Croco what? I hear you say! Well lets start with some explanations of what’s what:
Blackboard Assignment
A Blackboard Assignment is a drop box that accepts submissions from students based on parameters set when the assignment is created.
Inline Grading – Annotation tool Crocodoc
The Inline Grading annotation tool known as Crocodoc, is the online tool provided within Blackboard Assignment, for annotating assignments.
You will know if you are using inline grading annotations if you see the following image:
If you do regularly see the Crocodoc image, then the following information is for you…
What’s happening?
Blackboard are retiring the inline grading Crocodoc element of the Blackboard assignment. It will be replaced with a new product called Box View.
What do you need to do?
Simple – after 28th October do not use the inline grading tools – that is do not mark online with Blackboard Assignments. You can still create Blackboard assignments, accept submissions and download original submissions for offline marking and feedback.
What about Safe Assign?
Originality reports and plagarism checking through Safe Assign will not be affected.
What about work already marked?
Blackboard will retain all existing annotations. These will be incorporated into a pdf along with the original document. Although further editing, updating or deleting of the annotations will not be possible. The annotated pdf will be available to view through the Grade Centre. Please note students will not be able to download these annotated .pdfs.
When will the new Box View be available?
A number of system changes will need to take place in the background before the new Box View for Blackboard Assignments can be enabled. LTD will begin testing as soon as the update is available (this is expected to be in November). We will then be in a position to share more detail about the timeline for using new Box View as soon as possible following this work.
Blackboard 9.1 Upgrade
Blackboard 9.1 needs to be upgraded to allow for the change from Crocodoc to Box View. The upgrade to Blackboard will take place from Sunday 26th November (11:30pm) until Monday 27th November (11.30am) and during this time Learning Edge and Blackboard will be unavailable for all users. There is more information about this on the Learning Edge Service Report blog https://blogs.edgehill.ac.uk/lesr/2017/11/02/learning-edge-blackboard-9-1-upgrade-coming-soon/
Who can I speak to?
Should you need any further information, you can speak to your Learning Technologist, who can be found here
Feel free to email [email protected] or phone us on Ext 7754 and we’d be more than happy to answer any questions or just get in touch if you would simply like to know more.
John Langford & Ruth Smalley