Contents

  1. What is Blackboard Ultra?
  2. How do I access my 2024/25 Blackboard Ultra module sites?
  3. What is happening with existing content in classic Blackboard module sites?
  4. Will organisation sites be moving to Blackboard Ultra?
  5. What else do I need to know about moving to Blackboard Ultra right now?
  6. Can I see a student view of Blackboard Ultra?
  7. Training and support for Blackboard Ultra – Book your place
  8. Recorded Ultra training sessions – also has links to tool-specific videos & learning module folder icons
  9. What guidance is available for students about Blackboard Ultra?

1. What is Blackboard Ultra?

Blackboard Ultra is a whole modern interface and will look and feel quite different, but many Blackboard classic features such as announcements, discussions, groups, adaptive release and more will all still exist in Blackboard Ultra. Most differences are cosmetic, and some tools and types of content will be located in different places.

You can still create your own content items, upload documents, share videos and other resources with your students. You can even search for content on an Ultra site! However, some content types and tools that are Blackboard classic work differently in Blackboard Ultra:

  • You will still be able to organise your content into folders (or Learning Modules with decorative icons); however, the depth of folder levels is limited to two in Blackboard Ultra. This is to support and encourage a more organised and accessible approach to content management so that sites are easier for students to navigate.
  • Third-party tools such as Panopto and PebblePad are fully integrated with Blackboard Ultra. You can find these under Integrated Tools when adding content.
  • Simplified descriptions for folders and documents make the site much easier to navigate, especially on a small screen or device.
  • Discussions have improved functionality and are much easier to set up. There are also Class Conversations which are discussions attached to specific content items or assessments.
  • The instructor Grade Centre and the student My Grades tool have been renamed Gradebook.

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2. How do I access my 2024/25 Blackboard Ultra module sites?

You can check if you have access to your module sites for the next academic year by filtering the sites on the Modules page in Blackboard by selecting Academic Year 2024/25 in the Terms selection box.

If you are unable to see a site for a module that you are expecting to be delivering in 2024/25, you can check if a module site has been created by searching for the site using the Search module sites link in Support Tools on the Blackboard Institution page.

  • If you are the module leader and you see that a site exists for the module you are delivering but you do not have access, the module leader information may be missing or incorrect in SITS. You can check and update the module leader information in SITS You will then be automatically enrolled on the site overnight and be able to access the site the next day.
  • If you see that a site exists for the module, you will also see any current staff enrolments. If you are teaching on the module, but you are not the module leader, please contact one of those staff already enrolled to give you access to the site.
  • If the module site you are expecting is missing from the module sites search results, you can request it. The site is created immediately and you will be enrolled as an instructor. The module leader will also be immediately enrolled based on information in the student record system (SITS). Students, course leader(s), and external examiner (where set in SITS) will be enrolled overnight. If you see a message that there is no module leader on the site, then you need to set the module leader in SITS before you can request your site.

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3. What is happening with existing content in classic Blackboard module sites?

No content has been copied into the new 2024/25 Blackboard module sites from previous sites. Copying content in Ultra is simple with an easy-to-use copy tool, and you can copy selected content from classic sites across to Ultra. Watch the short video below (2 mins 15 secs) to see how easy it is to copy content!

A template has been provided in each module site to guide you when adding content and what to include.

Blackboard sites set up in previous years will continue to be available using the classic interface. These existing sites will not be converted to Ultra.

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4. Will organisation sites be moving to Ultra?

All newly requested organisation sites will be created in the Ultra interface. You can request organisation sites using the site request tool. Course organisation sites will be populated with the Hallam Mini Modules for use with students, and you can easily copy any content you require from existing organisation sites to new organisation sites in the Ultra interface.

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5. What else do I need to know about moving to Blackboard Ultra right now?

Assessments

Folders for assessments and reassessments have been provided as part of the Blackboard Ultra module site template. The assessment creation process for 2024/25 modules was completed on 4 September 2024, and guidance is available to help you get your assessments ready for students.

