Blackboard Integration Updates
Blackboard, the University’s learning management system, has many third-party publishers and other vendors whose content and teaching tools integrate with Blackboard. The technology these tools rely on has become outdated, and the vendors will be updating to a more modern technology through December 2023.
The Office of Information Technology has scheduled these updates between semesters over a period of 18 months to minimize disruption and reduce the amount of content instructors need to rebuild at one time.
Upcoming changes
The following integration updates are scheduled to be completed in December 2023. To filter the table, add a search term, or click on a heading to sort.
| Tool | Description of Update |
|---|---|
| Add/Modify Enrollments |
This tool will be retired on December 31, 2023 at 6pm. An alternative tool is not available, and the current tool will not work beyond that date and time as it will no longer be compatible with Blackboard. You can instead place a request with the IT Service Desk for assistance with adding or modifying existing users within your courses and organizations. |
| Course Merge |
This tool will be retired on December 31, 2023 at 6pm. An alternative tool is not available, and the current tool will not work beyond that date and time as it will no longer be compatible with Blackboard. You can instead place a request with the IT Service Desk for assistance with merging your course enrollments. |
| Create a Test Course |
This tool will be retired on December 31, 2023 at 6pm. An alternative tool is not available, and the current tool will not work beyond that date and time as it will no longer be compatible with Blackboard. You can instead place a request with the IT Service Desk for assistance with creating a test course. |
| ExamSoft |
The vendor is still working on their replacement tool, and details about the changes are not yet available. The update is tentatively scheduled to take place on the evening of December 20, 2023. |
| GivePulse |
The vendor is still working on their replacement tool, and details about the changes are not yet available. The update is tentatively scheduled to take place on the evening of December 20, 2023. |
| GoReact |
The vendor is still working on their replacement tool, and details about the changes are not yet available. The update is tentatively scheduled to take place on the evening of December 20, 2023. |
| Hawkes |
The vendor is still working on their replacement tool, and details about the changes are not yet available. The update is tentatively scheduled to take place on the evening of December 20, 2023. |
| Starfish |
The vendor does not yet have a replacement option available, we are continuing to work with them and will provide additional information when it becomes available. |
Previous updates
Add a search term to filter the table, or click on a heading to sort by semester or tool name.
| Semester | Tool | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Summer 2023 | Skillsoft | Skillsoft was retired on May 11, 2023. |
| Summer 2023 | Shadow Health | Shadow Health was updated on May 11, 2023. |
| Fall 2023 | Cirrus by Paradigm | Cirrus by Paradigm was retired based on low usage. |
| Fall 2023 | Evolve | Evolve was retired based on low usage. |
| Fall 2023 | Hypothesis | Hypothesis was retired based on results of the pilot phase. |
| Fall 2023 | Lumen Learning | Course content will need to be recreated for spring. Please reference Lumen’s instructor guide and contact your publisher representative for help if needed. |
| Fall 2023 | Macmillan Learning | Course content will need to be recreated for spring. Please reference Macmillan’s instructor guide and contact your publisher representative for help if needed. |
| Fall 2023 | McGraw Hill (Connect and Create & Higher Education) | Course content will need to be recreated for spring. McGraw Hill has created instructor guides for both Blackboard Original and Blackboard Ultra. If you are using an eText, follow McGraw Hill's adding an eBook link for students guide. You may also schedule time with the McGraw Hill Customer Success Team for additional assistance if needed. |
| Fall 2023 | Pearson (MyLab & Revel) | Course content will need to be recreated for spring. Pearson has created instructor guides for both Blackboard Original and Blackboard Ultra. Please contact your publisher representative for help if needed. |
| Fall 2023 | Proctortrack | Most existing links should continue to work. Instructors with a custom Proctortrack tool link in the Course Menu for Spring semester courses that was created before 11 a.m. on December 16 will need to recreate that link with the new Proctortrack tool. |
| Fall 2023 | Rising Software (Auralia & Musition) | Existing links should continue to work. |
| Fall 2023 | Ximera | Ximera was retired based on low usage. |
| Summer 2022 | Top Hat | This update changed the process to pair Top Hat with both Blackboard Original and Blackboard Ultra courses. The new process requires initiating the sync process from within Blackboard rather than Top Hat, as demonstrated in the video How to Pair a Top Hat Course with a Blackboard course. The new process syncs Blackboard and Top Hat rosters, allows instructors to invite students to a Top Hat course, and sends grades from Top Hat directly to the Blackboard Grade Center. |
| Summer 2022 | Turnitin |
This update affected instructors using Turnitin in Blackboard Original courses, which required rebuilding all assignments or switching to Blackboard Assignment or Peer Assessment features. Instructors using Turnitin in Blackboard Ultra were not affected. Turnitin was fully retired on July 31, 2022, and assignments created prior to the updates are no longer visible. |
| Summer 2022 | VoiceThread |
The VoiceThread update was completed with minimal impact and did not require instructors to rebuild content. |
| Fall 2022 | Alexander Street | Alexander Street was retired based on low usage. |
| Fall 2022 | Cirrus by Paradigm | This update was announced but delayed by the publisher and will occur in a future semester. |
| Fall 2022 | Ebscohost | This update required instructors to relink their library course content for fall with the new tool. |
| Fall 2022 | Flatworld Knowledge | This update required instructors to recreate course content with the new tool provided by the publisher. |
| Fall 2022 | H5P | H5P was retired based on user feedback after the contract ended in August 2022. |
| Fall 2022 | Labster | Labster was retired when the contract ended. |
| Fall 2022 | Packback | This update required instructors to recreate links to course content for Fall 2022. |
| Fall 2022 | Perusall | This update required instructors to recreate links to course content for Fall 2022. |
| Fall 2022 | Piazza | Piazza was retired based on low usage. |
| Fall 2022 | Redshelf | Redshelf was retired based on low usage. |
| Fall 2022 | Top Hat | Top Hat updates were completed via emergency maintenance in August 2022. The new Top Hat integration is called Top Hat Course Launch and can automatically sync rosters and grades. Also available is Top Hat Deep Linking, which allows instructors to display links to specific Top Hat content within Blackboard. Instructors were required to relink all Top Hat content for fall using the new integration. |
| Fall 2022 | Wiley | This update required instructors to recreate course content with the new tool provided by the publisher. |
| Fall 2022 | WW Norton | The publisher upgraded their software with no impact except for a brief outage while updates were made. |
| Fall 2022 | Zybooks | This update required instructors to recreate course content with the new tool provided by the publisher. |
OHIO News archive
| Date | Article Link |
|---|---|
| November 12, 2022 | Spring Blackboard updates announced |
| June 24, 2022 | Fall semester Blackboard updates announced |
| March 18, 2022 | Major updates coming to Blackboard through December 2023 |