Build in Ultra

Build your course by creating the content in Ultra Course View (rather than copying/converting) to avoid potential feature/functionality issues. This is a great way to refresh and update your course with new content and a new layout. Use your Blackboard Original course as a reference for documents, videos, and text. You can copy small chunks of items from Blackboard Original but will need to verify that the content is converted properly. There is no guarantee that everything will convert over properly when copied from Original to Ultra, so building directly in the Ultra course is best.

To copy items from one Ultra course to another Ultra course, click on the three dots at the top of your course content area. In the drop-down menu, select “Copy Items.” In the pop-out menu on the right, search for the course you would like to copy from and locate the content to copy to your Ultra course. More information the Course Copy Tool in Blackboard Original and Ultra Course kb page.

Creating Content

To create content, select the plus sign in the content area and select from a list of different options. In general, you will click on Create and then will see a list of Course Content Items to choose from, such as a Learning Module, Folder, Document, different types of assessments, and so forth. Content can then be moved around within the course by using the click-and-drag function.

By default, Ultra content items are hidden from students when created. To change the visibility of content, select “Visible to students” from the drop-down menu in the upper right when creating content. If an item is already in the main content area, the visibility can be changed by clicking on the drop-down menu under the content title and selecting “Visible to students.”

Learning Modules

Learning modules can act as a container for content and has the option to add forced sequential viewing. On the student side, this creates a type of navigation for students where they can go forward and backward through the module. Learning Modules also have the option to add a photo to make the course modules more engaging. 

Titles of Folders and Modules

When creating your layout, think about how you want the structure to be laid out. You could go with a weekly layout or by subject. For the folders and modules, make the title names clear so students are aware of the layout for easy navigation and flow.

Videos and Images

If you are using the same images from an Original course, it is best to find the original or download the image to your desktop and then upload it to the Ultra course using the insert image feature. Copying and pasting an image from Blackboard Original is not recommended as the image links back to the Blackboard Original course and will likely create a broken link or permission issues. Blackboard Ultra as a large repository available with Unsplash for you to choose new images instead of uploading your own.

Videos need to be added using the content market instead of the file upload option. Use the Plus sign in the text editor of your content to utilize the content market, select a YouTube Video, or link to Media sites. Use YuJa to create your own recorded videos and then place the video within the course using the Plus sign in the text editor or embed the link within the text. If you have videos from other media, we recommend uploading the file to YuJa and sharing the video through YuJa to your course. Creating or uploading your videos within YuJa helps to reduce overall storage in the course and also helps to ensure accessibility as all videos in YuJa are auto-captioned. You can easily review and update the YuJa captions following these steps.

Graded Items

Graded items should be reviewed to make sure the due dates are correct if you copied them over. You can also set release conditions in Ultra by clicking under the title of the item and selecting the Release Conditions option.

Gradebook

Once you create your graded items, they will show up in the Gradebook automatically. If you did copy items over from a Blackboard Original course, you will need to delete the columns from the Blackboard Original weighted total and Blackboard Original total columns. You will then need to configure the overall grade column to meet your course specifics. To do this, click on the Overall Grade column in the Gradebook and select Edit. This is where you will find options for points, weighted, or advanced.

Course Banner

Add a course banner to create visual impact when students click into the course. In the menu on the right within the course’s main page, click on Course Image to upload an image, or use Unsplash to search for and select one that applies to your course.

Additional Resources

• Blackboard Ultra Project Information - NDSU’s Ultra transition information and sign-up for departmental training.
• Ultra Course View for Instructors – resources for teaching with Blackboard Ultra
• Ultra Course View for Students and Staff – resources for learning with Blackboard Ultra