Resolved - Blackboard Service Disruption - System Performance
Access to Blackboard & course content may be impacted
At 6:40 PM on September 22nd, Blackboard reported a system performance issue affecting clients in the US East region. This disruption may prevent users from accessing the Blackboard platform. Users who are able to log in may experience degraded performance and difficulty accessing course content and assessments.
As of 11:00 PM, system performance issues remain unresolved.
Blackboard engineers are working to address the issue as quickly as possible. Instructional Technology staff opened a ticket with Blackboard Support and are continuing to monitor the service disruption.
Update:
As of 3:15 am on September 23, Blackboard reports that this incident has been resolved. Please open an RT request for any continuing concerns related to system performance.
This post will be updated with additional information as we receive it.
Connect with Instructional Technology
As always, if you have any questions about teaching, learning, and technology at UMBC, please consider the following options:
Thumbnail-image: Blackboard logo [decorative]
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At 6:40 PM on September 22nd, Blackboard reported a system performance issue affecting clients in the US East region. This disruption may prevent users from accessing the Blackboard platform....
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Sun, 22 Sep 2024 23:19:41 -0400
Mon, 23 Sep 2024 06:27:21 -0400
USMF Wills Week Conference - coming soon!
October 21st - October 25th, 2024
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Whether you’re 22 or 102, you need a Will and/or a Trust, as well as other financial and health-related documents. Join the USM Foundation for 5 free, expert-led webinars during National Estate Planning Awareness Week!
CLICK HERE to Register now and reserve your spot!
Session dates are below, more information about the topics and speaker bios are available on the USMF website when you register.
Monday, October 21: Estate Planning Basics
Shari Fleming, JD, AEP®, CAP®
Principal, The Law Office of Shari Fleming
Planned Giving Officer, Bowie State University
Tuesday, October 22: Getting It Right the First Time
Christopher B. Walter, Esq.
Attorney; Davis, Agnor, Rapaport & Skalny, LLC
Wednesday, October 23: Assessing Your Needs
Elena Sallitto, Esq.
Partner; Stavely & Sallitto Elder Law, LLC
Thursday, October 24: Sticky Conversations
Malika Moore MSW, LICSW, LCSW-C
Founder, Aging & Amazing®
Friday, October 25: LGBTQ Estate Planning
Lee Carpenter, Esq.
Principal; Offit Kurman, P.A
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Whether you’re 22 or 102, you need a Will and/or a Trust, as well as other financial and health-related documents. Join the USM Foundation for 5 free, expert-led webinars during National Estate...
https://www.usmf.org/willsweekconference/
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Sun, 22 Sep 2024 11:36:49 -0400
September Wellness webinars continued
Healthy Aging
Please see below some Wellness webinars from the State. What's the best time to adopt healthy aging lifestyle habits? The answer: whatever age you are now!
Now is the perfect time to consider how your current lifestyle habits impact your future well-being. Even planning to make a small change toward a more healthy lifestyle is a step in the right direction.
Register for the sessions of your choice to secure your spot!
Nurse Kathleen: Healthier by the Minute
Friday, 9/20, 11:30 am - 11:45 am: Childhood Obesity
Learn what childhood obesity is, the factors that contribute to it, and how to support healthier habits for the younger members of your family.
Register for 9/20 Healthier by the Minute: Childhood Obesity
Friday, 9/27, 11:30 am - 11:45 am: Understanding Flu Vaccines
Flu season is here! Explore how vaccines work and why vaccination is an important part of a preventative health plan for you and your family members.
Mindful Mondays:
Monday, 9/23, 11:00 am - 11:30 am: Lifestyle Habits for Success
Monday, 9/30, 11:00 am - 11:30 am: Upgrade Your Mindset
Upgrading your mindset begins with a practice of positivity. Positivity is not seeing the world through rose-colored glasses all the time; instead, it's cultivating the ability to see possibilities even when you're disappointed, angry, or sad. Your mindset upgrade will be your newest superpower!
Register for 9/30 Upgrade Your Mindset
Tuesdays: Wellness From the Kitchen with Chef Sandra Lewis
Tuesday, 9/24, 11:00 am - 11:45 am: Eggplant Parmigiana
No need to go out when you're craving Italian food - this simple and delicious vegetarian dish comes together easily on a weeknight. Learn how to create crispy, golden brown eggplant covered with a tasty tomato sauce for a low-calorie dish that is high in fiber and vitamins A and C. Take your tastebuds dancing with this dish!
