Notas de versão arquivadas do Learn SaaS

Learn SaaS release 3900.98.0

Blackboard Learn SaaS Continuous Delivery v3900.98.0
Release to Test/Stage: Tuesday, 16 July 2024 | Release to Production: Thursday, 8 August 2024
Original Experience, Ultra Experience
Original Course View, Ultra Course View

For full feature details, please review the corresponding notes for the Learn 3900.98.0 version included below on this page. Details can be found Behind the Blackboard. 

Latest release: 3900.98.0-rel.37+68cbd0f to Production servers to take place on 22 August 2024.

For more information on updates and bug fixes, please visit Behind the Blackboard.

August 2024 – 3900.98 Release

The August 2024 - 3900.98 release is robust with features in 8 areas: 

• Instructional design; 
• Mastery learning & learning pathways;
• Tests and assignments; 
• Communication and collaboration; 
• Flexible grading; 
• Gradebook; 
• Learn core and security; 
• Integrations; and 
• Upgrade to Ultra 

These improvements impact instructors, students, and administrators. Some features do require administrative action. 

Instructors: 

• Content Designer: Enhanced Documents 
• Improved navigation between students in Flexible Grading
• Hide unenrolled students from the gradebook 
• Status information removed from the gradebook download file
• Image Generation Improvements

Instructors and Students: 

• Anonymous student responses for Forms
• Improvements to creating assignments

Instructors and Administrators: 

• Multiple rules for release conditions
• Original Conversion Improvement: Convert Undeployed Tests to Question Banks 
• Brightspace Conversion Improvement: Gradebook Categories
• Brightspace Conversion Improvement: File Uploads
• Brightspace Conversion Improvement: Discussion Forums and Topics 
• Brightspace Conversion Improvement: Quiz Timer Settings
• Brightspace Conversion Improvement: Embedded Equations 
• Moodle Conversion Improvement: Embedded Images

Administrators

• Enhanced Attendance Public REST API with Timestamp Data
• Enhanced Group Assignments Management via REST API
• Building Block Content to LTI Link Migration Tool: Change in support status

All users: 

• Ability to ‘Follow’ Discussions for Enhanced Engagement Assessment
• Assessment IP Address Filtering
• Send a message to a group from Group Spaces
• Math formula enhancement

Content Designer: Enhanced Documents – 3900.98

Blackboard Learn SaaS
Ultra Experience 
Ultra Course View 
Impact: Instructors 
Related Topic: Create Documents

Content design is key to creating an engaging course that supports learner needs. The Document feature is a useful option for creating and presenting a variety of visual elements. We have made significant enhancements to Documents to provide new and robust options for content design. Instructors will be delighted that all enhancements work beautifully using a mouse, trackpad, or the keyboard. All enhancements are mobile friendly for instructors and students. 

We've removed the option to generate questions from Documents. Generating questions from within a test using the context picker in the AI Design Assistant is the preferred method.

Image 1. Enhanced Document with diverse content laid out in rows and columns

Image 2.  Empty Document with block options 

Instructors can now design Documents by selecting from a variety of block types. 

• Content block 
  Add content via the content editor. 
• HTML block 
  Add content via HTML or CSS in the Document. 

An administrator must configure an alternate domain for the HTML block to appear. Learn more about setting up an alternate domain. 

• File upload block 
  Browse for files on the local machine to upload to the Document. 
  Note: Administrators can define the maximum size of a file that users can upload. 
• Cloud upload block 
  Login to a cloud service and select a file to add into the Document. 
• Content Collection block 
  Browse the Content Collection and select a file to add to the Document. 
• Convert a file block 
  Browse for files on the local machine. Once selected, the system converts the file into the Document format. Supported file types include PDF, PowerPoint (ppt, pptx, pps), and Word (doc, docx, odt). 

In this release, the option to convert a file is only available in the main authoring space. In the Add Content panel (the + menu), the option to convert a file doesn’t appear. We'll correct this in an upcoming release. 

Instructors can also open the left panel by selecting the + and choosing the desired block. 

Image 3. Empty Document with the blocks panel opened

Document menu bar

To provide greater efficiency when designing content, we added a menu bar to Documents. The menu bar remains in view as the instructor scrolls the Document to view, add, or edit content. The menu bar contains the Edit option when in the view state. After selecting Edit, the menu bar displays the following options: 

• Edit 
• Add Blocks 
• Undo/Redo 
• Cancel 
• Save 

Image 4. Add blocks from the left panel or select the purple + to add a block as a row

Resizing and moving blocks 

Instructors can create appealing layouts by resizing and dragging/dropping blocks into columns and rows. 

