[BB] Blackboard has been upgraded to version "9.1 Q2 2016"

Dear Blackboard users,

The UMIT Learning Platforms Team has completed the update to the University Of Miami Blackboard to version “9.1 Q2 2016” on  Monday December 26th 2016. This upgrade will enhance our current version with with several bug fixes.

Some users may still see a cached version of a page stating that Blackboard is still unavailable. If you attempt to access Blackboard after December 26th, 2016  and see this error, please feel free to contact the Blackboard Help Desk by emailing blackboardhelp@miami.edu. This issue might also be resolved by clearing the cache in your web browser.

Instructions for Clearing Cache: Internet Explorer , Mozilla Firefox , Google Chrome , Safari

Below are some of the improvements that are featured in this upgrade:

Release Notes: Learn 9.1 Q2 2016

Thanks,

Your Blackboard Team

305-284-3949

blackboardhelp@miami.edu

[BB] Blackboard upgrade notice!

 

​ Service Alert    Due to an upgrade, Blackboard will be unavailable on Sunday December 25th 2016, starting at 10:00 p.m. through Monday December 26th 11:59 p.m.   The upgrade does not include major changes to functionalities, it will be mostly internal bug fixes. You still will have the familiar look and feel we currently have.   ·         Upgrade information   If you have questions related to this issue, please contact the UMIT Blackboard Help Desk: (305) 284-3949, blackboardhelp@miami.edu. Thank you.

/umiamiit              @umitsupport

 

 

Blackboard Team

(P): 305-284-3949

blackboardhelp@miami.edu

 

 

Google Adwords Voucher India

Are you running your ads on Google ? Do you want to save money in Adwords Ads ? Do you want a lot of business in less spending ?

If yes then do not worry we have Google Adwords Voucher For India. In this offer you need to spend only 500 INR to get free ad credit worth 2000 INR.

Google Adwords is really best option to get instant business or services. Start your ads today and get a lot of business.

You will directly save 2000 INR each time you use coupon . Suppose you use 10 coupons in a month then you can save 20000 INR and in one year you can save 12*20000=240000 INR . I think this is not a small amount to save in a year. Saving money means earning money.

We have Adwords coupon for US Billing account also in that you need to spend $25 to get $100 credit.

So do not wait more buy your voucher now and start saving money today. Coupon price is 250 INR each . I can reduce more it if you buy these coupons in bulk quantity.

Some of the features of this coupons are below :-

• This Only One Google Adwords Coupon work per account .
• You can use in new ad accounts  or less than 30 days old accounts.
• Expiry of Coupon is December 2016.
• You need to spend 500 Rupees to get this extra credit worth 2000 Rupees.
• After redeeming coupon you can use this credit any time.
• There is no risk in using these coupons.
• You will get coupon instantly after spending 500 INR.
• This offer is still existing and 100% working in Indian billing adwords accounts.

We also do PPC for customers on Google Adwords , if you need let me know .

Connect me at skype id speakmeme or 

call me +91-8586875020 Email ceo@speakmeme.com

Google Adwords Voucher India

Are you running your ads on Google ? Do you want to save money in Adwords Ads ? Do you want a lot of business in less spending ?

If yes then do not worry we have Google Adwords Voucher For India. In this offer you need to spend only 500 INR to get free ad credit worth 2000 INR.

Google Adwords is really best option to get instant business or services. Start your ads today and get a lot of business.

You will directly save 2000 INR each time you use coupon . Suppose you use 10 coupons in a month then you can save 20000 INR and in one year you can save 12*20000=240000 INR . I think this is not a small amount to save in a year. Saving money means earning money.

We have Adwords coupon for US Billing account also in that you need to spend $25 to get $100 credit.

So do not wait more buy your voucher now and start saving money today. Coupon price is 250 INR each . I can reduce more it if you buy these coupons in bulk quantity.

Some of the features of this coupons are below :-

• This Only One Google Adwords Coupon work per account .
• You can use in new ad accounts  or less than 30 days old accounts.
• Expiry of Coupon is December 2016.
• You need to spend 500 Rupees to get this extra credit worth 2000 Rupees.
• After redeeming coupon you can use this credit any time.
• There is no risk in using these coupons.
• You will get coupon instantly after spending 500 INR.
• This offer is still existing and 100% working in Indian billing adwords accounts.

We also do PPC for customers on Google Adwords , if you need let me know .

