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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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Community Engagement 10.41
Release 10.41 available on 25th and 30th Jan 2023.
Feature enhancements
Email open rates
- We'll show email open rate analytics to users.
Push notifications
- We’ve improved the delivery speed for automated messages.
Resolved issues
Reminder messages
- We’ve added a tooltip to guide users to add the time into the text field for reminder messages.
WCM posts
- We fixed an anomaly that caused images posted from BBComms to WCM to resize.
- We fixed a bug that didn't show the images posted from BBComms to WCM Announcements.
Security
- We've made some security improvements.
Import manager
- We’ve made improvements to the import manager to increase reliability.
Mobile Communications App 5.6.22 release
Release 5.6.22 available 12 Dec 2022
The release 5.6.22 includes an updated feature and bug fixes.
Updated feature
- Users can attach images or files to their messages.
Bug fixes
- We’ve improved MCA compatibility with the iOS 16 and Android 13 updates.
- Minor enhancements
Blackboard Reach 1.13 Release
Release 1.13 available 7 Dec 2022
This release has an updated feature.
Updated feature
- Users can attach images or files to their messages.
Community Engagement 10.38
Continuous delivery 10.38 | Release to production on 26th and 29th Sep 2022
The 10.38 release includes updated features and a couple of resolved issues
Updated features
- Select all languages
Translate your messages to all the languages using the new 'select all' button under Languages. You can also manually select or unselect one or more languages, preview a copy of the translated message by clicking on any language before you send the message.
Resolved issues
-
Messages
- We have added two new languages to the list of languages available for translation - Pashto and Kinyarwanda.
- The staff started seeing an unintended 'space' with their password if the admin had customized the password reset email using certain formatting, ultimately not gaining access to their accounts. We identified some alignment issues also in the content format on that email. We've fixed these problems.
-
Other fixes
- The import logs showed false errors after completion. We fixed this issue so executing the parents' import is successful without any such errors.
- We've fixed a minor issue with the import manager.
Community Engagement 10.37
Continuous delivery 10.37 | Release to production on 25 Jul 2022 and 1 Aug 2022
Here's what the 10.37 release includes:
- New feature
- Updated features
- Bug fixes
New feature
Custom automated messages
- We're introducing custom automated messages in Mass Notifications. Schedule messages with personalised content and communicate regular updates to students and parents just as you send lunch balance or attendance communications. Read more on custom automated messages.
Updated features
Push notification support
- We’ve created a more reliable mechanism to deliver push notifications on Apple and Android devices.
Social media
- We're now allowing users to add their YouTube channels using Username or Channel ID to stream YouTube feeds in MCA.
Bug fixes
We have resolved the following bugs and issues in this release:
Messages
- We fixed an issue where the URLs in SMS were modified when they were delivered. We edited the code so URLs included in SMS would remain intact upon delivery.
- We included Reach to the list of Advanced option settings in Messages. We identified this and removed Reach from the Advanced option settings in Messages.
- URLs added to the website alerts were unresponsive when visitors clicked them on the website. We've fixed this issue so these URLs are accessible.
- The phone number of whoever submitted a tip to the school admins via SMS and calls were included in the tip report email when their identity should have been anonymous. We've fixed this issue by removing the phone number in the report to maintain anonymity.
- We fixed an issue where the organisation names with an ampersand or apostrophe showed as code before saving.
- We fixed an issue with the character count being inaccurate when copying email content to SMS.
- We fixed an issue where users couldn't add content to App Resources.
- When users edit a saved message with an audio attachment, we'd show a prompt to replace the audio attachment or continue with it.
Accounts
- We fixed an issue where apostrophes in account names showed up as code.
Reports
- We fixed a broken image in the charts in the Message utilisation report.
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Mobile Communications App 5.6.20 Release
Continuous Delivery 5.6.20 | Release to Production Mar, 2022
Here's what the Blackboard Mobile Communications App 5.6.20 release includes:
- Updated features
- Bug fixes
Updated features
Instagram Feed:
Users can now sync their Instagram account under social media to see Instagram feeds in their activity streams, news, etc.
