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Release Notes & New Features: Mobile Learning with Blackboard

Blackboard Mobile Apps

Blackboard Mobile Apps - for instructors and students - Changes for July 25, 2017!!!!

The Blackboard Mobile Learn will be no longer be available after August 1, 2017.  Instead, students should download their new student app - Blackboard - from their app store.

The Bb Grader will be no longer be available after August 1, 2017.  Instead, instructors should download their new Instructor app - Blackboard Instructor - from their app store.

 

 

The Blackboard mobile app for students is designed especially for students to view content and participate in courses content and organizations on a variety of devices including iOS® and Android™ devices.  Blackboard Mobile Learn is supported on iOS 9.0+, Android 4.2+ and Windows 10+.  The app is available currently on the iTunes App Store for iPhone or iPod Touch,  the Google Play store for Android devices and Microsoft.com for Windows devices.

  1. From your device, access the appropriate online store.
  2. Search for Blackboard.
  3. Install the app on your mobile device.
  4. Open Blackboard and search for the full name of your institution.
  5. Login into Blackboard with your enumber and password.
What is different about the new Blackboard App?

 

 Blackboard App (new) Mobile Learn (old)
Works for students
yes
yes
Works for instructors  
yes
Optimized for mobile
yes
  
Monthly updates
yes
  
Activity stream
yes
  
Video conferencing (via Collaborate)
yes
  
Time stamp
yes
  
Due dates
yes
  
Access to assignments and feedback
yes
  
Support for 30 languages
yes
  
Google Drive™, OneDrive®, and Dropbox
yes
  
Profile
yes
  
Consolidated grades
yes
  
Full HTML content support
yes
  
Take tests and quizzes
yes
yes
View past, present, and future courses
yes
yes
Discussions
yes
yes
Push notifications
yes
yes
Groups  
yes
Blogs and journals  
yes
Organizations  
yes
Modify course name, color, position  
yes

Limitations

 

For more information, please visit the Blackboard homepage.

Blackboard Instructor

Blackboard Instructor - for instructors

The Blackboard Instructor mobile app for Instructors is designed especially for instructors to view content and participate in courses content and organizations on a variety of devices including iOS® and Android™ devices.  Blackboard Mobile Learn is supported on iOS 9.0+, Android 4.2+ and Windows 10+.  The app is available currently on the iTunes App Store for iPhone or iPod Touch,  the Google Play store for Android devices and Microsoft.com for Windows devices.

  1. From your device, access the appropriate online store.
  2. Search for Blackboard Instructor.
  3. Install the app on your mobile device.
  4. Open Blackboard Instructor and search for the full name of your institution.
  5. Login into Blackboard with your enumber and password
Feature Description
Course List After you log in, you see all your current courses where you're enrolled as an instructor, TA, course builder, or other custom role with the appropriate permissions. You can also see which of those courses are hidden from students.

 

Announcements

Create announcements to keep your students on track. You can view previously sent announcements including sender, date, and message.

In the Blackboard Instructor app, you create and view announcements within individual courses.

Students see announcements in the Activity Stream in their app. When students access Blackboard on a web browser, they see announcements you created within the app in their course and on the My Institution tab.

 

Course Content

Within the app, you can view the folders, documents, assessments, and other items you added in the web browser view of the course. You can preview items in the app to be sure they appear as you intend on mobile devices, but you must create items in Blackboard Learn on a web browser.

Students can view all course content and are able to complete assessments in the Blackboard app for students.

Items indicate if they are hidden from students or not available to students. You can preview hidden or unavailable content in Blackboard Instructor, but students don't see this content in the student app.

.

 

Discussions

Discussions look a bit different in the mobile app. Spend a few minutes getting familiar with the new look and you'll feel right at home.

You can read course discussions, start threads, and reply to posts. Tap your own post to edit or delete.https://help.blackboard.com/Blackboard_App/Instructor/Discussions

 
Due Dates

See what's coming up for your students in an individual course. When you tap Dues Dates from the Course Overview, tests and assignments with due dates are listed. Students also have this view in their Blackboard app to keep them on track.

The list is divided into sections. Due Soon shows items due in the next two days. Coming Up shows items due in the next two weeks.

You can tap an item in the list for details and a preview.

 

Tests & Assignments

Preview tests and assignments that you created in Blackboard Learn in the app. You can see what students experience when they complete a test or assignment in the student app. All of the assessment details are available to view, such as due dates, attempts, points possible, and instructions.

Tests and assignments indicate if they are hidden from students or not available to students. You can preview hidden or unavailable assessments in Blackboard Instructor, but students don't see this content in the student app.

Some test features aren't available in the mobile app. We suggest that you preview a test in Blackboard Instructor before you recommend that students take it in the Blackboard app for students.
Collaborate Blackboard Instructor includes Collaborate with the Ultra experience for synchronous web conferencing. You can host virtual classes and share files and video. You don't have to install anything other than Blackboard Instructor to join a session.
Compatible File Types Blackboard mobile apps support most common text and media files. Some file types aren't supported because specific operating systems don't support them. For example, iOS devices don't support Flash files.

Limitations

  • No grading available on Blackboard Instructor
  • List of Known Issues

For more information, please visit the Blackboard Instructor app homepage

Mobile Devices with Browsers

Mobile device browsers are not full fledged browsers and are missing many of the vital components necessary for Blackboard use.  Instead, you should download the app or use your desktop / laptop for full functionality. Original Course View is not supported in  browsers on mobile devices.

 

Chrome no longer supports many plugins. Plugins that use NPAPI, including Silverlight, Java, and Unity, won’t work.

If Flash isn't working on your Chrome browser, try these solutions to fix the problem:

Step 1: Turn on PPAPI plugins.

  1. Open Chrome.
  2. In the address bar at the top, type chrome://plugins and press Enter.
  3. Click Details.
  4. Scroll down to "Adobe Flash Player."
  5. Under "Type: PPAPI," click Enable.

Step 2: Make sure Chrome is up-to-date. You get Adobe Flash player on Chrome automatically, and it updates when Chrome does.

 

 

You can normally open PDFs automatically in Chrome by clicking on the file you want to see. If your PDFs are downloading instead of opening automatically in Chrome, Chrome PDF viewer may have been turned off.

Turn on Chrome PDF viewer

  1. On your computer, open Chrome.
  2. Go to chrome://plugins.
  3. Under "Chrome PDF Viewer," click Enable PDF viewing.

Chrome will now open PDFs automatically when you click on them.

More Help

Students should seek assistance from Office of Information Services by visiting the Service Desk on the second floor of Goebel Hall or by calling (630) 617-3767.

  • Your Blackboard username and password are the same as your technology account name and password.
    If you change your password on Blackboard, you are NOT changing your technology account password.

Faculty should consult with their Departmental Library Liaison for Blackboard assistance.  You can also find helpful videos on a variety of Blackboard topics in the YouTube Playlist provided by the Center for Scholarship and Teaching

Additional Resources: