The look of the Blackboard submissions page is changing.

Posted on May 23, 2023May 23, 2023 by Naomi Beckett

The interface for Blackboard submissions such as essays, some timed assessments and some exams is changing on the 2nd of June 2023. There is no change to functionality, but you should familiarise yourself with the difference before any deadlines.

After the 2nd of June, if you need to upload a submission, this option is contained within a ‘concertina menu’. This makes the interface less confusing, allowing you to select the options you need without having to navigate the options you don’t.

Below are three images: one showing the current interface and two showing the new interface.

The old interface has all the ‘Attach Files’, ‘Write Submission’ and ‘Add Comments’ functions on display.

Old submission point: this is the old submission point for Blackboard which has all upload options on display.

The new interface places the features you are used to behind concertina menus.

New submission point (unexpanded): the new submission points have three clickable options: one called "Create Submission", one called "Upload Files", and one called "Add Comments"

Once expanded with a click, the same options are available to you.

New submission point (expanded): once the "Upload Files" option is clicked, three buttons are revealed; one for "Browse Local Files", one for "Browse Content Collection", and one for "Browse Cloud Service".

Skills I wish I had known before starting University

Posted on March 24, 2023March 24, 2023 by Naomi Beckett

Written by Katie Stoker, Student Digital Champion

Katie

Kicking-off your university career is a super exciting time which offers a whole range experiences including making new friends, studying a new subject and for some, moving to a different city! While this all sounds great, it can be somewhat overwhelming too. Being prepared can be a great way to dampen the panic and make starting university an enjoyable experience.

How to be prepared you ask? Here are a few skills that I wish I had known before starting university..

Notetaking

The teaching style from school/college to university is a little different. We go from learning in small, intimate classrooms to lecture theatres packing with hundreds of students. Lectures can feel intimidating at first, and it might take a bit of time to become accustomed to this (which is totally normal). However, there are a few ways to combat this…

Photo of person writing on a notepad with a pen. Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

First of all, try out different note-taking software e.g. Microsoft Word, Notion, GoodNotes or AppleNotes. Each software has its own perks and finding out which one you’re most comfortable with is definitely a good start.

Find your note-taking style. While it can be tempting to copy down your lecturer’s every word, try to practice picking out the key points. There are several note-taking methods out there, each with their own advantages. Finding out which one best suits you can really make a difference to your learning experience.

Make time for pre-reading. This way you feel prepared for your lectures. Most lecturers provide pre-reading resources and papers, but don’t be afraid to do some of your own research too! Make sure to find materials relevant to your course online or alternatively, use the University library search tool to find books and articles of interest: Find books, articles and more | Library | University of Bristol.

Familiarise yourself with essay writing and referencing

At some point at University you are going to need to write an essay. With essay writing comes referencing. Referencing is important for crediting the research your work is based on, indicates that the research is relevant, and helps you avoid plagiarism.

There are several different referencing styles. You should stick to one referencing style throughout your work, keeping the references consistent and accurate. Luckily several types of reference management software is available for organising your referencing. This not only ensures that your references are correct, but also saves you time!

Referencing management tools available include EndNote, Mendeley and Zotero. The University has a great resource which offers helpful advice on when and how to reference, as well as tutorials demonstrating how to use referencing software: Referencing | Library | University of Bristol

Wall to floor bookcases, with a sofa in front. Photo by Mariia Zakatiura on Unsplash

Give Yourself Time to Become Familiar with the University Learning Environment, Blackboard.

Try to spend some time familiarising yourself with the university online resources and platforms. Having a basic understanding of how to navigate the online learning environment from the very start can be really important for accessing course content, finding your timetable and emails, and figuring out where to find online help and resources.

Don’t be afraid of networking

University is a great time to put yourself out there (which can be super intimidating). However, networking is extremely useful for finding undergraduate or postgraduate opportunities, connecting with those with similar interests and even finding jobs! While you might be thinking that this all sounds a bit premature, networking from the get-go can really build your communication skills and confidence, in addition to being a great way to figure out your interests and career goals.

Photo of people mingling at an event. Photo by Antenna on Unsplash

One of the best networking platforms is LinkedIn. You could also do some research on some upcoming seminars taking place in the first few weeks of university, as well as finding interesting societies to join.

Overall, my advice would be to give yourself time to become acquainted with different online platforms and other resources that will be useful at University. Digital skills are super useful and making sure you are comfortable with these definitely makes a difference. There can be a lot to take on, but don’t let this overwhelm you! You are not expected to know everything, and there is plenty of help and advice on offer at the University. Below are a few links which could be useful for learning new digital skills, or improving skills you already have.

Where to get help?