Twitter API:
Users can sync their Twitter account under social media to see Twitter feeds in their activity streams, news, etc.
Bug fixes
- We fixed an alignment issue in the news stream design.
- We fixed an error that showed the HTML code under news.
- We fixed a crash issue for news on iOS devices.
- We've added an alert message for users when they link icons to insecure URLs.
- We've fixed an issue where images did not show in the custom icon "for your name."
Mobile Communications App 5.6.19 Release
Continuous Delivery 5.6.19 | Release to Production Jan, 2022
Here's what the Blackboard Mobile Communications App 5.6.19 release includes:
- New feature
- Updated features
- Bug fix
- Maintenance update
New feature
Launch OTP
Users can authenticate with the user name, email address, or phone number linked to their account.
Updated features
We've implemented a safeguard to hide navigation to any HTTP:// web pages without the SSL security certificate. We only show navigation icons that link to HTTPS:// web pages.
Bug fixes
- We fixed a design break on the superintendent biography page.
- We fixed a UI error in the permissions popup of the BB District app School Finder.
- In IOS 15, the headers and settings in the BB District app showed in black instead of blue. We've fixed this issue.
- We have fixed the push notification crash issue in the Android 12 version update.We've fixed the issue with the images not showing from the Blackboard website feed on the mobile app.
Maintenance update
Android 12:
We've upgraded the Android platform support for the advantage of new APIs and capabilities in Android 12.
iOS 15:
We've integrated the iOS 15 SDK and the apps are built on Xcode 13 for a great user experience.
Blackboard Communications HQ Mobile App 5.6.17 Release
Here's what the Blackboard Communications HQ Mobile App 5.6.17 release includes:
- Bug fix
- Updated feature
Bug fix
We fixed an issue where users were unable to sign in to the app using their credentials. This issue is fixed and users can seamlessly sign in to the app.
Updated feature
We have enhanced the app to support the latest Android OS version.
End of release notes
Mobile Communications App 5.6.18 Release
Here's what the Blackboard Mobile Communications App 5.6.18 release includes:
- Bug fixes
- Updated feature
Bug fixes
- There was a problem with the sponsor images being different on different devices. The sponsor images are now same for an ad on all devices.
- Fixed an issue where ‘The School Café URL’ and the 'Go Fan- Event Tickets’ icons did not show up on the menu or didn’t work. These links now appear and load fine.
- Fixed an issue where the top story gallery images did not load. The images on top story gallery now load fine.
- Fixed an issue in loading and showing YouTube news.
- Fixed an issue where the screen reader failed to read the icon names of various features in the School District menu.
- Fixed an issue where the BB district app either started to hang or crash repeatedly when users tried to sign in using Facebook through the Student Info settings. Users can now sign in using Facebook without any issues.
- Fixed an issue where the BB district app either started to hang or crash repeatedly when users tried to sign in using third-party account through the Student Info settings. Users can now sign in using third-party account without any issues.
Updated features
- Android 12 users can add an event to their device from the MCA Calendar using “Add to device calendar” button on the event details screen.
- Android 12 users can view the Superintendent information from the superintendent bio.
End of release notes
Community Engagement 10.21
Here's what the 10.21 release includes:
- Enhancements
- Bug fixes
Enhancements and bug fixes
We have resolved the following issues in this release. We’ve listed the issues as they were originally entered and, in the order, that they were reported.
