What’s New in Blackboard

One of the hallmarks of Blackboard is the speed with which new features are developed and released. In fact, new features become available every month! Some of these features are large updates with entirely new functionality, others are very small enhancements that improve the teaching and learning experience. 

July 2026 Release Notes

PLEASE NOTE: Not all new features are always turned on in Blackboard. We may still be testing items or need more time to release them as we gather faculty feedback. 

New Features for July

• • Discussions and AI Conversations: Discussions and Journals now include a dedicated Description field, and instructors can set assessment- or conversation- level time limits for AI Conversations. 
  • Improved Navigation: The Course Switcher now includes a Favorites tab alongside Recent and Search, giving users faster access to their most frequently used courses. 
  • Conversation Threads in Course Messages: When composing a message, users can now preview existing conversation threads with selected recipients, providing context and reducing fragmented communication. 
  • Rubric Evaluation Report: Instructors can now generate a Rubric Evaluation Report for the Ultra Gradebook to analyze rubric performance accross all student submissions. 
  • Learning Object Repository Flexibility: Instructors can now add supplemental content to LOR folders and learning modules while preserving synchronization for institution-managed content. (NOTE: not currently enabled, still in testing). 

Share Your Suggestions for Blackboard Updates

Do you have an idea for an improvement to Blackboard? Use the Anthology (Blackboard) Idea Exchange! We encourage you to use the Idea Exchange to recommend changes to Blackboard, and to support ideas presented by other faculty. You can upvote existing posts to show your support and encourage Anthology to prioritize implementing these ideas in Blackboard. If you post to the Idea Exchange, please let us know so we can upvote your recommendation!