Check the course context before sending another reminder
Review current Blackboard announcements when a session is coming up, then use the results to decide whether students need a new update.
Trigger
Event Starting Soon
Triggers when a calendar event is within a configured number of minutes from starting. Returns event details, time remaining, attendees, and join links when available.
Action
Course Announcements Access
Retrieves a list of announcements for a specific course in the blackboard learning management system. this endpoint allows users to access important messages, updates, or notifications related to a particular course. it should be used when there's a need to fetch all announcements or check for recent updates in a course. the tool returns announcement data but does not provide functionality for creating, updating, or deleting announcements. keep in mind that the returned list may be paginated if there are many announcements, and additional calls might be necessary to retrieve all data.
Why this helps
Organizers can send duplicate reminders because they cannot quickly recall what the course announcement already says.
- Bring course announcement context into session preparation.
- Help reduce duplicate student messages.
- Surface recent course information for a timely decision.
Setup
Build it in a few focused steps.
- 1Connect Google Calendar and Blackboard once in the Notis portal.
- 2Create an automation in Automations, New Automation, and name it for announcement review.
- 3Describe in one instruction which session should prompt a course announcement review and what relevant context to summarize.
- 4Pick Event Starting Soon as the trigger and choose where run reports should go.
- 5Test with one real session and confirm the report uses the correct course announcements.
Questions about this workflow
Can this retrieve announcements without an announcement action?
Yes. The selected Blackboard action retrieves announcements for a specific course. The automation can summarize the returned information for its report.
How does it know which course to check?
Provide course identification guidance in your instruction or connected context, and verify the course used in a real test.
When this happens · Trigger
Do this · Action
Supported Triggers and Actions
Notis builds workflows that link Google Calendar to Blackboard. A trigger fires from one place; an action lands in another.
Google Calendar triggers
Blackboard actions
Recurring trigger
Notis starts this workflow on a schedule, such as daily, weekly, or during business hours.
Course Announcements Access
Retrieves a list of announcements for a specific course in the blackboard learning management system. this endpoint allows users to access important messages, updates, or notifications related to a particular course. it should be used when there's a need to fetch all announcements or check for recent updates in a course. the tool returns announcement data but does not provide functionality for creating, updating, or deleting announcements. keep in mind that the returned list may be paginated if there are many announcements, and additional calls might be necessary to retrieve all data.
Webhook trigger
Notis starts this workflow when an external tool or custom backend sends an HTTP request.
Get course announcement by id
Retrieves a specific announcement from a particular course in the blackboard learn system. this endpoint allows users to fetch detailed information about a single announcement, including its content, creation date, and any attachments. it is particularly useful for displaying announcement details in external applications or for retrieving updated information about a previously known announcement. the endpoint requires both the course id and the announcement id to ensure precise retrieval of the intended announcement. it should be used when specific announcement details are needed, rather than for listing all announcements in a course.
Attendee Response Changed
Polling trigger that fires when any attendee's RSVP changes to accepted, declined, or tentative. Returns attendee info and current status.
Update child course in parent
This endpoint updates the relationship between a parent course and its child course in the blackboard learning management system. it is used to modify existing course hierarchies, allowing administrators to restructure course organizations or adjust course relationships. the endpoint should be used when there's a need to change the parent-child association between two courses, such as moving a sub-course to a different parent course or updating the hierarchical structure of courses. it's important to note that this endpoint only modifies existing relationships and does not create new courses or new child-parent associations if they don't already exist in some form.
Event Canceled or Deleted
Triggers when a Google Calendar event is cancelled or deleted. Returns minimal data: event_id, summary (if available), and cancellation timestamp.
Upload file to attempt in gradebook
This endpoint allows for the upload and attachment of files to a specific attempt within a course's gradebook in the blackboard learning management system. it is used to associate submitted work, supporting documents, or any relevant files with a student's attempt on an assignment, quiz, or other assessable items. the endpoint should be called after the initial file upload process, using the generated uploadid to link the file to the specific attempt. it's particularly useful for instructors or system integrators who need to programmatically attach files to student submissions, or for building custom submission interfaces that interact with blackboard's backend. this endpoint does not handle the actual file transfer; it assumes the file has already been uploaded to blackboard's system and is now being associated with a specific attempt.
Event Starting Soon
Triggers when a calendar event is within a configured number of minutes from starting. Returns event details, time remaining, attendees, and join links when available.
Get oauth2 authorization code
Initiates the oauth 2.0 authorization code flow for the blackboard api. this endpoint is used to obtain an authorization code, which is a crucial step in the oauth 2.0 authentication process. the authorization code can later be exchanged for an access token, granting limited access to user resources on the blackboard platform. this endpoint should be called when an application needs to request permission from a user to access their blackboard data. it's important to note that this endpoint does not directly provide access to user data; it only initiates the authorization process. the response will typically include a redirect url containing the authorization code, which the client application must handle appropriately.
Calendar Event Changes
**SOON TO BE DEPRECATED** - Use Calendar Event Sync (polling trigger) instead. Real-time webhook trigger for calendar event changes. Returns event metadata only. For full event data, use Calendar Event Sync (polling trigger).
Get user gradebook for course
Retrieves the gradebook information for a specific user within a particular course in blackboard. this endpoint allows instructors or authorized personnel to access individual student grade data, including assignment scores, overall course grade, and any custom gradebook columns. it should be used when detailed grade information for a single student in a specific course is needed, such as for progress monitoring or grade reviews. the endpoint does not modify any data and is read-only. note that this tool only provides grade data and does not include other course or user information beyond what's directly related to the gradebook.
Event Created
Polling trigger that fires when a new calendar event is created. Returns event ID, summary, start/end times, and organizer info.
Copy course with specific options
The coursecopytool allows you to create a copy of a blackboard course with fine-grained control over which elements are included in the copy. this endpoint is used when you need to duplicate a course, either creating a new course or overwriting an existing one, while selectively choosing which components to transfer. it's particularly useful for course administrators or instructors preparing for a new semester or creating variations of an existing course. the tool provides extensive customization options, allowing you to include or exclude specific course elements such as content areas, assessments, gradebook settings, and more. however, it does not handle enrollment of students or instructors in the new course - this must be done separately after the copy is complete.
Calendar Event Sync
Polling trigger that returns full event data including details, attendees, and metadata. For real-time notifications with basic info, use Calendar Event Changes (webhook).
Copy course by courseid
This endpoint creates a copy of an existing course in the blackboard learning management system. it allows instructors or administrators to duplicate course content, settings, and structure into a new or existing course. use this endpoint when you need to replicate a course for a new semester, create a template from an existing course, or backup course content. the operation copies all copyable elements of the source course into the target course specified by the courseid. note that this process may take some time for large courses, and certain elements (such as student data or time-sensitive content) may not be copied. the endpoint does not provide real-time progress updates on the copying process.
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When this happens · Trigger
Do this · Action
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