- Messaging improvements:
- Fixed an issue that prevented email address with a space character at the end from unsubscribing to emails
- Fixed an issue that prevented delivery options set at the District level from being applied to schools
- Fixed an issue that caused attachments sent by teachers to not appear in the Notifications sections of the Mobile Communications App
- Improved merge tagging
- Fixed an issue that would sometimes prevent tags from pulling in appropriate information
- Updating the title of an automated message now updates the title of the message on the message importing screen
- Fixed an issue preventing recipients with an apostrophe in their name from being selected
- Automated messages now save when an audio option isn't selected
- Fixed an issue preventing the character count in Automated Messages from updating
- Fixed an issue preventing custom automated messages from being deleted
- Staff accounts that are cc'd on Attendance messages now receive those messages
- Fixed an issue causing certain translated languages to disappear after translation
- Editing a saved message in Copy From now copies the entire message, including images
- Fixed an issue that sometimes caused messages to be sent to students instead of parents
- Mapping improvement:
- Improved results while searching for recipients in mapping
- General improvements:
- Fixed an issue causing the Tips and Tricks Twitter feed to appear empty
- Play audio button is no longer unresponsive in the Custom Automated Messages screen
- Improved email validation throughout the product to prevent unsupported characters from being uploaded
- Default caller ID is no longer overwritten when saving changes to the org page
- Fixed an issue impacting the removal of multiple email addresses at once
- Fixed an issue that caused an unexpected error when viewing account information
- Improved the RSS widget to ensure widgets are tied to the appropriate school
- Fixed an issue that caused newly created Smore newsletters to not load after creations
- Improved delete logic to ensure data sources can't be deleted if being used by an import
- Reporting improvements:
- Delivery reports no longer contain CSS code
- Fixed an issue that caused an error when trying to edit information for a user from the bad phone/email report
- Improved results to include more data when exporting data from the contacts tab
- Fixed an issue that prevented edits to scheduled reports
- Scheduled contact reports now return the right date and time
- Emailed message tracking report now contains over 2,000 records
- Accessibility improvements:
- Improved the Tip Line widget to ensure a 100% accessibility score when embedded into WCM
- Regulatory Compliance:
- Updated wording when texting HELP to our shortcodes 60680, 54968 or 39025 to meet regulatory compliance. It now reads: Blackboard SMS messages. Msg&data rates may apply. Reply STOP to cancel. More Info: 800-829-8107
Community Engagement 10.11
Open Market API update
In this release the Deact report API now points to the Open Markets new API.
Bing Translater API update
The LanguageTools-parlant now supports Microsoft Cognitive Services API.
Bug fixes
- Fixed an issue where reply-to-emails were being removed for some user accounts.
- Fixed an issues where lengthy tips didn’t submit when using the widget. There is now a new character limit of 10,000.
- Fixed an issue where Email Tip Line notifications were sometimes not sent.
- Fixed an issue with inconsistent import results on the same data and same day.
- Fixed an issue which sometimes caused an error when trying to add Facebook feed to Social Media.
Blackboard Communications HQ Mobile App 5.5.0
New or updated for iOS
- Added the ability to mark all unread notification messages as read.
- Added support for iPhone X.
- iOS 10 is the minimum version.
- Added 167x167 icons for iPad Pro support.
Bug fixes for iOS
We resolved the following issues in the 5.5.0 release:
- Navigation bar became unreadable when sending an email.
- Top Stories header wasn't translating to other languages.
- Facebook and Google text overlapping.
- UI enhancements to the Students account profile when logged in via Facebook.
- Logos appearing stretched on splash screens.
- Image attachments weren't displaying with the message body.
New or updated for Android
- Added the ability to mark all unread notification messages as read.
- Implemented a new GPS utility to assist with locating Tip line, Bus routes, and School finder.
- Migrated GCM to most recent version of FCM to continue to support push notifications.
Bug fixes for Android
We resolved the following issues in the 5.5.0 release:
- Feed entries inserted around daylight savings would crash the app.
- Google sign-in wasn't working
- Opening the Tip line caused the app to crash.
- Text in Top Stories was cut off at the bottom on small screen resolutions.
- Images in Top Stories weren't displaying correctly.
- Google API caused the app to occasionally error.
- Images weren't opening on the activity screen.
- Logos appearing stretched on splash screens.
Community Engagement 10.10
Import threshold monitoring
In this release we added threshold monitoring to client imports that will trigger a notification to be sent to the "Import monitoring email" if an import has more than x% of bad records.
Bug fixes
- Fixed an issue with being unable to access error details in Automated messages.
- Fixed an issues where the recipient search for 'All' generates an error if any group name contains Unicode characters.
- Fixed an issue where API/docs page isn't rendering due to error.
- Fixed an issue where the Overdue Count is displayed as a dollar amount.
