Blackboard continues to release monthly improvements that make course management clearer for instructors and easier for students to navigate. Several April updates focus on assignment flexibility, grading transparency, discussion tracking, and AI conversation controls.
In this short update, we highlight six new or improved features that may impact how you design assignments, manage group work, and guide student participation in your courses.
Assignment Submission Type Selection
Instructors can now specify how students submit assignments by selecting file uploads, text submissions, or both. Blackboard will guide students through the appropriate submission workflow based on the option you choose.
Individual Grade Adjustments for Group Submissions
When grading group assignments, instructors can now adjust grades for individual students within the group submission. Visual indicators in the Gradebook help identify when group members receive different scores.
Discussion Due Dates Across Blackboard
Discussion due dates and participation expectations now appear in multiple places across the course, including Course Content, the Discussions page, and the Gradebook. This helps both instructors and students keep track of participation requirements.
AI Conversation Message Limits
Instructors can now set a maximum number of messages for AI Conversations. Students see a message counter during the activity, helping them track their progress and understand when the discussion is complete.
Multiple Choice and Multiple Answer Improvements
Blackboard has restored alphabetical answer labels (A, B, C, D) for assessment questions. The default number of selectable answers is now one, and instructors can adjust the number of answers students are allowed to select.
SafeAssign Direct Submit File Size Increase
SafeAssign now supports Direct Submit files up to 25 MB, allowing larger documents to be checked for originality.
If you would like help exploring any of these new features or incorporating them into your course design, the Office of Academic Technology & Digital Innovation (ACTECH) is happy to assist.