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Humanities Teaching Academy / Known Issues & Faults

Known Issues & Faults with eLearning Systems

If you would like to share a specific incident, click on the hash tag for that incident and then copy the website address from your browser. This will then direct people you share the link with to the correct part of the page. 

Blackboard Email Issue – 21/11/2023

#Blackboard

 
There is a known issue where some postgrad students are not receiving emails (including announcements) through Blackboard.  This is an IT issue (Active Directory).  The IT Identity and Access Management Team are looking into this; please advise students to log a ticket if they are still facing these issues.

Grademark Bulk Download Error

#Turnitin

Some users are experiencing an error when clicking on the link to bulk download all submissions (As a PDF, Original File and Online Grading Paper) from an assignment inbox: particularly large bulk submission downloads will produce an empty zip file as opposed to providing one containing the submissions from the assignment. This error occurs when there are a large amount of submissions in the assignment or the files submitted are a large size, causing the download to time out. Turnitin is currently investigating this issue. More information can be found on the Tii website.
You can subscribe to the Tii RSS Feeds to be updated on the progress of this issue.
Suggested Workarounds:
1.  If you are experiencing issues with the bulk download feature of an assignment inbox, the submission may still be downloaded individually.
2. Download files in batches instead of a whole by selecting/deselecting submissions individually in the assignment inbox, the number of batches needed will depend on how many submissions there are/ the file size of submissions.
3. If you are having issues downloading via Blackboard, please try downloading grademark files from turnitin.com 

LOAD152 Data Protection Training

#LOAD152

Some users are experiencing difficulty accessing the new LOAD152 data protection training.
 
This is managed by Learning and Organisational Development. All existing members of staff should have been pre-enrolled and should find the course in their Blackboard list. Anyone who became a member of staff after 16 September 2022 has to search for the course in the training catalog and ‘self-enroll’.
 
More information on how to enroll can be found here: https://www.staffnet.manchester.ac.uk/igo/training-and-support/
If you follow the steps and are still experiencing this issue, please email infogov-training@manchester.ac.uk  
 

VideoPortal

#VideoPortal

Some users are reporting that they cannot see their course listed in VideoPortal and as such cannot access their recorded lectures.

IT services report there are ongoing network issues which they are working to resolve.

If you are experiencing this issue, please raise a support request here.

 

VoiceThread Scheduled Maintenance 05-02-2022

#VoiceThread

  • Planned Start: February 5, 2022 10:00
    Expected End: February 5, 2022 14:00

    Details: We are performing regular maintenance. You might see some slowness during this window. VoiceThread should remain available.

Turnitin Error: filesys.err.dir.attempt Installed version 2.8.13 (FIXED)

#Turnitin 

Some users are reporting issues when accessing student submissions – from Turnitin – via the Grade Centre. They receive an error saying, ‘Error filesys.err.dir.attempt’. The issue is currently being investigated.

Workarounds

Staff can be advised to access student submission via the following route:

  1. Open the Course Tools menu item in the Course Management
  2. Select Turnitin Assignments from the list.
  3. Select the relevant assignment inbox you wish to mark.
  4. Select the student submission you wish to mark.

Turnitin inbox needs to be within a folder visible to students.

Student Users attempting to access a submitted paper or feedback via Learn MyGrades are presented with the error message. Students are able to see marks from Turnitin assignments in their My Marks area, but will see the above error message if they select the assignment link to access their submission feedback.

Access to submissions is possible  via direct access to the Turnitin assignment link in the Content area where the Turnitin submission was deployed.  This means the Turnitin inbox needs to be within a folder visible to students.

Blackboard Video Buffering

#Blackboard #VideoPortal

Some users are experiencing buffering when trying to access lecture recordings via Blackboard or Video Portal.

This is currently under investigation.

VoiceThread Scheduled Maintenance 03-12-2021

#VoiceThread

  • 2pm December 27th 2021 – Possible slow media load times
    VoiceThread will be increasing the security of user-uploaded media.
    There should not be a noticeable change with this update, but it is possible that there may be increased media load times temporarily.
  • 10am December 29th 2021 – Offline for 8 hours
    VoiceThread will be performing a database upgrade and maintenance.
    VoiceThread will be offline for 8 hours.
    Users who attempt to access during this window will see a message that VoiceThread is down for maintenance.
 

Blackboard Assignment Submission Error Message – 18-11-2021

#Blackboard

When submitting a group assignment to Blackboard, some students see an error message saying that the upload has failed:

“Failed to submit assignment. Please try again.”

In most cases this message has been populated in error.

In order to check whether you have submitted:

  • Press Cancel at the bottom of the screen. This will take you back to the main Assessment area.
  • Return to the assignment submission link.
  • You should see a preview of your file that uploaded successfully and a timestamp on the right side of the screen.

Important: Blackboard no longer sends submission confirmation receipts by email, you will not receive an email confirmation after submitting on this Blackboard link however please check directly on Blackboard by clicking on the submission link and look out for the time stamp on the right hand-side as confirmation of the submission.

 

Issue opening files in Blackboard – 17-11-2021

#Blackboard

Some users are experiencing a ‘404 file not found’ error message when trying to view files in their browser from Blackboard. 

Following workarounds may work for most users so far:
1. Users to switch to a different browser (i.e. Chrome or Firefox)
2. Switch off “Open office files in the browser” feature in Microsoft Edge (edge://settings/downloads)
3. If Blackboard Ally is in use, users can be advised to use “Alternative Formats” feature to download office files as “Tagged PDf” 

 

BoB experiencing slow performance – 21-10-2021

#BoxofBroadcasts

BoB is currently running a little slow. They are investigating an intermittent problem with some components.

 

Box of Broadcasts Scheduled Maintenance – 12-08-2021

#BoxofBroadcasts

BoB is undergoing scheduled system maintenance between 9:00 and 12.00 on Thursday 12 August. Users will experience the following:

  • The Electronic Programme Guide (EPG) might be unavailable during this maintenance window.
  • Programmes can still be found thought the search interface
  • Streaming is not affected.

Turnitin Inbox Issue – 28-07-2021

#Turnitin #Blackboard

We have received reports of the Submit button not working when creating or editing Turnitin assignments with post-dates more than two weeks after the due date. It appears that Chromium-based browsers are blocking the popup that warns of the post-date being more than two weeks after the due date and therefore making the Turnitin assignment impossible to create or edit with the correct dates. Users are advised to use Firefox when creating or editing Turitin inboxes, as Firefox does not appear to be affected.

Blackboard and Turnitin Service Disruption – 08-06-2021 RESOLVED

#Turnitin #Blackboard

Due to worldwide internet issues, Blackboard and Turnitin are currently are currently experiencing a major unexpected disruption. For more information, please see: https://www.staffnet.manchester.ac.uk/news/display/?id=26460.

[Update 08-06-2021] This issue is now resolved. 

 

 

 

Incorrect Code in Turnitin – 03-06-2021

#Turnitin

We are aware of an issue whereby a code is displayed at the top of the page in Blackboard when clicking on a Turnitin assignment. Turnitin have stated that this issue will be rectified by updating to the most recent version (which will be undertaken after exams have been completed), and that the code has no impact on the performance of Turnitin itself.

 

 

Turnitin Similarity Report Delays – 05-08-2021 RESOLVED

#Turnitin 

Delays in the generation of similarity reports were reported by Turnitin as occurring between 8am and 12:15pm on the 5th August 2021.

This issue is now resolved.

 

Blackboard Scheduled Maintenance – 10-08-2021

#Blackboard

Blackboard will be unavailable between 23:30 BST on 10th August 2021 and 03:30 BST on 11th August 2021. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.

 

Blackboard SCORM Packages – 07-06-2021

#Blackboard

All SCORM packages on Blackboard are currently inaccessible.  This problem is currently being investigated.

[Update 08-06-2021] This issue is now resolved. 

 

Blackboard Service Availability – 15-05-2021

#Blackboard

Blackboard will be unavailable for up to 3 minutes at 2am BST on Saturday, 15 May 2021 while maintenance work is undertaken to prepare our service for the upcoming exam period.  We apologise for any inconvenience this short notice may cause.

Blackboard Assignment Video Portal Embedding Issue – 11-05-2021

#Blackboard

From Tuesday 11th May to Thursday 13th May, some students may have had issues embedding from the Video Portal into a Blackboard Assignment. This problem is now resolved.
 

Audio Issues in Collaborate  – 13-05-2021

#Collaborate

Blackboard have reported that some users have encountered some intermittent issues with audio.
 
When an institution is affected, it doesn’t impact all their sessions, just a minority of them, and in these sessions it usually doesn’t impact all users.Users impacted can’t hear audio, but the issue in some cases resolves itself.
 
Blackboard have prioritized this and are working to fix it. In the meantime the advice to users impacted is to remain in the session as the issue can disappear when their audio re-initializes in the back-end (which happens regularly).
 
[Update 14-05-2021] This issue is now resolved. 
 

LaTeX Equation Editor Issues in Blackboard – 10-05-2021

#Blackboard

The LaTeX mathematical equation editor is experiencing compatibility issues with Blackboard’s text editor. The problem is being investigated.
 

Audio Recording Issue in Podcasting Service – 10-05-2021 RESOLVED

#Podcasting

There is a known issue where audio recordings on the Podcasting Service are not appearing. This is connected to editing Metadata. Video files are unaffected.
 
Our technical team is working resolve the problem.
 
[Update 11-05-2021] This issue is now resolved. New uploads will no longer experience this issue, but uploads that were attempted during the problem will not appear, so will need to be reuploaded. 
 

Blackboard Organisation Issues – 23-04-2021 RESOLVED

#Blackboard

We have received reports of the following issues with Organisations in Blackboard:
  • Unable to open files in Group File Exchange
  • Unable to edit content items with files attached
  • Unable to upload new SCORM packages
The issue is currently being investigated. 
[Update 04-05-2021] This issue is now resolved.

 

Network Issues – 12-04-2021 RESOLVED

#Blackboard

There were network issues on the evening of 12-04-2021 which impacted access to Video Portal and Blackboard. Blackboard log ins from 19:00 – 00:00 may have experienced difficulties.

Some issues are ongoing. IT services are working on fully restoring services which have not fully recovered, including:

  • My Manchester for staff (which includes eProg, Training Catalogue, Timesheets, Costings, Project Finance)
  • The P&DR system
  • Key Information Set
 
 

Turnitin Download Issue – 12/04/2021 RESOLVED

#Turnitin

We are aware of an issue which is preventing users from downloading files in Turnitin. This problem seems to be affecting both bulk downloads and single file downloads. Turnitin’s Technical Specialists are investigating the problem. 

[Update 29-04-2021] This issue is now resolved

 

Blackboard Enrolments Issues – 23-02-2021

#Blackboard

IT Services continuing to investigate the issue where a small number of students are unable to access course units they should be enrolled on. If this issue is affecting your students, they should report this to the Support Centre including full details of the missing course(s).

[Update 29-03-2021] This issue is largely resolved, but some isolated cases are still occurring. Please continue to contact the Support Centre to have missing enrolments corrected.

[Update 25-02-2021] IT Services are still investigating this issue. 

[Update 08-03-2021] IT Services continue to investigate the issue and the frequency of the problem has reduced significantly. 

 

Turnitin Bulk Download Issue – 05-03-2021 RESOLVED

#Turnitin

We are aware of an issue which is preventing bulk downloads. Turnitin’s Technical Specialists are investigating the problem. 

[Update 10-03-2021] This issue has now been resolved. If you are still experiencing problems, please contact the Humanities eLearning team.

Issue uploading files to Collaborate Sessions – 09-03-2021 RESOLVED

#Collaborate

Blackboard identified an issue where some files were not being uploaded, and were getting stuck in “converting” status or showing a “failed to upload” error. As a workaround, they asked users to use the “screen share” feature if you want to share a file. The issue is now resolved.

Collaborate Recordings Error Message – 09-03-2021 RESOLVED

#Collaborate

Blackboard reported that some users may have received an “uh-oh” error when trying to playback recordings. The issue is now resolved.

Turnitin Current View Report and Digital Receipt Issues – 05-03-2021 RESOLVED

#Turnitin

Turnitin reported that due to unexpected service degradation, users of Turnitin, Turnitin UK and iThenticate, as well as those accessing these services via an integration, may have experienced slowness and time-out issues when attempting to download the Current View and the Digital Receipt for their Similarity Reports. Similarity Report generation and access to reports were not affected.

The University of Manchester