New Features / Bug Fixes / Releases | Digital Education Systems Help

Panopto service update will be available 24 June at 21:00. Main item is an upgrade to automatic captioning.

The June Minerva update brings two new features to Tests.

The May Minerva update introduces changes to the module switcher, updates to Gradebook discussion due dates and group filters, and improved handling of group filters when grading. It also highlights inherited release conditions and removes hidden discussions from the Discussions tab.

The March update includes an option to specify the assignment type for Blackboard Assignment, some changes to how multiple choice/answer questions work in Blackboard Test and improvements to the flexible grading interface used for most Blackboard assessments. There is also the addition of 'substantive' and 'non- substantive' labels to posts when staff mark Discussions and an option to limit the number of messages a student can create when interacting with an AI Conversation. The Minerva recording tool also has an option to change playback speed and how images are handled in emailed Announcements is also improved.

The March update includes the introduction of AI‑generated Knowledge Checks, updated participation requirements for discussions, improvements to Blackboard Test and the Recording tool.

The supplier has implemented a fix, which has resolved the issue

An issue impacting the option to send Minerva Messages has now been resolved.

We recently experienced intermittent issues affecting Minerva data feeds, where on certain days, updates to staff and student accounts or enrolments may not be processed as expected. This issue has been resolved.

In the February update there are updates to Minerva Document and the Banner image.

Upcoming major upgrades to ATLAS admin workflows and the external assessor dashboard in PebblePad.

In the January update, there are updates to navigation in Minerva, expanded options for True/False questions and some changes to multiple choice/answer question workflows. Large tests will also load more quickly.

The Turnitin ipad App has been retired. The iOS app was retired by Turnitin on 30th December 2025 and you will need to use Minerva to access Turnitin Feedback Studio on a desktop or laptop device. Turnitin is working on an improved experience for mobile devices in a future version of the product. We apologise...

A redesigned ATLAS interface will be introduced on 29 January 2026.

In the December update, there are improvements to audio/video options for feedback in Blackboard assessment tools (e.g. Assignment, Test), Discussions and a new option for conditional availability. There are also some improvements to how Groups display when there are no members, and staff now see the Learning Modules table of content (available to students since September).

In the November update, there are improvements to Tests and Gradebook.

We reported that recordings made in the Announcements tool were failing to upload/save. This issue has now been resolved.

In the October update, there are improvements to Blackboard Tests.

We recently experienced an issue affecting Minerva data feeds, where updates to staff and student accounts, as well as some enrolments, had not been processed. This issue has now been resolved.

In the September update, there are new styling options for Minerva Documents, more options to improve the management of test questions, a minor change to Announcement creation and some improvements to group marking features for group submissions to Blackboard Assignments and Tests. Early in September, MathJax was also implemented in Minerva to render LaTeX.

A new MathJax integration now renders any LaTeX entered in the Minerva content editor.

In the August update, there is a new table of contents in Learning Modules for students, a new method for creating video/audio in Announcements, an AI option to help you format Minerva Documents and some minor changes to copying integrated assessment tools. Later in August, there will be a change to how LaTeX is rendered in Minerva.

In the July update, there is a new Activity page for staff, a new option to add captions to images in Minerva Documents and the option to create Test Question Banks via QTI. It is also now possible to see which students have reviewed Announcements in your Minerva modules and, for colleagues who utilise Blackboard Group Assignments, navigation is improved. Finally, the option for configuring Progress Tracking has moved to Module Settings.

In the June update, there is a new Jumbled Sentence question in Blackboard Test, some Gradebook improvements and a new Discussion activity indicator.
There are also some updates to Annotate (the inline marking tool for Blackboard Assignment).

In the May update, there are changes relating to assessment tools and Discussions. There is also an improvement to the recently released AI Conversation tool.

The April PebblePad update brings a few fixes and accessibility improvements, in addition to user interface updates to assignment managements.

AI Conversation is a new tool using artificial intelligence which supports student learning through interactive role-play scenarios.

In the April update, there are changes to Gradebook to indicate whether students have reviewed assessment feedback, Group Assignments, and a new print option for Minerva Documents. There are also changes to Ally alternative formats in relation to maths notation.

An issue reported on the 18 March where module banner images were not loading has been resolved.

An update on Vevox changes over the last year, including a new AI Quiz Generator, improvements to question functionality and integrations.

The March PebblePad update brings small changes such as optimisations and fixes.

In January we reported an issue with the Activity Log in Minerva modules - access to integrated platforms (e.g. Turnitin and Gradescope) was not being recorded in the Activity Log. This issue was resolved by our supplier on 7 March 2025.

In the March update there are changes to rubrics in Blackboard Assignment, module settings, the AI Design Assistant tools and release conditions.

The February update introduces changes to Blackboard Assignment, rendering of files, image options in Minerva Documents, Group creation, and the AI Design Assistant.

An issue with the recording tool (as reported in December) is now confirmed as resolved by our supplier.

The January PebblePad update brings a new central hub for account settings and preferences, and shortcut navigation accessibility improvements.

The January update introduces changes to how Minerva modules are made available to students. There are also changes to Gradebook, the AI Design Assistant and Conditional Release.

The December update introduces an improvement to Learning Module navigation, new discussion posts and late assignment submissions are now easier to identify. There is also a fix to an accessibility issue with images in Minerva Documents.

The November update introduces an improvement to the file submission process for Blackboard Assignment. There are also some changes to the Print Tests functionality and a new option to download the Activity Log. The Minerva Document content item was also recently updated.

New PebblePad release for October 2024 brings an update to finding and adding tagged assets.

The October update introduces a new option to have email notifications for followed Discussions. There are also updates to how leavers show in the Gradebook and AI options for Question Banks. Recently, a change to how module staff appear on the module content page has been made. A known issue with the Gradebook Overview is also resolved.

The September update introduces changes to the layout of module pages and some new Gradebook functionality.

New PebblePad release for August 2024 brings updates to Submission Viewer 2, embedding and accessibility.

The August update introduces improvements to Blackboard Assignments, Forms, conditional availability and options to follow Discussions.

Following a recent upgrade, the way Mediasite content can be added to a Minerva module has been refreshed.

New PebblePad release for July 2024 brings updates to exporting permissions, feedback template reports and rich content editing.

We're planning to upgrade Mediasite, the University’s video platform, this will make it easier for colleagues to embed videos directly into Minerva Documents.

A new Turnitin Similarity Report integration is now available for Blackboard Assignments. Our guide on using Blackboard Assignment with the Turnitin similarity report integration will provide you with more information.

The June update introduces improvements to Announcements, Blackboard Tests, Gradebook, Group settings, and updated filtering options when accessing modules. The AI Design Assistant now also has the option to create content in different languages.

New PebblePad release for May 2024 focuses on accessibility improvements.

The May update introduces improvements to Blackboard Tests, Gradebook navigation and conditional availability.

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