[BB] Blackboard DOWNTIME & Training

Bb Users,

 

This is just a quick note to share the details of the upcoming upgrade and preliminary training.

 

Upgrade Details

§         Blackboard will be UNAVAILABLE on Monday, June 23 at 7:00pm through Tuesday, June 24.
It will be undergoing an upgrade to version 8.0. This upgrade should only take 1 day.

Grade Center Training Info

§         There will be a preliminary training session to cover the basics of the new Grade Center:
When/Where: Friday, June 20^th at 11:30am in LC 160.
This session will be recorded if you are not able to attend. It will also be repeated later in the summer.

§         Video Intro to the Grade Center: http://www.blackboard.com/release8/video_2.html

§         There is also a 2-page info sheet attached to this message that gives an intro to the new features of the Grade Center.

§         More documentation will follow as it becomes available.

 

As always, thank you for your patience, and I apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

Please contact the Blackboard Help Desk with any questions.

____________________________________
JENNIFER CLISTER
Blackboard Manager & Analyst
University of Miami IAC
305-284-3949

 

---

From: UM Blackboard Announcements [mailto:BB@LISTSERV.MIAMI.EDU] On Behalf Of Clister, Jennifer R
Sent: Wednesday, May 07, 2008 9:52 AM
To: BB@LISTSERV.MIAMI.EDU
Subject: [BB] Blackboard Upgrade / Advisory Committee

 

Blackboard Users,

 

It’s upgrade season again, and I just wanted to let you know what is going on with Blackboard this summer. We are planning on doing another (small) upgrade to Blackboard Release 8.0.

 

Upgrade Details

§         We are going to try and do this upgrade between the summer sessions in June. I am waiting for confirmation on how long Blackboard will need to be down.

§         More information will follow very soon as more precise dates and duration of the upgrade are worked out.

 

Practice Upgrade

§         In addition, to make sure we are prepared for this upgrade, we are doing a dress rehearsal upgrade on a staging server. (We did this last year also.)

§         We are copying our entire Blackboard system to another server and performing the upgrade on that server to make sure we iron out any wrinkles in the process before we do the real upgrade.

§         When I get confirmation that the copy process is officially complete, I will be asking you if you could look at your courses on the staging server to confirm that they really look like your real courses (or like your real courses looked a week ago).

 

New Changes in Bb 8.0

§         The only drastic changes in this release are some major improvements to the Gradebook (which will be called the “Grade Center”). Here is a short video that Blackboard made to showcase the new features of the Grade Center.
Video Intro to the Grade Center: http://www.blackboard.com/release8/video_2.html

 

Advisory Committee

§         I am looking for volunteers for an “advisory committee.” This would be a small group of individuals who would be willing to email me their opinions or input on questions from time to time.

§         If you would be willing to share your thoughts, please email me and let me know: jclister@miami.edu.

 

 

Thank you as always for your patience and cooperation.

 

-Jennifer

____________________________________
JENNIFER CLISTER
Blackboard Manager & Analyst
University of Miami IAC
305-284-3949

 

[BB] Part II: Upgrade Prep and Updates

Blackboard Users,

 

Our Staging Server has been upgraded to Blackboard 8.0. It looks like everything went smoothly, and the upgrade was completed in less than 24 hours. If you could check your course site(s) one more time and make sure everything looks like a functional copy of what you have on real Blackboard (as of April 29^th).

 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Steps to check your course data on the staging server:

1.       Login to Staging Server: http://umiamitemp.blackboard.com

a.       Login info is the same as it is for the “real” Blackboard.

b.       Note that the staging server tabs are purple to distinguish it from the production server.

2.       Look at one or more of your courses on the staging server and verify that your course looks OK based on the content it had as of April 29^th when it was copied. No updates made after April 29^th will be reflected on the staging server.

3.       If you see anything wrong, please let me know right away. If it all looks good, you don’t need to do anything.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Upgrade Scheduled!

We are currently scheduled to do the real upgrade on Monday, June 23^rd at 7:00pm. I hope to be down for less than 24 hours during the brief window between when Summer I grades are due (6/23) and Summer II begins (6/25).