- Fixed an issue with surveys where a multiple choice response of '*' causes an error in the report.
Community Engagement 10.8
Data import monitoring
We improved processing when importing data. Now imports don’t fail when processing a bad record and individual records that failed to process are captured properly.
Geo Mapping
Made improvements to the user interface to more easily distinguish Institutions (schools) and the pin dropped when searching for an address when selecting recipients from a map when crafting a message using COPE.
Bug fixes and improvements
- Fixed an issue when Emergency SMS was enabled, the character count wasn't updated
- Fixed an issue where double quote was not being escaped properly for import, causing import to fail for good records
- Fixed an issue where user received a permissions error when re-authenticating Facebook
Community Engagement 10.7
Data import monitoring
- Added a new “Import monitoring email” field that supports tracking of data import failures with email. If an import fails, an alert is sent to this email address.
Twitter character count
- Updated the Twitter max character count from 140 to 280 characters
Client & Known Issues / Maintenance
- Fixed an issue where importing from a file with IDs would timeout
- Fixed an issue where parents were receiving attendance calls referencing incorrect schools
- Fixed an issue where WebloginIDs were changing due to a loginID conflict
- Fixed an issue where Smore login page shows when trying to create a new newsletter in Safari
- Fixed an issue where message categories containing Unicode characters causes red bar on message screen
- Fixed an issue where demographic imports were causing errors and account cross-linking when users were imported manually
Blackboard Communications HQ Mobile App 5.5
We are excited to announce the release of a new version (5.5) of our Blackboard Communications HQ app.
Now available to teachers!
Districts with our Blackboard Teacher Communications product can now offer a mobile version of our SEND MESSAGE interface to their teachers.
- User Management for Teachers
- Teacher selected individuals will now be populated in the recipient’s section for email, phone and SMS
- Teacher ability to edit the list of recipients that I have previously selected
- Added search functionality for Teachers to search through recipients
- Added a visual indication of the “who” teachers are sending the message to (groups, students, parents, classes)
- Added a visual indicator to indicate which role type a Teacher is sending a message to
- Added the ability for teachers to select groups/individuals
- Composing Messages for Teachers
- Added subject and body of my email communication
- Ability to attach photos to my email communications
- Ability to record audio messages
- Added text-to-speech
- Added the ability to save a copy of a message on the HQ app to the miscellaneous folder for future use
- Recipients added to a message are now saved along with the draft of message
- Message Editing for Teachers
- Ability to be able to delete text to speech recordings
- Ability to listen to the text to speech message
- Ability to edit Delivery Address
- Message Sending for Teachers
- Ability to Send to the users selected when pressing the send button
- Ability to send Text Message communications
- Added the ability to configure the send time of a message
- App Options/Configuration for Teachers
- Added the ability to configure the language of message notifications to the users preferred language
- Updated app to make sure that the delivery methods set per school are respected on the App, so teachers can only send approved messaging types
- App UI improvements
- General UI improvements to the app
Bug fixes
- Improved search functionality in Recipients
- Fixed an issue where the app would sometimes crash when selecting and deselecting recipients
- Fixed an issue where sent messages not saved in Saved messages when sent on Android device
- Fixed an issue where Groups for Teacher Send should display organization name for teachers that tie to multiple organizations
- Fixed an issue where the ‘Recipients’ section search, under Classes, the ‘All Classes’ sub-heading is not displaying the total number of classes
- Fixed an issue where Class selections become hidden when submenu is accessed and back is tapped
Community Engagement 10.6
- Resolved an issue where passwords were not generating for accounts without email addresses
- Resolved an issue where RSS feeds were not updating for some sites
- Resolved an issue where grades were not appearing in the Mobile Communications App
- Updated Facebook APIs to support Facebooks app submission
- Resolved an issue where data file transfers were not working for some clients
- Resolved an issue where files with more than 10,000 recipients would get errors
- Resolved an issue where multiple accounts with shared Gmail accounts would no longer allow you to select which account to sign in with
- Resolved an issue where Twitter was unable to be added to feeds
Community Engagement 10.5
Smore integration
Introducing the Smore newsletter integration within Bb Comms COPE messaging interface. Blackboard Admins now have the ability to leverage Smore email templates to create newsletters to email internal and external stakeholders.
