TABLE OF CONTENTS

• What is Blackboard Ultra Course View?
• Create Course Content
  • Organize Your Content in Learning Modules or Folders
  • Create Ultra Documents
  • Copy Course Content
  • Make Content Available, Unavailable, or Set Release Conditions
  • Batch Edit
• Create Assignments
• Create Tests
• Create Discussions
• Communicate with your Students
  • Announcements
  • Messages
• Navigate and Set Up the Gradebook
  • Access the Gradebook
  • Gradebook Views
  • Set Up The Overall Grade
• Grade Student Work
  • Grade Assignments
  • Grade Tests
  • Grade Discussions
• Set up Accommodations and Test Exceptions
  • Accommodations
  • Assessment Exceptions and Exemptions
• Additional Resources and Support

What is Blackboard Ultra Course View?

Blackboard Ultra has been redesigned from the ground up and features a modern, mobile-first design and intuitive navigation. Features include:

• A responsive mobile friendly experience. Move from phone to tablet to computer seamlessly. 
• Improved accessibility. 
• Consistent navigation for students across courses. 
• Progress tracking.
• Streamlined grading.

View the Why You Should Try Blackboard Ultra video walkthrough for more information about Blackboard Ultra at Lesley University.

Blackboard has recently tripled its development team for Ultra courses. New features and improvements are released every month! Some of these new features are large updates with completely new functionality. Others are small enhancements that improve workflows and your experience teaching and learning in Ultra. 

For more information about new features, visit our What's New in Ultra? page. 

Check out all of our Ultra information pages on the Lesley eLIS blog. 

Create Course Content

Your course creation starts on the Course Content page. Here you can create Learning Modules or Folders in which to organize your content, copy content from a previous course, upload content from your computer, etc. 

Organize Your Content in Learning Modules or Folders

When you design your course, we recommend that your content be “chunked” into discrete, manageable units of learning. This could be by week, unit, topic, or whatever will help to present materials in a meaningful and helpful way.

Create Learning Modules

Learning Modules are a great way to organize your content. Students may view their progress within a Learning Module and navigate from one item to another by using navigation buttons at the top of the module page. You can also personalize your learning modules with thumbnail images for a more engaging experience. Within your learning module you may add different types of content, including folders, Ultra Documents, Assignments, Tests, Discussions, links, and more.

To create a Learning Module, click on the + button anywhere on your Course Content page. Select Create and then select Learning Module.

Give your Learning Module a name, decide whether to make it visible to students, a short description, decide whether to force sequence, and add an image to personalize your module. Click Save to save your changes.

For more information go to the Create Learning Modules support page or watch the Create Learning Modules tutorial video.

Create Folders

When you design your course, we recommend that your content be “chunked” into discrete, manageable units of learning. This could be by week, unit, topic, or whatever will help to present materials in a meaningful and helpful way. 

Like Learning Modules, Folders allow you to organize your content in a meaningful way. Use folders to organize related documents, projects, etc. For example, if you have an assignment or activity with multiple, related pieces, group them together in a folder for easier navigation.

You may create folders on your Course Content page or create folders within Learning Modules. You can create two levels of folders to organize your content.

To create a Folder, click on the + button anywhere on your Course Content page or within a Learning Module. Select Create and then select Folder.

Give your Folder a name, decide whether to make it visible to students, and provide a short description. Click Save to save your changes.

Create Ultra Documents

An Ultra Document allows you to combine a variety of content together, such as text, multimedia, and attachments. This is similar to an Item in Blackboard Original. Use an Ultra Document to create your course content, including text, videos, files, links, and more.

To create an Ultra Document, click on the + button anywhere on your Course Content page, within a Learning Module, or within a Folder. Select Create and then select Document.

Give your Ultra Document a name, set the visibility status, and select the type of content block you wish to add. 

