NOTE: This information is for faculty only. For general information, go to the Blackboard: Move to Ultra Courses site.
Blackboard Ultra Migration for Instructors - This webpage provides a general overview of Ultra to understand how it compares and contrasts with our current system, Learn. Discussion topics include look-and-feel and site navigation, content hierarchy, innovative features, and strategies for moving courses from Learn to Ultra.
Review the Blackboard Learn and Ultra Terminology, including what"s new.
Additional resources are available in the Blackboard Ultra Overview.
DEIS Knowledge Base - Our quickly searchable knowledge base has many Blackboard Ultra-specific categories.
Prefer live training? Schedule a one-on-one virtual training session for any of these topics (and many others) by going to the DEIS Faculty Consultation Scheduling site.
Organize your content into modules or folders - Organizing your course into discrete sections, like modules or units, with consistent structure can make it easier for your students to navigate your course and find the readings, resources, activities, and assessments they need to complete in a single place. This reduces cognitive load for students and allows them to focus on learning the content of your course instead of how to navigate it.
Keep Titles Short - Keep titles short for modules, folders, content, and assessments because longer titles can be cut off when students access your course from a mobile device. Alternatively, place the most important information first in the title.
Combine Rebuilding and Copying for Efficiency - When transitioning from the Original Course View to the Ultra Course View, you will always get a better result by rebuilding your course fresh. However, you can combine rebuilding and granular course copy from Original to Ultra to increase your efficiency. We recommend building your structure first (see the tips below on using modules and creating a consistent structure), uploading files directly to the course, and copying assessments, like Tests, from Original to Ultra to avoid rebuilding them.
Once you have your course built in the Ultra Course View, it is perfectly fine to copy the entire course for a new semester.
Use "Copy Content" for a Consistent Structure - The easiest way to create a consistent structure for your course is to build one Learning Module or Folder with all of the components that you want to have in each module/unit (e.g., an overview document, sub-folders for readings or assessments, placeholder for discussion) and then copy that for each module/unit. The ability to duplicate an item within a course makes this much easier!
Respondus Monitor Module - Do not copy the Respondus Monitor Module from your Learn course to Ultra course. There is an Ultra version of this module that will be placed in your course.
Use "Copy Content" for Assessments - The easiest way to reuse your tests in your Learn course is to use the "Copy Content" and select the test in your Learn course. You may also import tests or question banks. This will copy all the questions and any question banks (known as question pools in Learn).
Use Question Banks to reuse questions in multiple assesmsents - Review the Ultra versus Learn assessment terminology to understand the features in the courses.
Tests using LockDown Browser - Edit the name of the assessment as you may want to remove "(**Webcam**) - Requires Respondus LockDown Browser" from the name as Ultra does not use this naming. It is important to remove the access code that is added when you copy a test using LockDown Browser.
Tests with a password - An access code will be added to all tests with a password in the Test Options in the Learn course. The instructor can no longer assign an instructor created password to a test. Use an access code to add a layer of security to your assessments.
Posting Grades in Ultra - In Ultra, a grade must be posted for students to see their grade. You can have the grade automatically posted as soon as the assessment is graded or you can manually post. See the assessment setting to determine how you want grades posted.
Kaltura Videos - Learn how to embed using a thumbnail.
Multimedia activities created by DEIS - Learn how to migrate the activity from your Learn course to your Ultra course.
The following faculty, listed alphabetically by last name, have volunteered to be peer mentors for other faculty who would like tips, techniques, and insights for Ultra. Please reach out to any of them directly through email (you can find them automatically in Outlook when you start typing their names in the "To" field).
Shawn Casey - Professor, English Department
Christine Creagh - Professor, Early Childhood Development
Madelyn (Madee) Green - Instructor, Anthropology, Social & Behavioral Science
Erin Kelly-Snyder, DVM - Program Coordinator / Assistant Professor, Veterinary Technology
Nicholas Lakostik - Professor, English Department
Marc Lord - Professor, Biological & Physical Sciences
Ann Palazzo - Professor, English Department
Jane Roberts - Program Coordinator / Professor, Health Information Management Technology
Karla Short - Instructor, Emergency Medical Services
Stephen Timmons - Professor, Humanities (History)
Katelyn Zag - Assistant Professor, Nursing