Planned Blackboard Outage - Sunday Aug. 9 11:59 PM to 8:00 AM Monday, Aug. 10th

Dear All,

Please be advised that our Learning System (Blackboard) will be undergoing a system update between 11:59 PM on Sunday August 9th and 8:00 AM on Monday August 10th

Impact: 

For the duration of the outage the Blackboard system will be completely shut down. Users will be unable to access any Blackboard courses, take or submit assessments or post files.

Details: 

Blackboard is a complex and large system that requires many different components to operate. In this upgrade we will be installing updates to our back-end database servers as well as installing a service pack to the Blackboard application itself which will bring our system to the latest version. Highlights of the new Blackboard version include native support for student preview, a fully featured portfolio system and better integration for the SafeAssign system.

To review all the details of Blackboard “October” Release please see:https://help.blackboard.com/en-us/Learn/9.1_2014_04/Administrator/010_Re...

Frequently Asked Questions:

Q: Why are we installing this upgrade?

A: Currently Blackboard offers support for two previous software releases. While Trent’s current version (SP14) is supported, if another release is launched, which typically occurs in October of every year, our current version will be placed into an extended support status, which would jeopardize our ability to fix issues quickly if they occur.

Q: What exactly will change?

A: While the overall structure and appearance of the system will be very similar, there will be a few small cosmetic changes. The most notable change will be the addition of the student preview button to the title bar for instructors. However, once the upgrade is complete a smoother font package and slightly larger text will also be enabled. To review the full list of new changes please see:https://help.blackboard.com/en-us/Learn/9.1_2014_04/Administrator/010_Re...

Q: Why is this upgrade being completed now?

A: While we understand that upgrades and interruptions in service can be disruptive, it’s important that an update of this scope not be attempted during the regular academic year due to volume of use on the Blackboard system. While this time is not ideal for everyone, it’s been selected because it impacts the fewest number of users.

Thank You