You may choose from several different content block types:

• Content: The Content block is the most common (and familiar) block type. A Content block may include text, links, attachments, images, videos, etc. added via the Text Editor.
• HTML: The HTML block allows you to add HTML content, such as a video or VoiceThread.
• Knowledge Check: The Knowledge Check block allows you to create multiple choice and multiple answer questions for students to engage with and receive immediate feedback. Watch the Knowledge Checks in Blackboard Documents video tutorial for more information.
• File Upload: The File Upload block allows you to upload a file from your computer. You may select whether your file may be view only, download, or have the ability for students to both view and download.
• Cloud Upload: The Cloud Upload block will prompt you to login to a cloud service (OneDrive, Google Drive, Dropbox, or Box) and select a file. You may select whether your file may be view only, download, or have the ability for students to both view and download.
• Content Collection: The Content Collection block will allow you to search your course's Content Collection and select a file. You may select whether your file may be view only, download, or have the ability for students to both view and download.
• Convert a File: The Convert a File block allows you to select a file from your machine and convert it into an Ultra Document. Supported file types include PDF, PowerPoint (ppt, pptx, pps), and Word (doc, docx, odt).

Once you create blocks, you may create a more visually appealing layout by resizing and moving blocks into columns and rows.

For more information about Ultra Documents, go to the Create Documents support page or watch the Create Documents Tutorial Video.

Copy Course Content

You can easily copy pieces of content from one course to another. If you are copying content from an Original course, we recommend that you do so in pieces, as a full course copy from Original to Ultra may cause issues. 

On the Course Content page, click on the Options Menu (three dots on the right side of the page) and select Copy Items.

Alternately, go to the location in your Course Content where you wish to add content (such as within a specific Folder or Learning Module), click the plus sign to open the menu and select Copy Content.

This will bring up a list of all courses in which you are enrolled. Scroll through the list or use the search bar to search for a specific course. 

Click on the course you want to copy from. This will display a list of categories. Select a category to see items available for copy. You may copy as many items from the course as you wish, including entire modules, individual documents, assignments, discussions, and more.

• Content: Items that are listed on the Content tab for that course. 
• Discussions: Items that are listed on the Discussions tab for that course. 
• Question Banks: All available Question Banks for that course. 
• Rubrics: All available Rubrics for that course.
• Grade Schemas: All available Grade Schemas for that course.

Select what you want to copy and click Start Copy to copy the content. 

The copy process may take several minutes to complete.

When you copy individual items to your course these items are hidden from students by default. Use the Batch Edit tool to change the visibility settings.

For more information on copying course content, go to the Copying Ultra Courses support article. 

Make Content Available, Unavailable, or Set Release Conditions

All content you create is hidden from students by default. Click on the content's visibility to make your content hidden from students, visible to students, or to set release conditions (release content by date, by users, or by student performance).

If your folder or learning module is hidden from students, your students will not be able to view the content inside of it, regardless of its visibility settings.

For more information go to the Release Conditions support page or watch the Release Conditions tutorial video.

Batch Edit

The Batch Edit tool allows you to update common settings across your content (such as visibility and due dates), bulk delete content, and more.

On the Course Content page, click on the Options Menu (three dots on the right side of the page) and select Batch Edit. 

This will bring you to the Batch Edit page. Click the check box next to the items you want to update. You can choose entire Folders or Learning Modules, or individual items. If you select an entire Folder or Learning Module, all items within it will also be selected. You may click to open a Folder or Learning Module in order to select individual items within it.

Once you have selected your items you may:

• Edit Dates: Edit due dates on selected items. You may change the dates by a select number of days, based on course start, or change to a specific date/time.
• Edit Visibility: Choose whether to show or hide the selected items for students. This is especially useful if you copied content from a previous course or did not update your visibility settings when creating content.
• Delete Items: Delete all selected items.

For more information, go to the Batch Edit support article or watch the Batch Edit tutorial video.

Create Assignments

Ultra Course View allows you to create Assignments alongside other content in your course. You may grade your assignment and provide feedback to your students. 

To create an Assignment, click on the + button anywhere on your Course Content page, within a Learning Module, or within a Folder. Select Create and then select Assignment.

Give your Assignment a name and enter the instructions. Use the Text/Content Editor to add any relevant links, images, attachments, and videos. Click on the Assignment Settings (gear icon) to add a due date and points, set the number of attempts, attach a rubric, add a description (which will appear on the Course Content page), and more.

For more information, go to the Create and Edit Assignments support page or watch the Create an Assignment video tutorial.

