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Blackboard Ultra Courses

How do I get started? 

We suggest starting with a blank course to familiarize yourself with the tools and features in the Ultra course environment. Starting with a clean slate provides an opportunity to rejuvenate your course. The course copy feature offers flexibility in selecting content to transfer from your Original course. Additionally, for increased efficiency, we recommend that you build out your course structure first and then copy over assessments like tests to avoid rebuilding them.  

If you would like to preview a sample Ultra Course before starting your design process, please feel free to self-enroll as a student.

Bb student demo ultra course

Steps to Getting Started

Step 1: Create your blank Ultra course by using the Blackboard Course Generator. 

Please note you will not see your Original courses in the listing to copy from within the Blackboard Course Generator.  Your courses are available in Blackboard, and you will be able to copy your Original courses into your Ultra course after they have been created. Going forward, the Blackboard Course Generator will allow you to copy content from an existing Ultra course.  

Step 2: Choose to create a new course or copy content from an existing course in Blackboard.

Step 3: Make sure to add a course banner and set-up your Course Settings.  

Step 4: Use student preview to make sure your content is available to students.  

Step 5: If using the Gradebook, review the getting started guide (pdf) to set up your overall settings.  

Blackboard Ultra Training 
Welcome to Intro to Ultra Sessions 

IT will be offering a series of online sessions that will introduce you to the new Ultra course format. Get ready for your fall courses and learn more about how to navigate through an Ultra Course.

training schedule
Tuesday, August 27th 10am - 11am - Blackboard Basics - Zoom link

Join anytime to attend break-out rooms for help in the following areas: 

  • Blackboard Ultra Basic – if you have questions concerning the new Ultra Course format and copying your content from an Original Course to Ultra Course. 
  • Blackboard Ultra Advanced – If you have any questions concerning content creation of documents, assignments, test and gradebook.  
  • STLI - If you have questions regarding the instructional implications of designing your course in this new platform.
Friday, August 30th 11am - noon - Content and Gradebook Overview - Zoom link
 Learn how to navigate the new Gradebook in Blackboard Ultra. Basic overview of gradebook settings and grading assignments within Blackboard.  
Blackboard Ultra Resources

Here is a collection of videos, documents, and other resources to make your transition to Blackboard Ultra successful. You can choose your topic from the list below or watch a comprehensive playlist of selected topics.  

On-Demand Instructor Ultra Course Training 
on-demand instructor ultra course training
Video Resources
Getting started
Logging into Blackboard- Customizing your Courses Tab and Navigation  Customize your Course Listing Blackboard Ultra Navigation (pdf) 
Using the Student Preview Mode as the Instructor  Student Preview 
Course Roster  Course Roster and Enrolling Students 
Using the Attendance Feature  Attendance Tool Blackboard Ultra 
Template Courses and Building Your Course
Introduction to Blackboard Law Template Course  Blackboard Ultra Course Law School Template (pdf) 
Introduction to a Blackboard Ultra Course   Navigating Blackboard Ultra Course and Tools (pdf) 
Learning Modules vs Folders  Types of Containers, Learning Modules 
Copying Content from existing Courses  Copying Content  
Transitioning your Original Course to Your Ultra Course Creating Ultra Courses from an Original Course (pdf)
Communication Tools
Announcements Using Announcements in Blackboard Ultra 
Messages Messages Inside a Course 
Groups Creating Groups 
Assessments/Assignments
Creating Assignments  Create Assignments in Ultra  
Blackboard Annotate- Grading Assignments  Bb Annotate 
Safe Assign  SafeAssign for an Assessment 
Using Course Analytics  Student Analytics & Course Activity Reports 
Using Forms  Forms in Tests and Assignments 
Creating Tests  Create a Test in Ultra Courses 
Using Question Pools & Importing Question Pools  Using a Question Pool  
Student Activity Reports  Student Activity Details &  Student Activity for Assessments 
Gradebook
Grade with Rubrics  Grade with Rubrics 
Setting up the Gradebook  Accessing the Gradebook and Settings 
Grade student work Assign Grades 
Gradebook Categories
Accessibility
Blackboard Ally  Blackboard Accessibility Scores, Alternative Formats Overview, Course Accessibility Report 
Setting Up Accommodations for Assessments  Accessing the Accommodations Panel 
Ai Tools
Introduction to AI Design Assistant 
Auto-Generating Images(unsplash)  AI Design Assistant 
Auto-Generate Learning Modules  AI Design Assistant 
Rubric Generation  AI Design Assistant 
Assignment Prompt Generation  AI Design Assistant 
Test Question Generation  AI Design Assistant 
Other Tools
Panopto  Using Panopto with Blackboard Ultra for Instructors 
Gradescope  Using Gradescope with Blackboard as an Instructor 
Poll Everywhere  Ultra Course Instructor Guide 
Zoom  Adding Zoom to Ultra Course (pdf) 
Other Resources

Anthology Community – We encourage faculty to join the Anthology Community to discuss new features and interact with those already using Blackboard Learn Ultra.  

Anthology Idea Exchange- This site encourages you to share, like and vote on favorite ideas that have been submitted or proposed by clients of Anthology. Help drive the change in the EdTech community.  Locate the Teaching & Learning Idea Exchange and click on Start Now. You will need to create a username and password (this is not the same as your W&M credentials). 

Student Resources
Frequently Asked Questions
frequently asked questions
How can I see a Demo Course with a student role? 

The Demo Course provides a student perspective on the various functionalities of an Ultra Course. It highlights the distinctions between Learning Modules and Folders. You are invited to participate in a practice quiz or contribute to a discussion. Please note that this course is for demonstration purposes only and does not include any instructor engagement.

To self-enroll as a student in the Demo Course follow the directions below: 

  1. Login to Blackboard and go to the Courses tab. 
  2. In the top right corner click on Course Catalog. 
  3. Search for the title of the course Bb Demo Ultra Course 
  4. Click on the course chevron and select enroll.  
  5. Submit your request and you will see the course listed in your courses tab under courses you are taking

Bb Ultra Course Demo
What best practices can you share about creating your Ultra Course? 
  • Ultra Courses are different from Original Courses in Blackboard. You will need to be open-minded about how you rethink and design your course. 
  • Start the process early.  Don’t wait till the start of the fall term to design or convert your course content. Take advantage of the online training opportunities and open labs to help you get started.  
  • Organize your course in a logical manner.  All content is on one page. Think about what the student experience looks like when setting up your Learning Modules or folder structure.  
  • Make sure you know the communication tools being used in an Ultra Course. Get in the habit of checking those areas often. (ex. Messages, Discussions, Grade book) 
  • Utilize the AI tools to help save time and design your course structure (Learning Modules, Banner Images, Discussion Questions, Tests Questions) 
  • Use the Bb Example Course to bring over any polices or Getting Started guides for your course. 
What do I do if I want to convert an Original Course to an Ultra Course? 

The best option is to create a blank course through the Blackboard Course Generator and choose to Copy Content from your previous courses (including Original Courses) using the built-in tool available in the Ultra Course. This allows you to choose areas or items within a previous course to bring over. This will give you a chance to review old content and create new.  

Ultra Copy Content