Connect me at skype id speakmeme or 

call me +91-8586875020 Email ceo@speakmeme.com

[BB] Spring 2017 courses have been created

Hello Blackboard Users, 

The course sites for Spring 2017 have been created in Blackboard. To see your Spring 2017 course sites at this time, click on the "Courses" tab in Blackboard and look for the course titles that begin "20171 - ". 

When created, the course sites are unavailable to the students. As the instructor, you can click on the link and get in and set things up.  

When you are ready for the students to access your course site, follow the simple instructions below or watch the 1 minute video on the https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MH0-BExpzpw&feature=youtu.be web page.

1.       Access the Customization tool in your course site's Control Panel 

2.       Select Properties 

3.       Set Course Availability 

4.       Submit 

If you have questions or concerns, please email the Blackboard Help Desk at blackboardhelp@miami.edu, or call 305-284-3949 between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m., Monday through Friday. 

Sincerely, 

Your Blackboard Team 
(P): 305-284-3949

 

[BB] Have you used NBC Learn videos yet?

There will be an NBC Learn workshop hosted at UM Libraries on Monday November 7th. NBC Learn is available through the library's database list and can be integrated into Blackboard. There are more than 12,000 stories from the NBC News archives. A collection of primary source videos, newsreels, documents, and images that can be used for research, projects, and in classroom and online teaching.  

November 7th, Monday

Richter Library, 3rd floor

12:15 - 1:15pm

2:30pm - 3:30pm

3:30pm - 4:30pm

Please attend whichever session fits best into your schedule.

(Forwarded from Vanessa Rodriguez's post to the  Learning Design Community on Yammer.)

 

- Bill -

William (Bill) Vilberg

Dir., Information Technology

University of Miami

305-284-3944

[BB] Register now: i>clicker interactive lecture tool event Tue., 10/25, 2:30 pm

Oops. Forgot the registration link before. Here it is: https://goo.gl/forms/QdUVz2klblsJbWV12

Colleagues,

The University of Miami supports the i>clicker/Reef Polling student response system. This interactive lecture tool allows an instructor to poll students during a class period. Such polling can be used to assess student understanding of new concepts, opinions about the class, and determine preparation for class.

Amanda "Mandy" Gunnell, from MacMillan.com will be on campus to show the capabilities of the i>clicker/REEF system and answer questions.

When: Tuesday, October 25, 2016, 2:30-3:30 pm
Where: University of Miami, Coral Gables Campus, Richter Library, Room 305 (Faculty Exploratory aka One Button Studio)

Resources:
- The UM i>clicker web page at https://lpt.it.miami.edu/iclicker-student-response-system/
- Bill Vilberg at 305-284-3944 or bill.vilberg@miami.edu

- Bill -

[BB] Learn about the i>clicker interactive lecture tool on Tue., 10/25, 2:30 pm

The University of Miami supports the i>clicker/Reef Polling student response system. This interactive lecture tool allows an instructor to poll students during a class period. Such polling can be used to assess student understanding of new concepts, opinions about the class, and determine preparation for class.

Amanda "Mandy" Gunnell, from MacMillan.com will be on campus to show the capabilities of the i>clicker/REEF system and answer questions.

When: Tuesday, October 25, 2016, 2:30-3:30 pm
Where: University of Miami, Coral Gables Campus, Richter Library, Room 305 (Faculty Exploratory aka One Button Studio)

Resources:
- The UM i>clicker web page at https://lpt.it.miami.edu/iclicker-student-response-system/
- Bill Vilberg at 305-284-3944 or bill.vilberg@miami.edu

[BB] Blackboard help desk hours of operation

Dear Blackboard users,

 

The blackboard help desk is temporarily moving back its hours of operation to Monday to Friday 9 am to 9 pm.

 

We will still monitor issues during the week end and respond in case of an emergency.

 

Jose Baez, our help desk technician, has decided to leave us in order to pursue a new calling with another company. We are saddened to see him leave.

 

We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience, and we thank you for your understanding.

 

Sincerely,

 

 

 

Rick Ramos

Help Desk Supervisor

(P): 305-284-3949

 

[BB] Participate in Blackboard help desk satisfaction survey

Dear Blackboard users,

 

I am pleased to tell you that we are running an satisfaction survey to gather your views about us working for you. During the Fall 2016 first two weeks, we started a new procedure to not take any calls during peak hours to allow us to respond in a fair and timely manner to all incidents we received during the day. We are committed to working towards improving any areas which the survey highlights as potential sources of dissatisfaction, whilst improving on the things we do well.

