On December 26th, 2019, Blackboard Learn will undergo a 3 day migration to a new infrastructure. We expect the system to be down from 10AM on December 26th to mid-day on December 29th.
What is happening?
In Summer 2014 we transitioned from an on-campus installation of Blackboard Learn to an instance hosted by the vendor, referred to as Managed Hosting (MH). This hosting arrangement provided better speed, reliability, and uptime compared to the on-campus installation.
In December we will once again take the platform offline for a migration, this time to the Software as a Service (SaaS) model. After the 3 day window, the new infrastructure will provide the following benefits:
- Less downtime. With managed hosting, we occasionally need to bring the system down for maintenance, patches, bug fixes, or security updates. The SaaS model applies those updates without any downtime, meaning we will see fewer maintenance windows of less duration.
- New features & updates – currently, we often have to delay new features until the end of the semester or year to avoid interruptions. With the SaaS model, we will have the option to turn on new features and updates as they are released. The same will apply to patches and bug fixes.
- Blackboard Ultra – the next generation of the Blackboard Learning Management system, known as Ultra, is only available for institutions who use the SaaS delivery model. The new interface has a more modern look and feel. By switching, we will have the option to turn on Ultra on a course by course basis. We plan to offer trial Ultra “sandboxes” to interested staff and faculty in the spring. Learn more about Ultra from Blackboard’s website
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is this migration happening?
Since 2014 we’ve been hosted by Blackboard’s “Managed Hosting” dedicated hosting environment which has provided reliable and consistent service. However, it requires constant maintenance and regular updates to make sure the environment is up to date with the latest features, bug fixes, and updates. With BU’s multiple campuses and busy academic calendar, the opportunity to bring the system down for maintenance is rare, which causes us to fall behind in the release and update schedule. By moving to this new SaaS model, we expect much less downtime, since updates and bug fixes are pushed out in a rolling fashion without interruptions.
How reliable is SaaS?
Many of the services we use today utilize the SaaS delivery model. Google apps, Microsoft Office 365, Dropbox, Kaltura, Echo360, and more are all on SaaS infrastructure. With SaaS, resources are dynamically assigned during periods of high usage, providing us with a more consistent experience throughout.
Why now?
Intersession is the only time during BU’s busy academic calendar where we can schedule significant windows for maintenance and updates. By moving to this new infrastructure, our environment will be more flexible, reducing the need for extended outages and providing continuous updates.
What will change for me?
For now, not much will change. Your Blackboard courses will still be available and look the same. The benefits to the BU community come in the form of better performance and the continuous delivery model which brings updates, feature, and fixes without waiting or requiring significant downtime.
What about the tools I use that aren’t built by Blackboard?
We are undergoing extensive tests to make sure compatibility with all our tools and vendors. If there is something you rely on that we can help you test, please let us know.
What is Blackboard “Ultra”?
Blackboard Ultra is a completely redesigned user interface for Blackboard. The current interface, known as Learn, was developed almost a decade ago and appears outdated compared to modern applications. Moving to SaaS will allow us to enable this new experience on a course-by-course basis. We will be offering courses for demonstration in the Spring as we learn more about how this new environment fits in to teaching and learning at BU. You can read more about Ultra on Blackboard’s website