Blackboard is preparing to launch a completely redesigned gradebook this summer, including a faster, cleaner, and significantly easier-to-use experience for faculty. To ensure the update meets the needs of instructors and their courses, Blackboard developers are inviting faculty members to participate in an upcoming technical preview program from April 20 - May 1, 2026. 

During a technical preview, faculty typically get access to a sandbox course with new features enabled. In the upcoming preview window, participants will get exclusive access to the new gradebook for Ultra courses. Key usability improvements include streamlined direct grade entry for quicker updates and flexible name display options, allowing instructors to customize how student names appear. Additional context panels provide quick insights into grading and essential action items.

Ongoing development of the new gradebook has been shaped by faculty feedback from a variety of clients throughout higher education over the past eight to twelve months. Earlier this semester, UMBC's participation in the new gradebook development process began when Blackboard staff visited campus to meet with faculty in small group sessions. The goal was twofold: To gather specific feedback on faculty gradebook priorities and to showcase early previews of the new interface. 

UMBC faculty who are interested in trying out the new gradebook features and providing feedback are encouraged to sign up for the technical preview.

Connect with Instructional Technology

As always, if you have any questions about teaching, learning, and technology at UMBC, please consider the following options:

• Check our extensive FAQ collection 
• What's new in Ultra? | Known Issues 
• Open a ticket via RT
• Follow the Instructional Technology & DoIT myUMBC groups
• Request a consult with instructional technology staff
• PIVOT | Academic Continuity | Keep On Teaching | Student Technology Resources

Thumbnail-image: Ultra news update

Hi everyone,

I'm writing to give everyone an update regarding the UMBC HPCF and other Research Computing projects currently undertaken by DoIT. 

Summary

• Scheduled downtime for March (03/31/26)

• Slow read/write files on RRStor

• First of the Monthly SIG User Experience Meetings (03/24/26)

• Scale-Up Series Continued

Scheduled Downtime (03/31/26)

On March 31, 2026, chip will be taken offline for maintenance. During this time, we will patch the machine hosting the ada volumes and the RRStor. See this post for more information.

Slow Read/Write Files on RRStor

Be advised, we are aware of the ongoing issues with the RRStor filesystem and are actively working with our vendor to resolve the issues. For more information, check out this myUMBC post: "Storage System Performance Update."

First of the Monthly SIG User Experience Meetings (03/24/26)

Yesterday we had our first of the Monthly SIG User Experience meetings. The agenda for what was discussed can be found here. As a reminder, anyone is welcome to attend, and these meetings will take place every month until the end of the semester on the 3rd Tuesday of each month from 1200-1300 in Engineering 102. 

Scale-Up Series Continued

Our series of tutorials, titled "Scale-Up" continues with tutorial 2 on March 26th and tutorial 3 on April 7th. For more information about the series, check out this site.

Publications
If you have any publications, presentations, theses, or other works that made use of the campus cluster, please submit an RT Ticket with bibliographic information so that we can accurately reflect this work in our records and on the HPCF Website. 

Need Help?
As always, please communicate any issues/questions to the Research Computing RT Queue (hpcf.umbc.edu > User Support > Request Help).

As always, keep computin'!
Max Breitmeyer,
HPC System Administrator

Robotics, Neurotechnology, Virtual Reality, and Artificial Intelligence aren't just evolving around us — they're reshaping our lives, our identities, and even our ethics. That can be a little terrifying. And thrilling!

Here's the challenge: Will we let these technologies shape us blindly, or will we choose to shape them with purpose?

Join Dr. Corinna Lathan on a high-energy, eye-opening journey through the inventions and innovations redefining what it means to be human. You'll explore future tech trends through the lens of empathy, equity, and imagination — and discover how we can harness these powerful tools to build not just a smarter future, but a better one!

Expect astronauts, robots, and maybe even zebras. Definitely expect to leave inspired!

What?  VR, AI, and Robots! A thought-provoking talk by Dr. Cori Lathan

Where?  University Center 310

When?  Today! March 25th from 12-1 pm

URCAD is Wednesday, April 22 in the RAC.

For the full schedule of events, see:

urcad.umbc.edu

ALEX. BROWN CENTER FOR ENTREPRENEURSHIP PRESENTERS

Sara Abbas | Intelligent Fault Detection and Risk Management for Autonomous Spacecraft Operations | Mentor: Anthony Campbell | Computer Science and Electrical Engineering

RAC Arena, 10-11am Poster #3

Lehbah Amin, Farell Kimble, Samira Ali | Perceptions of Fairness in AI-Driven Screening Systems Among Undergraduate Students | Mentor: Edward Dillon | Information Systems

RAC Arena, 10-11am Poster #9

Jada Iwuoha | The Campus Connect: A Centralized Digital Marketplace for Student Entrepreneurship and Campus-Based Services | Mentor: Kevin Fulmer | Interdisciplinary Studies

RAC Arena, 2-3pm Poster #34