 

Please click on the link that follows and fill in your answers, it should not take you more than 5 minutes to complete:

 

https://umiami.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_2rFfaNB4POoiETj

 

Thank you in advance for participating and helping our team to serve you better.

 

Rick Ramos

Help Desk Supervisor

(P): 305-284-3949

 

Re: [BB] Blackboard Help Desk process - Back to normal phone operation

Thank you, this is great news!

 

Love the personal service!

 

Michelle Gomez

University of Miami School of Law

1311 Miller Drive, G287

Coral Gables, FL  33146

Direct: 305-284-3910

Fax: 305-284-1588

Email: mgomez1@law.miami.edu

 

From: UM Blackboard Announcements [mailto:BB@LISTSERV.MIAMI.EDU] On Behalf Of Ramos, Rick
Sent: Wednesday, September 14, 2016 2:07 PM
To: BB@LISTSERV.MIAMI.EDU
Subject: [BB] Blackboard Help Desk process - Back to normal phone operation

 

Dear Blackboard users,

 

We have resumed our normal phone operations last week and we take all calls in the order received. If we are away from our desk or on another call, leave a voice message at 305-284-3949, send an email to blackboardhelp@miami.edu, or fill out a form from the https://lpt.it.miami.edu/forms/ web page, and an incident will automatically be opened in uService and assigned to our group, Learning Platforms.

 

Please feel free to contact us for any requests and issues you might have.

 

(P): 305-284-3949

blackboardhelp@miami.edu

 

From: UM Blackboard Announcements [mailto:BB@LISTSERV.MIAMI.EDU] On Behalf Of Vilberg, Bill
Sent: Monday, August 22, 2016 1:23 PM
To: BB@LISTSERV.MIAMI.EDU
Subject: [BB] New Blackboard Help Desk process - Leave a Message

 

Greetings, 

 

TWITTER SUMMARY:  

Leave a message when you call the Blackboard Help Desk. We are not answering the phone at this time of year. 

 

DETAILS: 

The process of responding to your requests for service from the Blackboard Help Desk has changed. We are now handling requests in the order received. Whether you leave a voice message at 305-284-3949, send an email to blackboardhelp@miami.edu, or fill out a form from the https://lpt.it.miami.edu/forms/ web page, an incident will automatically be opened in uService and assigned to our group, Learning Platforms. Incidents will be handled in chronological order.  

 

I know that you would probably prefer speaking to a person and having them work on your request immediately. We would prefer being able to do that for you. At the beginning of the semester we receive five times as many requests as in the middle of the semester. It seems unfair to prioritize phone calls over other requests, as we have done in the past. Under this new plan, the method used to contact us will not influence where you are placed in the queue.  

 

Please give this new process a try. We hope that overall you will get better and faster service using this new way of handling requests.   

 

Sincerely, 
- Bill - 

 

William (Bill) Vilberg 
Director, Information Technology 

 

P.S. I am about to go on leave, so replying to this message may result in an "Away" message. Don't be worried or surprised. 

[BB] Blackboard Help Desk process - Back to normal phone operation

Dear Blackboard users,

 

We have resumed our normal phone operations last week and we take all calls in the order received. If we are away from our desk or on another call, leave a voice message at 305-284-3949, send an email to blackboardhelp@miami.edu, or fill out a form from the https://lpt.it.miami.edu/forms/ web page, and an incident will automatically be opened in uService and assigned to our group, Learning Platforms.

 

Please feel free to contact us for any requests and issues you might have.

 

(P): 305-284-3949

blackboardhelp@miami.edu

 

From: UM Blackboard Announcements [mailto:BB@LISTSERV.MIAMI.EDU] On Behalf Of Vilberg, Bill
Sent: Monday, August 22, 2016 1:23 PM
To: BB@LISTSERV.MIAMI.EDU
Subject: [BB] New Blackboard Help Desk process - Leave a Message

 

Greetings, 

 

TWITTER SUMMARY:  

Leave a message when you call the Blackboard Help Desk. We are not answering the phone at this time of year. 

 

DETAILS: 

The process of responding to your requests for service from the Blackboard Help Desk has changed. We are now handling requests in the order received. Whether you leave a voice message at 305-284-3949, send an email to blackboardhelp@miami.edu, or fill out a form from the https://lpt.it.miami.edu/forms/ web page, an incident will automatically be opened in uService and assigned to our group, Learning Platforms. Incidents will be handled in chronological order.  

