This page contains features and updates currently on Learn SaaS Test/Stage and Production environments. Visit Archived SaaS Release Notes to see features and updates in older versions.
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Learn SaaS release 3900.41.0
Blackboard Learn SaaS Continuous Delivery v3900.41.0
Release to Test/Stage: Tuesday, 10 May 2022 | Release to Production: Thursday, 2 June 2022
Original Experience
Ultra Experience
For full feature details please review the corresponding notes for the Learn 3900.41.0 version included below on this page. Details can also be found on Behind the Blackboard.
Latest release: 3900.41.0-rel.5+b654b23 to Test/Stage servers on 17 May 2022.
For more information on updates and bug fixes, please visit Behind the Blackboard.
June 2022 – 3900.41 Release
The June 2022 - 3900.41 release is rich with new features and improvements in three areas: assessment and grading; richer course and content design; and integration, extension, and management.
Instructors:
- Enhancement to Overall Grade weighting – item and category weighting in Ultra courses
Instructors and students:
- Added support for multiple attempts in group assessments in Ultra courses
- New Overall Grade calculation option (running total or not) in Ultra courses
- Attachments render inline for Ultra Documents and Ultra Assessments
- LTI item name changed to Content Market in rich text editor in the Ultra Experience
- Journals display more than 50 entries
Administrators:
- Blackboard Home: storage and utilization reports for Original and Ultra Experience (SaaS only)
- REST APIs to read all Content Collection files for SaaS and Learn 9.1
All users:
- Changed behavior for pasting JavaScript in Original Course View Content Editor
- Support Max File Upload Limit for Ultra Courses
- Improvements to Permissions in Ultra courses
Changed behavior for pasting JavaScript in Original Course View Content Editor - 3900.41
Blackboard Learn SaaS, Blackboard Learn 9.1
Original Experience
Original Course View
Impact: All users
The Original Course View Content Editor allows users to paste JavaScript into their HTML. JavaScript can add rich capability to web content but can be malicious. The Content Editor removes JavaScript automatically for most users when saved. This way, scripts cannot harm other users. Only authorized users can keep JavaScript when they save.
In the past, the Content Editor would temporarily render pasted scripts in the edit view. A user copying a script from a bad actor could inadvertently run a script against themselves.
A user could still run malicious JavaScript against their own device, but not by using the Content Editor. For users authorized to save scripts, JavaScript will still render after they save.
For administrators: This feature is available for all Original courses. There are no configurations needed.
Blackboard Home: storage and utilization reports – 3900.41
Blackboard Learn SaaS
Ultra Experience, Original Experience
Ultra Course View, Original Course View
Impact: Administrators
Administrators need access to timely information about storage and usage. They use this to compare actual usage against contracted limits. We send administrators monthly reports of peak usage metrics. Using Insights Reports, admins can also look at many daily metrics over time to find the peaks. Blackboard Home now provides up-to-date peak usage metrics. The reports show peak usage over a configurable number of months. These metrics include billable storage and users, displayed together with the contracted limits. There are also reports for login counts and current storage use segmented by file type. Blackboard Home has not yet replaced the Insights Report. Both reports will appear for now. Blackboard Home appears to full System Administrators in the Admin panel.
Blackboard Home will become available to all Blackboard Learn SaaS instances with the next SaaS Feature Release in June, scheduled for June 2nd, 2022. This includes production, stage, and test environments. Blackboard Home is only for Learn SaaS.
Image 1. Peak storage usage
Image 2. File type breakdown
Image 3. Peak User Counts
For administrators: This feature is an LTI application and managed via devportal. Enable or disable Blackboard Home: Administrator Panel > LTI link. Administrators are unable to further limit access.
REST APIs to read all Content Collection files - 3900.41
Blackboard Learn SaaS, Blackboard Learn 9.1
Ultra Experience, Original Experience
Ultra Course View, Original Course View
Impact: Administrators
The Content Collection stores files used in courses. It also stores files needed for other features of Blackboard Learn. Some third-party apps need access to these files to function. In the past, tool developers may have used Building Blocks APIs to read these files. Now developers can use REST APIs to read all files in all Content Collection directories. An administrator must authorize this access for a third-party app. The admin should assign permission “Read-only access to the Content System filesystem” to the API user. This improvement is part of ongoing work to expand the capabilities of the Content Collection REST APIs.
Learn SaaS release 3900.39.0
Blackboard Learn SaaS Continuous Delivery v3900.39.0
Release to Test/Stage: Friday, 22 April 2022 | Release to Production: Thursday, 5 May 2022
Original Experience
Ultra Experience
For full feature details please review the corresponding notes for the Learn 3900.39.0 version included below on this page. Details can also be found on Behind the Blackboard.
Latest release: 3900.39.0-rel.27+6e72bbb off cycle release to Production servers on 13 May 2022.
For more information on updates and bug fixes, please visit Behind the Blackboard.
May 2022 – 3900.39 Release
This release features a variety of improvements. Some improvements center on assessment and grading and better, more efficient workflows. Other features focus on refinement based on instructor, student, and administrator feedback.
The May 2022 - 3900.39 release includes several new features.
Instructors:
- Weighted Overall Grade calculation improvements
- Prohibit late submissions – usability improvements
- Support "undo" and “redo” capability in Bb Annotate
- Granular Content Copy improvements
Students:
Administrators:
- In-product Updates and User Engagement Surveys improvement
All users:
Support "undo" and “redo” capability in Bb Annotate - 3900.39
Blackboard Learn SaaS, Managed Hosting, Self-Hosted
Ultra Experience and Original Experience
Ultra Course View and Original Course View
Impact: Instructors, roles with grading permissions
Many instructors today enjoy the efficiency and effectiveness of using Bb Annotate. Assignments with file submissions include the Bb Annotate feature. This release adds new functionality to include an "undo" and "redo" option. An instructor may undo a change and then if inclined, redo it.
Image 1. Before - Bb Annotate toolbar.
Image 2. After - undo and redo buttons on the Bb Annotate toolbar
"Undo" and "redo" will not apply to comments. All other annotations are included for this capability.
For administrators: This feature is not aligned to the deployment dates for 3900.39. This feature will be released on 19 May 2022. There are no configurations needed.
Manage image title attribute in Original course Content Editor - 3900.39
Blackboard Learn SaaS, Managed Hosting, Self-Hosted
Original Experience
Original Course View
Impact: All users
The Content Editor in Original courses allows users to add image attributes. Now it also supports adding the "title" attribute. This attribute adds text tips to images. We still recommend prioritizing alternative description. An alternative description makes content more accessible, while a title doesn't.
Image 1. Before
Image 2. After
Looking for older release notes?
Check out the Blackboard Learn Release Notes Archive for more information on past releases.