Security
Security improvements identified from security audit.
GeoMapping
COPE message publishers can now adjust their messaging radius when selecting recipients from a map. By entering a value in the radius box users can now specify exact measurements to send communications to targeted individuals/groups.
More on searching for recipients by map
Client & Known Issues / Maintenance
- Fixed an issue where some Twitter accounts were unable to be added to a school on the Settings page.
- Fixed an issue where some clients were unable to access their meta data page for single sign-in authentication .
- Fixed an issue where some messages batches were delayed in becoming active messages.
- Fixed an issue where some teachers utilizing the Blackboard Teacher Communications tool were unable to view their classes.
- Fixed an issue where some client's grades were not appearing for parents.
- Fixed an issue where data parse styles were sometimes unable to save changes.
Mass Notifications
- Added system logic to validate errors for missing "TO" fields in messages
- Updated Opt-out confirmation wording to remove end user confusion
- Fixed a problem where email deliveries were failing if the email address contained Unicode characters
- Fixed an issue where the system was performing excessive retries on unknown SMS statuses
- Implemented system logic to utilize SMS long codes when end-user service providers are unable to receive SMS short codes
Community Engagement 10.4.2
An upgrade to Blackboard's data import process and tools. The goal of this development work is three fold:
- To improve the stability and efficiency of data imports into the Blackboard system
- To provide additional flexibility for importing data
- To speed up the overall data implementation process
While most of the work completed in this release is "behind the scenes" there were a few updates that may or may not be noticeable by your organization. A quick summary of those updates are as follows:
- Renamed the "System Messages" subtab to "Automated Messages"
- Re-designed the page layout of the new Automated Messages page.
- Created the ability to setup Auto Imports that setup and run immediately based on a received file.
- Removed SIF as an import method
- Removed the name "ParentLink" from the interface. Replaced it with "Blackboard"
Notable Bug Fixes included in this 10.4.2 release
- Fixed an issue where 6 days attendance threshold messages were not delivering successfully.
- Fixed an issue where the CLASSES tab was not loading for parents and students successfully
- Fixed an issue where student accounts where not merging correctly
- Fixed an issue where Lunch Balances messages were not delivering successfully if balance was below a negative number
- Fixed a broken link on the home screen that took you to Bb Comms Webinar trainings
- Fixed an issue where library book photos were not displaying correctly on district apps
- Fixed an issue where a large import of new accounts was presenting a memory error
- Fixed an issue where manually deleting an account gave the user an error
- Fixed an issue where Time Zones were getting mixed up on the Automated Messages page
- Fixed an issue where system permissions were not allowing school admins to add Custom Message Content.
The roll out of this release is scheduled to occur on May 22nd. Not all systems will be updated at once as we methodically rollout these changes.
App Store Changes
On October 17th, 2017, GoogleTM introduced the following clause into their Developer Agreement:
"Wizard Spam We don’t allow apps that are created by an automated tool or wizard service and submitted to Google Play by the operator of that service on behalf of other persons. Such apps are only permissible if they are published by an individually registered developer account belonging to the user of the automated tool, not the operator of the service. "
Similarly, On December 21, 2017, Apple® introduced the following clause into their Developer Agreement:
" 4.2.6 Apps created from a commercialized template or app generation service will be rejected unless they are submitted directly by the provider of the app’s content. These services should not submit apps on behalf of their clients and should offer tools that let their clients create customized, innovative apps that provide unique customer experiences. Another acceptable option for template providers is to create a single binary to host all client content in an aggregated or “picker” model, for example as a restaurant finder app with separate customized entries or pages for each client restaurant, or as an event app with separate entries for each client event. "
These changes in policy require that you, as the organization who has the rights to the content of the app, need to have your app submitted under your own account. This means that a) you need to have your own account, and b) we need to transfer the store listing to your newly created account.
What is changing?
- You need to set up your own account with both Google Play and Apple iTunes.
