Highlights
Maintenance Fixes
You can view maintenance items for 4000.8 on the Anthology Support Center. Our Known Issue articles provide information for individual bug fixes and may include bug descriptions and which Learn versions were affected. You can filter bug fixes by SaaS release for easier navigation. Here are highlights of the issues fixed in this release:
Pattern Match Question Misgrades Responses with Optional Semicolon in Ultra - Article #91200
Anonymous Form Attempts Show “1 Attempt to Grade” but Cannot Be Manually Graded - Article #91338
Answers in Multiple Choice Tests Appear as White font - Article #91328
LTI Tool Providers Usage Count is Inefficient and can Load Very Slowly - Article #78165
Translation Errors in the Azerbaijani LP in Ultra courses - Articles#91465
Dropdown Options Overlap in Jumbled Sentence Question in Ultra - Article #91057
Bb Annotate Selection and Highlight of Sentences Issue - Article #78196
In Bb Annotate the Font Color Changes Unexpectedly on Asian Languages - Article #78820
Using Words Containing Apostrophes in Bb Annotate Causes the Cursor to Move to the Top of the Page - Article #90001
Pasting Text From Google Docs or MS Word Does Not Preserve Formatting - Article #90438
Annotate Text Color Changes Incorrectly Within Text Box - Article #90753
Bb Annotate Comments Do Not Automatically Focus Cursor for Input - Article #90850
Inline Grading Panel Disappears When Formatted Text with Named Colors Is Pasted into a Comment - Article #90959
Save Button Overlapped by Grading Options When Using Bb Annotate - Article #90427
Removing Grade Editing Privileges From Course Role Breaks Access to Group Attempts - Article #91382
Late Indicator Not Displaying in Gradebook for Saved Draft Attempts After Due Date - Article #91436
Go to Login Page' Button Hidden and Text Does Not Resize on SAML Single Logout Modal Window - Article #91257
Decorative images More Options menu not ignored by screen readers when navigating in Ultra documents - Article #91045
Grade Deletion from Journal Grade Pill Frequently Unsuccessful - Article #91327
Content Collection File Overwrite in the Institution Folder Deletes File Instead - Article #90649
Discrepancy in Decimal Rounding for Weighted Overall Grade Calculation in Ultra - Article #91403
Students Cannot Access Self Peer Assessments When They Have Been Copied Into the Same Course - Article #89956
Vertically Misplaced Action Bar When Accessing Courses in Mobile Web Browsers - Article #78386
Unable to Close Password Prompt for Protected PDF Files - Article #91029
Information
Update to client Production environments (Published February 26, 2026):
An updated release of 4000.8.0 (full release number: 4000.8.0-rel.27+6cbec6b) is being applied to client Production servers on Thursday, February 26, 2026.
We have fixed these issues:
Fixed an issue where Jumbled Sentence Question distractors contained unnecessary <p> tags, causing formatting inconsistencies after upgrades or course restores. With this update, all existing distractors are automatically cleaned during upgrade, and new distractors are saved without these tags ensuring consistent, clean formatting across all assessments.
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Update to client Production environments (Published February 19, 2026):
An updated release of 4000.8.0 (full release number: 4000.8.0-rel.23+2229101) is being applied to client Production servers on Thursday, February 19, 2026.
We have fixed these issues:
There is no Main Region on this Page Occurs when Using Q Command in JAWS Screen Reader - Article #91728
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Update to client Production environments (Published February 10, 2026):
An updated release of 4000.8.0 (full release number: 4000.8.0-rel.21+34512b9) is being applied to client Production servers on Tuesday, February 10, 2026.