• Each row includes a menu with options to move or delete the block. 
• Each block includes a menu with options to edit, move, or resize, or delete the block. 

Image 5. Move, expand, and shrink options via keyboard controls

New LTI placements via the Content Market option in the content editor aren't yet supported in enhanced Documents. Pre-existing placements continue to function as expected. We are working to add this feature. We will update you soon.

For administrators: This feature is available for all Ultra courses. A new configuration option is on the Ultra configuration page in the Administrator Panel: “Enable support for customizing Ultra document layouts.” The default state is on. This option will be available until December 2024. At that time, we will remove the configuration option and enhanced Documents will be default. 
The 3900.98 release will begin updating on production sites on Thursday, Aug. 8 in the US morning as usual. The Content Designer: Documents option will not appear as configuration setting for administrators in the Administrator Panel and enhanced Documents will not be available in courses. We will enable the Content Designer: Documents feature on Monday, Aug. 12 at 9 am ET. At this time, the administrator setting will display in the configuration options and will be ON by default, but administrators can toggle it off.

This option can be toggled on or off. Be mindful of potential impacts to content created with or modified by enhanced options if you turn this option off.

Return to August 2024 – 3900.98.0 Release description

Image Generation Improvements – 3900.98

Blackboard Learn SaaS 
Ultra Experience 
Ultra Course View 
Impact: Instructors 
Related topic: Add Files, Images, Audio, and Video

Images enhance comprehension and engagement with course content. To help, we introduced the ability for instructors to generate images using the AI Design Assistant. 

We are updating the technology in the image generation process from DALL-E 2 to DALL-E 3. This update allows instructors to generate higher quality, higher resolution images in the following workflows: 

• Learning Module images 
• Document images 
• Announcement images 
• Assessment question images 
• Journal prompts images 

Image 1: Generated image using DALL-E 3 in a Document

For administrators: The "Generate images" options only appear for instructors when each tool is on. Select Building Blocks from the Administrator Panel, then select Installed Tools. Locate "AI Design Assistant and Unsplash" and select Settings from the dropdown. The default state is off. You must also activate privileges. Assign the Use AI Design Assistant privilege for the appropriate Course Roles (for example, Instructor).

Return to August 2024 – 3900.98.0 Release description

Multiple rules for release conditions – 3900.98

Blackboard Learn SaaS 
Ultra Experience 
Ultra Course View 
Impact: Instructors, Administrators
Related Topic: Content Release Conditions

Instructors need to release course content based on performance criteria to sequence students on learning paths correctly. Sometimes they also need to release content to different groups using different criteria. For example, graduate students may be required to perform additional activities or perform at a higher level than other students. To support this needed flexibility, instructors can now create multiple rules for release conditions. 

You can create rules for release conditions based on these criteria: date, time, and grade range performance criteria. You can also create rules for specific individual learners, groups, or for all members.

Image 1. Release Conditions page

This release also improves copying content from Original courses. Rules and criteria now copy from Original adaptive release settings. The supported criterion types are date, time, grade range, and memberships (individual or groups). Only supported criteria types are copied from Original to Ultra courses. These criteria types are removed automatically during a copy:

• Attempt for a gradable item (student submitted the assignment or test)
• Student marked an item reviewed

As before, we recommend reviewing settings after copying content from Original courses.

For administrators: This feature is available for all Ultra courses. There are no configurations needed. For Test/Stage environments, availability will be on July 24.

Return to August 2024 – 3900.98.0 Release description

Improvements to creating assignments – 3900.98

Blackboard Learn SaaS 
Ultra Experience 
Ultra Course View 
Impact: Instructors, Students 
Related Topic: Create and Edit Assignments

Instructors need robust, easy to use tools when creating their assessments. 

To create a better experience, the new Assignment page includes these improvements: 

• A new Instructions box where instructors can use the full content editor to craft assignment instructions.
• There are no options to add questions to an assignment. 
• The Settings panel now includes only options relevant to assignments. 
• Blank attempts are no longer created when students view assignment instructions. The system only creates an attempt when students add content to the file drop zone / content editor. Note: Group or timed and proctored assignments continue to create attempts when students view the instructions.

Assignments created before this release will continue to create blank attempts when students view the instructions. We'll address this issue in a future release. 

The New Test page remains unchanged. Instructors can access all the same question types and settings options. Attempts are still automatically created when students view the test questions. 

Image 1. Instructor view of the New Assignment page with the new Instructions box

Image 2. Instructor view of adding instructions to an assignment

Image 3. Students view of the new Assignment Information panel and the View Instructions option

Image 4. Student view of the assignment instructions

For administrators: This feature is available for all Ultra courses. There are no configurations needed.

Return to August 2024 – 3900.98.0 Release description