Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google


Blackboard Academic Suite 8 Integrates Plagiarism Prevention

Blackboard has released version 8 of the Blackboard Academic Suite 8. The latest release of the learning management system for academic institutions adds a variety of enhancements driven in large part by feedback from the user community, including improvements for administrators and IT, student self- and peer assessments, improved grading features, and the integration of Blackboard's SafeAssign, a plagiarism detection and prevention service.

SafeAssign debuted back in August as a stand-alone tool for plagiarism detection, but it's now integrated directly with the Academic Suite. SafeAssign checks assignments against databases of published articles and also scans the Internet for materials that might have been plagiarized. The databases the system uses include:

  • ProQuest ABI/Inform database, which includes more than 2.6 million articles and is updated weekly;
  • Archives of papers submitted to SafeAssign by users; and
  • Global Reference Database of papers submitted by students and faculty.

Other new features in the Academic Suite include:

  • Enhanced Grade Center with analytics and a new user interface, as well as direct e-mail capabilities and the ability to generate progress reports;
  • New "Self and Peer" assessment tool that allows students to review and grade their own work and the work of their peers; and
  • Enhancements to the Content System (for creating and sharing content) that include reporting on content usage and a new collaborative workflow.

Blackboard Academic Suite 8 is available now with support for browsers running on Mac OS X and Windows. Prices vary. See Blackboard's site for information on licensing.

More Information:

About the Author

David Nagel is the former editorial director of 1105 Media's Education Group and editor-in-chief of THE Journal, STEAM Universe, and Spaces4Learning. A 30-year publishing veteran, Nagel has led or contributed to dozens of technology, art, marketing, media, and business publications.

He can be reached at [email protected]. You can also connect with him on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidrnagel/ .


Featured

  • Interconnected Light Particles in Vibrant Streams

    Rubrik Agent Cloud Expands Policy Controls for Agent Prompts/Responses

    Rubrik has made Rubrik Agent Cloud generally available, adding expanded governance controls that enforce predefined and custom policies on both AI agent prompts and responses.

  • Silhouettes of human faces in cyberspace

    Defending Against Data Breaches in the Age of Deepfakes

    As social-engineering attacks surpass ransomware as the top cyber risk, institutions must reevaluate their cybersecurity practices.

  • Abstract digital cloudscape of glowing interconnected clouds and radiant lines

    Cloud Complexity Outpacing Human Defenses, Report Warns

    According to the 2026 Cloud Security Report from Fortinet, while cloud security budgets are rising, 66% of organizations lack confidence in real-time threat detection across increasingly complex multi-cloud environments, with identity risks, tool sprawl, and fragmented visibility creating persistent operational gaps despite significant investment increases.

  • glowing brain above stacked coins

    The Higher Ed Playbook for AI Affordability

    Fulfilling the promise of AI in higher education does not require massive budgets or radical reinvention. By leveraging existing infrastructure, embracing edge and localized AI, collaborating across institutions, and embedding AI thoughtfully across the enterprise, universities can move from experimentation to impact.