- As part of this account ownership, you need to accept each store’s agreements and pay any fees that Google and Apple assess.
- We will be transferring both your Google Play and Apple iTunes listings to your accounts.
- There will be a nominal cost increase at renewal time.
What is NOT changing?
- The quality and level of service you have enjoyed so far.
- Apps continue to be maintained in the same way they have been, just under your own account.
- Your users will NOT need to download a new app and both organizational administrators of the app and app users will see no impact by this change.
What do I need to do?
You need to create an account with both Google and Apple and have Blackboard transfer the listing to you.
More on creating Google and Apple accounts and having Blackboard transfer the listing
Community Engagement 10.3.0
- All Products
- Added the ability to export more than 20k rows at a time for Blackboard reports
- Added ability to trigger messages for late/missing files and small/missing automated messages
- Removed the ability for users to change the role type of another user when that role was originally created by an import
- Added Student ID as an available merge tag when creating messages
- Removed the ability to add, edit, or remove imported Terms from the web interface
- Removed confusing interface language about Connect 5 email and SMS deliveries
- Mobile Communications App (MCA)
- Improved performance to App Building tools
- Fixed issue with Push Notifications including an image
- Teacher Communications
- Added icons to teacher saved messages that show which are system, admin created or user created
- System Created – Can't be edited, copied, or deleted
- Admin Created – Can be copied only
- User Created – Can be edited, copied, and deleted
- Removed the carbon copy (CC) option for teachers, still available for admins
- Updated URL's for help options seen by teachers
- Improved performance to the Teacher Messages report
- Added icons to teacher saved messages that show which are system, admin created or user created
- Blackboard Mass Notifications
- Added Alt-text requirement for all inserted images when creating messages
- Added the ability to see schools inside a boundary when selecting recipients from a map
- Fixed an issue where organizations weren't sorted alphabetically in the advanced group creation
- Added the ability for school administrator accounts to send On Screen Alerts directly from the messaging (COPE) interface
- Added back student specific merge tags when the Send to parents of students option is selected
- Fixed issue where SMS blocked addresses in a Personal File Cabinet were not displaying correctly
- Made user improvements to the Schedule Report tool
- Improved performance when needing to export a large Contact report
- Improved performance to the system Auto Search tool
Mass Notifications
- Added an administrator page that outlines methods for improving email delivery rates. To learn more, see Improve Email Delivery.
- Directions for setting up a Sender Policy Framework (SPF) record
- Directions for setting up DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM), encrypted signature
- Directions for setting up Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance (DMARC), destination email server policy
- Fixed an issue where bad phone extensions were not being attempted
- Fixed an issue where incomplete caller ID numbers were violating Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regulations
- Made performance improvements to Text-to-Speech engine
- Improved final phone status accuracy of exportable Comma-Separated Values (CSV) reports
- Fixed a problem with email deliveries to Microsoft® Outlook
- General performance improvements to email deliveries
Scheduled reports
The Scheduled Reports feature has been redesigned to be separated from the scheduled tasks, and moved from the Settings menu to the Reports menu.
Watch a video about the Scheduled Reports page
- From the Blackboard Communications HQ interface menu, select Reports.
- Select Schedule Reports from the System area.
- Select the specific School to narrow the list of report schedules available.
- From the Scheduled Reports, you can select any of the following options:
- Name: Select the report name to update the name or the email address of who receives the report.
- Delete: Select the reports to remove and then select Delete to delete the report schedule.
Mass Notifications
- Emergency and Outreach opt-outs from SMS/text messages now appear differently on the Do Not Contact report.
- The ability for recipients to reply to custom messages has been removed.
- Fixed an issue where disabling automated notifications also disabled demographic imports.
- Fixed an issue where custom system attendance messages would not allow attendance excuses.
- Fixed an issue where Vietnamese text message content for daily attendance was appearing in English.
Teacher Communications
- Added new field of information to the teacher messages. Messages include the Regarding Student and From Teacher to all text messages.
- The SMS/Text messages for the Teacher Communications feature are limited to 120 characters.
