Staff and students may notice some notifications for old modules appearing in the Activity Stream (for 3, 4 and 8 September). Links to Panopto lecture capture recordings (migrated from our old lecture capture system) were added to historic modules which unfortunately exposed a bug with the Activity Stream, causing various notifications to be re-issued.
The August update introduces navigation and Gradebook updates, a new content editor option for Minerva Documents, content duplication capabilities, and improvements to Blackboard Tests.
The July update brings updates to the module switcher and the Minerva recording tool in feedback/announcements. There is also a new description field for Discussions and Journal, timer option for AI Conversation and rubric evaluation report for Blackboard assessments.
Vevox has updated its user interface within the the set up dashboard. You will notice a different look and layout when you log in to create or share a session.
Our supplier reported that Turnitin was affected by a service issue which may have affected users accessing Turnitin between 01:00 and 02:38 BST on 4th June 2026.
Our supplier reported that Gradescope was affected by a service issue which may have affected some users accessing Gradescope between 17:20 and 18:05 BST on 29th April 2026.
Join us on Thursday 18 June 2026, 10.00am-1.00pm (arrival from 9.30am) to be part of PebbleShare 2026 – a collaborative event for staff who want to unlock PebblePad’s potential for teaching, assessment, reflective practice and skills development. Whether you’re just getting started or already using PebblePad, this session will inspire new ideas and practical approaches...
Our supplier reported that Turnitin was affected by a service issue which may have affected some users accessing Turnitin between 04:00 and 06:11 BST on 1st April 2026.
The University is closed from 2 April to 7 April 2025 inclusive for the April Bank Holiday. Find out more about what support is available during this time.
Our supplier reported that Turnitin was affected by a service issue which may have affected some users accessing Turnitin between 11:50 and 13:07 GMT on 24th March 2026.
The March update includes the introduction of AI‑generated Knowledge Checks, updated participation requirements for discussions, improvements to Blackboard Test and the Recording tool.
When writing a Minerva Message, the options to 'Send' and 'Send an mail copy to recipients' are pushed down the screen and cannot be selected as scrolling does not work.
Our supplier reported that Turnitin was affected by a service issue which may have affected some users accessing Turnitin between 16:54 and 18:19 GMT on 27th January 2026.
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.
In January, you will see changes to Minerva, making it easier to move around your modules and organisations. This is part of a series of improvements expected in 2026 which aim to enhance the user experience for both staff and students.
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).
Our supplier reported that Turnitin was affected by a service issue which may have affected some users accessing Turnitin between 13:40 and 16:50 GMT on 13th November 2025.
IT Services reported that staff and students were unable to access Mediasite Lecture Recordings. The issue was escalated to our supplier, and they have now implemented a fix, which has restored access to the service.
Our supplier reported that Turnitin was affected by a service degradation which may have affected some users accessing Turnitin between 17:15 and 18:15 BST on 14th October 2025.
Our supplier reported that Gradescope was affected by a service degradation which may have affected some users accessing Turnitin between 17:15 and 18:15 BST on 14th October 2025.
An intermittent issue displaying the Enable/Open Microsoft Education link in Minerva has been resolved. A separate problem affecting University-managed devices, caused by third-party cookies being blocked, is being addressed.
The University is adopting Panopto as its new platform for media-enhanced learning and lecture capture during the 2025/26 academic year, with full implementation from September 2026.