Spotlight on Blackboard Tools and Features

Contributed by Jenni Willis-Opalenik, Ph.D., Director - OIT Technology Learning Services

Our team received word this week about a faculty concern regarding how up-to-date UHCL's Blackboard system is in comparison to other similar institutions. In June 2020, OIT migrated from a UHCL-hosted and managed version of Blackboard Learn to a fully cloud-based, software-as-a-service (SaaS) deployment that is managed by Blackboard, Inc. As a result, UHCL's Blackboard Learn system is always the "latest and greatest" version, updated continuously by the vendor. Faculty who would like OIT to consider adding a third-party tool/application not listed below may use our team's online Blackboard B2/LTI Integration Request form to submit information for review.

In terms of the specific Blackboard-provided tools and features that are active for UHCL users, our current system includes all of the following:

• Blackboard Ally (and its Accessibility Report)
• Achievements
• Adaptive Release
• Announcements
• Assignments (a.k.a., Drop Boxes)
• Attendance
• Collaborate Ultra (will be discontinued at the end of the FA21 semester)
• Blogs
• Calendar
• Check Course Links
• Content Editor
• Content Folder
• Course Link
• Course Messages
• Date Management
• Discussion Board
• Email
• File
• Glossary
• Grade Center
• Groups
• Image
• Content Item
• Journals
• Mashups - Flickr, Slide Share, and YouTube
• Module Page
• Performance Dashboard
• Portfolios
• Recording Creation (in grading feedback)
• Retention Center
• Roster
• Rubrics
• SafeAssign
• Self and Peer Assessment
• Survey (for anything other than a very basic survey, we recommend that faculty create surveys in Qualtrics and then place a link to the Qualtrics survey into their Blackboard course)
• Syllabus
• Tasks
• Test
• Tools Area
• Video (please do not upload MP4, MP3, or other multimedia files directly into Blackboard! Instead, save the file(s) to Echo360, YouTube, or another cloud-based service of your choice and then deploy the audio or video file as a link in Blackboard)
• Web Link
• Wikis

There are also a plethora of third-party tools and applications that can be integrated with Blackboard Learn via either an LTI integration or a building block (B2). Third-party tools currently available in UHCL's Blackboard Learn instance include the following:

• Cengage
• Echo360
• McGraw-Hill
• Pearson
• ProctorU
• Respondus LockDown Browser
• Taskstream LAT
• Wiley
• Zoom

For more information about any of these options, please contact your designated instructional designer or OIT's Support Center. A member of our team will be assigned to follow up to your inquiry as quickly as possible.