Register for 9/24 Eggplant Parmigiana
Healthy U Wednesdays:
Wednesday, 9/25, 11:00 am - 11:45 am: We've Got Your Back - Habits to Reduce Back Pain
Thursday Health Focus: The Caregiver Series
Thursday, 9/26, 11:00 am - 11:45 am: A Mindful Approach to Caregiving
Unwind Time Fridays
Friday, 9/20, 11:00 am - 11:15 am: See Others as Fellow Humans, Not Labels
Embracing another person's or group's humanity is a continuous action that helps prevent us from seeing them as labels rather than people. In this guided meditation, you'll reflect on the humanity we share.
Register for 9/20 See Others as Humans, Not Labels
Friday, 9/27, 11:00 am - 11:15 am: Reflecting on a Role Model
Spend 15 minutes in gratitude as you reflect how one of your role models contributed to your arrival right here in this place and time.
Register for 9/27 Reflecting on a Role Model
Please see the information below about the upcoming retirement webinars from Maryland Supplemental Retirement Plans (MSRP).
All webinars are approx 45 mins in length and available to all Faculty and Staff, regardless of retirement plan.
Walk Me Through: Let's Enroll Together!
This webinar will assist you with enrolling in a Maryland
Supplemental Retirement Plan 457(b), 401(k), or 403(b). A Nationwide
Representative will walk you through (in real time), step by step, how you can
easily enroll in abut 10 mins!
Please note: you must have your 6-digit payroll code (360231) and payroll type (Central Payroll Bureau) available at the time of enrollment.
September 20th at 10 AM or 2PM
September 27th at 10 AM or 2PM
Saving for a Purpose: Strategies for Achieving Your Financial Goals
Attend this webinar to learn how to set clear goals, create achievable timelines, and understand the types of accounts designated to help you reach each goal.
September 17th at 11 AM
September 19th at 9 AM
To Roth or Not to Roth?
This webinar will cover the benefits of the pre-tax and after-tax (Roth) options offered in your supplemental plans and if a Roth account may be right for you!
September 17th 1 PM
This article focuses on ways to leverage features in Ultra to ensure your course is designed to optimize student learning and ensure students feel welcome and prepared, especially at the start of the term. Part 2 will feature Ultra’s progress tracking tools and effective strategies for student identification, outreach, and support.
A student’s first impression of your course, and their learning opportunities throughout the course, are influenced initially by course design. A clutter-free environment helps students focus on the course and avoid confusion. In addition, students’ learning opportunities can be enhanced by using Blackboard Ultra design features to welcome and orient them within the first critical weeks of the semester and ensure they are on track and able to locate content, engage with one another, get help, and submit assignments.
During emergency-remote instruction in 2020, a survey of more than 500 UMBC courses taught by instructors who completed the PIVOT+ professional development program found students reported enjoying taking classes that were well organized and planned. More than 85% of students agreed or strongly agreed that PIVOT+ courses flowed in a logical format. About 90% of students agreed or strongly agreed that course requirements were clear, while 83% agreed or strongly agreed that assignment instructions were clear.
Using the ‘Start Here’ Module
Every Blackboard course shell at UMBC is created with a “Start Here” module already in place. Within this module are placeholders for the syllabus, instructor information, and eLearning and academic resources. This module can also contain critical orientation information to let students know what to expect in your course, how to navigate, help set the tone for the course, and provide opportunities to establish teaching and social presence (Quality Matters, 2024; Wengier, 2022).
Welcoming and Orienting Students
When it comes to designing the welcome experience for learners, Quality Matters General Standard 1: Course Overview & Introduction (HE Rubric, 7th ed.), offers researched-backed effective practices for orienting students to the course and instructor expectations for communication, feedback, grading, and use of Blackboard.
In the QM-certified course AGNG 355, instructor Louise Murray (pictured above) includes a pre-recorded, narrated, and captioned PowerPoint to provide students with a visual tour of the course and communication expectations. This allows students to see and hear the instructor and complements the text Murray provides about email, phone, office hours, and response times.
There are many ways to welcome and introduce students to your course, including steps you can take before the semester even starts, such as sending a welcome email or announcement. These messages can stay available for students through the duration of the course.
Some instructors send a pre-survey to students before the semester starts to determine prior knowledge or experience. In addition, you may want to prepare a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) resource to address the most common student questions, share tips on time management, and remind students how to access technology and resources.
Consider that there are effective options to consider for welcoming and orienting students that create learning opportunities at the beginning of the course including:
- Accessing a welcome video or course tour (pre-recorded)
- Reading an instructor’s introduction
- Introducing themselves in a Discussion forum or VoiceThread
- Using the “Ask the Professor” discussion forum to ask clarifying questions
- Completing a syllabus quiz
In the Quality Matters certified course SPAN 201 (pictured above) instructor Milvia Hernandez pre-records a brief video that complements text in Blackboard. More importantly, students can also see and hear Hernandez as she welcomes them in both Spanish and English and explains the course structure and cadence.