 

Also, I have attached a cheat sheet to help you get acquainted with the new gradebook. The biggest changes are that you can now enter grades directly into the gradebook and you can lock down, sort, and scroll through the columns. But you can kick the tires yourself on the Staging Server.

 

Thank you as always.

____________________________________
JENNIFER CLISTER
Blackboard Manager & Analyst
University of Miami IAC
305-284-3949

 

---

From: UM Blackboard Announcements [mailto:BB@LISTSERV.MIAMI.EDU] On Behalf Of Clister, Jennifer R
Sent: Monday, May 12, 2008 4:53 PM
To: BB@LISTSERV.MIAMI.EDU
Subject: [BB] Please review your course site (Upgrade Prep)

 

Blackboard Users,

 

As promised, we are getting ready for our Blackboard upgrade this summer, and we are doing a practice upgrade on a copy of our production data made on April 29^th.

 

Before Thursday at 4:00pm could you look at the staging server copy of your course and confirm that it looks and functions basically way you think it should?

 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Steps to check your course data on the staging server:

4. Login to Staging Server: http://umiamitemp.blackboard.com
1. Login info is the same as it is for the “real” Blackboard.
2. Note that the staging server tabs are purple to distinguish it from the production server (as if it were wearing a moustache).
5. Look at one or more of your courses on the staging server and verify that your course looks OK based on the content it had as of April 29^th when it was copied. No updates made after April 29^th will be reflected on the staging server.
6. If you see anything wrong, please let me know right away. If it all looks good, you don’t need to do anything.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

The real upgrade is tentatively scheduled to occur sometime between June 23^th and June 25^th (between Summer 1 and 2). More information on that will be available in the coming weeks.

 

After the “dress rehearsal” upgrade to system 8.0 (Friday, May 23^rd), I will ask you to check the staging server one more time to be sure that the upgrade didn’t affect the course content you are verifying now. This will also give you a sneak peak at the new Blackboard system 8.0.

 

Questions? Let us know.
Blackboard Help Desk:  305-284-3949

 

And thank you again.

 

____________________________________

JENNIFER CLISTER

Blackboard & Technology Integration Analyst

University of Miami IAC

305-284-3949

 

[BB] Please review your course site (Upgrade Prep)

Blackboard Users,

 

As promised, we are getting ready for our Blackboard upgrade this summer, and we are doing a practice upgrade on a copy of our production data made on April 29^th.

 

Before Thursday at 4:00pm could you look at the staging server copy of your course and confirm that it looks and functions basically way you think it should?

 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Steps to check your course data on the staging server:

1. Login to Staging Server: http://umiamitemp.blackboard.com
1. Login info is the same as it is for the “real” Blackboard.
2. Note that the staging server tabs are purple to distinguish it from the production server (as if it were wearing a moustache).
2. Look at one or more of your courses on the staging server and verify that your course looks OK based on the content it had as of April 29^th when it was copied. No updates made after April 29^th will be reflected on the staging server.
3. If you see anything wrong, please let me know right away. If it all looks good, you don’t need to do anything.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

The real upgrade is tentatively scheduled to occur sometime between June 23^th and June 25^th (between Summer 1 and 2). More information on that will be available in the coming weeks.

 

After the “dress rehearsal” upgrade to system 8.0 (Friday, May 23^rd), I will ask you to check the staging server one more time to be sure that the upgrade didn’t affect the course content you are verifying now. This will also give you a sneak peak at the new Blackboard system 8.0.

 

Questions? Let us know.
Blackboard Help Desk:  305-284-3949

 

And thank you again.

 

____________________________________

JENNIFER CLISTER

Blackboard & Technology Integration Analyst

University of Miami IAC

305-284-3949

 

[BB] Blackboard Upgrade / Advisory Committee

Blackboard Users,

 

It’s upgrade season again, and I just wanted to let you know what is going on with Blackboard this summer. We are planning on doing another (small) upgrade to Blackboard Release 8.0.

