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See the latest changes for Blackboard Mobile Communications App, Blackboard Mass Notifications, Teacher Communications, and Blackboard Social Media Manager.
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Blackboard Reach 1.8 Release
Here's what the Blackboard Reach 1.8 release includes:
- Bug fixes
- Enhancements
Bug fixes and enhancements
- UI/UX enhancement
- Fixed an issue where the batch indicator disappears when user navigates to a channel. Also, the app didn't determine if the user read a message in the channel. Now, the batch indicator is set to disappear only when a user reads the messages in a channel.
- Users can perform a member search using the first and last name from any direct message.
- Show error messages in appropriate places.
- Changes to user names will synchronise on Reach when users edit them in BBComms.
- Users can delete their primary email ID from the profile page.
- The profile picture will remain when users select cancel.
- Admin tooling
- Fixed an issue where the admin could read the user's message and the unread message count.
- Fixed an issue where the admin could read the user's message and the unread message count.
- Translation
- When an admin selects translation, it should translate to the user's preferred language.
- When an admin selects translation, it should translate to the user's preferred language.
- Backend/DB level changes
- Analysis and integration on Google analytics report.
- Implement authentication in District API.
- Need to standardise logging levels.
- SQS trigger event for Email digest get users lambda performance tuning.
Train The Trainer
Technical requirements
Here are the BBComms End User Technical Requirements and we also have updated the Blackboard Privacy Policy.
Refresh your cache
It's always a good practice to clear your browser cache on a regular basis. Refresh your Cache shows you how to clear your cache in any browser.
Resources and materials
As always, you can find resources and materials related to this release as well as to the many features and functions on the Blackboard Help website. Core Resource & Help Topics, Communication App, and Training — we’ve got the information you need to succeed with your BBComms.
Blackboard Reach 1.7 Release
Here's what the Blackboard Reach 1.7 release includes:
- Bug fixes
- Enhancements
Bug fixes and enhancements
- Enhanced user experience. We have addressed the below based on recommendations after the UX audit:
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We have modified the content in the dialog box that appears when sending a message in a channel.
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We will display days on the message timeline.
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The settings page will show the status after enable or disable of a school.
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We will show the "Enter link" text box in the editor.
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We have fixed the color of the hyperlink.
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We will show the school name on banner based on the many schools navigated by the user.
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We have modified how the school bar appears in landscape view of the mobile app.
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We have enhanced the user experience of the editor by giving it a maximum height of 40% of the screen height. This experience is consistent across the tablet and mobile apps.
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- Improved email digest
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Users can select the jump icon in the daily digest email to navigate to a message in the channel or direct message.
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- Improved admin search
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Fixed the issue of an error message shown when impersonating the new classes. Now you can search for a message in new classes.
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Backend or database related changes
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None.
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Technical requirements
Here are the BBComms End User Technical Requirements and we also have updated the Blackboard Privacy Policy.
Refresh your cache
It's always a good practice to clear your browser cache on a regular basis. Refresh your Cache shows you how to clear your cache in any browser.
Resources and materials
As always, you can find resources and materials related to this release as well as to the many features and functions on the Blackboard Help website. Core Resource & Help Topics, Communication App, and Training — we’ve got the information you need to succeed with your BBComms.
Blackboard Reach 1.6 Release
Here's what the Blackboard Reach 1.6 release includes:
- Bug fixes
- Enhancements
Bug fixes and enhancements
- Enhanced user experience
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Animated the west bar when expanding or collapsing the side navigation.
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Modified the collapse side menu button, dropdown button, and avatar images on the profile page.
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Provided additional padding beneath the page navigation under chart archive screen.
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Rearranged the icon and grid alignment in the reporting page.
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Modified the header, side panel, channel highlight, and bottom padding in the Channels column.
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Modified the timestamp colours, content padding, hover effect for icons in Channels & Direct messages.
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Modified the timestamp divider behaviour and the colours present as part of the reading pane.
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Removed the double scroll & Extra space present on the chart archive screen.
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- Improved operability
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We will display the relationship under a group even when the relevant user (parent or student) is not a part of that group.
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Fixed an issue where the chat window did not automatically scroll to the recent message. We will show the recently sent new message on the chat window.
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Batch indicator counts will update when a new message gets posted in channel and direct messages.
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- Enhanced email digest
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Users can navigate to a specific message on the channel or a direct message by clicking the jump icon in the daily digest mail.
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The user names are shown on the channel and direct message preview as part of the daily digest mail.
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Tooltips available for all hyperlinks.
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Blackboard Reach 1.5 Release
Here's what the Blackboard Reach 1.5 release includes:
- Bug fixes
- Enhancements
Bug fixes and enhancements
- Enhanced user experience
- Loading overlay properly addressed by covering complete page when the page loads.
- Width of buttons, padding between date range fields, and findings related to mobile and tablet view addressed.
- Empty state messages are displayed in the direct message modal and a chat with no activity.
- When users view a quoted direct message in its original thread, the background will be highlighted in light pink.
- Improved search results
- Fixed an issue where read messages appeared as unread in impersonating view.
- Improved operability
- Fixed an issue where live messages weren't populated during a chat.