The Digital Education Office (DEO) offers a range of resources which address using different University tools and software, using technology to aid learning and assessments and online etiquette. Digitally Ready | Digital Education Office | University of Bristol
Open learn is a resource which offers support to students about to kick off their university career using online course ranging several topics including science, technology, business, study skills and mental health. Take a look at: Jumpstart University – OpenLearn – Open University
Check out the Study Skills pages too, which offer a whole range of helpful resources.

‘Full screen’ view option not displaying for some Re/Play videos (now resolved)

Posted on February 7, 2023March 28, 2023 by Naomi Beckett

This issue has now been resolved, so you should be able to see a full screen option without using the below workaround.

We are aware of a problem with selecting ‘full screen’ for Re/Play videos when accessed via the Re/Play link on a Blackboard course menu. Our supplier is investigating as a matter of urgency.

In the mean time, you can get the ‘full screen’ button to show by opening the video collection in a new tab or window:

click the Re/Play link in the course menu as normal to open the collection
‘right-click’ (PC) or ‘CTRL + click’ (Mac) on the ‘Home’ button at top left (see screenshot below)
select “Open link in new tab” or “Open link in new window” from the menu that appears.

This workaround has been successfully tested in Chrome and Edge browsers.

Meet our new Student Digital Champions for 2023

Posted on January 27, 2023 by Naomi Beckett

We are excited to announce that the DEO have recruited a new group of Student Digital Champions to work with the team for the next year to help us improve students’ digital experience whilst at University. You can find out more about them here. If you’re a student and want to get in touch with them, get in contact with your Course Rep who will be able to put you in touch.

Polly Davis

3rd Year, studying Environmental Geoscience. Polly has worked with the DEO since the start of 2022.

Polly Davis

Tell us something about yourself (interesting or not!)

Just like last year, I am a great Louis Theroux enthusiast!

What is your favourite keyboard shortcut?

My favourite has to be command-f as it saves me a lot of time to find relevant information in countless academic papers. Just search for a keyword and it will direct you to the areas where that word is mentioned in writing!

What’s your favourite emoji to use in online sessions?

Always the smiley face

Is there a University acronym or term you’ve still never worked out what it means?

Fortunately not.

What are you most looking forward to being involved with in the Digital Education Office?

Enhancing digital skills for students. Not only are they essential for university, but they will also be essential for many workplaces! It is vital that all students can access digital learning tools at every stage.

Daniel Cheek

1st Year, studying MEng Aerospace Engineering

Daniel

Tell us something about yourself (interesting or not!)

I enjoy playing football and support Watford. I’m terrible at cooking but an avid food enjoyer. I also enjoy travelling and hiking.

What is your favourite keyboard shortcut?

Windows+ (Magnifier)

What’s your favourite emoji to use in online sessions?

Peace emoji ✌

Is there a University acronym or term you’ve still never worked out what it means?

AVDASI* – it’s a unit on my course but I have no idea what it means apart from A being aerospace.

What are you most looking forward to being involved with in the Digital Education Office?

Improving student experience in a more meaningful way so that when people have issues with digital learning I can take real action to help them.

Rosie Neville

3rd Year, studying Economics and Politics

Rosie

Tell us something about yourself (interesting or not!)

As well as playing football, I am an Arsenal fan (which probably fills me with more dread than joy!)

What is your favourite keyboard shortcut?

Ctrl + F

What’s your favourite emoji to use in online sessions?

Thumbs up – appropriate in most situations

Is there a University acronym or term you’ve still never worked out what it means?

APR*

What are you most looking forward to being involved with in the Digital Education Office?

I am looking forward to being a student voice/ representative on the team. I think having lived experience of what works (and what doesn’t work!) will be beneficial in seeing how the university can use digital resources to improve the experience of students – whether that’s making the digital environment more accessible or improving feedback systems.

Conor Macdonald

2nd Year, studying Philosophy and Economics

Conor

Tell us something about yourself (interesting or not!)

I can speak Welsh.

What is your favourite keyboard shortcut?

Command + Tab (switches between open apps)

What’s your favourite emoji to use in online sessions?

It has to be the simple thumbs up 👍

Is there a University acronym or term you’ve still never worked out what it means?

I’d like to think I know most of them, though I still sometimes get mixed up between summative and formative assessments.

What are you most looking forward to being involved with in the Digital Education Office?

I’m looking forward to shaping the student experience of digital education at Bristol. Hopefully I can input their opinions on projects before they’re implemented. I’d also like to improve students’ opinions regarding their experience with present projects, such as Multi Factor Authentication (MFA). Hopefully I can show that it is a very useful security feature and not something to dislike.

Emma Yi Kwan Lau,

3rd Year, studying Veterinary Science

Emma

Tell us something about yourself (interesting or not!)

