UB students’ access to the learning management system (LMS) Blackboard will end on Friday, leaving Brightspace as UB’s sole LMS.
The shift toward Brightspace is led by Carol Van Zile-Tamsen, director of the Office of Curriculum, Assessment, and Teaching Transformation. The new system makes it easier to extend deadlines for individual students, uses “a more modern interface” and provides different methods of providing feedback on assignments, among other features.
“Designed for collaboration and use across electronic devices, Brightspace will provide instructors and students with exciting new options for digital learning, greater flexibility and an improved learning experience,” Provost A. Scott Weber said in a 2022 statement announcing the change.
Brightspace was chosen by an LMS review committee made up of instructors, staff members and students who determined that Brightspace was the best choice for UB.
Over the summer, professors had the option to continue using Blackboard or to start using Brightspace. This semester, Blackboard was only used to access previous courses in which a student had an incomplete grade.
UB is advising students to reach out to their professors about incomplete grades from prior semesters and to export their portfolios before Blackboard is decommissioned.
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