Summer will bring a major new development from the Library and University IT services. A new University portal is being built in Blackboard, the existing VLE platform, and the two are merging to form a new service called Minerva.

The launch date for the new Minerva Portal and VLE service is 27th July.

Minerva will continue to provide much the same functionality as the existing Portal but will have a more modern design and will be mobile responsive. Module areas in the VLE will not change, but they will be accessed through a new interface, including an updated list of modules and organisations with some new functionality.

The staff experience of the module interface will be largely unchanged, and we’ll update you here with the changes and fixes expected in this year’s Blackboard upgrade.

For students, we’re bringing together your Portal and VLE tools into a task-based design which we hope will put the tools and services you need most in easy reach.

Administrative staff preparing materials which reference either the Portal or VLE  will need to review documentation for students which refers the portal or the VLE . For more information see https://blog.library.leeds.ac.uk/blog/portal-help/post/533

As we get closer to the launch date you’ll start to see familiarisation guides for staff and students, hints, tips and screenshots, so check back here or subscribe to our Twitter feed to stay up to date.