 

Upgrade Details

§         We are going to try and do this upgrade between the summer sessions in June. I am waiting for confirmation on how long Blackboard will need to be down.

§         More information will follow very soon as more precise dates and duration of the upgrade are worked out.

 

Practice Upgrade

§         In addition, to make sure we are prepared for this upgrade, we are doing a dress rehearsal upgrade on a staging server. (We did this last year also.)

§         We are copying our entire Blackboard system to another server and performing the upgrade on that server to make sure we iron out any wrinkles in the process before we do the real upgrade.

§         When I get confirmation that the copy process is officially complete, I will be asking you if you could look at your courses on the staging server to confirm that they really look like your real courses (or like your real courses looked a week ago).

 

New Changes in Bb 8.0

§         The only drastic changes in this release are some major improvements to the Gradebook (which will be called the “Grade Center”). Here is a short video that Blackboard made to showcase the new features of the Grade Center.
Video Intro to the Grade Center: http://www.blackboard.com/release8/video_2.html

 

Advisory Committee

§         I am looking for volunteers for an “advisory committee.” This would be a small group of individuals who would be willing to email me their opinions or input on questions from time to time.

§         If you would be willing to share your thoughts, please email me and let me know: jclister@miami.edu.

 

 

Thank you as always for your patience and cooperation.

 

-Jennifer

____________________________________
JENNIFER CLISTER
Blackboard Manager & Analyst
University of Miami IAC
305-284-3949

 

[BB] Blackboard Training Sessions

Blackboard Users,

Just a note to let you know about some upcoming Blackboard training sessions.

Intro to Blackboard

This is a hands-on Blackboard training session for faculty/instructors/TAs with little or no experience using Blackboard. Registration is required. Please register here.

Date: Friday, March 21^st, 2008

Time: 11:30am-12:30pm

Room: Memorial 203

Wikis, Blogs, Discussion Boards: When to Use What

Although these tools are flexible and can often be used interchangeably, it can be difficult to choose which one will best meet your needs. In this session we will talk about the features of all three tools, what makes them alike, and what makes them different. Registration is required. Please register here.

Date: Friday, April 4^th, 2008

Time: 11:30am-12:30pm

Room: Memorial 203

* Please share this information with anyone you know that would like to learn how to use the Blackboard course management system in their classes.

-Jennifer

____________________________________
JENNIFER CLISTER
Blackboard Manager & Analyst
University of Miami IAC
305-284-3949

---

From: UM Blackboard Announcements [mailto:BB@LISTSERV.MIAMI.EDU] On Behalf Of Vilberg, William R.
Sent: Tuesday, January 08, 2008 3:26 PM
To: BB@LISTSERV.MIAMI.EDU
Subject: [BB] Intro to Blackboard

Blackboard users,

Please share this information with anyone you know that would like to learn how to use the Blackboard course management system in their classes.

On Friday, January 11, 2008, at 11:00 AM, there will be a hands-on Blackboard training session for faculty/instructors/TAs with little or no experience using Blackboard. This will be an introduction to the basic functionality of Blackboard. If you have not used the system before, this is an easy way to get started.

Registration is required, via the http://129.171.43.14/joomla web site.

Bill Vilberg

Instructional Advancement

[BB] Bb Updates: Summer1, Test Building Error, Safe Assign

Bb Users,

There are several updates in this message. Here is a summary. For more information, see below.

UPDATE SUMMARIES

1. The Summer 1 courses (-083) will be appearing on the Bb home page on Monday 2/25
2. IE browsers causing errors building tests/quizzes: WORKAROUNDS
3. Safe Assignments no longer have “resubmittable” option
4. Safe Assign reports display with missing spaces between words

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

UPDATE DETAILS

1. Summer 1 Courses Under My Current Courses (2/25)
   To keep up with the eMBA course schedule, the first summer session’s courses will be added to the Bb Home page’s “My Current Courses” list on Monday, Feb. 25^th. Many departments’ staff assignments are still subject to change (significantly) between now and then. If you taught a course during the first summer session last year, there is a very good chance that you have been temporarily assigned to teach the same course. Departments often copy staff assignments from the previous year with the intention of editing them.
2. Error Adding Quiz/Test Questions
   Adding questions to an assessment (quiz, survey, test, etc…) in Blackboard using either IE 6 or IE 7 browsers, sometimes causes an “Object not found” error. We are working with Blackboard to correct this issue. In the meantime, we have the following workarounds:

o Download the Firefox browser. As far as we know, Firefox does not cause this problem. It is available for free at www.mozilla.com

o Send your test questions to the Blackboard Help Desk. While we work on correcting this problem, we would be happy to build your assessments for you.

