TABLE OF CONTENTS

• What is Blackboard Ultra?
• Attend a Blackboard Ultra Training
• Practice in Your My Space Course
• Convert Your Upcoming Course
• Additional Resources and Support

What is Blackboard Ultra?

Lesley University is transitioning to Blackboard Ultra, the new and improved version of Blackboard. Ultra courses have been redesigned from the ground up and feature a clean modern interface, responsive mobile friendly experience, consistent and intuitive navigation, improved accessibility, streamlined grading, and more.

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

Attend a Blackboard Ultra Training

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.

Practice in Your My Space Course

What is a My Space?

Your My Space course is a private sandbox course where you are the only one enrolled. This space was designed to allow you to practice using myLesley and is the perfect location to begin familiarizing yourself with the tools and features in Blackboard Ultra.

All My Space courses were converted to Blackboard Ultra on January 10, 2024. If your My Space course is full of old content or clutter, you may wish to start fresh by using the Batch Edit tool to delete anything you no longer need.

Can't find your My Space? Email elis@lesley.edu for assistance.

Things to Try in Ultra

Ready to start working in Ultra but aren't sure where to start? Use your My Space course to practice using the various tools and features. The following guides will walk you through many of the tools and tasks. As you work through these documents, think about how you may apply these tools to your course(s) and your content. Every course is different - you may not need or want to use all of the tools and features.

Things to Do in Ultra Course View Part 1

This step-by-step guide will walk you through some of the basic features of Blackboard Ultra Course View, including creating an Ultra document, using the text editor, creating folders and modules, creating assignments and tests, creating discussions, and more. 

Things to do in Ultra Course View Part 1 

Things to Do in Ultra Course View Part 2

This step-by-step guide will walk you through some of the more administrative features of Blackboard Ultra Course View, including copying content from a previous course, using batch edit, tracking attendance, setting up the gradebook, grading, and more.

Things to do in Ultra Course View Part 2

Convert Your Upcoming Course

Ready to convert your upcoming course to Ultra? The following steps will guide you through the process.

Step 1: Request Your Course Conversion

By default, all new courses are created in Original Course View. If you would like to teach your upcoming course in Ultra, please email elis@lesley.edu. Please include your course ID and section number in your email.

Step 2: Review Your Original Course

Take a look at your Original course. What is currently working for you? What could be improved? How can you utilize the tools and features in Ultra to improve your course?

Keep in mind that some tools (ex Blogs and Wikis) are not available in Ultra Course View. The Ultra Course View Feature Guide compares Original to Ultra and notes the differences. If you are uncertain which tool to use for your activities, reach out to elis@lesley.edu. We would be happy to brainstorm some ideas with you!

Step 3: Create Your First Learning Module or Folder

We suggest that you begin by creating your first Learning Module and/or Folder and then adding content within it.

Refer to the Ultra Course View Faculty Quick Start Guide for detailed instructions about creating various types of content in your course.

You may also choose to copy content from an Original course into your Ultra course. As a best practice, we recommend that you copy content in pieces, as a full course copy from Original to Ultra will cause errors and require cleanup.

Unsure where to start? Have questions? Want to brainstorm some ideas regarding your course structure, learning activity, or workflow? Reach out to elis@lesley.edu. We're happy to help.

Step 4: Continue Building Your Course

Generally speaking, the first few Learning Modules/Folders are the hardest. As you begin to create your course structure and become familiar with the tools, the rest of the course tends to come together quickly.

As you build your course, pay attention to your course structure and naming convention. As a best practice, be sure that you follow a similar Learning Module/Folder structure, workflow, and naming convention. This will help students navigate your course and provide a more seamless experience.

Newly created and copied content is hidden from students by default. You may adjust the visibility for these items one at a time or use the Batch Edit tool to update them all at once.

Additional Resources and Support

Blackboard Ultra Course View Faculty Quick Start Guide

This guide contains instructions and tutorial videos to get you started with Ultra Course View: Blackboard Ultra Course View Faculty Quick Start Guide.

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?

eLIS Online Office Hours

Have questions? 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 eLIS

Reach out to elis@lesley.edu with any questions or to request a 1:1 or small group training.