Minerva Monthly Updates

You can print both blank and marked rubrics.

To print a blank rubric, go to the Gradebook, select the settings icon:

The settings panel will open. Scroll down and select the Manage module rubrics option.

Rubrics for the module will load. To print/save, select the three-dot icon next to the rubric and then Print.

The browser’s print dialog will then open with a printer-friendly version of the rubric that shows its criteria and levels without scores. From the print dialog, you can print the rubric or save it as a PDF.

To print a scored rubric, go to the marking interface for the relevant student and open the rubric via the pop out icon (above the rubric).

Select the printer icon (next to the calculated grade) to open the browser’s print dialog. From the print dialog, you can print the rubric or save it as a PDF.

Updates include:

• 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.
• 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.
• 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.

The new Module Rubrics page lists all the Blackboard rubrics used in the module. From this page you can search for rubrics. There are also options to duplicate/export/import rubrics.

The Module Rubrics page is accesed via the Gradebook. Navigate to the Gradebook and then select the settings icon (top right):

A settings panel will open. Scroll to the bottom and select the manage module rubrics option (under Module Rubrics).

Read our guide on Blackboard Rubrics for more information.

Additional data in Gradebook Grid View

In Gradebook grid view, staff can now view the student username and last access date. To add this information to grid view, select the settings icon (top right):

A settings panel will open.  Under 'Student options' you can now also choose whether to include the student username and last access date.

Students with exceptions - Grid View

For Blackboard assessments, students can be assigned individual due dates or additional attempts. Where this is done, the Grid view now places a clock icon in the relevant cell to highlight this:

Points possible now displays in Gradebook list view

The points possible for each assessment is now displayed by default in the Gradebook list view:

Staff can create an AI Conversation in Minerva to engage students in a role-play activity with an AI persona. Staff can now set the language an AI Conversation is conducted in. When a language is enforced, the AI responds in that language for the entire conversation and will not switch, even if a student asks it to. This gives instructors a reliable way to keep language-practice activities in the target language, so students cannot opt out of the challenge partway through.

The language setting is in the Advanced Options (part 2 of setting up the AI Conversation).

Read the staff guide on AI Conversation for more information.

In August, a new editor was introduced in Minerva Documents. In time, this editor will be used throughout Minerva. In Minerva Documents, you can select the new editor or 'classic' (current) editor after you select the Content option. Updates have been made to the beta editor.

Keyboard navigation and accessibility

• Staff can now navigate the inline toolbar using the arrow keys instead of the Tab key for a more intuitive keyboard experience.
• In the Edit, Format, and Insert menus, using the up or down arrow key now moves the selection one item at a time; previously, the selection could skip items unexpectedly.
• Keyboard shortcuts display plain text (for example, Command and Control) instead of Unicode symbols, making shortcuts easier to read and more consistent across platforms.
• Staff can now use the Delete or Backspace key to decrease a paragraph's indentation level.

Code formatting

Formatting multiple selected lines as a code block now creates one combined code block, rather than converting each line into its own separate block.

You can now specify which file types can be submitted for file submissions on assignments. Students are informed of any restrictions before submitting, and receive a warning message if they attempt to upload a file type that is not permitted.

When configuring an assignment with file submission enabled, staff have a new option in the settings called 'Permitted file types'.

Staff can restrict accepted file types in two ways:

• Select from a list of common permitted file types, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and ZIP formats.
• Enter custom file extensions manually.

Instructors can modify file type restrictions after students have started submitting. Existing submissions remain gradable, and students with drafts in progress can still submit.

In August, a new editor was introduced in Minerva Documents. In time, this editor will be used throughout Minerva. In Minerva Documents, you can select the new editor or 'classic' (current) editor after you select the Content option. Updates have been made to the new editor.

Paragraph Indentation

Staff can now apply a variety of indentation styles directly in the editor using the Increase indent and Decrease indent options in the toolbar, or Format menu.

The editor applies indentation based on cursor position: placing the cursor at the start of a paragraph applies a first-line indent on the first use, repeating the action indents the full paragraph while preserving that first-line offset, and positioning the cursor elsewhere in the paragraph indents the entire paragraph evenly.

Responsive Toolbar

The editor toolbar now stays on a single row regardless of screen size or editing area width. As space narrows, the editor hides less frequently used toolbar buttons, though every action remains available from the Edit, Format, and Insert menus. This keeps the editor compact and consistent across devices without removing any functionality.

Keyboard shortcuts

The Edit and Insert menus now display more keyboard shortcuts next to common actions, making them easier to discover for keyboard users and anyone learning the editor.

A new Keyboard Shortcuts button, located at the end of the toolbar, opens a centralised reference covering navigation between the Menu Bar, Toolbar, Inline Toolbar, and editor, as well as keyboard-based image resizing.

When you insert an image using the 'image from URL' function with the beta editor, the image is automatically downloaded and uploaded directly into the module rather than linking to the external source. This change is not intended and our supplier are working to change the functionality to be a link (although the fix will not change content added retrospectively.) The old 'classic' editor links to the external source. Use the classic editor until the known issue is resolved if this is a concern.