Create Tests

Ultra Course View allows you to create tests alongside other content in your course. You may grade your test and provide feedback to your students. The Assignment and Test tools share the same interface but options may be enabled or disabled depending on the type of assessment you are creating. 

To create a Test, click on the + button anywhere on your Course Content page, within a Learning Module, or within a Folder. Select Create and then select Test.

Give your Test a name and click the + icon to start creating test questions. Select a question type to begin. Click on the Test Settings (gear icon) to add a due date and points, select presentation options, set the number of attempts, and more.

For more information, go to the Create Tests support page or watch the Create a Test tutorial video.

Create Discussions

Ultra features robust Discussions and you and your students can receive notifications about new posts via the Activity Stream. Students have the option to edit or delete their posts (this can be turned off), but all replies to a deleted post are preserved in the thread. You also have the option to allow anonymous posts.

To create a Discussion, click on the + button anywhere on your Course Content page, within a Learning Module, or within a Folder. Select Create and then select Discussion.

Give your Discussion a name and enter a prompt. Click on the Discussion Settings (gear icon) to add a due date and points, prevent students from editing published posts, allow anonymous responses, and more.

For more information, go to the Create Discussions support page or watch the Create Discussions video tutorial.

Communicate with your Students

Communicate with your entire class at once using the Announcements tool or communicate with individual or groups of students using the Messages tool. As a best practice, use the Announcements tool for communications to the entire class.

Announcements

Announcements are a great way to post time-sensitive information or notifications to your students. Ultra courses display an Announcement as an overlay, requiring the student to dismiss the pop-up before they can access the course content. Announcements can also be emailed as well as viewed in the Activity Stream.

To create an Announcement, click on the Announcements tab. This will bring you into the Announcements area. Click on the + button to create a new Announcement.

Give your Announcement a title and enter a message for your students. You may choose to email a copy of the Announcement to your students and/or schedule the Announcement to send at a later time. 

Click Save Draft to save your Announcement as a draft or click Post to post your Announcement immediately. If you scheduled your Announcement, it will not post or send the email until the specified date/time.

For more information, go to the Announcements support page or watch the Create Announcements tutorial video.

Messages

Course messages are private and secure communications sent within your course and among course members. You may send messages to communicate with individuals, groups, or the entire class.

To send a Message, click on the Messages tab. This will bring you into the Messages area. Click on New Message to create a message.

In the Recipients area, select who you would like to message. Select whether to send a copy of the message as an email and whether to allow students to reply to your message. Enter your message information and click Send.

For more information, go to the Messages support page .

Navigate and Set Up the Gradebook

The Gradebook allows you to grade submissions, track student engagement, message students, add student accommodations, send reminders, and more. When you create a graded item in your course (ex an Assignment, Test, graded Discussion, etc.), a column is automatically created in the Gradebook.

Access the Gradebook

You may access your Gradebook from the Gradebook in your individual course or from the Global Grades Page.

Click on the Gradebook tab to access the Gradebook from within a course. Here you will see the Gradebook for this course.

Click on Grades from the main Blackboard navigation to access the Global Grades Page. Here you will see all of your courses and the current status of grading. Click on View All Work to go into that course's Gradebook.

Gradebook Views

The Gradebook's intuitive navigation provides four different views: Overview, Gradable Items, Grades, and Students. Each view allows you to view and interact with the content in a different way, depending on your current needs.

Overview

The Gradebook Overview is designed to help you easily stay on top of your grading and features two sections: Needs Grading and Needs Posting.

• Needs Grading: The Needs Grading section highlights the items ready for grading. Click on Grade Now to begin grading.
• Needs Posting: The Needs Posting section highlights the graded items ready to be posted. Click on Post Now to post the grades.

Gradable Items

The Gradable Items view lists all the gradable items in your course. You can also view and sort by due dates, grading status, and item categories. Select an item’s name to go to its Submissions or Grades & Participation page. Or select x to grade to go directly to the submission page and start grading.

Grades

The Grades view displays each student’s grade for a specific assignment. You will see one student per row and one gradable item per column. This view is most similar to the Original Grade Center’s Full Grade Center. Select a student’s gradable item to view the submission and start grading, provide feedback, add or edit exceptions, etc.

