In Blackboard Ultra, the content editor appears anywhere in the course you can add text to, such as documents, assignments, tests, discussions, and journals. The content editor is used to add and format text, embed images and videos, attach files, insert equations, add web links, and create tables.

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Standard Formatting Tools

• Text Style: Select from a predefined list of four pre-formatted text styles --- Title, Header, Subheader, and Paragraph.
• Font: Select from a predefined list of fonts --- Arial, Comic Sans MS, Courier New, Noto, Open Sans, Times New Roman, and Verdana.
• Font Size: Defaults to a specific chosen font type selected or you can highlight the text and select one of the font size options.
• Font Color: Options are limited to black (default), grey, purple, blue, green, and red.

 

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Text Options

Options include superscript, subscript, strike-through, and code snippets.

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Tables

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Insert URL Link

Include a link to an external website or page. The link must include http:// or https:// at the beginning.

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Attach Image from File

Support file types include DOC/DOCX, JPG/JPEG, MP4/MP4, MOV, PDF, and PNG. A full list of support file types can be found here.

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Upload an Image from File or Unsplash

This new image button in the content editor can be found in the following places:

• Ultra Documents
• Journal prompts
• Discussions
• Course Messages

When selected, the following options are:

• Upload an image through selection or drag and drop
• Select a royalty-free, high-quality image from Unsplash

After selecting the image, you can reposition the focus and zoom of the image.  As of November 2023, you can now alter the aspect ratio of the image.

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Insert Math Formulas

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Insert Image from URL

Insert/Edit Images from the Web only. Copy and paste the URL into the appropriate box. You cannot embed an image from your local computer using this option.

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Insert Media from the Web

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Insert YouTube Video

Options include displaying the content as a link to an external website or displaying the content inline with Blackboard if the browser allows.

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Insert File from Google Drive or other Cloud Storage

Sign in with a cloud storage service (I.E. Google Drive, Dropbox, etc.) to access your documents for easy sharing.

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Insert Item from Content Collection

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Add LTI Items

Embed a direct link to a third-party content item (I.E. McGraw-Hill, Pearson, Cengage, Kaltura, etc.).

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More Information: Blackboard Help: Work with Text

In Blackboard Ultra, almost all content items can be edited or deleted once they have been created and made available to students. Edits can include changing the name, adjusting instructions or prompts, and adjusting item settings such as the due date or points possible. Please note that some items, such as assignments and tests, may not be edited, or will have limited editing capabilities, once students have begun or submitted an attempt.

1. To edit or delete a content item, click on the ellipsis (three dots) to access the menu for the specific content item.

2. From the list click either Edit or Delete for your desired action.

 

More information: Blackboard Help: Edit and manage content

Blackboard Ultra allows you the ability to place a content item where you want by selecting the plus icon ( + ) at your point of insertion. If you need to reorganize content later, you have the option to do so by dragging and dropping or using keyboard commands.

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Drag and Drop Method

1. On your course Content page, hover over the title of the item you want to move until the move icon (I.E. two rows of three dots) appears to the left.

2. Click on the move icon, hold it, and drag the content item to the new location. A purple box will appear behind the item indicating where the item will be placed.

3. Once you have moved the item to the new desired location, release it to drop the item.

Please note: If you are placing an item within a folder or a module, ensure that the folder or module is open/expanded before moving the item. This will allow for easier drag and drop to the correct location.

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Keyboard Commands

1. On your course Content page, click on the Tab button on your keyboard. A box will appear around the selected item. Continue clicking the Tab button until it highlights the move icon next to the desired content item that you want to move.

2. Once the move icon has been selected, click Enter on your keyboard to grab the item.

3. Use the arrow keys on your keyboard to move the item up and down the content page to the new location. A purple box will appear behind the item indicating where the item will be placed.

4. Once you have moved the item to the new desired location, click Enter on your keyboard to place the item in its new location.

Please note: If you are placing an item within a folder or a module, ensure that the folder or module is open/expanded before moving the item. This will allow for easier drag and drop to the correct location.

 

More information: Blackboard Help: Edit and manage content

In Blackboard Ultra, there are three options for making content available for students:

• Visible to students: The content item is visible to students and they can access it.
• Hidden from students: The content item is not visible to students.
• Release Conditions: The content item will be released based on a set of rules that are applied to the item. Release Conditions can be set for all course members, specific members, or groups and can be based on a specific date/time or performance rule.

Visibility can be set for each individual content item within the course. By default, any new content item created will be hidden from students until you make it available to them. There are three ways to adjust the visibility of a content item:

• Course content page
• Individual content item panel
• Batch edit

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Set Visibility from Content Page

Under the title of the content item will be a drop-down for content visibility. Click on the drop-down and select the necessary visibility option.