 

I know that you would probably prefer speaking to a person and having them work on your request immediately. We would prefer being able to do that for you. At the beginning of the semester we receive five times as many requests as in the middle of the semester. It seems unfair to prioritize phone calls over other requests, as we have done in the past. Under this new plan, the method used to contact us will not influence where you are placed in the queue.  

 

Please give this new process a try. We hope that overall you will get better and faster service using this new way of handling requests.   

 

Sincerely, 
- Bill - 

 

William (Bill) Vilberg 
Director, Information Technology 

 

P.S. I am about to go on leave, so replying to this message may result in an "Away" message. Don't be worried or surprised. 

Re: [BB] good news

Hello,

 

 

I think I have a very good news for you, you're gonna be surprised! Read it here please http://dyquerdumi.historybooya.com/aeqtv

 

Bests, Calendar calendar-notification@google.com

[BB] New Blackboard Help Desk process - Leave a Message

Greetings, 

 

TWITTER SUMMARY:  

Leave a message when you call the Blackboard Help Desk. We are not answering the phone at this time of year. 

 

DETAILS: 

The process of responding to your requests for service from the Blackboard Help Desk has changed. We are now handling requests in the order received. Whether you leave a voice message at 305-284-3949, send an email to blackboardhelp@miami.edu, or fill out a form from the https://lpt.it.miami.edu/forms/ web page, an incident will automatically be opened in uService and assigned to our group, Learning Platforms. Incidents will be handled in chronological order.  

I know that you would probably prefer speaking to a person and having them work on your request immediately. We would prefer being able to do that for you. At the beginning of the semester we receive five times as many requests as in the middle of the semester. It seems unfair to prioritize phone calls over other requests, as we have done in the past. Under this new plan, the method used to contact us will not influence where you are placed in the queue.  

Please give this new process a try. We hope that overall you will get better and faster service using this new way of handling requests.   

Sincerely, 
- Bill - 

William (Bill) Vilberg 
Director, Information Technology 

 

P.S. I am about to go on leave, so replying to this message may result in an "Away" message. Don't be worried or surprised. 

[BB] Start of Semester Bb Checklist

If you are using UM's Blackboard Learn course site system, here are a few things to do just before the start of the semester.

1. Make sure the course site is visible and open to students. You can do this using either Qwickly or the steps in the https://youtu.be/MH0-BExpzpw video.
2. Using Blackboard, send a "Welcome" email to your students.  Either create an Announcement and use the "Send immediately" option, or use Control Panel > Course Tools > Send Email > All Users to bring up the email page.
   1. Use a Subject such as "Welcome to MAT211" using either your course code or course tile.
   2. Tell them how much you are looking forward to seeing them at the first class session (include title of class, date, time, and location).
   3. Remind them of anything to do before class (for example, DO or DO NOT buy the textbooks, read the syllabus on the Blackboard course site, post an introduction on the "Who are we?" discussion board, record an introduction on the "Who are we?" VoiceThread board, etc.)
   4. Give them an idea of what to expect at the first class session. Will you be reviewing the syllabus? Will you be covering any material from the text? Will you be using i>clicker for class feedback? Should they be ready to introduce themselves to the class? Do you want them to sit in the front rows of the classroom? Set them up for success.
   5. Wish them a great semester.
   6. Explain that any extra blank lines in the email are a "feature" of Blackboard and they are not your fault. (See NOTE 1 below.)

Want to know more about how to do any of this? Contact our UM Blackboard Help Desk by sending email to blackboardhelp@miami.edu or calling 305-284-3949 and leaving a voice recording. Someone will get back to you.

I hope you and your students have an EXCELLENT semester. Let us know what we can do to make that happen!

Sincerely,

- Bill -

William (Bill) Vilberg

Director, Information Technology

Academic Technologies, Learning Platforms

bill.vilberg@miami.edu

305-284-3944 

NOTE 1: There is currently a problem with email from our Blackboard Learn system whereby extra blank lines are inserted between paragraphs. We are working with the Blackboard company to get this problem resolved. Your email will go out, but it will not look as nice as it should,  or as nice as it looks in the editor in the Blackboard Learn system. If you are a Windows user you can workaround this problem by creating your message in Notepad, copying it, and pasting it into the Blackboard Learn text box. Everything will look fine if you use that workaround.