Blackboard Inline Grading for Assignments will transition to a new file viewer and some of the changes will affect how instructors can interact with student submissions. After this transition, all student submissions and data will be retained, but instructors will notice a change to the assignment grading options and interface.
Please be aware that Turnitin direct assignments will not be affected by this change. Turnitin is a separate assignment grading tool within Blackboard that can be used as an alternative for grading assignments submitted in Blackboard.
Click here for Blackboard help with Box grading viewer.
Click here for list of affected features.
Click here for FAQ to answer any other questions.
Inline Grading Affected Features
(click on images to enlarge)
| Previous Features | New Features | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Comments could be made using the point tab or area feature and appear in the margin(a) or made as "free text" anywhere on the document(b). a.
b.  | Comments now indicated by the point tab(a) and appear in pop-up text box or at the end of highlighted text(a). a. b.  |
| 2 | Document drawing(a), strikethrough(b), and highlighting(c). a.  b.  c.
| Highlighting and highlighting w/ comments still available(in single highlight color). Document drawing and strikethrough are no longer supported at this time.
|
| 3 | Instructors can download the annotated PDF with their markups. | Downloading annotated PDFs option is currently not supported in the new viewer. The download feature simply downloads the original text without markups. Annotations made to documents in the previous viewer prior to January 12, 2018 will be saved and will be able to be downloaded. |
| 4 | Supported file types for upload and conversion: PDF, PPT, PPTX, XLS, XLSX, DOC, and DOCX | Supported file types for upload and conversion: Many additional file types supported, including images, audio, video. Supported file types for upload and conversion in Assignments tool. |
| 5 | Supported file types for annotation: PDF, PPT, PPTX, XLS, XLSX, DOC, and DOCX | Supported file types for annotation: PDF, PPT, PPTX, DOC, DOCX(all annotation) AI, BMP, DCM, EPS, GIF, PNG, PS, PSD, SVS, TGA, TIF, and TIFF(point annotation only) |
Frequently Asked Questions
When will instructors see these changes?
The switch to the new Inline Grading viewer will occur on Friday January 12, 2018. You should expect to see the new features when you use the Inline Grading interface on or after that date.
Why is this change occurring?
Blackboard's license with the previous technology vendor, Crocodoc, is ending in January and the Box Viewer for Inline Grading is the replacement technology.
What should instructors do to prepare for this switch?
This change affects those instructors that use the Inline Grading for Assignments interface. Previous submissions and annotations will be preserved after the switch, so instructors don't need to take any specific action. They should just anticipate the change in features and become acclimated with the new functionality.
What about previous courses and student submissions?
No previous data or submissions will be affected. If an instructor would like to edit annotations in those files, they will need to do so using the new viewer.
What alternatives do instructors have if they do not want to use the new Inline Grading functionality?
Turnitin Direct Assignment grading with Feedback Studio offers a suite of features for assignment grading, including plagiarism detection tools. Click this link for more information about creating Turnitin Assignments and using Feedback Studio.
Who can I contact for assistance with the Inline Grading tool, questions regarding the new features, or Turnitin?
Please feel free to contact the 24/7 helpdesk or facline@cpe.umass.edu with any other support inquiries. Thank you.