What's new in Blackboard?
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.
April 2026
New features
Specify assignment submission type: Instructors can define the expected submission type for assignments, including file submissions, text submissions, or both (the default).
Adjust grades for individual student attempts in group submissions: Instructors can adjust grades for individual students within a group submission (assignments only). Visual indicators show when grades differ across group members.
Updates to existing features
Review both sets of Discussion due dates across multiple views in Blackboard: Blackboard now displays both due dates and participation requirements for Discussions across Course Content, Discussion pages, and Gradebook views.
Improvements to multiple choice and multiple answer questions: The default number of answer options has been modified so a student can select from 4 to 1. When creating or editing a multiple choice or multiple answer question, instructors can change the number of answer options that a student can select. Multiple choice answer options alphabetical labels (A, B, C, D) have also been restored.
Video Studio - Control Playback Speed: Users can now adjust playback speed in Video Studio using preset options from 0.5x to 2x, allowing them to review content at a pace that fits their learning needs.
Add Substantive and Non‑substantive Content indicators in instructor discussion analysis: Instructors now have clear text labels identifying Substantive and Non‑substantive content in student discussion posts, improving clarity around the green and red text highlights used in discussion analysis.
Student names display in chosen sort order in Flexible Grading: We’ve improved how student names appear in Flexible Grading. The name display format is now linked to the selected sort order. By default, student names are now shown as Surname, First Name to help instructors quickly locate students. When sorting by First Name (ascending or descending), names will display as First Name Surname.
Handle images as thumbnail links in Announcement emails: Announcement emails now display previews of images included inside a Blackboard announcement. These image previews replace the previous image links that appeared as filenames in the email. When users select an image, it opens on a separate page for a larger, more detailed view. The recipient must be logged into Blackboard to view the larger image.
March 2026
New features
Add a second participation requirement and due date in Discussions: Instructors can now set two separate due dates with distinct participation requirements for Discussions, offering clearer expectations and more structured engagement. Students benefit from transparent progress tracking and updated indicators as they complete requirements across both due dates.
Updates to existing features
Require confirmation for updated email addresses: Blackboard now permanently requires users to verify email address changes, ensuring secure updates and uninterrupted delivery of important communications.
Enhanced threading experience in Course Messages: Course Messages now automatically organizes new messages into existing conversations, or creates a new one when needed. This streamlines communication and reduces fragmented threads. Additionally, displaying of the Rich Text Editor and Send button now persist on mobile and hand-held devices to improve usability across devices.
Video Studio: Generate thumbnail automatically: Video Studio now auto‑generates a thumbnail image from each new recording, giving viewers a clear visual preview and helping instructors and students quickly recognize video content before opening it. This is available in announcements and assessment feedback.
Video Studio: Enhance timer to show time left during recording: Video Studio now displays the remaining recording time in both full and minimized views, giving instructors and students clearer pacing to reduce the risk of unexpected cut‑offs during recording. This is available in announcements and assessment feedback.
Question Title field relocated: The Question Title field now appears only when the metadata option is enabled. This update reduces accidental use of the title field when instructors only intend to enter question text.
Partial credit limits removed for Multiple Choice and Multiple Answer: Partial credit values for answer options no longer need to total 100%. Instructors can assign values freely within the allowed range, and the system continues to provide warnings without blocking setup. Existing behaviors for negative marking and regrading remain supported.
Anonymous grading by question: Flexible Grading now supports anonymous grading in Question View. Student names, avatars, and IDs are replaced with anonymous identifiers while grading. All actions available in non‑anonymous Question View remain available in anonymous mode.
February 2026
Updates to existing features
Reduced gradient on course banners: Based on client feedback, course banners now have a reduced gradient.
Stack blocks vertically in Documents: Instructors can now stack Document content blocks vertically to create clearner layouts and reduce white space.
January 2026
New features
Navigate courses and tools faster with refreshed user interface: The Blackboard interface has been updated with the following changes:
In the base navigation, the user profile now appears at the top and Sign Out is now at the bottom of the navigation, separated from the other options.
Courses are now in full-screen panel to maximize horizontal space.
The course image is now wider and has the course ID and name on the banner.
A “home” button has replaced the “X” button. The “home” button takes the user to the default landing page.
A drop down course switcher allows users to switch between their four most recent courses. There is all a “view all” option to navigate to the courses page.
Update to existing features
Usability improvements for Document Block Layout: The menu for document block layout has been changed from a single dropdown list to being organized by type of change (row, size, and position). This helps users who use keyboard navigation.
Expanded question options for true/false: The true/false question options have been expanded to include:
Yes/No
Right/Wrong
Agree/Disagree
Enhanced multiple choice and multiple answer workflow: Updates include:
Default answer options from 3 to 4
Number of answer selections can now be limited
When only one answer is allowed, there are radio buttons. When one or more is allowed, there are checkboxes.
Video Studio – Edit description: Instructors can now add and edit descriptions for their audio/video feedback and videos in announcements.
Video Studio – Bulk edit speaker names in video transcripts: Instructors can now bulk edit speaker names in transcripts for their audio/video feedback and videos in announcements.
Fixes to existing features
Improved Gradebook download option: The Gradebook download option for hidden items now only appears when there are hidden items in the Gradebook.
December 2025
New features
Learning Module Table of Contents – Instructor View: Instructors now have a collapsible Table of Contents in learning modules.
Specify participation requirements for Discussions: Instructors can now set a requirement for how many posts and/or replies are required by a particular due date.
Video Studio – Record Screen and Camera Simultaneously & Recording Minimize Workflow: Instructors can now record themselves and their screen simultaneously. Additionally, instructors can minimize the camera view and controls while recording. This helps keep the focus on the screen content.
Update to existing features
Set release conditions for open or started and for non-assessment content items: Release conditions can now be set on non-gradable items such as Documents, media, or course links. Release conditions can be set based on whether these items were opened or not.
Improved handling of group membership changes: When all members are removed from a group, the avatar now displays a ? icon and a “No members” label. If a member leaves an active group, their avatar has a strike through it in the grading view.
Standardized tabbed interface in Flexible Grading: The grading interface now has a consistent tabbed interface for all submission types. Previously, there were only tabs for file-based submissions.
Better Audio and Video in Feedback: Instructors now have an updated way to provide assessment feedback to their students. There is now an option for captioning and transcription, including editing. A/V feedback can now be accessed via a camcorder icon in the feedback editor.
Support Inline and Display Formulas in MathJax: MathJax support in the Content Editor now includes additional LaTeX delimiters for rendering mathematical formulas. This update improves compatibility with standard STEM workflows and simplifies uploading exam content without changing source files.
Fixes to existing features
Aligned gradebook submission counts with Show/Hide Unavailable Students Gradebook setting: Gradebook submission counts now align with the instructor’s “Show/Hide Unavailable Students” setting. When unavailable students are hidden, counts exclude their submissions. When unavailable students are shown, counts include their submissions