Computing & Information Services is upgrading Blackboard (Bb) from 6.3 to 7.3 on Monday, July 21st. For information on improvements and additions to Bb features, please visit http://cis.unh.edu/idc/bb73features.

The following will alert you to two critical dates in the process and provide answers to questions CIS anticipates from the UNH Bb community.

Critical dates for the Blackboard Upgrade

1. Friday, June 27th
   A “snapshot” of all Bb 6.3 data (courses, organizations, modules, etc.) will be done at 5:00pm. Changes made in Bb 6.3 AFTER June 27th, will NOT be copied to Bb 7.3. This means, for example, if the leader of a Bb organization adds a person or uploads a Word document between June 28th and July 20th, that work will be not be reflected in Bb 7.3.
   
   CIS recommends that you make as few additions/changes as possible to Bb organizations, modules, etc. from June 28th through July 20th. For Bb courses, instructors will need to archive at the end of their summer session courses in order to save any changes made after June 27th. Please go to http://unh.edu/idc/first/tips/blackboard/BbQT065.pdf. Staff from the Instructional Development Center (IDC) will contact faculty with summer courses at the end of the summer to ask if they need or want help with this process.
   
   
2. Monday, July 21st
   Bb 7.3 will be available. Instructors building courses for fall 2008, and faculty, students, and staff wanting to access Webcat, Webmail, and other applications available through Bb (MyUNH), will be directed to Bb 7.3. Parents wanting access to the UNH Parent Portal will also be directed to Bb 7.3.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

 

What if I’m taking or teaching a summer course when the upgrade happens?
Instructors using Bb in summer courses, and students enrolled in those courses, will use Bb 6.3 for the duration of the course. All UNH summer courses will use Bb 6.3 and will NOT need to switch to Bb 7.3 when it becomes available.

What about using Webmail, Webcat, the Parent Portal, Directed Communication, the Student Directory, or Housing applications?
On July 21st, those accessing these applications will be directed to Bb 7.3. However, Webmail will continue to be available in Bb 6.3 AND Bb 7.3 for the convenience of those taking or teaching summer school courses.
This sounds confusing. How will I know whether I should use Bb 6.3 or Bb 7.3?

If you are not taking or teaching a summer course, you should use Bb 7.3. When you go to blackboard.unh.edu, you will see an intercept page that lets you choose where you want to go. The intercept page will have two links - one to Bb 6.3 and one to Bb 7.3 - with explanations about which link you should choose.

 

How long will Bb 6.3 continue to be available?
Bb 6.3 (for summer courses) will continue to be available until September 28, 2008. After 9/28/08, only Bb 7.3 will be available. For tips on how to copy the content from your Summer 2008 course to Bb 7.3, visit
http://unh.edu/idc/first/tips/blackboard/BbQT005.pdf.

 

Who can I talk to about my questions?
Send inquires to bb.admin@unh.edu, contact the IDC at
http://remedy.unh.edu/blackboard, or call CIS Academic Technology at 603-862-7039.