3. Safe Assignments no Longer Have Resubmittable Option
   When setting up a Safe Assignment, there is no longer an option to make that assignment “resubmittable.” Blackboard removed this option after reports of abuse by students*. Bb is looking into a way for instructors to designate how many resubmissions are allowed. Until then, students will have to ask the instructor to clear their submission so that they can submit again.
4. Safe Assign Reports Display Missing Spaces
   If you look closely at a Safe Assign report, the text of the student’s paper will have a random handful of spaces between words deleted so that the words run together. Bb has assured us that this is a display issue and does NOT affect the content comparison or matching score. They are working on a fix, and hope to have one by the end of March.

Keep an eye on the Blackboard Updates for up-to-date information on these and other announcements.

-Jennifer

____________________________________
JENNIFER CLISTER
Blackboard Manager & Analyst
University of Miami IAC
305-284-3949

* Safe Assign Abuse Note
Since a student could submit an infinite number of papers to an assignment that was set to "resubmittable," some unscrupulous students would sell access to the resubmittable assignment, so other students could run their papers through the plagiarism detection process before turning them in for their own classes. Some students were also using the infinite resubmissions to test the plagiarism detection algorithm for weaknesses in an attempt to find ways to plagiarize without being detected.

[BB] The Blackboard Gradebook - Training Session

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: I will be doing a training session on the Blackboard Gradebook on Friday, February 15, 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM, in Memorial 203. Lunch will be served. Registration is limited and required. Go to http://129.171.43.14/ to register.

ADDITIONAL DETAILS: The Gradebook is a powerful component of the Blackbaord course management system. It can easily be used to let students know grades on specific assignments, or keep a record of all their grades. It can calculate course grades in a number of ways. With this power comes some complexity. This workshop will demonstrate both the simple and more powerful features of the gradebook. The session is appropriate to any instructor, even with no prior experience with Blackboard.

Lunch will be served. Registration is limited and required. The session will be a demonstration, not a hands-on session. Go to http://129.171.43.14/ to register. The session will be recorded an posted to the Web, for those people who cannot attend.

Bill Vilberg

[BB] Bb Down at Midnight for 20 Min.

Bb Users,

I have been working with Blackboard all week trying to troubleshoot the problem I described earlier this week regarding adding questions to assessments.

Blackboard has made a load balancer configuration that requires our load balancer to be restarted to accept the update. This process will happen tonight (2/1) at midnight, and service should be restored within 20 minutes.

I apologize for any inconvenience. Thank you, as always, for your patience.

Jennifer

____________________________________
JENNIFER CLISTER
Blackboard Manager & Analyst
University of Miami IAC
305-284-3949

---

From: UM Blackboard Announcements [mailto:BB@LISTSERV.MIAMI.EDU] On Behalf Of Clister, Jennifer R
Sent: Wednesday, January 30, 2008 10:55 AM
To: BB@LISTSERV.MIAMI.EDU
Subject: [BB] Problems Generating Tests/Quizzes

Bb Users,

Have you been experience problems this week adding questions to an assessment (test/quiz)?

Problem Description:

When creating/building an assessment, people receive an “Object Not Found” error trying to submit a question adding it to an assessment. The problem is sporadic and does not necessarily happen every time they try to submit a new question.

If you are experiencing this problem, please let me know the details of your situation. I am currently working with Blackboard to troubleshoot and correct the problem, but the more information I can collect to shed light on what is going on, the better.

