Now that all courses are being delivered using Brightspace, we enter the final phase of UB’s Learning Management System Transition, which involves shutting down the Blackboard service. Access to Blackboard ends on Friday, Dec. 1, 2023. Below are some frequently asked questions about the shutdown.
All course content currently on Blackboard (Spring 2022 through Summer 2023) has been migrated to Brightspace and is available in the MIG or Admin tabs in the My Courses widget.
You can also export course content from Blackboard as a backup or import it into Brightspace.
After the selection for export are submitted, the system creates the export package. When the package is complete, an email alert is sent to the instructor.
After the email is received,
Do not unzip an export package or remove files from the package. Otherwise, the package will not import correctly.
Migrated course content from credit-bearing courses will remain on Brightspace for two years following the end of the semester in which the courses were taught. For example, Spring 2022 migrated content will be removed from Brightspace after the end of the Spring 2024 semester.
Credit-bearing courses taught on Brightspace will be removed from the system one year after the end of the semester in which they were taught. For example, Summer 2023 Brightspace courses will be removed after the end of the Summer 2024 sessions.
After Dec. 1, a student can finish incompletes by submitting coursework to the instructor offline, or the instructor can enroll the student in the Brightspace version of the course. Instructors should download any information they need (grades, student submissions, etc.) from the Blackboard course before Dec. 1.
Instructors can download grades, assignment submissions and quiz submissions. Discussion posts need to be copied and pasted from Blackboard to a word processing program. Please note the following:
In addition, an archive of Blackboard grades and student interactions for courses delivered from Spring 2022 through Summer 2023 will be available for three years. This is an archive of data, not a functioning Learning Management System. Instructors can request Blackboard course information by contacting the UB Learns support team.
If you have questions about access to Blackboard ending on Dec. 1, please contact the UB Learns support team as soon as possible.
By default, Blackboard courses become unavailable to students the first business day after grades are due, so students will onlly see administrative courses and credit-bearing courses courses where the instructor has extended student access in Blackboard.
If you need access to other past-term courses, you will need to reach out to the instructors and request extended enrollment.
If you have questions about access to Blackboard ending on Dec. 1, please contact the UB Learns support team as soon as possible.