Blackboard engineers will perform a system upgrade and maintenance on Thursday morning, December 24, 2015 from 12:30 AM to 12:30 PM. Blackboard will be offline during this period.

As previously announced at the start of the FA2015 semester, UMBC’s Blackboard server will be upgraded in late December. This will ensure UMBC is using the most recent and supported version of Blackboard while supporting the new Chrome-based Collaborate web conferencing tool.

In preparation for this downtime:

• Instructors: If you need access to your gradebook, please review this FAQ for information on downloading a copy of the Blackboard Grade Center to Excel.

After Blackboard is back online, please clear your Internet browser cache and cookies before logging in using these step-by-step instructions.

To continue our managed hosting from Blackboard and access new functionality, UMBC’s Blackboard server will need to be upgraded in late December after the fall semester ends. Apart from ensuring UMBC is using the most recent and supported version of Blackboard, the upgrade will allow us to implement the new Collaborate.

The new version of Collaborate uses the Chrome web browser rather than Java to deliver a superior audio and video experience. Faculty can test drive the new Collaborate now by opening an RT ticket. 

DoIT will provide more updates about during the Fall semester, but we wanted to let the campus know now. If you have any questions, contact Mariann Hawken at mariannhawken@umbc.edu or 410.455.2920.

After inclement weather canceled three morning classes, Dr. Anne Spence knew she had to find an alternate way to meet with her freshman engineering students before the next snow event. “I was forced to a point where I could not afford to lose class,” she said.

Spence, the Undergraduate Program Director for Mechanical Engineering, opted to use Blackboard Collaborate, a web conferencing and virtual classroom platform. One day before the expected snowfall, Spence reminded her students about the contingency plan: The 8 AM students would meet online if the University opened at 10 AM and the 10 AM section would meet online if the University opened at noon. If the entire campus was closed, Spence would host one session at 1 PM for all sections.

When snow delayed the campus opening again, the contingency plan kicked in. Spence met with her students using Bb Collaborate. The teaching assistants ran the lecture, sharing their desktop screen with the class to demonstrate MATLAB and review problems from the textbook, while Spence monitored the chat room and answered questions. The session was recorded, which allowed students who missed the session to watch it later and supported those who wanted or needed to review key points from the class.

The plan worked. Spence reported an 80% attendance for her virtual classroom, and the post-session feedback from students has been very positive. Now Spence is considering Bb Collaborate for virtual office hours. The program’s assistant director, Jamie Gurganus proposed Bb Collaborate as backchannel where students can ask questions of teaching assistants during lecture.

At UMBC, Bb Collaborate is available to all faculty and community leaders in all Blackboard courses and organizations. Spence recommended practicing ahead of a live session and, if possible with large courses, having an assistant to help manage the conversation. It’s also important, said Spence, to both remind students that the contingency plan for a snow day is to use Bb Collaborate and to provide instructions on how to access the virtual classroom.

Fully integrated into the Blackboard Learn system, Bb Collaborate supports PowerPoint, whiteboard usage, desktop and application sharing, audio and video, polling, and breakout rooms for small group activities. Since Fall 2014, UMBC has created nearly 1,000 sessions and supported more than 4,000 attendees. After adopting Bb Collaborate in 2012, UMBC has hosted more than 15,000 students in 4,716 sessions. 

For more information, please visit:

• The Bb Collaborate FAQ collection

• Attend Bb Collaborate training

• Stop by a drop-in session

• Open an RT ticket