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Set Visibility from Content Item Panel

When creating or editing a content item, a drop-down for content visibility will appear in the top-right corner of the page. Click on the drop-down and select the necessary visibility option.

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Set Visibility using Batch Edit

1. From the course Content page, click on the ellipses (...) to the far right of where it says Course Content.  From the list select Batch Edit.

2. Within the Batch Edit panel, you will see a condensed list of all the content items within the course.

Please note: selecting the checkbox for a learning module or folder will make all items within it visible or hidden. To select individual items, click on the arrow to the far right of the title to expand the learning module or folder.

3. Select the checkboxes for the content items you want to change the visibility on and click on the Edit Visibility button at the bottom of the page.

4. Choose the necessary visibility option and click Save Visibility.

More information: Blackboard Help: Edit and manage content

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Release Conditions

With release conditions you can limit access to content by setting one or more of the following conditions:

• Which course members or groups have access.
• When the course content is accessible, visible, and hidden.
• What student performance is required, such as completing an assignment or scoring above a threshold on a test.

Please note: you can set conditions based on each individual option and/or all options at once.

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Release Content by course members or groups

Under the Select Members section in the Release Conditions panel, you can choose which course members or groups have access to the specific content item. You can search for students enrolled in the course by their name or network ID. You can set visibility by group, using either an existing group or group set, or creating a new group within the panel.

Once the release condition has been set, the item will only be visible to the specified users and/or groups, and hidden from all other students enrolled in the course.

Once your release condition has been set, make sure you click the Save button in the bottom right of the panel to save your changes.

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Release content by date

Under the Set Additional Conditions section in the Release Conditions panel, you can select Date/Time to define a specific time in which students can access content.  If "Show on" is selected, the item will be hidden from students by default and then become visible at the specified date/time. If "Hide after" is selected, the item will be visible to students by default and then be hidden after the specified date/time. If both are selected, the item will only be visible to students between the two specified dates/times, and hidden before and after. 

• Example: Content is covered in a specific order. You want students to access content only after you've discussed it in class. You don't want students to work ahead.
• Example: Release your final test during your institution's scheduled final tests week.

Once your release condition has been set, make sure you click the Save button in the bottom right of the panel to save your changes.

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Release content based on performance

Under the Set additional conditions section in the Release Conditions panel, you can select Performance to release the content item to students after they achieve a certain score on a previously completed grade book item. Once you select the graded item, a menu under the Grade requirement will automatically populate with scores from 10 - 90%, at 10% increments, rounded to the nearest point. Or you can select "Custom range" to manually set minimum and maximum point thresholds. Once the performance release condition has been set, the item will remain hidden from students until they meet the set requirement; once a student fulfills the requirement, the item will become visible.

• Example: Students must complete coursework in a specific order and after they've demonstrated understanding. You want students to progress to the next item only after they score a B or above.
• Example: Students must score 70 points or higher on a quiz to access the Chapter 1 Test.

Once your release condition has been set, make sure you click the Save button in the bottom right of the panel to save your changes.

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Visibility Settings

When you set additional release conditions (i.e. Date/Time and/or Performance), you are given the option to choose whether or not you want the content to appear to students before the release condition has been met.

• Show: Students will see the item in the content area but will not be able to access it. The item will have a lock icon next to the title with a "Content isn't available" message. Clicking or hovering over the message will provide information about the release condition. 
  • Example: "This content will be available after 2/8/24 at 12:00 AM."
• Hidden: Students will not see the content item on the content page at all until the release conditions requirements have been met. They will not see a date or time that the item is available.

Once your release condition has been set, make sure you click the Save button in the bottom right of the panel to save your changes.

 

More information: Blackboard Help: Content Release Conditions

In Blackboard Ultra, you can use Batch Edit to update common settings, such as dates and visibility, on multiple items all from one place. Batch Edit can also be used to delete multiple items at once. The following items are supported by Batch Edit:

• Assignments
• Discussions
• Documents
• Embedded Cloud Documents
• Files
• Folders
• Journals
• Learning Modules
• SCROM Packages
• Teaching Tools with LTI Connections
• Tests
• Web Links

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Batch Edit

1. Go to your course's Content page and click on the ellipsis (...) in the top right. From the list select Batch Edit.

2. Within the Batch Edit panel, you will see a condensed list of all the content items within the course. By default, items will appear in the same order as your Content page but you can also sort by item title, visibility, show on, due date, or hide after.

3. Select the checkboxes next to the items you want to edit.

• Please note: Selecting the checkbox for a learning module or folder will affect all items within it. To select individual items, click on the arrow to the far right of the title to expand the learning module or folder.