I will send out an update when I have more information.

Thank you for your help and patience,

Jennifer

____________________________________
JENNIFER CLISTER
Blackboard Manager & Analyst
University of Miami IAC
305-284-3949

[BB] Problems Generating Tests/Quizzes

Bb Users,

Have you been experience problems this week adding questions to an assessment (test/quiz)?

Problem Description:

When creating/building an assessment, people receive an “Object Not Found” error trying to submit a question adding it to an assessment. The problem is sporadic and does not necessarily happen every time they try to submit a new question.

If you are experiencing this problem, please let me know the details of your situation. I am currently working with Blackboard to troubleshoot and correct the problem, but the more information I can collect to shed light on what is going on, the better.

I will send out an update when I have more information.

Thank you for your help and patience,

Jennifer

____________________________________
JENNIFER CLISTER
Blackboard Manager & Analyst
University of Miami IAC
305-284-3949

[BB] Safe Assign and My Current Courses

Bb Users,

Just a quick update…

• Fall 2007 courses (081) semester now appear under the “Courses” tab in Blackboard rather than under “My Current courses” on the home page

• The new Safe Assign does not work in organizations. If you have an organization that requires Safe Assign, please contact the Blackboard Help Desk, and we will set up a course and move the participants and content into it

• There will be an Intro to Blackboard training session next Friday, Feb 1 at 11am in Memorial 203. If you know anyone who is new to the Blackboard system, please pass this Bb Intro registration link on to them.

____________________________________
JENNIFER CLISTER
Blackboard Manager & Analyst
University of Miami IAC
305-284-3949

[BB] Intro to Blackboard

Blackboard users,

 

Please share this information with anyone you know that would like to learn how to use the Blackboard course management system in their classes. 

 

On Friday, January 11, 2008, at 11:00 AM, there will be a hands-on Blackboard training session for faculty/instructors/TAs with little or no experience using Blackboard.  This will be an introduction to the basic functionality of Blackboard.  If you have not used the system before, this is an easy way to get started. 

 

Registration is required, via the http://129.171.43.14/joomla web site.

                                                                                                                                           

Bill Vilberg

Instructional Advancement

[BB] Faculty Info

Bb Users,

 

We experienced a problem with Faculty Info displaying as “Folder Empty” after a course copy. We *think* that this problem has been fixed, so if you experience Faculty/Staff info display problems, please submit a ticket so that we can fix (and investigate) it.

 

Click here to Submit a Ticket to the Bb ticketing system.

 

Thank you,
Jennifer

____________________________________
JENNIFER CLISTER
Blackboard Manager & Analyst
University of Miami IAC
305-284-3949

 

[BB] "Welcome Videos" on Blackboard

Instructors using Blackboard,

 

Would you like to have a friendly video greeting for your students on Blackboard before class starts?  You can see a sample by going to http://snipurl.com/welcomevideo and clicking the “Play” button in the bottom left corner of the video.  (You will see me without my mustache for the first time in 13 years!)

 

This is a one minute video, created to welcome the students to your class.  The goal is to make them feel more comfortable, and make you seem more approachable, helpful, and friendly.  There is almost no content, just a warm greeting.  I hadn’t practiced mine, so you will see me stumble over some of the things I was saying.  But even as it is, it removes some of the crusts that separate students and instructors.

 

If you would like to create one of these this week, let me know.  I have the camera set up in the Instructional Advancement Center (Merrick Building, Room 249).  We will arrange a time so you can come and record your “Welcome Video.”  I will even put it on your web site for you.  What a deal!  And all for no charge to you.

 

I hope you will take advantage of this opportunity to do something special on your Blackboard course web site.

 

Bill Vilberg

[BB] Safe Assignment Update: FINISHED

Bb Users,

 

Safe Assign has been successfully installed, and all our previous Safe Assignment data appears to have been successfully migrated so that it is still accessible via the new “Safe Assign.”

 

Thanks for your patience on this,

Jennifer

____________________________________
JENNIFER CLISTER
Blackboard Manager & Analyst
University of Miami IAC
305-284-3949