November 2026 Release Notes (4001.4)
Updated on
Release Information
Release to Test/Stage: 13 October 2026
Release to Production: 5 November 2026
Note
For maintenance release build numbers and bug fixes, visit Maintenance Releases.
For release status and delays, visit Blackboard Status.
Important
We have removed from our release notes:
Manage Respondus availability with Institutional Hierarchy (4001.4 - November 2026). We will reintroduce this note to correspond with the release of Respondus’s LTI 1.3 integration. This Blackboard LMS feature will be able to be used at that time.
Expand group management search capabilities (4001.4 - November 2026). We are holding this feature to complete final testing and make sure it meets our standards before it reaches your production environment. It will move to a future release.
Instructional Design
LOR: View Object Source Information
Impact: Administrators
Updated Help Topic: Manage Learning Object Repository Objects
Idea Exchange ID: Not applicable
Administrators can now view source information for an object in the Learning Object Repository (LOR) when that object is used in a course or organization. The LOR distributes a single object to many courses and organizations at once, so administrators managing large content libraries need a quick, reliable way to see where an object is stored in the LOR.
When an objects within the LOR is used in a course or organization, the Source Information option appears at the bottom of its settings panel of the object. An administrator can go into that course/organization and identify an object’s node level within the Institutional Hierarchy. This feature streamlines the management of objects within the Learning Object Repository for administrators.
Image 1: Within the Settings panel for a LOR object, you can now find the object’s location in the institutional hierarchy under the new Source Information section.
Administrators
Availability: Available to all Ultra courses.
Activation: None needed.
Configuration: None needed.
Privilege Updates: Not applicable.
November improvements to the beta Content Editor in Blackboard Documents
Impact: Instructors
Updated Help Topic: New Content Editor (Beta) (Instructor), Content Editor Comparison Table
Idea Exchange ID: Not applicable
We've made another round of improvements to the beta Content Editor, focused on accessibility, a more consistent toolbar, easier access to files, and more flexible authoring. These updates make the editor clearer to navigate, more predictable to use, and better suited to a wider range of content.
Instructors
Accessibility
Skip navigation link. A skip navigation link now appears when you move through the Content Editor with a keyboard, giving you quick access to the editor's keyboard navigation instructions and shortcuts. This helps you learn to operate the editor efficiently without a mouse.
Improved contrast for disabled toolbar actions. Disabled toolbar actions now have higher contrast, making them easier to distinguish and improving accessibility.
Toolbars and menu updates
File properties on image upload. File properties now display when you upload an image, so you can add alternative text and adjust display options before the image is inserted.
Image 1: Now when you upload an image, file properties display so you can choose display and add alternative text before the image is inserted in the Content Editor.
Content Collection access. You can now access and select files directly from the Blackboard Content Collection within the Content Editor, without leaving the editor to find them.
Math authoring
The Content Editor now supports LaTeX. The Content Editor now supports LaTeX
\begin{...}...\end{...}environments, building on the LaTeX and MathJax rendering introduced previously.
Administrators
Availability: Available for all Ultra Courses.
Activation: Turned off by default.
Configuration: In the Admin Panel, select Configure in the The Ultra Experience is Here module. Turn on the New Content Editor for Blackboard Documents (Beta) feature flag.
Privilege Updates: Not applicable.
Assignments and Tests
Print and download rubrics
Impact: Instructors
Updated Help Topic: Manage Rubrics
Idea Exchange ID: Not applicable
Instructors can now print blank and scored rubrics or download them as PDFs using the browser’s print dialog. Printed rubrics support offline grading and student feedback, and they make it easy to include rubrics in accreditation or instructional review documentation.
Instructors
To print a blank rubric, on the Course Rubrics page, select the ellipsis menu on a rubric and select Print. Instructors can also open a rubric from the Course Rubrics page and select the Print icon. The browser’s print dialog opens with a printer-friendly version of the rubric that shows its criteria and levels without scores. From the print dialog, instructors can print the rubric or save it as a PDF.
Image 1: The ellipsis menu on a rubric shows the Print option.
Instructors can print scored rubrics for any activity graded with a rubric.
For assignments in flexible grading, in the pop-out rubric view, the Print icon is enabled once the instructor makes at least one selection in the rubric. Select Print to open the browser’s print dialog, where instructors can print the scored rubric or save it as a PDF.
Image 2: For assignments in flexible grading, the Print icon appears in the rubric window after at least one criterion is scored.
For journals and discussions, the Print Graded Rubric button appears at the bottom of the Rubric Details panel while grading. The button is enabled once the instructor makes at least one selection in the rubric. Select Print Graded Rubric to open the browser’s print dialog, where instructors can print the scored rubric or save it as a PDF
Image 3: The Print Graded Rubric button appears at the bottom of the Rubric Details panel for journals and discussions.
Administrators
Availability: Available to all Ultra courses.
Activation: None needed.
Configuration: None needed.
Privilege Updates: Not applicable.
Gradebook
Submit in-progress attempts on behalf of students
Impact: Instructors and Students
Updated Help Topic: Submission Receipts and Access Submissions to Grade
Idea Exchange ID: LEARNU-I-164
Note
We are holding this feature to address an accessibility concern. This functionality will tentatively be available in mid-November.