I travelled to Ireland last summer for an internship to learn more about aquaculture and how it relates to veterinary medicine. You wouldn’t have correlated your pet fish with vets, but that’s possible and is an industry I want to be part of!

What is your favourite keyboard shortcut?

Ctrl+Z. Sometimes I accidentally delete what I wrote. However, with this shortcut, I can easily recover the sentence or paragraph I was writing!

What’s your favourite emoji to use in online sessions?

👍 A thumbs up!

Is there a University acronym or term you’ve still never worked out what it means?

Not yet.

What are you most looking forward to being involved with in the Digital Education Office?

Collecting students’ opinions on the current blended learning system and creating projects to improve students’ experiences!

Gen Kawaguchi

2nd Year. Studying Aerospace Engineering

Gen

Tell us something about yourself (interesting or not!)

I worked as a volunteer in Tokyo 2020 Olympics!

What is your favourite keyboard shortcut?

Shift+Windows+S! Snipping is useful.

What’s your favourite emoji to use in online sessions?

😵‍💫👍- When I get confused and understand.

Is there a University acronym or term you’ve still never worked out what it means?

A LOT!! I still find many acronyms that I don’t know especially when checking emails… (TSS, CAG, ILO, etc…)*

What are you most looking forward to being involved with in the Digital Education Office?

Work collaboratively with team members

Hannah Harrison

1st Year, studying MSc Mathematics of Cybersecurity

Hannah

Tell us something about yourself (interesting or not!)

I love to scuba dive!

What is your favourite keyboard shortcut?

Ctrl-F is a firm favourite, it saves so much time!

What’s your favourite emoji to use in online sessions?

The facepalm emoji – for when I’ve been stuck on a problem for ages and suddenly realise the obvious solution!

Is there a University acronym or term you’ve still never worked out what it means?

SSLC*

What are you most looking forward to being involved with in the Digital Education Office?

I am looking forward to the opportunity to write blog posts, as I rarely write anything outside of the academic style. I’m also excited to share my ideas on how to improve student experiences with blackboard and online learning after the shake-up caused by COVID.

Nia Burkinshaw,

2nd Year, studying Law

Nia

Tell us something about yourself (interesting or not!)

I am really terrible at using buses in Bristol, and have often gone in the wrong direction. I have ended up in practically Weston-super-Mare not once but twice!

What is your favourite keyboard shortcut?

ctrl + f, saves a lot of boring reading!

What’s your favourite emoji to use in online sessions?

A simple smiley face for when my lecturer shows us his cats.

Is there a University acronym or term you’ve still never worked out what it means?

No, but the ASS (library) can be great for making an immature joke.

What are you most looking forward to being involved with in the Digital Education Office?

The team seem really great and exciting people, I’m looking forward to collaborating with others to help students get the most out of the amazing resources we have access to.

Katie Stoker

1st year MSc, studying Bioinformatics

Katie

Tell us something about yourself (interesting or not!)

I studied in Italy for one year during my undergraduate degree!

What is your favourite keyboard shortcut?

Hm, I would say it has to be ctrl+ s…
I have learned from experience that you should save your work as you go!

What’s your favourite emoji to use in online sessions?

The heart! ❤️

Is there a University acronym or term you’ve still never worked out what it means?

As a newbie to the university, I was quite confused hearing people they were going to “ASS” to study (Arts And Social Sciences Library for anyone still confused).

What are you most looking forward to being involved with in the Digital Education Office?

Working with the DEO is going to be a great opportunity to be a representative of the student voice. I look forward to contributing creative and innovative ideas to solve problems and improve the online university experience.

Bibiana Lebersorger

3rd year, studying English

Bibi

Tell us something about yourself (interesting or not!)

I really enjoy cold water swimming, especially at home along the Devon coastline.

What is your favourite keyboard shortcut?

Control/Command + F = Find a word in a document.

What’s your favourite emoji to use in online sessions?

Thumbs up! 👍

Is there a University acronym or term you’ve still never worked out what it means?

AGM / EGM*

What are you most looking forward to being involved with in the Digital Education Office?

I’m really looking forward to helping to identify digital problems that students and lectures alike encounter, and coming up with creative potential solutions.

Samantha Travers-Spencer

2nd Year, studying Veterinary Science

Samantha

Tell us something about yourself (interesting or not!)

My favourite animals are donkeys!

What is your favourite keyboard shortcut?

It has to be the classic Ctrl+V!

What’s your favourite emoji to use in online sessions?

Definitely the thumbs up emoji. 👍

Is there a University acronym or term you’ve still never worked out what it means?

There are so many I have honestly lost count!

What are you most looking forward to being involved with in the Digital Education Office?

I am most looking forward to working with a diverse team, meeting new people and hopefully developing new digital skills along the way.

Timber Hill

1st Year MSc, studying Nuclear Science and Engineering

Timber

Tell us something about yourself (interesting or not!)