About Quality Matters
Grounded in evidence-based practice research, peer review, and collegiality, Quality Matters (QM) is used by more than 40,000 educators and instructional designers worldwide to strengthen online and blended course design.
At UMBC, 19 courses have earned QM certification for online course design and represent more than half of the QM-certified courses in the University System of Maryland.
References:
- Quality Matters. (2024, September 9). QM Rubrics & Standards.
- Wengier, S. (2022). The start here module: Creating a first day impression in an online language class (EJ1346021).
Jill Vasbinder, adjunct faculty, Department of Dance (Dance Appreciation, Dance History) has created an Open Educational Resource (OER) dance history course as a recipient of the 2023 Maryland Open Source Textbook (M.O.S.T.) Faculty OER Grant Program.
The course, Dance History I: Cultural and Classical Forms, offers a more diverse, inclusive, and equitable curriculum that examines the history of dance. Vasbinder began exploring the use of open licensed materials in dance and dance education as a way to practice inclusion in the classroom.
Vasbinder received a $2,000 grant plus participation in the Rebus Textbook Success Program to create the OER course this past year.
She has published and presented on the use of open licensing in dance and viewed the M.O.S.T. Faculty OER Grant Program as an opportunity to “transform Dance History I into an OER course that can be shared with dancers and dance educators … to help bring a more inclusive understanding of a greater variety of dances.”
Creating a more inclusive course
Carol Hess, professor and Chair, Department of Dance, shared, “Over the past several years, Ms. Vasbinder has been transforming her Dance History I course to contain more inclusive, de-colonized content, a wider array of assessment modalities, and embodied experiences for the students. Her OER course shares an approach to the teaching of Dance History that will be a valuable resource for both instructors and students.”
Hess was a project team member on the M.O.S.T. Faculty Grant supporting Vasbinder’s work. Other team members were Erin Durham Wright, Reference & Instruction Librarian; Josh Abrams, Instructional Design Specialist, Instructional Technology; and Susan Biro, Manager, Online Learning, Instructional Technology.
“The process of creating this resource has been an amazing collaboration renewing my joy of teaching and exploring the ever expanding ways to share and learn,” says Vasbinder. “My hope is that this OER course will continue to be updated and expanded and grow to include modules from other dance history scholars as we continue to receive feedback from student and scholar adopters of this work.” She is excited to learn how the course is adopted and adapted by others in the field.
Dance History: Cultural and Classical Forms is now available. Potential adopters and adapters will be able to find the course in the M.O.S.T. Commons, OER Commons, and the DELRdi (Dance Education Literature and Research descriptive index).
M.O.S.T. Initiative expands OER access
The Maryland Open Source Textbook (M.O.S.T.) initiative supports efforts to increase faculty access, affordability, and achievement for students at Maryland’s postsecondary institutions through the incorporation of open educational resources (OER) into teaching practice.
From spring 2014 to fall 2023, 210 courses at 29 institutions across Maryland have switched to OER, saving students more than $22 million in cumulative textbook costs. Since spring 2014, M.O.S.T. has impacted more than 160,000 students, who saved an average of $137 per course.
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Jill Vasbinder, adjunct faculty, Department of Dance (Dance Appreciation, Dance History) has created an Open Educational Resource (OER) dance history course as a recipient of the 2023 Maryland...
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Mon, 09 Sep 2024 10:58:55 -0400
Fri, 08 Nov 2024 13:06:28 -0500
Sad News on the Passing of Rochelle Sanders
Dear Colleagues,
It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of our dear colleague, Rochelle Sanders, who worked in Human Resources retiring in December 2019. Rochelle was an integral part of our team and made a significant impact as one of the Directors of Human Resources. I had the pleasure of working with her briefly as I came on board.
Rochelle was always willing to provide her expert knowledge and was incredibly dedicated to UMBC. Her kindness and calming spirit will be greatly missed by all of us who had the privilege to work alongside her.
Our thoughts are with the Sanders family during this difficult time. Information regarding her Memorial Service taking place on Monday, September 9th is attached.
With Gratitude,
Lynne Adams, PhD
Associate Vice President-Chief Human Resources Officer
UMBC Department of Human Resources & Strategic Talent Management
]]>
Dear Colleagues, It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of our dear colleague, Rochelle Sanders, who worked in Human Resources retiring in December 2019. Rochelle was an...
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Fri, 06 Sep 2024 09:13:36 -0400
New featured webinar from Care.com
Alzheimer's Disease and Dementia Care
Alzheimer's Disease and Dementia Care
September 18th - 1:00 pm ET
In recognition of World Alzheimer's Month, this session will
cover the signs, symptoms and stages of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease,
day-to-day caregiving techniques, how to communicate with a person with
Alzheimer's, financial assistance and insurance and resources for caregivers.