We have fixed these issues:
Flex Grading Does not Respect Attempts to Grade Setting for Anonymous Grading. - Article #91690
Users experience an error message when accessing the achievement tab in affected courses. - Article #91781
The Ultra Messages tool Send button disappears in low resolutions. Article #91783
Overall Grade Pill Displays Incorrect Values and Colours in Letter Schema. Article #91793
Text Editor Resets Text Style When Changing Alignment. - Article #91794
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Update to client Production environments (Published February 5, 2026):
An updated release of 4000.8.0 (full release number: 4000.8.0-rel.21+34512b9) is being applied to client Production servers on Thursday, February 5, 2026.
We have fixed these issues:
Resolved an intermittent issue where some Consulting Central ReST requests returned 404 errors, for example in the Grades Journey Service, due to a backend service failing to start correctly.
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Update to client Test/Stage environments (Published February 3, 2026):
An updated release of 4000.8.0 (full release number: 4000.8.0-rel.16+5a0b5bf) is being applied to client Test servers on Tuesday, February 3, 2026.
We have fixed these issues:
Student Activity Does Not Display All Students in List and Lacks Pagination - Article #91121
Unexpected Course Copy Behavior When Disabling Courses via SIS Feed - Article #91218
Learning Object Repository (LOR) Content Availability not Propagated to Course Copies - Article #91413
Adding the Same LOR Doc to a Course More Than Once Results in the Subsequent Docs not Displaying - Article #91637
Course Announcements Do Not Display for Students in Ultra - Article #91662
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Update to client Test/Stage environments (Published January 27, 2026):
An updated release of 4000.8.0 (full release number: 4000.8.0-rel.9+d49b94b) is being applied to client Test servers on Tuesday, January 27, 2026.
We have fixed these issues:
Submit Attempt Button Unresponsive if a Student Joins a Self-enrollment Group That Already has an Attempt in Progress - Article #91334
Repaired an issue where the top navigation bar disappeared while scrolling within a course page. The navigation bar and course menu now remain sticky, improving navigation and maintaining context throughout the course.
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Update to client Test/Stage environments (Published January 20, 2026):
An updated release of 4000.8.0 (full release number: 4000.8.0-rel.5+ea4970e) is being applied to client Test servers on Tuesday, January 20, 2026.
We have fixed these issues:
Ultra Announcements Viewers Panel Does Not Display Student Names in Learn 4000.6 - Article #91555
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Initial Release to client Test/Stage environments (Published January 13, 2025):
The initial release of 4000.8.0 (full release number: 4000.8.0-rel.4+f943129) is being applied to client Test servers on Tuesday, January 13, 2026.
Instructional Design
Stack blocks vertically in Documents
Impact: Instructors
Updated Help Topic: Not applicable
Idea Exchange ID: LEARNU-I-5104
Instructors can stack blocks in a single column in Documents to create cleaner layouts and reduce whitespace. A new toggle in the block toolbar allows switching between column-level and block-level editing. In column mode, actions apply to the entire column. In block mode, instructors can resize, move, or delete individual blocks.
Columns can also be dropped into another block’s area for more flexible layouts. These changes work with existing features such as undo/redo, printing, and AI layout generation. This enhancement also includes accessibility improvements for screen readers.
Image 1: Instructors can stack blocks in a single column, such as next to an image in a column.
Administrators
Availability: Available to all Ultra courses.
Activation: None needed.
Configuration: None needed.
Mastery Learning and Learning Pathways
Organize terms with parent-child relationships
Impact: Administrators and Instructors
Updated Help Topic: Institutional Hierarchy
Idea Exchange ID: Not applicable
Institutions can create a parent Annual term with child terms such as Semester, Trimester, or Quarter. A new column shows term type on the Term page.
Administrators can sort courses by subject and terms by type for better reporting and analytics. These updates help administrators, program directors, and instructional designers organize data and review trends.
Image 1: Institutions can create a parent Annual term with child terms.
Image 2: The parent terms display in the Parent Term column on the Term page.
Administrators
Availability: Available to all Ultra courses.
Activation: None needed.
Configuration: None needed.