Instructors can now submit a student’s in-progress assignment or test attempt from the Student Overview page and document the reason as part of the workflow. To provide a clear record, the submission receipt and the submission review show the name of the instructor who submitted the attempt, the reason provided, and the date.
Instructors
In the gradebook, open the student overview page, select the ellipsis menu for a test or assignment that has the status Draft saved, then select Submit draft attempt. Enter the reason for the submission, then select Submit. This option will be available for both regularly and anonymously graded submissions.
When instructors look up the submission receipt in the gradebook, the receipt shows the name of the instructor who submitted the draft attempt, the reason provided, and the date.
Students
When an instructor submits a draft attempt on a student’s behalf, the student’s emailed submission receipt and submission review show the name of the instructor who submitted the attempt, the reason provided, and the date.
Administrators
Availability: Available to all Ultra courses.
Activation: None needed.
Configuration: None needed.
Privileges Update: Not applicable.
Integrations
Grade Export: Overall grade override notations
Impact: Administrators
Updated Help Topic: Not applicable
Idea Exchange ID: Not applicable
Grade Export now supports overall grade override notations. When an instructor overrides a student's overall grade with a notation, such as "Inc" for incomplete or "NA" for not applicable, Grade Export shows that notation during grade approval and includes it in the grade extract. Previously, these overrides appeared as a blank value (a hyphen), and the blank value was sent to the SIS.
Note
If the approved grades include override notations, Grade Export sends the notations to the SIS exactly as entered in the Gradebook, including any special characters or emoji.
Image 1: Grade Export now supports overall grade override notations. When an instructor overrides a student's overall grade with a notation, such as "Inc" for incomplete or "NA" for not applicable, Grade Export shows that notation during grade approval and includes it in the grade extract.
Administrators
Availability: Available to all Original and Ultra courses.
Activation: None needed.
Configuration: None needed.
Privilege Updates: Not applicable.
Premium
AVA: Use AI Writing Tools in overall feedback
Impact: Instructors
Updated Help Topic: Grade Assessments with Flexible Grading
Idea Exchange ID: Not applicable
Instructors can now use AI Writing Tools when writing overall feedback in flexible grading. This makes it easier to refine the clarity and tone of feedback before sharing it with students.
Instructors
In flexible grading, enter feedback in the Overall Feedback section, then select AI rewrite icon under AI Writing Tools. AVA generates a rewritten version of the feedback below the editor, along with a notice that the content is auto-generated and needs to be checked for accuracy and bias.
Image 1: Select the AI rewrite icon under AI Writing Tools in the Overall Feedback section.
After reviewing the rewritten feedback, instructors can choose one of the following options:
Replace: replaces the original feedback with the rewritten version.
Discard: keeps the original feedback and removes the rewritten version.
Try Again: generates a new rewrite.
Instructors must select Replace or Discard before they can save the feedback.
Image 2: The rewritten feedback appears below the editor with options to try again, discard, or replace.
Administrators
Availability: Requires an AVA license.
Activation: To enable this feature, navigate to Administrator Tools > Integrations > Building Blocks > Installed Tools, AI Design Assistant and Unsplash > Settings. Turn on Enable AI Design Assistant if not already turned on. Turn on AVA Rewrite Feedback toggle if not already turned on.
Configuration: None needed.
Privileges Update: Not applicable.
Video Studio - Forward and Rewind Controls in Video Player
Impact: Instructors and Students
Updated Help Topics: Video Studio Playback and Accessibility (Student); Edit and Manage Video Studio Content (Instructor)
Idea Exchange ID: Not applicable
The Video Studio player now has 10-second rewind and forward buttons, one on each side of the play and pause button. Viewers can easily jump back to rewatch something they missed or skip ahead past material they already know in addition to dragging the scrubber or using transcript navigation to find the right spot.
This feature improves navigation, especially on phones, tablets, or when a video is embedded at a small size in an Ultra document. These standard playback controls, familiar from other video platforms, make quick navigation easier wherever the player appears.
Instructors and Students
Select the rewind button to jump back 10 seconds, or the forward button to jump ahead 10 seconds.
The buttons sit on either side of the central play and pause control in the player.
When the player is shown in a compact layout, such as on a small screen or embedded at a small size, the buttons show only their icon without the “10s” label, so they remain usable in limited space.
Image 1: The Video Studio player with 10-second rewind and forward buttons on either side of the play and pause button.
Administrators
Availability: Available to everyone using Video Studio.
Activation: None needed.
Configuration: None needed.
Privileges Update: Not applicable.
Course Catalog: Use Authorize.net to pay for courses
Test/Stage: Week of 19 October 2026; Production: Week of 19 October 2026
Impact: Students
Updated Help Topic: Not applicable
Idea Exchange ID: Not applicable
We added Authorize.net as a payment service provider. This gives students the option to use Authorize.net to purchase courses from Course Catalog. As we continue to add more payment service providers, students gain greater flexibility and choice when paying for courses.
Students
When students select Buy for a course, they can now access Authorize.net as one of the payment options if it is implemented by their institution.
Administrators
Availability: Available to all Course Catalog courses.
Activation: None needed.
Configuration: To configure the the Authorize.net payment service provider, you must open a support case with Blackboard Professional Services.
Privilege Updates: Not applicable