Blackboard System Upgrade to Take Place Aug. 11-13

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Aug. 7, 2012) — University of Kentucky Information Technology (UKIT) says that Blackboard will be upgraded to its latest Service Pack on Aug. 13. 

The upgrade process will begin at 8 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 11, and will be completed by 8 a.m. Monday, Aug. 13. Blackboard will not be accessible during the upgrade. As part of the upgrade, any known errors and workarounds will be posted on the Known Errors page in the Blackboard Wiki.

Improvements include a simplified look without major changes in the location of course functions. Users will find some new tools, including a Quick Setup Guide, ease of navigation from one course to another, and automatic grade recalculation in tests and quizzes, among others.

During the late spring and summer, UKIT’s Academic Technology Group has offered tutorial sessions training faculty and support staff on the new features. Resources from those sessions are collected on the UKIT website and may be used by individuals or groups as they explore the upgraded Blackboard.

Look for links to other helpful Blackboard information in the menu at left on the resource web page. UKIT encourages instructors to log in as soon as possible after the upgrade to check out the improvements and explore the support materials. IT staff is looking forward to a successful upgrade and improved Blackboard experience for campus.