Impact & Blackboard | An update from our Executive Leadership

[MelissaMcClella]

Hello Impact Experts,

The team working on Impact by Instructure (formerly EesySoft) is committed to helping institutions improve technology adoption and increase its impact. As many of you know, Impact has worked with Blackboard (now Anthology) since its inception. As Blackboard has rolled out Ultra, Impact is unable to work the same with Ultra as it has done in the past with Blackboard Original. As such, some of the features our users have come to expect are not currently available with Blackboard Ultra. We’re keenly aware of the importance of meeting the needs of our customers that rely on this data to reach students more effectively. Anthology has given a commitment to working with us and they are in active discussions with our Impact team. We’re also committed to providing an optimal product experience for all of our customers and will keep you posted on these ongoing conversations. In the meantime, please contact Blackboard Learn customer support if you have issues.

Below is more information about the situation:

Impact will continue to support Blackboard Ultra customers, including Ultra Base Navigation with Original Courses as well as those with full Ultra. However, the Impact + Blackboard Ultra integration does not currently include all of the features as the integration with Blackboard Original. For example, Ultra users currently experience limited functionality with hint messages, contexts and LTI monitoring. This document provides more information.

The Impact development team is currently limited by the Blackboard UEF (Ultra Extension Framework), thus the Ultra Impact integration will currently remain as is with no new feature development.

Anthology has been responding to ticketing customer-reported issues should they arrive. We advise customers to work with Anthology when issues arise.
As always, we are committed to supporting our clients regardless of which version of Blackboard Learn you are using, so please contact your Impact CSM with any questions that arise. Our team will continue to extend our partnership with Anthology and look for opportunities to enhance the Impact product for Ultra users where possible. Thank you for trusting us to provide you with the best Impact product experience.

All our best,
Melissa Loble | Chief Customer Experience Officer
&
Shiren Vijiasingam | Chief Product Officer