- Beginning Wednesday, July 9, 2014 faculty and staff will have access to the “training server” with the upgraded version of Blackboard. This is Blackboard 9.1 April 2014 Release.
- The address is https://bblmstrn.hvcc.edu and the username and password are the same as what you are currently using to access our live production server.
- Use the “Blackboard Server Chart” below to see what you can do on the server and how it relates to our live environment now and in the fall of 2014.
- If you choose to prepare your fall courses in the new version, courses can be imported and edited on the training server, and then exported back to production in the fall.
- Important Note: Plug-ins for Blackboard such as publisher plug-ins, Bb Collaborate (Voice Tools and Web Conference), Turnitin, etc. are only available on Production Server. If you are using these tools it will be best for you to edit your courses in the live environment. Please contact Distance and Online Learning staff for other options available to you.
- You can also choose to edit your courses in our live environment (production server) and wait until Fall to see what your courses look like on the new version (business as usual).
- Organizations are already on the training server and can be examined in the new version, but cannot be exported to production (as they are always live).
- Transition Training workshops will be available starting July 15th, please check the Campus Chronicle for announcements.
- If you have questions, please contact the Center for Distance and Online Learning at dlhelp@hvcc.edu or 518-629-7070 for assistance.
Blackboard Server Chart — download/save this chart as a guide to what you can do on which server and how to prepare for our future upgrades
What are the upgrade plans? Why are we doing this?
You have probably noticed that the technologies of the web and your local computer are changing very rapidly. Browsers, security features, media plugins and other critical tools are updating faster and more often than ever before. Due to these rapidly changing computing and web environments and the need to maintain a secure environment, it is critical for us to upgrade the Blackboard system.
Since our communications last year about our change management plan for upgrading Blackboard, the company has made a change from quarterly service pack updates to twice-yearly updates.
Due to this change, ITS and DL staff have had to make adjustments to our change management plan. A “sandbox” will be available for faculty/staff in the new version beginning in the summer and several weeks into the fall semester. ITS and DL will be testing and finalizing technical needs for plugins and migrations during the summer as well.
Our plan still includes multiple servers in order to provide advance access to new versions for faculty and staff so that:
- faculty can see what their existing courses would look and act like in each new version by having access to a training server
- new online and web enhanced faculty could train in the version they would use live
- faculty would have the necessary time and support to make edits due to new features and functionality change
- faculty do not have to move their courses for the upgrade – their courses will be there and upgraded automatically
We will continue to upgrade every August to a new version of Blackboard. However, if a necessary security or functionality update is released in the late fall release, ITS and DL staff will investigate the need and impact to determine if an upgrade will be needed during the fall and spring semesters.
Blackboard Server Chart – download/save this chart as a guide to what you can do on which server and how to prepare for our upgrades
Please be sure to contact the Center for Distance and Online Learning at 518-629-7070 or dlhelp@hvcc.edu with any questions you may have about what you need or want to do with the training environment.
Published: Wed, 09 Jul 2014 12:30:24 +0000 by e.baker