Monthly Feature Releases

Blackboard Learn Ultra Monthly Feature Releases and Highlights

Blackboard is now releasing updates the first Thursday of every month. Each month's Blackboard release contains bug fixes, enhancements to existing tools and new features. For a full list of bug fixes and feature releases, please visit Blackboard's Release Notes for Learn SaaS. Below are a highlight of each month's release:

March 2025 (LEARN SAAS RELEASE 3900.112.0)

• AI Design Assistant: Energy-saving image generation improvements
• AI Design Assistant: Learning module generation improvements
• Analytics: New Course Goals reports
• Course Activity improvements: 3000 student limit removed
• Release conditions panel: Due dates now included
• Usability improvements to Mastery tab in Gradebook
• Copy Banners Between Courses
• Canvas conversion: File upload improvements
• Pop-out rubric when evaluating an attempt
• Enhancements to hiding students with unavailable membership records
• Show/hide calculation columns in the gradebook
• Enhanced Turnitin Report parameters
• Usability improvements for discussions
• Improved student experience when assessments are changed to Hidden from Students
• New student submission review page for tests
• Anonymous discussions: New privilege to reveal author

February 2025 (LEARN SAAS RELEASE 3900.110.0)

• AI Design Assistant -- Set a larger maximum number of generated questions and learning modules
• Upload images to documents using the new image block
• Include IP addresses in student activity log
• Change folders to learning modules or learning modules to folders
• Exclude descriptions from learning modules generated by AI Design Assistant
• Improved accuracy when uploading grades and feedback
• Improvements to grade entry for discussions and journals from the Grid view or Submissions page
• Video Studio - Edit captions and transcripts
• Excluded attempts removed from Need Grading count
• Conversion of existing assignments to the new assignment workflow released in 3900.98
• Test Settings usability improvements
• Improvements to avatar size and time stamp positioning for discussion replies
• Mask access code for an assessment
• Improvement to rendering in Bb Annotate
• Improvement to rendering of uploaded files
• Improvements to grading interface
• Video Studio ¨C Add video content within the Course Content page
• Video Studio - Download recording transcripts
• Enhancements to course groups

January 2025 (LEARN SAAS RELEASE 3900.108.0)

• Availability of Achievements tab in courses
• Improvements to AI Design Assistant Outputs
• Improvements to AI Design Assistant Image Generation
• Expanded language Outputs for AI Design Assistant
• Show/hide columns from instructors in the gradebook
• Direct grade entry for assignments from the Grid view or Submissions page
• Improvements to file uploads for Content Designer: Documents
• Improvements to content blocks for Content Designer: Documents
• Set default automatic zeros to off in the gradebook for new courses
• Add submission attempts for release conditions
• Manage course access from Course Settings

December 2024 (Learn SaaS release 3900.106.0)

• AI Design Assistant: rubric generation improvements
• Improvements to grading assignments: New labels for late submissions
• Grade override improvements
• Group management: performance improvements
• Navigation added for LTI and SCORM items within learning modules
• Link to attempt log added to activity log
• Mobile app sessions renew without requiring authentication

NOVEMBER 2024 (Learn SaaS release 3900.104.0)

• Role play option for AI Conversations
• Improvement to resizing blocks in Documents
• Course Access options in Course Settings
• Print Tests with questions from Question Pools and other improvements
• Indentations added to discussions
• Improved performance for assignment file submissions
• Batch edit: usability improvement
• Download option for student activity log

OCTOBER 2024 (Learn SaaS release 3900.102.0)

• Usability improvements for Documents
• Usability improvement for Knowledge Checks
• Generate question banks
• Quickly access items that need grade reconciliation
• Show unavailable students in the gradebook
• Award Course Badges with Achievements
• Enhancements to student submission review page
• Flexible Grading performance improvements 

September 2024 (Learn SaaS release 3900.100.0)

• Student Activity Log
• View items that need grading and posting in the new Overview tab
• View late submissions that need grading
• Content Designer: Knowledge Check in enhanced Documents
• AI Conversation
• Wiris upgrade and benefits
• Exclude attempt when grading
• Review instructor feedback on the student submission review page
• Access assignment feedback hidden by release conditions

