Blackboard receives upgrade before first summer session

Blackboard is receiving a summer upgrade.

The University Technology Office (UTO) will patch and upgrade Blackboard – the ASU community’s collaborative online tool – to its newest edition before the official start of the summer academic session.

To make the required upgrades, Blackboard will be unavailable starting at 3 a.m. PST, May 15, and is scheduled to be online and ready for use at 6 a.m., May 16.

The upgrade and patching offers new functionality, provides faculty, students and staff with a fresh new interface and will fix several bugs that occurred during the Spring 2013 semester. The new version will still support current and past Blackboard version compatibility - so previous shells, organizations and trainings will remain available.

Some of the upgraded features include:

• Better navigation efficiency
• Improved grading features
• Enhanced collaborative learning tools (discussion boards, wikis and journals)
• Integrated calendaring

UTO also is offering on-demand and in-person training across all ASU campuses. Please check this calendar for the next available session. Self-paced educational materials also are available. Click on either the Quick reference guide or the detailed reference guide for a copy.

Please visit asu.edu/bbnew for more information and to access all of the Blackboard resources available to instructors and students.

Jason Striker, jason.striker@asu.edu
University Technology Office