In Blackboard Ultra, Assignments are deeply integrated with Turnitin . This means that when students submit work to Blackboard, a copy is automatically uploaded to Turnitin and a Similarity Report generated. There is important information about enabling and setting up Turnitin in Blackboard Ultra.

Reading Lists Online (RLO)

A placeholder for Reading Lists Online (RLO) has been added in the Module Information section of the template. The following information is applicable from 10 June 2024. If the module is repeated from academic year 2023/24 and there was an RLO for it, a copy for academic year 2024/25 will have been made and should be available via that link. If this is a new module, you will now be able to create a 2024/25 RLO for it. Please make sure the module code and academic year is attached to the RLO, if it is, it should link automatically. Do not try to manually link a list yourself. Further information regarding RLO can be found on the Staff RLO Guide. If you have any questions or issues relating to RLO, please contact your subject librarian.

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6. Can I see a student view of Blackboard Ultra?

You can experience the look and feel, and many features of Blackboard Ultra by checking into the Welcome to Ultra Paradise! organisation site. Search the Blackboard Organisations page for ‘Welcome to Ultra Paradise!’ to see if you have been enrolled. If you cannot see the site, you can request access.

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7. What training and support is available for Blackboard Ultra?

The Digital Learning Team are providing support and development opportunities to help staff with the transition to Blackboard Ultra. All sessions will be delivered online using Microsoft Teams. (Recordings of previous sessions are available). Academic staff have been invited to all sessions, please check your Outlook Calendar. However, you can click the links below to add them to your Calendar if you have declined or deleted the invitation and now wish to attend, or at the start of the session to access the link to the Teams meeting.

An Introduction to Blackboard Ultra and How to Create Content

The session will include:

  • A general introduction to the new interface.
  • Recommendations to help you and your students get the most out of the new Blackboard.
  • How to upload files and create new content on a site.
  • Copying content from existing sites into your new Ultra sites.

Wednesday 27 November 2024, 11:00-12:00

Marking and Feedback in Blackboard Ultra

This session looks in detail at the process for marking and feedback in Ultra. It looks in detail at managing the Gradebook, and the options for adding feedback and grades to student work. We also look at the new way to use Turnitin in Blackboard Ultra.

Tuesday 12 November 2024, 11:00-12:00

Monday 18 November 2024, 15:00-16:00

Friday 29 November 2024, 15:00-16:00

Blackboard Ultra – Accessibility, design and next steps in content creation

This session focuses on ways to make your module sites accessible and ensure that materials are well-structured and clear to students. We will also introduce the next steps for getting your sites fully set up and ready to run with students. The session will include:

  • What Digital Accessibility is and why it is important.
  • How to effectively structure content in the new Ultra interface.

Blackboard Ultra focused session on setting up assessments

This session will focus on how assessment looks and works within Blackboard Ultra, and advice on how Ultra’s features can be used for formative feedback. This will include:

  • How Assignments are set up in SITS and the significance of making sure the data is correct.
  • Manually setting up formative assignments in Blackboard.
  • Enabling Turnitin (this is not automatic), and expectations.
  • Creating rubrics and adding rubrics to an assessment point.
  • Adding grading schema.
  • Formative Turnitin points.
  • Setting up tests in Blackboard.
  • Student POV of Assessments (student preview).

Video in Ultra

This session looks at using Panopto in Blackboard Ultra. It will look at how to include lecture recordings and other videos in your Ultra sites, as well as covering other features of Panopto such as quizzes and student submission.

Collaboration and Communication

This session focuses on methods of communication and collaboration in Blackboard Ultra. This includes how to best contact students from the module, and how to engage in collaborative activities.

We will cover the following tools: Announcements, Messages, Discussions, Conversations, Groups, Journals, and external tools such as Padlet.

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8. Blackboard Ultra session recordings

Video tutorials

Related help articles

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9. What guidance is available for students about Blackboard Ultra?

Blackboard Ultra guidance for students is available via My Hallam. The guidance provides key information and an introductory video.

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