On May 5, 2014, a new version of Blackboard Learn will go live for the entire University.  We’ve heard some of your questions and concerns, and would like to provide some information.

First, we need a technical foundation.  Skip the next paragraph if you know the technical terms surrounding the Blackboard Learn software.

Blackboard Learn is the software package we use in all of our courses.  The current version, which hasn’t changed since April 2010, is Blackboard Learn 9.1.  Instead of frequently updating versions of its software, Blackboard has chosen to issue Service Pack upgrades.  The Service Pack (SP) that is currently deployed at SJU is SP9, and on May 5, we will be upgrading to SP13, the most recent version (as of this post).  Internally, we say that we are upgrading from SP9 to SP13 – the version number is irrelevant because it hasn’t changed in 3 years!

Now, on to your questions:

Q: What is going to happen on May 5?

A: On May 5, Blackboard Learn 9.1 SP13 will officially launch.  We are taking this opportunity to start fresh, so this is going to be a clean installation on a new server.  We aren’t going to touch SP9 on its current server.

Q: So what happens to all of my courses in SP9?

A: SP9 will stay untouched and available to faculty for the next five years.  No active courses will be in there after the Spring I 2014 semester, but you will still have access to all of your content and will be able to move any of it over to the new system.

Think of this in terms of owning a car.  Instead of getting new tires, new paint, and a new muffler, we’re getting a brand new model!  The old one will sit in the driveway on blocks for five years, so you can still go grab your sunglasses and gum out of it.  But in this case, the neighbors won’t complain.

Q: I am teaching a Spring course, but the final exams aren’t over until after May 5.  This is going to be a mess!

A: Only courses that start on or after May 5 will be deployed on the SP13 server.  Spring I and Spring II 2014 courses will not be affected – you and your students won’t even know that the new system is available (aside from these communications, of course).  Your course will finish as it normally would on the SP9 server.  When you enter your Summer I, II, or Fall I course, be prepared to use the new system!

Have more questions for us?  Please submit them to atdl@sju.edu, and we’ll answer them in our next e-mail.