AUGUST 2024 (Learn SaaS release 3900.98.0)

• Content Designer: Enhanced Documents
• Video Studio within Enhanced Documents
• Improved navigation between students in Flexible Grading
• Hide unenrolled students from the gradebook
• Status information removed from the gradebook download file
• Image Generation Improvements
• Anonymous student responses for Forms
• Improvements to creating assignments
• Multiple rules for release conditions
• Original Conversion Improvement: Convert Undeployed Tests to Question Banks 

July 2024 (Learn SaaS release 3900.95.0)

• Print answer key for assessments
• Improvements to prevent printing a question across pages
• Needs Grading improvements for assessments allowing multiple attempts
• Send a copy to email when scheduling announcements
• Needs Grading improvements for Students and Questions tabs
• Recording audio and video when adding per question feedback
• Improved navigation when accessing feedback

June 2024 (Learn SaaS release 3900.93.0)

• AI Design Assistant ¨C output language selector
• Printing for assessments
• Streamlined point value editing for questions
• Post immediately when creating announcements
• Prevent auto-assigning members within self-enrollment groups
• Group members list available in the selected group
• Filter out graded responses when grading by question
• Grader Notes on student grades
• Weighted calculation usability improvements
• Landing page enhancements for Blackboard Learn Mobile app
• Improved visibility of new grades and feedback in the student gradebook
• Return a true/false question to an unanswered state

MAY 2024 (Learn SaaS release 3900.91.0)

• Supporting multiple performance criteria in release conditions
• Reuse questions in Forms
• Multiple attempts for Forms assigned to groups
• Improved Gradebook navigation
• Add question feedback when grading a test by question
• Weighted Calculation Improvements
• Landing page enhancements for Blackboard Learn Mobile app
• Option to convert Content Areas to Learning Modules
• Restricting Original Course View Copy workflow

April 2024 (Learn SaaS release 3900.89.0)

• AI Design Assistant ¨C Context picker for Learning Modules, Assignments, Discussions, and Journals
• Default question points value changed from 10 to 1
• Duplicate questions in Assessments, Forms, and Question Banks
• Likert answer options expanded to include 4 and 6
• Auto-submitted indicator in attempt logs
• Overall grade information added to gradebook download
• Edit gradebook category for Partner Cloud content
• Long names visible and sorting controls for the Student Activity report for assessments on small devices and mobile app
• Individual date adjustments from Batch Edit
• Student feedback remains visible to students regardless of release condition settings
• Anonymous posts for Discussions
• Usability improvements for flexible grading
• Add question feedback when grading by student in Flexible Grading
• Calculations changed from using BigDecimal to BigFraction
• Persistent navigation for Learning Modules

March 2024 (Learn SaaS release 3900.86.0)

• AI Design Assistant ¨C Context picker for test question generation
• Goal alignment to Journals
• No Due Date assessment setting
• Last used view state of flexible grading side panels preserved
• Gradebook item statistics
• Text grade schema converts to points
• Send messages to students from the Student Activity report for assessments on small and medium devices and the mobile app
• Moodle conversion improvements

February 2024 (Learn SaaS release 3900.84.0)

• Forms
• Likert question type
• Rubrics performance level descriptions: Display choice persists
• Send reminders from gradebook: Improved student count for instructors
• Audio/Video Recording in feedback: Usability improvements
• Missed due dates included in the Course Activity report
• Long student names visibility in the Course Activity report
• Feedback on override and automatic zero grades for Tests and Assignments

January 2024 (Learn SaaS release 3900.82.0)

• AI Design Assistant ¨C Authentic Assessment prompt generation
• Delegated Grading improvements
• Improved attempt display in Flexible Grading
• Sorting controls in Students view for assessments graded anonymously
• Enhanced grid view
• Total & Weighted Calculations
• Category information on the Gradable Items page
• Original Course View: Updated options display when sending email from the Grade Center
• Attempt logs for enhanced assessment integrity
• Unused files management
• Batch Edit: Change to specific date and/or time