[Dec. 21, 2007] We are upgrading the Blackboard software to version 7.3. We will restore services when the process is completed. Watch this space for more news.

Note from Friday, Dec. 21: The upgrade process that began Wednesday morning produced some serious errors. After consulting with Blackboard's technical support, we decided to restore the system and follow a slightly different upgrade pathway.

Note added Sunday, Dec. 23, 4:15 p.m.: The full upgrade appears to have been succcessful. If our tests prove that all is in order, we will open access to everyone on Monday morning (by 10 a.m.).

Although this upgrade took quite a bit longer than we anticipated, we were able to prove that our backup-and-restore procedures are trustworthy, and the results of moving to Blackboard 7.3 are likely to be very satisfying to our users. The System Announcements, at the top of the "Welcome" page, include a link to "What's New in Blackboard 7.3."

The Blackboard support team wants to express great appreciation to EKU's network engineers, particularly Bobby Clark and Dustin Tennill, for perseverance through this process in the days leading up to Christmas!