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IT Center for Instruction & Technology

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  3. Center for Instruction & Technology
  4. Blackboard Support
  5. Blackboard Documentation for Faculty
  6. Blackboard in the Cloud

Blackboard in the Cloud

Important Dates:

  • Blackboard will be unavailable from 1pm on 5/17 until 1pm on 5/21
  • Summer 2016 and 2017 courses will be available on 5/21 at 1pm
  • Fall 2016 and 2017, and Spring 2017 courses will be available by 6/1

NOTE: If you are teaching a Summer Session 1 course, please plan accordingly.

What's New and Different:

The user interface of Bb SaaS will remain the same. All functionality in the hosted environment is the same as our current version. The manner in which you upload documents, create folders, discussions, journals, blogs, tests, assignments, etc. is all done in the same manner as our current version of Blackboard. You will notice a few design differences, such as a black background at the top of the page and newly designed icons (folders, items, weblinks, Assignments, etc.) inside the content areas.

New login page - There will be a new login page when you log into Bb. The URL address will remain the same (http://blackboard.ccri.edu) and you will continue to use the same username/password to login.

In the Grade Center, the vertical scroll bar overlaps the last grade center column. This is a known issue which will be fixed in the 4th quarter of 2017... it does not impact functionality.

 grade center scroll bar

If you select a different Course Theme than the default, the theme will not change the color of the links on the Course Menu.

Under the Control Panel you will see "Content Collection" as opposed to "Course Files". You will get to your course files by selecting the name of your course link from the drop down menu, just like you are doing currently.

4 things you should know about moving to SaaS:

1. What is Bb SaaS (Software as a Service) Deployment?

  • SaaS deployment for Blackboard Learn is the same Blackboard Learn you already know and love, delivered on a modern cloud computing technology stack. With SaaS deployment, you get all the benefits of a cloud architecture combined with the power of the Original experience that is already familiar to your faculty and students from Blackboard Learn 9.1.

2. What are the benefits of SaaS deployment for Blackboard Learn?

  • Zero impact to faculty and students during updates: With a cloud-computing environment, you benefit from continuous updates (new features, enhancements, fixes, etc.) with zero or minimal downtime for faculty and students.
  • Higher quality: A SaaS model allows Bb to deliver maintenance, updates, and fixes to production faster than ever before, and the cloud platform easily scales during periods of high usage.
  • Fast access to new features: A SaaS model allows Bb to deliver enhancements and new features faster than ever before, so CCRI can have the latest and greatest features versus having to wait longer periods of time.

3. Continuous Delivery:

  • Continuous delivery is a software industry standard practice and the delivery for SaaS deployment. Continuous delivery updates are small, can include maintenance, enhancements, and new features, and are delivered on a frequent, consistent basis-minimizing the change management impact and ensuring faculty and students are always experiencing the highest quality learning environment.

4. Will the user experience change once we are in SaaS?

  • Blackboard Learn in a SaaS environment will look EXACTLY the same as the Blackboard Learn 9.1 user experience we have today. When we move to SaaS, you continue using the same Original experience from Learn 9.1 that faculty and students are already familiar with.