Blackboard Updates: July 2025

1. Design engaging Documents faster with the AI Design Assistant  

Updated Help Topic: Create Documents 

Instructors can now use the AI Design Assistant to build visually appealing, interactive Documents more efficiently. The AI Design Assistant suggests layouts, generates knowledge checks, and generates or suggests images—saving time and helping students stay engaged. Instructors can focus more on teaching rather than formatting.

• Attractive layouts

  • The AI Design Assistant suggests clean, structured layouts and adds helpful headings automatically.

• Images

  • Instructors can include AI-generated images or choose from a selection of stock images from Unsplash.

• Knowledge checks

  • The AI Design Assistant generates multiple choice questions based on the Document’s content to help check student understanding. 

Generating document layouts is especially helpful for instructors using the Convert a file block. The Convert a file block efficiently brings all content into a single block, making it quick and easy to get started. The AI Design Assistant enhances this process by automatically organizing the content into separate, structured blocks—saving instructors time and effort while improving the overall course layout.

2. Add captions to image blocks in Documents 

 Updated Help Topic: Create Documents 
Idea Exchange ID: LEARNU-I-4541 

Instructors can now add captions above or below image blocks in Documents. Captions provide context and support understanding, helping students engage more deeply with visual content. 

3. Allow instructors to switch between folders and learning modules 

Updated Help Topic: Create Learning Modules

We streamlined the teaching experience by removing the Change Learning Module to Folder or Folder to Learning Module feature flag. Starting in version 3900.121, instructors can always change folders to learning modules and vice versa. Institutions that previously turned the feature off will now have it on by default. This update reflects Blackboard’s strategy of rolling out new features incrementally, while allowing institutions the flexibility to adopt them at their own pace.

4. Support QTI question import in banks – 3900.121

Updated Help Page: Question Banks and Import or Export Test, Surveys, and Pools
Idea Exchange ID: LEARNU-I-2654 

To enhance interoperability and streamline assessment creation, we now support importing questions from QTI packages into banks. Instructors and instructional designers often use different tools to create assessments, and ensuring a smooth transfer of questions between platforms is critical. With this update, users can import QTI v2.1 formatted questions into banks efficiently, maintaining compatibility with industry standards.

Questions that are supported include:

• True/False

• Multiple Choice

• Multiple Answer

• Fill-in-the-blank

• Essay

During the import process, users will receive notifications indicating the upload progress, success, or failure. If any individual questions cannot be converted due to unsupported types or behaviors, the system will provide clear feedback, ensuring instructors are informed of limitations.

This improvement allows institutions to leverage QTI-based assessment content more effectively, making course transitions and content management more seamless.

5. Apply the No Category option to Gradebook Items 

Updated Help Page: Grade categories
Idea Exchange ID: LEARNU-I-4041, LEARNU-I-4803, LEARNU-I-3649, LEARNU-I-5824

Managing graded items is now more flexible with the addition of the No Category option in the Grade Category dropdown menu. This change allows instructors to remove an item from a category without needing to assign it elsewhere. By selecting No Category, no category data is stored, keeping grading workflows simple while maintaining consistency.

Instructors can now remove an item from a category when it's not needed, without automatically assigning it to another category. The No Category option appears in the Grade Category dropdown menu for all items, making it easy to keep grading structures clean and organized.

Selecting No Category ensures that the item is not linked to any grading category, and no data is stored for it in the system. This provides a more streamlined way to manage grades without unnecessary assignments. Instructors can now tailor grade organization more precisely to fit their course needs.

6. Enhanced pop-out rubric

We made several enhancements to the pop-out rubric in the Gradebook.

• Attempting to close the pop-out rubric without saving your changes prompts a warning, reminding you to save your changes.

• Selecting Save no longer closes the pop-out rubric.

• We improved keyboard navigation, specifically arrow key and tab interaction, for the grid table.

7. Navigate with previous and next functionality in Group Submissions

Reviewing and grading group submissions is now more efficient with the addition of Previous and Next navigation controls. Instructors can efficiently move between group submissions using header bar controls, creating a smoother grading experience with fewer clicks.

Instructors can now navigate between group submissions without needing to return to the submission list. The Previous and Next buttons appear in the header bar.

8. Enhance instructor efficiency with expanded Activity page

Updated Help Topic: Activity Page
Idea Exchange ID: LEARNU-I-171, LEARNU-I-868

We expanded and optimized the Activity page for instructors in Blackboard. Previously, the Activity page featured only the activity stream, which provided a chronological overview of course activity and upcoming events. Our latest update, developed in close collaboration with our global learning community, addresses the challenges instructors faced in managing a large number of courses. This update makes course management easier and more efficient. 

The Activity page is responsive across all devices and can be accessed from both desktop web browsers and the Blackboard app. The activity stream is included with the new Activity page.

New features on the Activity page: 

• Course Section: The updated Activity page now includes a course section that outlines new activity in current, open courses since an instructor last logged into Blackboard.

  • Shortcuts: New shortcuts have been added to enhance instructor efficiency.

    • Go to items that need grading

    • Find courses with new messages

    • Access the Course Activity report directly to review students with alerts

• Announcements: Read important institutional announcements. 

9. Review student engagement with announcements

Updated Help Topic: Announcements 
Idea Exchange ID: LEARNU-I-730, LEARNU-I-1701 

Instructors can now verify which students have marked an announcement as viewed. By selecting the viewer count on the main Announcements page, instructors can open a list showing who has and hasn’t acknowledged the message. From this list, instructors can send a message to follow up with students who haven’t viewed the announcement or confirm that key information was received. This helps instructors understand how effectively their announcements are reaching students. 

10. Render mathematical formulas with MathJax

Updated Help Page:  Math Editor (Instructor)  

We’ve enhanced the formula rendering experience in the Content Editor by implementing MathJax, a powerful tool for displaying mathematical notation. This update improves the visual accuracy and consistency of LaTeX-based formulas, aligning them more closely with scientific and academic standards.

MathJax offers a more precise rendering style preferred by many STEM instructors. When activated, MathJax will automatically render LaTeX code entered directly in the Content Editor across supported areas of Blackboard. Wiris is still available as the default to render formulas for the Content Editor. If MathJax is not activated, Wiris will render formulas. 

MathJax feature only supports $$..$$ delimiters at this time. MathJax rendering does not apply to the Math Editor (which is opened by selecting the plus button, then the Insert Math option in the Content Editor). Formulas created in the Math Editor continue to be rendered by Wiris.

11. Access Progress Tracking tool via Course Settings 

Updated Help Page:  Progress Tracking (instructors), Progress Tracking for Administrators 
Idea Exchange ID: Not applicable

We’ve streamlined the instructor experience by relocating the Progress Tracking tool from the Details & Actions section on the Course Content page and moving it to the Course Settings page. This change aligns with our ongoing effort to simplify the user interface.  

Instructors can now activate or deactivate Progress Tracking from the Course Settings page, under a new section labeled Progress Tracking. This improves an instructor’s experience by placing the tool outside of the Course Content page, which is primarily for daily work.