Students

The Students view lists the students in your course, along with the date they last accessed your course and their overall grades. Students with accommodations have a purple flag next to their name. Click on a student’s name to send them a message or add/view their accommodations.

For more information, go to the Navigate Grading support page or watch the Gradebook Overview tutorial video.

Set Up The Overall Grade

The Overall Grade is a calculated column that shows the students' current grades in the course. It appears in the Gradebook next to the students' names so you and your students can quickly and easily see how they are performing.

To set up or edit your Overall Grade column, go to the Gradebook and click Settings (gear icon). 

This will open the Gradebook panel. Scroll down to the Overall Grade section and select Manage overall grade settings.

Under Select a Calculation Type, choose how you would like to calculate your overall grade. You may choose Points (a running total where the points of each graded item add up to 100) or Weighted (group your graded items into categories and give each category a different percentage of the overall grade).  

In the Overall Grade Settings area, select how the overall grade is displayed (points, percentage, letter, etc.). Check the option to Calculate grades based on points earned out of total graded points so that students can see their current grade in the course based on the assignments that they have already completed.


Click Save. Then close the window to return to the Gradebook.

For more information, go to the Grade Columns support article.

Grade Student Work

Grade Assignments

You will grade your Assignment from the Assignment's Submissions page. You may access this page from multiple areas:

• Base Navigation: Click on Grades, locate the course, and select the Assignment you want to grade.
• Course Gradebook: Click on the Gradebook tab in your course and locate your Assignment. You may access it from the Gradable Items view or the Grades view.
• Assignment: From within your Assignment, click on the Submissions tab.

Once you have arrived on the Submissions page, select a student's name to view their assignment and begin grading.

The student's submission will appear in the center of the page. You may expand or collapse the Students panel and the Feedback panel depending on the task you wish to do.

Submission:

• Use the Bb Annotate options for inline grading or commenting directly on the submission. For more information, go to the Bb Annotate support article or watch the Annotate in Blackboard Learn tutorial video.
• You may download a copy of the original file or a copy of the file with your annotations.
• Enter a grade for your student in the grade pill at the top of the page.

Students Panel: 

• Expand the Students panel to view the list of students who have submitted the Assignment. Select a student to begin grading. You may collapse the panel to view more of the submission while grading.
• Use the Grading Status filter to display all students or select the Needs Grading filter to focus on remaining grading work.
• Click Post Grades to post grades for all graded students.

Feedback Panel:

• Expand or collapse the feedback and rubrics side panel to add feedback for the attempt or grade with a rubric (if one is available).
• Use the Record Feedback option to add a video or audio recording of your feedback. Students can watch or listen to your feedback alongside any text you include.

For more information, go to the Grade Assignments with Flexible Grading support article or watch the Grading Assignments tutorial video.

Grade Tests

You will grade your Test from the Test's Submissions page. You may access this page from multiple areas:

• Base Navigation: Click on Grades, locate the course, and select the Test you want to grade.
• Course Gradebook: Click on the Gradebook tab in your course and locate your Test. You may access it from the Gradable Items view or the Grades view.
• Test: From within your Test, click on the Submissions tab.

Once you have arrived on the Submissions page, select a student's name to view their test and begin grading.

You will have the option to grade the Test by Student or by Question. The test questions will appear in the center of the page and you may expand or collapse the Students panel and the Feedback panel depending on the task you wish to do.

Students/Questions Panel:

• Select Students to grade the test by student or select Questions to grade the test by question.
• Expand the panel to view the list of students or questions and select one to begin grading. You may collapse the panel to view more of the submission while grading.
• Use the Grading Status filter to display all students or select the Needs Grading filter to focus on remaining grading work.
• Click Post Grades to post grades for all graded students.

Submissions:

• If the question(s) are graded automatically you will see the students' scores for each question. 
• If the question(s) are not graded automatically, you may enter a score for each question.
• Select a question's Feedback button to add feedback specific to the student's response.

Feedback Panel:

• Expand or collapse the feedback and rubrics side panel to add feedback for the attempt or grade with a rubric (if one is available).
• Use the Record Feedback option to add a video or audio recording of your feedback. Students can watch or listen to your feedback alongside any text you include.

