Each month Blackboard updates follow a certain process: a staging release, testing, changes, and finally a production release. Some of these updates are mandatory, while others are optional and can be decided upon by the institution. Currently, Academic Technology Services may not immediately release new Blackboard features to production when they become available to the broader Blackboard community. We may require additional testing both externally and internally to ensure that these changes have minimal negative impact on our instructors. Thank you for your understanding and patience as we strive to provide a stable and effective teaching environment. For more information, please read this document:
Please note that Blackboard Ultra does not have any integrated AI tools at this time.
October 2026
Fixes to existing features
-
Specific members rule no longer blocks other release conditions: Release conditions now work together as intended. When you add a "Specific members or groups" rule alongside other rules, such as date-based access, students who meet any rule can see the item. These students also show up correctly in the gradebook and grading views.
For example, an instructor sets up release conditions for a test with two rules:
-
-
-
Rule 1: Specific members or groups, with one student selected
-
Rule 2: A date-based rule with an access date that has already passed
-
-
The selected student can see the test because they meet Rule 1. All other students in the course can also see the test because they meet Rule 2.
Students who gain access through any rule appear in the gradebook and grading views, so instructors can grade their submissions as usual.
-
Restore submission receipt search for anonymously graded assignments: Instructors can now search by submission receipt number in the gradebook to locate submissions for anonymously graded assignments, with results displayed in a dialog.
New features:
-
Manage rubrics from a dedicated course rubrics page: Rubrics now have a dedicated management page in the course, replacing the previous workflow of managing rubrics directly within the Gradebook Settings and Assignment Settings panels. The new page displays all course rubrics in a sortable, searchable table and includes options to create, generate, import, export, duplicate, and delete rubrics.
-
Export and import rubrics: Instructors can now export rubrics from their course and import them into other courses, making it easier to reuse and share rubrics across courses.
Note: This is not working as designed. Importing rubrics prompts a debug code and you are kicked out of the course. Upon refreshing your browser, the imported rubric appears. A Blackboard case has been created.
Updates to existing features:
-
Display username and last access date in the gradebook grid view: Instructors can now display username and last access date as optional columns in the gradebook grid view using new toggles in Gradebook Settings.
-
Display points possible in the gradebook list view: Points possible is now displayed as a sortable column in the gradebook list view, giving instructors an at-a-glance view of point values for each gradable item.
-
View exception indicators in the gradebook grid view: Instructors can now identify students with exceptions at a glance directly from the gradebook grid view (exceptions are indicated by a clock icon), without having to select individual cells.
Teams Updates
Microsoft Education: There has been a change in the way that Microsoft Education displays Teams meeting recordings.
-
Add entire class/invited participants: If you have chosen to add entire class or individually enter participants for your Teams meetings, all invited participants will see recordings in the recordings in Microsoft Education. No action is required.
-
Anyone in the class can join: If you have allowed anyone in the course to join your Teams meetings, you will need to 1) turn on OneDrive in course settings and 2) click Share with Class for the associated recording.
September 2026 (updates delayed to October)
New Features
-
Restrict accepted file types for assignment submissions: Instructors can now specify which file types they will accept for assignment submissions, choosing from a list of common file types or entering custom file extensions. Students are informed of any restrictions before submitting and receive an error message if they attempt to submit a file type that is not permitted. Note: This is currently not working as designed as there is no error message (case submitted to Blackboard support).
August 2026
Teams updates
-
Sync Teams meeting invite list to Roster: Teams meeting organizers now have the ability to sync invited students to their Blackboard course roster so you no longer have to update the invite list when there are new/dropped students. Toggle on "Keep class in sync" when adding your class to your meeting.
-
Teams meeting recordings in Blackboard can now be shared to class roster: Instructors must now click "Share with class" to share Teams meetings recordings via Blackboard
whether students were invited to the meeting or not.To share your Teams meeting recording, navigate to the recordings tab for Microsoft Education, click on the three dots, and click "Share with class". This will share the video with all students enrolled in the course.
Note: Share with class is now only required if you’ve chosen “Allow anyone in the course to join”.
Blackboard Gradebook Grid View update
The Gradebook Grid View has been restructured with a reorganized layout and new Grade Details panel that surfaces grading information and actions in one place. For videos and details, check out the Gradebook Grid Resource Hub.