September 1, 2017
- All Products
- Added the ability to see cafeteria balance, library information, bus routes, and custom uploaded data on the Student Account page.
- Administrators can now use Google to login to the Blackboard Communications HQ web interface.
- Teacher Communications
- Added training video to the Teacher Communication Send Interface.
- Blackboard Mass Notifications
- Now, you can setup and use several custom caller IDs for phone messages, and several reply-to-email addresses and sender names for email messages. When your district or school wants certain message replies to be sent to a specific group of staff members, you can setup and use the response phone numbers or email addresses.
- Fixed an issue where abbreviations played differently on test call than on the live call.
- Blackboard Communications App Release
- Added a new SMS (text message) number for emergency messages so users don't opt-out of emergencies when they opt-out of an informational call.
August 8, 2017
- All Products
- Added the ability for all accounts to use SAML to login. Previously, teacher accounts were not supported but they are now.
- Staff can now login to their account on the web interface using their Google account.
- The Reports page has been redesigned.
- Login report is now in the Accounts section.
- Auto-complete recipient selection on the Send Message interface will have images or initials displayed next to accounts.
- Teacher Communications
- The Send Message page and the Teacher Messaging report have been updated in this release.
- The Send Message page has been redesigned for easier use. You can send messages to any of your students, the entire class, all your classes, or just to parents.
- The Teacher Messaging report displays how many teacher messages each student receives, the number of parents contacted, and which delivery method was used.
- With the Teacher Communications program, administrator have a new ability to hide student contact information from teachers.
- Blackboard Mass Notifications
- Fixed an issue where sometimes the wrong status would show in the Message Tracking report.
- Blackboard Communications App Release
- Fixed an issue where sometimes push notifications would not be delivered.
Blackboard Communications HQ Mobile App
This release includes new enhancements for Blackboard Mobile Communications app:
- Notifications Redesign
- Added the ability to upload custom student data for those with the integrated mobile app.
- Added support for SAML login.
- Added support for Learn More and Signup Now for Peachjar Fliers.
The following issues have been resolved in the Blackboard Mobile Communication app:
- Fixed an issue where PDF files did not display on some Android devices.
- Fixed an issue where audio continued playing after moving to another screen.
- Fixed an issue where when a user selected a MailTo link, it would not work on Android devices in app browsers.
- Fixed an issue where the Activity Stream would display HTML code instead of RSS posts.
March 10, 2017
- All Products
- For districts that import user information, you now have the option to update the user login names and passwords through the import. This setting is available in the Authentication page.
- Mobile Communications App
- Fixed an issue where deleted Peachjar fliers still appeared in the Blackboard Mobile Communications App.
February 10, 2017
- All Products
- The Advanced Options feature in the Send Message interface no longer includes the Use all supported automatic translations option.
- The name and logo of the district/school has been removed from the homepage. The name has been added to the top navigation bar.
- To improve the performance of the System Statistics report, the Delivered and Attempted fields have been removed. The Messages field lists all the messages sent by the system.
- Blackboard Mass Notifications
- Added the ability to create a voice recorded message with merge tags. The merge tags will help you to send personalized messages with only one recording.
- Added the ability to listen to audio via a scheduled or exported Excused Absences report. The report will now include a link to the parent's recorded message (internet access is required).
- Fixed an issue where sometimes phone numbers and email addresses were not flagged as bad data when they should have been.
January 27, 2017
- All Products
- Fixed an issue where late file triggers were not working.
- Blackboard Mass Notifications
- An unknown status for a message will now appear as Unknown instead of Not Attempted.
- Blackboard Mobile Communications App
- Fixed an issue where adding Nutrislice domains on the Data Configuration page did not work.
- Fixed an issue where bus routes would sometimes sort out of order.
January 13, 2017
- All Products
- Added the ability to schedule messages to be sent multiple times.
- Fixed an issue where sometimes the Headlines and Announcements in Web Community Manager would appear when they should not be there.
- Blackboard Mass Notifications
- Fixed an issue where on the Message Tracking and Details feature a deactivated text number was appearing as Not attempted. Now it will be listed as SMS number deactivated.
