Blackboard 9.1 update - blogs and wikis to migrate, no more Drop Box and Jan. trainings

An update from the Faculty Technology Center's (FTC) Lee Henrickson:

We are pleased that everything is on schedule for the upgrade!

1. The technical issues are all solved
2. Over 160 instructors have taken FTC Meet Blackboard 9.1 workshops
3. Our upgrade and communication plans are on schedule
   

If you would like a flyer about the upgrade to include with adjunct appointment letters, contact Louise Butler at lkbutler@uaa.alaska.edu. Changes to note:

Blogs and wikis will migrate!
Just last week we were able to successfully do a test upgrade on the Campus Pack blogs and wikis from Blackboard 8 to Blackboard 9.1. They will still be in Campus Pack 3. We decided to delay upgrading to Campus Pack 4.

Drop Box has been dropped
This feature loss has impacted several instructors. The Drop Box will be gone in Blackboard 9.1. We recommend you get your data out of Drop Box now, before the upgrade. We have a utility in Blackboard 9.1 to download any data left in the Drop Box but it strips some of the metadata, making files harder to identify.

January workshop schedule
The Faculty Technology Center has scheduled Meet Blackboard 9.1 workshops during the first three weeks of January. Please pre-register. Topics for these hands-on sessions include:

1. User interface
2. Control panel access
3. Adding content
4. Getting ready for spring
5. Questions and answers
   

There are a few open labs scheduled as well. Starting Jan. 23, we will offer workshops on specific Blackboard topics. Look for an expanded workshop schedule in February.

Help for instructors and students
Check the links on the Blackboard login page for help pages. For instructors, we built a new website. For students, we added to the Knowledge Base articles.

Upgrade Timeline
Dec. 23 Turn off access to Blackboard and do a full backup
Dec. 26 Upgrade Blackboard
Dec. 27 Fix plugins and do any customization
Dec. 28 Verify all utility scripts and validate the upgrade
Dec. 29 Final check. Turn on access to Blackboard.

We allowed an extra week just in case we need it. However, if all goes according to our plan, Blackboard 9.1 will be up before the New Year.
When the upgrade is done, University Advancement will send notices to the UAA community. You can also check the Blackboard login page for the upgrade status. Login to Blackboard will be turned back on when the upgrade is complete.