I’m a member of the judiciary!

What is your favourite keyboard shortcut?

Windows + X – opens up a menu to quickly open Task Manager, Device Manager or a PowerShell instance (and more!)

What’s your favourite emoji to use in online sessions?

😦 – the sort of face you’d make if you’re looking at something that has gone way over your head

Is there a University acronym or term you’ve still never worked out what it means?

Too many to remember! I come across AQSC (Academic Quality and Standards Committee) written down a fair bit, and only just found out what it stands for.

What are you most looking forward to being involved with in the Digital Education Office?

Getting stuck in with projects to make digital tools work better for all students! I’m especially interested in accessibility – with a focus on neurodivergence.

Useful links

You can find out more about the Student Digital Champions, and see some of the work they have created on the following pages.

*We knew most of these acronyms, but had to look a few up!

AVDASI – Aerospace Vehicle Design and Systems Integration
APR – Annual programme review.
Summative assessment – Assessments of learning provide a measure of achievement in relation to the learning outcomes of the unit or programme. These assessments are designed to test how much you have learnt, i.e. your knowledge, understanding and skills.
Formative assessment – Assessments for learning are designed to provide you with feedback on your progress and to inform your development, but do not contribute to the overall unit or programme mark. These assessments should help you gain further knowledge, understanding and skills.
TSS – Temporary Staffing Service
CAG – Casual, Academic, Guest
ILO – Industrial Liaison Office
SSLC – Student Staff Liaison Committees
AGM – Annual General Meeting
EGM – Extraordinary General Meeting

Reminder – Turnitin maintenance 14-15 January 2023

Posted on January 13, 2023January 13, 2023 by Naomi Beckett

This is a reminder that Turnitin services will be unavailable due to scheduled maintenance by the supplier from Saturday 14th January 2023 at 17:00 until Sunday 15th January 2023 at 01:00 GMT. During this maintenance window students will be unable to submit papers, or view marks, feedback and similarity reports.

Further information is available on the Turnitin status page.

Turnitin maintenance 14-15 January 2023

Posted on December 15, 2022 by Naomi Beckett

Turnitin maintenance 14-15 January 2023

Turnitin have informed us that their services will be unavailable due to scheduled maintenance from Saturday 14th January 2023 at 17:00 until Sunday 15th January 2023 at 01:00 GMT. During this maintenance window users will be unable to submit assignments or view marks and feedback.

Further information is available on the Turnitin status page.

Take part in our Digital Insights Survey!

Posted on November 21, 2022November 21, 2022 by Naomi Beckett

Have you got time to tell us about your experiences of digital teaching and learning within the University’s online environments?

Our Digital Insights survey is now open! Responses are anonymous but play a huge part in the development of our digital development. This year it’s more important than ever to have your say, as the University is looking at the Digital Learning Environment in order to make tangible improvements to your learning. The Jisc Digital Experience Insights Survey aids us in our work to continuously enhance the student experience. As well as looking at our own data, we will be able to compare our results with other education providers and benchmarking data across institutions. Find a link to complete the survey here, it takes ten minutes to complete: Digital Insights Survey.

Person sat working on a laptop — Photo by Christin Hume on Unsplash

The Re/Play student survey

Posted on November 7, 2022 by Naomi Beckett

Have you got some time to complete our Re/Play student survey?

Re/Play is the function inside Blackboard that lets you watch back your recorded lectures and other videos. You may also see the tool referred to as Mediasite. The University wants to better understand how students use Re/Play, what you find useful and what you find frustrating so they can make the system work better for you.

Please complete this five-minute survey by 5pm on Friday 18th of November and have your say!

You can find out more about Re/Play on our Student Essentials page.

Turnitin Transition 2022

Posted on October 28, 2022 by Naomi Beckett

If you are submitting using Turnitin don’t forget to download your digital receipt. If you used Turnitin in previous years please note that, due to the new version of Turnitin, the interface looks a little different this year and you will no longer receive an email receipt. Find out more information, including screenshots, on the Turnitin Transition 2022 page.

Clearing your cache to prevent possible equation display issues

Posted on October 18, 2022January 10, 2023 by Naomi Beckett

There has been an update to this issue in a post from 5th January 2023. Please refer to the up to date instructions in this new post.

You may have seen an issue with equations not displaying properly in some browsers when using Blackboard. This was resolved by Blackboard on the 6th October, however the DEO have recently received reports that a small number of users have continued to experience issues with equations they have previously viewed in their browsers. If an equation is not displaying properly for you, please clear your browser cache and cookies (using, for example, these instructions), then reload the page. This only needs to be done once on the device and browser being used, and can be done at any time (for example, in advance of taking a test which includes equations), after which the issue should not persist or recur.