[BB] Kaltura videos issue

Dear Blackboard users. 

At this moment, Kaltura is experiencing issues with their videos. You might experience slowness while using playback or uploading files. Specific to upload, the upload process may take longer than usual. 

Kaltura is aware and working on the issue. There is no ETA on the resolution currently. 

For additional information go here: Kaltura Status 

Please feel free to contact us for any request and issues you might have.  Our phone number is 305-284-3949 or you can email us at Learningplatforms@miami.edu. Our business hours are Mon-Frid 9 am to 9:30 pm and weekends 10 am to 2 pm. 

 

Thank you,

  

Learning Platforms Team 

(P): 305-284-3949 

[BB] Course Menu error message

Dear Blackboard User 

Blackboard is currently experiencing issues with certain courses accessing the "Course Menu", when the "Edit Mode" is On. 

If you encounter the issue, here is a work around to get access to your content: 

1. Turn "Edit Mode" OFF in the top right corner of the course. 
1. The left side course menu will then be accessible and so will the access to the "Full Grade Center" 
2. Edit mode does NOT need to be on for them to change grades or otherwise use the functionality inside of the Full Grade Center. 

2. This method also works for accessing other areas of the course then turning "Edit Mode" back on, to be able to make changes to content in those content areas. 

We are working with Blackboard to get this issue solved as soon as possible.

Please contact the learning Platforms if you have any question: 

Email: learningplatforms@miami.edu

Phone: 305-284-3949 

Thank you,

Rick Ramos

Help Desk Supervisor

Phone: 305-284-3949

Email: Learningplatforms@miami.edu

[BB] Blackboard Upgrade | Call for Volunteers

Hello everyone,

I hope your Spring term is off to a good start, please let us know if there is anything we can do to help!

As the title may suggest, we have some news we'd like to share with you. This year, we are planning to upgrade to the modernized Blackboard Ultra Experience!  This upgrade provides a simple, intuitive, and streamlined course experience for faculty and students.

Now that a test server has been configured, we'd like to invite you to try out the new experience early and help us by providing feedback. While the server is not configured to host students, we can import your courses for review.

We'll be offering more formal workshops and training materials as we announce this initiative more broadly. Information related to the upgrade and future training opportunities will be found here https://academictechnologies.it.miami.edu/explore-technologies/blackboard-ultra-upgrade/index.html

If you're interested in an early look please send us an email to LearningPlatforms@Miami.edu and one of our team members will work with you to get you going. 

We're here to help,

Peter Martinez

Director, Learning Platforms

Academic Technology, UMIT

Gables One Tower, 1050S

P: (305) 284-2215

C: (305) 898-5187

E: PeterMartinez@miami.edu

[BB] Fall 2020 Blackboard Learn Course Setup Assistance

Dear Blackboard Users, 

  

We are here to assist you with the tasks that are often done when setting up a Blackboard course site. Let us know if we can do any of these, or anything else, to assist you at the start of this semester. Send email to Learningplatforms@miami.edu, call 305-284-3949, or when available fill out the form, to make a request or get assistance. You can also leave a detailed voicemail if we are unable to answer your call and it will open an incident in our tracking system in the order it was received.  Don't forget to provide your name, C Number and call back number.
 
 

Course Site Availability 
 
When created, course sites are unavailable to students. This way you can set them up before the students access them. Call or email us and we can make them available to your students, or you can follow these easy steps to do it yourself: 
 

•  Video - Instructions for using Qwickly to make the course available 

 

Course Site Merge 
 
If you teach multiple sections of a course, or have both graduate and undergraduate students in the same course, it may be easier to combine them into one Blackboard course site, rather than have a separate site for each section. With the merged site, you can post your course material once rather than posting it in each section's site separately. Tell us what sites you want merged and we will take care of it for you. 

 

• From to request a course merge 

 

Note: Courses should be merged before any student activity takes place in the course sites for the various sections. User records, such as discussion board posts, grades, and assessment attempts, will not show up in the new, merged, site. 
 

Course Site Augment 
 
We can do a course "augment" rather than a course merge if you would like. An augment maintains all of your original course sites and adds one additional master site with all of the students from your various sections. With the course augment option you can use the master site to post course material in one location, and reserve the individual section course sites for assignments or tests specific to each course section.  Fill out the form below or call to request a course augment.  
 

• Video about course merges and augments (15 minutes) 

• Form to request a course augment 

 

Course Site Copy 
 
If you have material from a prior semester that you would like to copy into the course site you are setting up, you can call or email us, or fill out the form below, and we will do a course copy for you. You can also follow the steps at the link below to do it yourself: 
 

• Course Copy instructions  

• Video about course copies (7 minutes) 

• Form to request a course copy 

 

Note: You need to be enrolled as an instructor in both the source and destination courses sites in order to perform a Course Copy. User records, such as discussion board posts, grades, and assessment attempts will not be copied. Do NOT copy course enrollments. 

 

Teaching Assistant enrollment 
 
Teaching assistants are not added automatically to your class, they have to be entered manually. Email or call us and will be happy to do it for you, or you can do it yourself using the instructions at the following link: 
 

• How to enroll someone in your course 

  

  

Please feel free to contact us for any request and issues you might have.  Our phone number is 305-284-3949 or you can email us at Learningplatforms@miami.edu. Our business hours are 7 days a week from 9 am to 12 am. 

 

  

Learning Platforms Team 

(P): 305-284-3949