Welcome back, Patriots!
With the start of a new year, we hope you found time to reflect and celebrate your past accomplishments, set goals for future endeavors, and are ready to take on an exciting school year. As we usher in the start of the spring semester, one of our most-used tools around the Mason community, Blackboard, has been updated! Here’s a quick overview of what’s been improved and new features to expect as you use this tool this semester.
Last month, Information Technology Services (ITS) launched a new navigational design to Blackboard that showcases a fresh look and feel for the site. The update provides a modern interface, improves mobile browser access, and includes new notification options.
Though the basic functionality of Blackboard Courses and Organizations did not change, one of the main reasons for this update was to help lay the foundation for upcoming changes to Blackboard Courses. This first phase of improvements to the site will ensure a successful project rollout for ITS and create a smoother transition for the Mason community in the future.
Along with excitement for what’s to come, the current updates have many advantages for users to discover:
- More app push notifications for students to remind them of upcoming due dates
- Easier email notifications (for both faculty and students) to set up based on events in courses
- Consolidated information in the Activity Stream page of all courses based on What’s New and What’s Due
- Enhanced organization of the Courses page, which now groups courses by semester and allows for searching and favoriting courses
- Improved experience on mobile devices
If you need assistance using Blackboard, contact the ITS Support Center at 703-993-8870 or support@gmu.edu. Additional Blackboard help and training sessions are available through the ITS website.