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Edit Dates

Batch Edit can be used to adjust due dates on items. After selecting your items, click Edit Dates at the bottom of the page. There are four options for editing dates:

• Change to specific date and/or time
• Change dates by number of days
• Change dates based on course start
• Change individual item date

Select Edit Dates to confirm that you want to edit the dates for the items, or Cancel to return to the page.

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Change to specific date and/or time

Edit dates and/or times for selected items to a specific date and/or time.

For example: You've set the due date time to 8:00 PM and you've decided that you want to give students more time. You can use Batch Edit to change all the due date times to 11:59 PM.

 

Change dates by number of days

Enter a number in the Shift dates forward or Shift dates backward fields. All dates for the items selected will be adjusted forward or backward based on the field and number you choose.

For example: A snowstorm at the start of the semester pushes the academic calendar by a few days. You can use Batch Edit to add 4 days to all due dates.

 

Change dates based on course start

This option adjusts all the assignment dates based on when the course started. All dates are moved forward by the number of days between the original start date and the new start date you selected. After you choose the two dates, a message appears to confirm how many days are between them. If you upload a previously created course into a new one, you can adjust all the dates in the new course to match the same cadence that the previously created course had.

For example: You reused content from the previous semester when your course's start date was September 5th, 2023. Your course's new start date is January 8th, 2024. All dates for the selected items are adjusted forward 125 days.

 

Change individual item date

If you want to change only one item's date in Batch Edit, select the calendar icon beside the item. You can now adjust the due date. You can also delete the due date by selecting the trash icon beside it. 

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Edit Visibility

Batch Edit can be used to make items hidden or visible to students. After selecting your items, click Edit visibility at the bottom of the page. Choose whether to make items hidden or visible to students; any previous visibility settings for the items are overwritten. Please note that the date and time release conditions are removed for all selected items.

Select Save Visibility to confirm that you want to change the visibility settings for the selected items, or Cancel to return to the page.

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Delete Items

Batch Edit can be used to delete items from the Content page. After selecting your items, click Delete items at the bottom of the page. Please note that deleted items can't be restored unless you have an archive file or export of the course with the items you deleted.

Select Delete to confirm that you want to delete the items, or Cancel to return to the page.

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More information: Blackboard Help: Batch Edit

In Blackboard Ultra, a Description can be added to a content item to display below the title of the item while on the course's Content page. This is where you can provide students with more information about the content item. The maximum length of a description is 750 characters. A warning will appear below the description field when 75 characters or less remain.

If you go over the maximum length, a warning will indicate how many characters over the limit you are. You will not be able to save the description until your text is below the maximum length.

 

Please note: Text in the description box cannot be formatted to include bold, italic, bullet points, etc. All text will be plain text.

On Blackboard Ultra's Course Content page, you can create learning modules and folders to organize your course content. Within either of these areas, you can add documents, file attachments, tests, assignments, multimedia, links to websites, discussions, and journals. While learning modules and folders are similar from the instructor's perspective, there are key differences when it comes to the student's experience. 

• What is a Learning Module?
• What is a Folder?
• What is the Difference?

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What is a Learning Module?

• Learning modules are intended for a logically structured collection of course content – similar to a chapter in a textbook.
• Instructors and students experience modules differently.
  • For students, learning module content is presented sequentially, with navigation arrows that students use to move through the content horizontally.
• Learning modules can help immerse the student in the concept you are teaching because students can navigate from one content item to the next without distractions or extra clicks.
• A module can cascade the items down like a drop box, or up, to minimize scrolling through the modules.

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What is a Folder?

• Students and instructors see content the same way: vertically.
• To interact with content, students open and close each item. The order doesn't matter.
• You cannot add a Learning Module to a Folder.
• Folders are best suited for organizing course documents such as a syllabus, instructor contact information, course schedule, resources, etc.

Please Note: You can create sub-folders within a folder, however, Blackboard Ultra only supports a two-level folder structure. You cannot create or upload a third folder into a second-level folder.

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What is the Difference?

Folders serve as a containing element for any item type. Students can click on any of the items in the folder, and then close that item to launch another.

Modules encourage sequential viewing of the items they contain. When a student launches an item in a module, a link at the top right of the page encourages them to advance to the next item in the list. With modules, you can even force students to view items sequentially. Students will see the items listed within the folder but will be unable to launch the second item in a list until they've viewed the first. If one of the items in the list is a quiz or assignment, they won't be able to view the items below it in the list until they've submitted the quiz or assignment.