Enhanced achievement usability
Impact: Students and Instructors
Updated Help Topic: Not applicable
Idea Exchange ID: Not applicable
For students, the Achievements tab displays a count of unread badges. The New pill appears consistently in Earned and To Earn sections. The Delete Badge dialog uses clearer wording. Instructors and students can more easily distinguish between Course Badges and Open Badges with improved labels, icons, and descriptions.
Accessibility updates include improved aria-labels and alt-text. Styling for OpenBadge images has been updated to remove forced round shapes.
Image 1: In the student view, the Achievements tab displays a count of unread badges, and the new badges have a New pill.
Administrators
Availability: Available to all Ultra courses.
Activation: None needed.
Configuration: None needed.
Improved accessibility for custom badge options
Impact: Instructors and Students
Updated Help Topic: Not applicable
Idea Exchange ID: Not applicable
Accessibility enhancements improve badge workflows for instructors and students. Screen readers now provide clearer descriptions for buttons and image previews. Aria-labels and alt-text are consistent across views.
Tooltips were added to buttons for better context. Decorative images are marked correctly, and fallback alt-text is provided for custom images. These changes make badge creation and viewing more inclusive and easier to navigate.
Administrators
Availability: Available to all Ultra courses.
Activation: None needed.
Configuration: None needed.
Learner Progression & Personalized Experience
Use automations to remind students to check their feedback
Impact: Instructors
Updated Help Topic: Automations
Idea Exchange ID: Not applicable
Instructors can create automations that send a message to students who have unread feedback after an instructor-defined number of days. This feature saves time by automatically encouraging students to review their feedback, promoting student engagement.
Instructors
This release adds the Send feedback reminder option to the Automation gallery.
Image 1: The Automation gallery now includes Send feedback reminder.
For the automation trigger, instructors select how many days feedback must remain unread before the message is sent.
Image 2: The Automation trigger includes a dropdown menu for the number of unread days.
A default reminder message is provided, and instructors can fully customize it at this stage. The message is sent to the student when the rule is triggered.
Administrators
Availability: Available to all Ultra courses.
Activation: None needed.
Configuration: The Automations feature is turned off by default. Administrators can turn it on or off by going to the Administrator Panel. Select Configure in The
Ultra Experience is Here! module. Select Automations to turn automations on or off.
Users need the following privileges to work with automations:
Course/Organization > Automations > Add allows users to create new automations.
Course/Organization > Automations > Delete allows users to delete automations.
Course/Organization > Automations > Edit allows users to edit existing automations.
Course/Organization > Automations > View allows users to view existing course automations.
Integrations
Visualize LTI data in Anthology Adopt
Impact: Administrators
Updated Help Page: Not applicable
Idea Exchange ID: Not applicable
Institutions can now track and segment LTI tool usage within Anthology Adopt, enabling richer insights and targeted user experiences. Adopt can identify individual LTI launches, which allows administrators to monitor adoption, analyze usage patterns, and deliver contextual guidance.
Key improvements include
Unique Identifiers for LTI Launches. Each LTI tool now includes a unique handle (GUID) added as a DOM attribute (e.g., data-launch-handle). Adopt uses this identifier to:
Recognize and tag a specific LTI Tool events
Segment users based on the usage of a specific LTI Tool
Map identifiers to meaningful names for reporting and analysis
Contextual Tracking. Additional attributes capture where the LTI was launched (e.g., course outline, gradebook), enabling deeper insights into usage patterns.
This enhancement enables tracking of LTI tool usage from the Tools section in the navigation panel.
This allows users to
Identify instructor engagement with specific LTIs
Deliver contextual in-app guides to improve user experience
Make data-driven decisions about instructional technology usage
Administrators
Availability: Available to all Ultra courses. using Adopt integration
Activation: None needed.
Configuration: DOM attributes for LTI launches are automatically included. Administrators configure tracking and segmentation within Adopt.