It will also cover brain health and what are the possible ways to prevent
dementia and improve cognitive performance.
By registering for this webinar, you will receive a follow
up communication with the playback link of the live session.
Please see below some September Wellness webinars provided
by the State. Register now to secure your spot!
Better Together Challenge Begins Tuesday, September
3!
Did you know that having strong relationships is good for
your health at any age? Research shows that connections with
family, friends, coworkers, neighbors, and other community members are as
important as eating a healthy diet, exercising regularly, and getting health
screenings when due. Boost your September happiness and healthy aging efforts
by joining the Better Together 30-day challenge today!
Health Focus Thursdays: The Caregiver Series
- Thursday, 9/5, 11:00 am - 11:45 am: Caring for Loved
Ones. Discuss caregiver challenges and explore resources available
to assist you with the demands of caregiving.
- Thursday, 9/12, 11:00 am - 11:45 am: Owning Your
Time as a Caregiver. Learn 10 practical tips to balance caregiving with your
other responsibilities to lessen time stress.
- Thursday, 9/19, 11:00 am - 11:45 am: Coping with
Caregiving. Learn effective ways to prevent or overcome caregiver
burnout and how to take care of you while caring for others.
- Thursday, 9/26, 11:00 am - 11:45 am: A Mindful
Approach to Caregiving. Learn how breathing, meditation, and gratitude practices
boost compassion for yourself and others.
SPECIAL Presentation: Your Oral Health and Healthy Aging
Thursday, 9/26, 12:00 pm - 12:30 pm: Your Oral Health and
Healthy Aging
In this informative and interactive webinar, a United
Concordia Dental oral wellness consultant will reveal the connection between
oral health and healthy aging. Insightful dental care tips and practical home
care strategies will be shared so that you'll always have a reason to smile!
SPECIAL Presentation: Maryland Access Point 101
Monday, 9/30, 11:45 am - 12:30 pm: Maryland Access Point
101
The Maryland Department of Aging's Maryland Access Point
(MAP) is a gateway to long term services and support in Maryland. Hear from a
MAP specialist about how to access private and public long-term care support
such as financial aid, senior community centers and clubs, nutritious meals,
pharmacy assistance, housing, volunteer opportunities, and more. All
MAP services are free.
The latest release of Ultra enhancements comes two weeks into the fall 24 semester, bringing formative knowledge checks to Ultra Documents, a redesigned course landing page, and a new learner engagement tool called AI Conversations.
In the August release, the Ultra Document saw significant improvements to support robust flexible layouts that are mobile friendly and responsible. With this update, instructors can now create formative knowledge checks to enhance the learning experience, allowing students to engage with content and receive immediate feedback. Instructors can provide correct/incorrect feedback and access simple metrics about attempts. Knowledge checks are formative and do not pass to the gradebook at this time.
Image 1: Example of knowledge check question (animated)
As previously announced, Anthology will update the Ultra course landing page to focus content on the left and course actions on the right. Additionally, it will be easier to distinguish between content containers (e.g., folders, learning modules, other content types) to help improve course navigation for all users. Moreover, functional improvements with this redesign provide clearer options to create content throughout the course.
Image 2: Comparison of old Ultra course page (left) and new Ultra course page (right)
The AI Conversation is a new engagement tool guided by AI, encouraging students explore their thoughts on an assigned topic. Currently available as a Socratic questioning exercise, the AI Conversation's persona is configured by the instructor (name, avatar, and personality trait) with options to test and preview for reliability. Additionally, a customizable reflection question allows students to share their thoughts on the activity and, if prompted by the reflection and instructor, lets them flag any bias or errors from the AI as part of Anthology’s Trustworthy AI Approach. On submission, the instructor can review the AI conversation transcript and the student's reflection. Future updates to this engagement activity in late FA2024 will include roleplaying and debate options.
Image 3: Example of student participating in an AI Conversation
Finally, a new activity log is available to instructors in the Ultra course, helping with decisions in academic disputes and aiding in troubleshooting. Events include course access, assessment start/save/submitted, discussion access/save/edit/reply, document access, LTI (tool) access, and journal access. The Activity log can be filtered by event type and can look to the past 140 days.
Additional updates for September include:
Faculty should see the latest updates in their Ultra courses around September 5-6, 2024. The next update to our Ultra test environment will take place on September 10, 2024; release notes are posted to the What's New in Ultra that same week. Faculty who are interested in test driving new features before they are released to production should open an RT ticket to request early access. Please watch the FAQs, including the What's New with Ultra page, and myUMBC for additional information about Ultra.
Connect with Instructional Technology
As always, if you have any questions about teaching, learning, and technology at UMBC, please consider the following options:
Thumbnail-image: New to Ultra [decorative]