Changes include:
|
Old view |
New view |
|---|---|
|
Four tabs: Overview, Gradable Items, Grades, Students 
|
Two views: Grid View and List View (toggle buttons). To see student details, click a student’s name. 
|
|
Overview tab has a full-page view. 
|
'To Do' button (top right) opens as a panel over the gradebook. 
|
|
Two separate searches: Gradebook search and submission receipt. 
|
Single unified search bar combining both Gradebook search and submission receipt search
|
|
Limited student rows with checkboard shading 
|
More student rows with zebra-striped rows 
|
|
Students listed in first name, last name order only |
Ability to switch to last name, first name order 
|
|
Student ID cannot be hidden or sorted 
|
Toggle Student ID column ON to have student ID appears in its own sortable column 
|
|
Filter options appear in a panel 
|
Expanded filter design with improved visibility 
|
|
Click column header to open a drop down menu 
|
Click column name to open Assessment Details panel (stays open) and navigate between columns with left/right arrows without closing 
|
|
Delete option can be easily clicked accidentally 
|
Delete button moved further down in the panel, shown in red with and includes a caution banner, making it harder to delete accidentally 
|
|
Click a cell to view submission, post, or add exceptions/exemptions 
|
Click cell to see a grade details panel that stays open 
|
|
Manually grade by clicking on individual cells one by one |
Hover near the top column and click on the purple pencil icon. Click “Enter” to advance to the next student. Click ESC to exit the column.
|
|
Accommodations are separated from exceptions and exemptions |
Accommodations, exceptions, and exemptions now appear under the umbrella term “Accommodations” in Blackboard. Accommodations received by Accessibiltiy Services are now “Course level Accommodations”. 
|
New features
-
Navigate Courses Faster with an Improved User Interface: Blackboard now has full-page content navigation, breadcrumbs, and a clearer exit option to improve orientation, reduce navigation errors, and create a more consistent experience.
-
Navigate Between Courses Faster with the Updated Home Button: Selecting the Home button from within a course now takes users directly to the Courses page instead of the Activity Stream page.
-
Manage Group Membership with Drag and Drop: Instructors can now drag and drop students between the unassigned list and groups to quickly assign or remove membership.
-
Create Multiple Groups at Once: Instructors can now create between two and 5,000 groups in a single action from the Groups management screen, eliminating the need to add groups one at a time.
-
Export question banks: Instructors can now export question banks as a file to their local device. This makes it easier to backup assessment content or share with other instructors for reuse across courses.
-
Duplicate items on the Course Content page: Instructors can now duplicate any item on the Course Content page except LTI items, with the copy retaining all content and settings from the original. A new Duplicate option appears in the More options menu for every item.
-
Set release conditions based on journal submissions: Instructors can now set release conditions based on the submission status of journals.
-
Display warning banner in Original courses: Blackboard LMS now displays a warning banner in Original courses for all non-student roles. The banner notifies instructors, administrators, and other staff that Original Course View support ends after December 31, 2026. Original will not be available for teaching and learning as of January 1, 2027.
-
Video Studio: Resume Video Playback: Video Studio now remembers where users stop watching and automatically resumes playback from that point, even across sessions and devices. This is available in overall feedback and announcements.
Updates to existing features
-
Improved Microsoft Cloud Document Experience: Blackboard LMS has updated the names of its Microsoft cloud document tools to align with the unified Microsoft 365 LTI experience. The following names have changed:
-
Embedded Cloud Document is now Microsoft Embedded Cloud Document.
-
Cloud Collaboration is now Microsoft Cloud Collaboration.
-
Fixes to existing features
-
-
Display answer-level feedback for selected options only: Students now receive answer-level feedback only for the options they chose in multiple choice and multiple answer questions. This gives students more targeted insight into their responses without revealing feedback for options they did not select.
-
-
Make Notifications More Accurate and Reliable: Blackboard notifications are now more reliable and accurate, resolving issues with duplicates, missing alerts, and incorrect timing.
-
-
Correct notifications for assigned groups. Students now receive DUE and OVERDUE notifications relevant to their assigned group instead of for all assigned groups in the course.
-
No duplicate notifications for copied Group Discussions. Students no longer receive duplicate DUE and OVERDUE notifications for Group Discussions in Original courses when content is copied between courses.
-
Reliable notifications after content is exchanged. Gradable discussions, blogs, journals, and wikis in Original courses now correctly generate DUE and OVERDUE notifications after content is exchanged between courses during course copy.
-
Grade updates and changes in digest emails. Digest emails now include notifications when a grade is updated or cleared.
-
Reliable digest email delivery. When a digest email fails to send, the sender won’t inaccurately receive a notification marked as delivered.
-
Correctly timed announcement emails. Announcement emails are now sent only after the announcement's start date is reached and not before the content is visible to students.