For more information go to the Grade Tests with Flexible Grading support article.

Grade Discussions

If your Discussion will count for a grade, be sure to enter the grading information (including due date, maximum points, etc.) in the Grading and Participation area of the Discussion's Settings.

You will grade your Discussion from the Discussion's Grades & Participation page. You may access this page from three areas:

• Base Navigation: Click on Grades, locate the course, and select the Discussion you want to grade.
• Course Gradebook: Click on the Gradebook tab in your course and locate your Discussion. You may access it from the Gradable Items view or the Grades view.
• Discussion: From within your Discussion, click on the Grades & Participation tab.

Once you have arrived on the Grades & Participation page, select the student's name to view their contributions.

Your student's responses and replies are highlighted so that you can read their contributions in context. At the top of the page, enter a grade in the grade pill. Click the Feedback icon to open the feedback panel and provide feedback to your student.

For more information, go to the Grade Discussions support article or watch the How to Grade Discussions tutorial video.

Set up Accommodations and Test Exceptions

Ultra courses allow you to set an Accommodation for a student on the Roster. Rather than applying exceptions for individual tests and assignments, the Accommodations will apply to every assessment in the course. Additionally, you may apply individual exceptions for students on the Submissions page for an Assignment or Test.

Accommodations

You may set accommodations for individual students to allow for additional attempts or extended access. Accommodations apply to all assessments within the course. Students will not see the accommodations that you have added.

To set accommodations, go to your Roster. From the Course Content page, go to the Details & Actions menu and click on your Course Roster link, View everyone in your course.

This will open your course roster. Select your student and click the ... menu. Select Accommodations. Select due date accommodation and/or time limit accommodation and click Save.

For more information, go to the Make Accommodations support page. 

Assessment Exceptions and Exemptions

You may set exceptions for an individual student or group on a specific test or assignment. Depending on the circumstances, you may need to extend their due date, grant them an additional attempt, or excuse them from the assessment altogether.

Examples:

• Assignment with one attempt: If a student submitted the incorrect document or an incompatible file type, allow a second attempt so the student can resubmit. 
• Assessment due date: If a student is sick, set a new due date so they can submit when they are feeling better.
• Exempt a Student from an assessment: In certain circumstances you may need to exempt a student from an assessment. When exempted, the Gradebook will adjust the overall grade automatically.

Exceptions are different from the accommodations you set in the course roster. An accommodation applies to all due dates or time limits in your course for an individual student. Exceptions are only allowed for the Show on and Hide after dates and additional attempts.

For detailed information and instructions, go to the Grant Exceptions and Exemptions support page.

Additional Resources and Support

Student Quick Start Guide

This guide contains information for students taking an Ultra course: Taking Your First Ultra Course? Here's What You Need to Know.

Convert Your Course to Blackboard Ultra

Ready to take the plunge? Review the Convert Your Course to Blackboard Ultra article for information on converting your upcoming courses to Ultra.

Blackboard Ultra Training Options

Choose the training option that best suits your needs! Whether you prefer to go at it alone, or want extra support and training on your journey, we have an Ultra training for you: Blackboard Ultra Training Options.

Unable to attend one of our trainings? Email elis@lesley.edu to set up an appointment or request a small group training.

What's New in Ultra?

Blackboard is releasing new Ultra features and improvements every month! Some of these new features are large updates with completely new functionality while others are small enhancements. Check out Blackboard's monthly roundup of new features: What's New in Ultra?

Faculty Online Office Hours

Have questions about myLesley? Need assistance? Join the eLIS staff for our weekly online office hours every Monday and Thursday, 2:00 - 4:00 ET. No appointment necessary: Join eLIS Online Office Hours.

Contact Us

Reach out to eLearning and Instructional Support (eLIS) at elis@lesley.edu with any questions or to request a 1:1 or small group training.The Gradebook allows you to grade submissions, track student engagement, message students, add student accommodations, send reminders, and more. When you create a graded item in your course (ex an Assignment, Test, graded Discussion, etc.), a column is automatically created in the Gradebook.