Course Resources (BlackBoard) Upgrade
Version 9.1 Service Pack 8
As part of the annual maintenance and upgrade program, LEI's Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) team are working in conjunction with ITS to upgrade the Universities Course Resources this summer, in order to provide an enhanced suite of teaching and learning tools for students, academics and support staff in time for the start of the 2012/13 academic year.
The upgrade is planned to take place during the first week of July 2012 and will provide an opportunity to further refine existing functionality, introduce new functionality through Course Resources (BlackBoard) Collaborate, which replaces Wimba Classroom and incorporate significant improvements to the Course Resources (BlackBoard) Learn 9.1 platform.
Details of the key changes to Course Resources (BlackBoard) Learn 9.1 are listed below:
- Course Relationship Management - Multi-Section Management and Cross-listing: Multi-Section Management enables instructors to manage their courses (across multiple sections) and communicate across multiple courses
- New Default Bb Theme: The overall theme in Course Resources (BlackBoard) Learn has been updated to enhance usability.
- Negative Marking: Allows instructors to apply negative point values for incorrect answers on Assessment questions.
- Course Structures: These structures re-align the left navigation to match the pedagogical needs of the particular course type.
- Course Themes: Pre-built designs that instructors can select to match their design preferences and teaching methods
- Overall module rubrics for easier learning outcome grading
- Enhancements to the Test and Survey system
- Separately, the introduction of Collaborate, an enhanced version of Wimba Classroom
To help you understand these changes better, TEL has made available a short video which highlights the key functional changes which affect you as a user.
As a user of the University's Course Resources, we feel that it is important to communicate these changes to you directly, so that as champions of the University's Course Resources, you are aware of the forthcoming changes, the impact they will have on users; experienced and beginner alike, and to provide LEI-Tel and ITS with relevant feedback from your peers and colleagues.
In order to aid these forthcoming improvements, TEL will provide a range of support information which will allow all users to become familiar with the key changes in time for the start of the new academic year.
If you have any queries regarding the forthcoming upgrade to the University's Course Resources, then please do not hesitate to get in touch with the TEL key contacts.