-
July 2026
New features
-
Add descriptions to Discussions and Journals: Discussions and Journals now include a dedicated Description field, matching the experience of other course content items. The Description field is separate from the prompt, so instructors can use it for expectations while reserving the prompt for the core question or task.
-
Find your favorite courses faster with Course Switcher:The Course Switcher now includes a Favorites tab that surfaces courses marked as favorites on the Courses page, alongside Recent and Search options.
-
Preview existing message thread in Course Messages:When composing a message, selecting recipients now automatically loads the existing conversation in a continuous thread, allowing users to have context of previous discussions in one place before sending their message.
Updates to existing features
-
Video Studio: Record longer videos with extended recording time: Instructors can now make recordings of up to 10 minutes in announcements and overall feedback.
-
Video Studio: Optimize Player Layout by Moving Transcript Control to Settings:The Video Studio player has been updated to move the transcript option into the Settings menu, freeing space in the control bar and improving visibility of key playback controls like the timeline.
Instructors
-
Run a Rubric Evaluation Report for graded activities: Instructors can now run a Rubric Evaluation Report directly from the Ultra gradebook for any graded activity associated with a rubric. The report aggregates rubric data across all student submissions to help instructors identify trends and inform course improvements. Note that there is 24 hour update cycle so the report may take some time to generate.
-
Sample report: rubric evaluation report
-
June 2026
New features
-
Lock answer options in a fixed position for multiple choice and multiple answer questions: Instructors can now lock specific answer options in a fixed position so they remain in place when other options are randomized. This is useful for answer choices such as "None of the above" or "All of the above" that should always appear at the end of the list regardless of randomization settings.
-
Track Announcement engagement by student: Instructors can now track announcement engagement in the student overview panel. Announcements will appear as read if a student has entered the course and read the message.
-
Provide answer-level feedback for multiple choice and multiple answer questions: Instructors can now add feedback for each answer option in multiple choice and multiple answer questions.
This is not working as intended and option-level feedback is displayed to students for all answer options. In a future release, students will only see option level feedback for the answers they select.
Updates to existing features
-
Improved rubric usability when overriding grades: Instructors can now adjust grades even when a rubric is used for individual attempts. Previously, this was only possible when there was multiple attempts.
-
Restrict grading activity in completed Original courses: Grading activity in completed Original Course View courses is now read-only. Once a course is marked complete, instructors can no longer modify grades, apply overrides, or add grading feedback.
Fixes to existing features
-
Enhance stability and usability of commenting tools: Several improvements have been made to the stability and usability of commenting tools in Bb Annotate. These fixes address issues with formatting, editing behavior, and overall interaction consistency to provide a more reliable grading and feedback experience.
May 2026
New features
-
Video Studio: Add Audio Descriptions for Inclusive Videos: Instructors can now add audio descriptions to videos created for overall feedback and announcements. Students can switch on or off audio descriptions during playback.
Updates to existing features
-
Make second due date for Discussions visible in Gradebook: The second due date for Discussions now appears in the Gradebook's Overview tab and Gradable Items tab. Next to the date is a circle icon with a lower case "i" inside. Hover over or tab to this icon, and a pop-up bubble displays details of both due dates.
-
Carry group filter into Flexible Grading: Instructors can now grade by specific groups in the grading area. Instructors must first select the group via the filter in the “Grades” view and then click on one of the students in the goup to enter the grading area. Only the filtered group appears for grading.
-
-
Resized Accommodations icon: The Accommodations icon has been updated to a smaller size in Blackboard coures, except for the student pages in the Gradebook.
-
Improved search and navigation in Course Switcher: The Course Switcher tool in Blackboard courses now includes a search box that lets instructors and students quickly find and open courses by name or course ID without returning to the Courses page.
Fixes to existing features
-
Strengthen logout behavior for supported SAML SSO configurations: When users login to Blackboard in another browser or an additional device, the first Blackboard session now ends immediately.
-
Improved screen reader experience in document view mode: Screen reader users now have a cleaner, more focused experience when navigating documents in view mode. Content is delivered in the correct order, left to right, across rows, columns, and blocks.
-
White space improvements in Documents: Documents now use vertical space more efficiently, reducing unnecessary white space and improving readability and visual balance. These improvements apply when creating new content, or editing existing content.
-
Visualize release conditions inherited by items in learning modules and folders (not working properly, under investigation): Instructors can now view release conditions inherited from a parent Learning Module or Folder directly within the Release Conditions panel of individual items. Inherited conditions appear in a read-only format. Discussions now respect release conditions applied at the learning module level and are no longer accessible from the Discussions tab when those conditions are not met.
