UC eLearning Community Launches 'Scheduled Maintenance Window' for Blackboard

The Learning Management Subcommittee of the universitywide IT Governance eLearning Committee established a monthly “Scheduled Maintenance Window” for Blackboard updates. Blackboard technicians will perform system maintenance the second Thursday of each month from 5-7 a.m.

This Thurs., Jan. 15, at 5 a.m., marks the first of these monthly updates. During this “Scheduled Maintenance Window,” technicians will implement improvements identified in a recent Blackboard performance audit. No interruptions to Blackboard service are planned or expected on Thurs., Jan. 15.

“The LMS Subcommittee is partnering across campus to mature the approach to Blackboard maintenance and support,” said Assistant Vice President for eLearning Technology and eLearning Committee Chair Chris Edwards. “These regular updates will ensure the university is getting the best Blackboard experience for our instructors and students in a predictable way.”

During the monthly “Scheduled Maintenance Windows,” technicians will have the opportunity to apply timely system improvements, including, but not limited to, patches, building block upgrades, database maintenance and configuration changes. If the maintenance window falls during an exam week, the updates will be pushed back to the Thursday following exam week.

Generally, these improvements will require minimal, if any, interruption to Blackboard service. Any anticipated service interruptions will be:

•    coordinated with the academic calendar.

•    coordinated through the LMS Subcommittee and the IT change management process.

•    and communicated to students, faculty and staff in a timely manner.

The 2015 Blackboard Scheduled Maintenance dates are available at

https://www.uc.edu/canopy/scheduled-maintenance.html

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Other important dates in the eLearning calendar are available at

https://www.uc.edu/canopy/tools/blackboard/important-dates.html

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