Grade Export: Launch Grade Approval and Transfer Tool directly to column level
Impact: Administrators
Updated Help Page: Configure the Grade Extract
Idea Exchange ID: Not applicable
Administrators can set the Grade Approval and Transfer Tool to open at the column level, bypassing the course level. This setting prevents instructors from approving an entire course’s grades without viewing the grades at the column or grade level, ensuring that columns are not inadvertently approved through a full course approval.
Image 1: The Launch directly to column level option now appears in the Grade Approval and Transfer settings.
Administrators
Availability: Available to all Original and Ultra courses.
Activation: None needed.
Configuration: None needed.
Institutional Hierarchy: Restrict Content Copy Search for Node Administrators
Impact: Administrators
Updated Help Topic: Not applicable
Idea Exchange ID: Not applicable
We’ve improved governance and security for institutions using Institutional Hierarchy (IH) by restricting content copy searches for Node Administrators. Previously, Node
Administrators could search and view all courses across the system when using the Copy Course Item or Copy Organization Item tools, even outside their assigned IH scope. This behavior created privacy concerns and required workarounds such as self-enrollment.
Enhancements include:
Node Administrators can now search and copy content only from courses within their assigned IH node or directly granted permissions.
This update enforces institutional boundaries without removing copy or archive capabilities.
Eliminates the need for manual enrollment or elevated permissions, reducing administrative overhead and maintaining clean user lists.
This change ensures compliance with institutional governance models while preserving essential administrative functionality.
Administrators
Availability: Available to all Ultra and Original courses.
Activation: None needed.
Configuration: Ensure Node Admins have appropriate copy and archive privileges assigned through their system roles.
Blackboard Admin
Opt out of upcoming features
Impact: Administrators
Updated Help Page: Feature Toggles
Idea Exchange ID: Not applicable
Administrators can now opt in or opt out of specific product functionalities directly from the Admin Panel both before and after an official release. This update gives administrators greater control over when new capabilities are enabled, so teams can adopt features on their own timelines and with more confidence.
Image 1: An Upcoming Feature area allows administrators to opt in or out for upcoming features before they are released.
Administrators benefit from:
More control: Decide which features to turn on or off without waiting for release windows.
Less monitoring: No need to stay on standby during release days to check when features become available.
Clear visibility: Quickly identify which features are active in production.
Safer testing: Test and prepare for new functionality before enabling it broadly.
This improvement streamlines feature adoption, reduces administrative burden, and gives institutions flexibility in managing change.
Administrators
Availability: Available to all Ultra courses.
Activation: None needed.
Configuration: None needed.
Premium
Video Studio: Students can download videos they create for offline use
Impact: Students
Updated Help Page: Video Studio (Student)
Idea Exchange ID: Not applicable
Students can now download the Video Studio recordings they create directly to their devices for offline access. This update builds on the recent feature allowing users to download recordings from instructors to access offline. Learners now have more flexibility to access and share their content without an internet connection.
Students
When students create a recording, they can select the download option to save the file to their device. This makes it easier to reference their own recordings on the go, such as during commutes, in areas with limited connectivity, or to retain a copy for future reuse.
Image 1: Students can now download their own Video Studio recordings for offline use.
Administrators
Availability: Available to all Ultra courses.
Activation: None needed.
Configuration: None needed.
Course Catalog: Batch edit the availability of offerings
Test/Stage: week of 26 January 2026; Production: week of 26 January 2026
Impact: Administrators
Updated Help Page: Offering Management
Idea Exchange ID: Not applicable
Managers can now batch edit offering availability on the Offering Management screen instead of updating each offering individually. This feature saves time by allowing managers to act on multiple offerings at once.
Managers select the Batch Edit button on the Offering Management screen, choose the offerings they want to update, then select the Edit Availability button. They pick their desired availability option and select Set Availability.
Image 1: The Batch Edit button now appears on the Offering Management screen.
Image 2: Managers choose the availability from the menu and select Set Availability.
Administrators
Availability: Available to all Course Catalog courses.
Activation: None needed.
Configuration: None needed.