- HTML formatting is retained in the message when users reply.
- Fixed an issue where teachers were able to see students from different classes.
- Fixed an issue where the student relationship isn't getting shown when the student was added to a group.
- Fixed an issue where classes duplicated for parent associated more than one student of the same class.
- Fixed an issue so that the appropriate parents and students results are returned when a teacher searches from the direct message search box.
- Improved reporting and reliability
- Classes related to the school will be auto-populated in usage reports when the school is enabled in Reach.
- Number of users accessing via mobile app is included in usage reports.
- Time now displays correctly in search results in Messages.
- User reports are automatically populated and generate reports on time based on real-time data.
- Improved settings
- Fixed an issue where empty channel names (No Name) displayed under settings.
- Fixed an issue with the Staff ID getting changed when the login ID was changed.
- Updated the default browser validation to custom validation if Sign in is selected without entering the login ID and password.
- Improved profile page
- Users are alerted to unsaved changes in the profile page.
- Adding an email ID will have proper validation and action buttons enabled appropriately.
- Name of field values changes to suit the user profiles.
- Fixed an issue where the Delete action was disabled when users want to delete email IDs.
- Enhanced email digest
- Users will be sent to the district Google Play store or Apple App store link when they click the icon present in the email digest.
- Users are shown "pending confirmation" and "resend confirmation" links when they opt-in with an ID for email digest.
Blackboard Reach 1.4 Release
Here's what the Blackboard Reach 1.4 release includes:
New feature
- Email Digest
- In this release, we've enabled email digest for all users. Users can add email ID in their profile page, opt-in, and eventually subscribe for Reach daily digests. This will improve awareness of available and missed messages from channel and direct messages delivered via email.
Bug fixes and enhancements
- Enhanced user experience
- Fixed issues with modal pixel, DM screen, and search input.
- Removed chat icon from the parent screen for better user experience.
- Improved search results
- Now when users select the Clear All button under the search it will clear all the filters and provide the proper experience.
Blackboard Reach 1.3 Release
Here's what the Blackboard Reach 1.3 release includes:
New feature
- Profile page
- We've enabled a profile page for all users where they can view their personal contact information like login ID, staff ID, first name, last name, etc.
- Users can add or delete a profile picture
- Users can change the preferred language
- Users can add or delete an email ID for digest purposes.
Bug fixes and enhancements
- Message reliability
- Parents and students can reply to a message or send direct messages from the received chat from a channel.
- Parents can search and select the teachers connected to them from Direct Messages.
- Accessibility
- Users can navigate from Reach to the app using Universal Navigation.
- Fixed an issue so now users an login via a Chrome browser and the channel populates respectively.
- Helper message appears as a banner on the login screen if the school isn't available in the application.
- Reports
- Fixed an issue where the date range was accepting the future date.
- The platform access count properly updates, based on user login, under reports.
- The count of members in each channel is consistent across the application.
- UI and UX improvements
- Channel and Direct Message sections don't have a minimum height. Both sections are scrollable.
- Column headers are aligned properly to fit the mobile screen.
- Text editor is more responsive.
- School order sorted appropriately.
- Settings
- Proper channels are selected or deselected based on the appropriate action.
Blackboard Reach 1.2 Release
Here's what the Blackboard Reach 1.2 release includes:
- Blackboard Reach student access
- Posting message reliability
- Fixed an issue where Reach Notification is displayed in BbComms under Library and Saved user.
- Messages read count is updated properly after it's read.
- Reports
- Appropriate messages and text displays when a search result has no value.
- Mobile app configuration
- Clicking on the received push notification now navigates to the Reach home screen appropriately.
- New layout appears for the push notification.
Blackboard Reach 1.1 Release
Here's what the Blackboard Reach 1.1 release includes:
- Posting message reliability
- Fixed an issue related to posting messages via Google Chrome on Mac, where sometimes the message would disappear. We enhanced message posting reliability.
- Performance of posting message in a large member group is improved.
- Message notification
- Resolved an issue where the message count badge was reporting incorrect numbers. Now users can see appropriate unread count under channels and direct messages as part of the notification.
- Loading district
- School districts are updated and mapped based on Virtual hostname that lists the domains to populate in Reach. Updates will occur nightly.
- Reports
- Improved the on-screen feedback when no results are found when searching the Chat Archive.
- After enabling a school, that school can now be found on the school settings page without requiring a page reload.
- Fixed an issue related to removing inputs from date field affects the reporting interface.
- UI and UX improvements
- Appropriate exception handled in Message Failed, Member Search, and District Settings.
- Mobile responsive UI improved by instantiating horizontal scroll bar for long text that eases user experience.
- Improved interface on Header display, Universal Navigation display, and landscape view scrolling in mobile browser.
- Improved interface on adjusting the layout of the keyboard that occupied larger space of a screen earlier.
- Fixed an issue related to session management.
- Rich text editor is now responsive and interactive.
- Mobile app configuration
- Now the user can enjoy seamless auto login access to Reach after successful login to Mobile Communications App.
- Performance and reliability
- Fixed an issue related to loading of channels under settings. Now the user can get the channel details without delay for large-member groups.
