added to the repository. There is a new option that allows instructors to simultaneously upload more than one file into the repository, using the Upload Package option. In terms of collaboration, the new version adds the ability for students to self-organise into groups or self-enrol in groups created by the instructor. Instructors can create groups sets (multiple groups) at once and set enrolment limits for each group.

Finally, we have added a direct link from Blackboard to Turnitin (an academic integrity and plagiarism site). Instructors can now set up a Turnitin Assignment in Blackboard, and specify whether students can see authenticity reports for their submissions.

Blackboard 9.1 Tutorials
Click here for links to Blackboard 9.1 text and video resources by theme.

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