Key Differences:

• Learning modules can contain a folder, but a folder cannot contain learning modules.
• You can add one level of a folder to a learning module, meaning each folder can only contain content items, but not additional folders.
• Folders help you visually organize your material in the Course Content area. However, when viewing a learning module, students experience the content seamlessly and do not see folders as they navigate horizontally.

More Information: Blackboard Help: Create Containers for Content

You can enable this functionality to give your students an easy way to keep track of what they have done in each of their courses. When enabling progress tracking later than the beginning of the term, participatory items will be retroactively marked as complete. For example, assessments submitted previously by students will be marked as complete. Non-participatory items, like Ultra documents, will still need to be manually marked by students.

• Enable Progress Tracking
• Student Perspective
• Student Progress Reports
• Accessing Student Progress Reports

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Enable Progress Tracking

1. To enable Progress Tracking within a course, navigate to the desired course.
2. In the Details & Actions Panel, select Turn On under Progress Tracking.
3. Once the Progress Tracking panel opens, switch the toggle from OFF to ON.
4. Save your new settings once completed.

 

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Student Perspective

Now your students will see the progress of their work within the course. Every item in the course will display a circle icon showing the progress.

• Empty - when a student had not yet accessed the item
• Partially filled - when a student has opened the item
• Green check mark - when the student has completed the item

Students can mark complete items like Documents, uploaded files, or links once they have opened them. For any other items like Assessments, Tests, Journals, or Discussions, the item will automatically be marked as complete when the student has submitted it. When all items in a Folder or Module have been completed, the entire folder is automatically marked as complete. The Ultra course interface will not allow students to check off any item that has not been opened or completed.

More Information: Blackboard Help: Progress Tracking

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Student Progress Reports

With Progress Tracking enabled, instructors have the ability to see the progress that all students have made for the following content types:

• Documents
• Uploaded files
• Links
• Learning modules
• Folders
• LTI content with no associated grade
• SCORM packages

Student Progress Reports allow instructors to select any of the above pieces of content and view the following information:

• Students who have not yet opened content.
• Students who have opened or started viewing content; and
• Students who have marked the content as complete.

The report includes the date and time when an action occurred (e.g., when a student started viewing content). Instructors can sort by student name or progress status, and sorting by progress status can allow quick identification of those students who are not engaging with the course content.

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Accessing Student Progress Reports

• To view Student Progress Reports, navigate to any content item within your course and select the ellipsis (...) to access content options. From there click on Student Progress.
• This page will have a list of all the students enrolled in the course and their progress status for the specific content item.
• Depending on the progress that students are making on the specific content item or overall course material, you have the ability to message individuals or groups of students from within the report to connect with them prior to them falling too far behind.

 

With student preview, you can experience your course exactly as your students do and validate course behaviors. The preview creates a user in your course that you can use to view everything as a student would.

• Start Student Preview
• Exit Preview
• Remove Preview User

Please note: Blackboard Ultra is a browser-based system and internet browsers are not standard. While student preview is intended to mimic the student perspective, each student is using their own personal device and internet browser. There is not a 100% guarantee that the student preview will match each individual student's perspective exactly but will do so as closely as possible with the set settings.

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Start Student Preview

• In the top right corner, select the Student Preview icon. 

• A pop-up will appear, select Start Preview to proceed.

• A grey bar appears with the text “Student Preview” at the top of the screen. It will remain visible the entire time you are in Student Preview mode.

While in student preview, you can experience your course just as your students and participate in the following activities:

• Submit assignments
• Take tests
• Download and upload files
• Participate in conversations
• Participate in discussions and journals
• Send course messages
• View grades as a student
• Experience group membership
  • Please note: You must enroll your Student Preview User in a group to experience group membership and setup. 

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Exit Preview

To return to your course as an instructor, click Exit in the top-right corner. There are two options to select from:

• Discard: You reset the course activity for your preview user and start fresh. This removes the preview user from the roster, Gradebook, and any associated data within the course.
• Save: You save your preview user's course activities to continue later. This option is good for going between student and instructor views to access course content without needing to restart your activity each time.

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Remove Preview User

When you exit Student Preview, you are presented with two options to Discard or Save your data. To completely remove your student preview user from the course, select Discard. This will remove your preview user from the roster and Gradebook as well as remove any associated data tied to the preview user within the course.

 

More information: Blackboard Help: Student Preview

It is sometimes difficult to remember the location of a course item. In the past, locating an item was a time-intensive task and unintuitive. Searching for the item would involve opening every folder or learning module to find the item. Now in Blackboard Ultra, you can search course content titles to find these items on the course content page. The course search icon, a magnifying glass, is easy to find at the top of the course content page. When a user types a few letters, the course search function displays a list of matching items by title. A user may expand the search results to view more information related to the course item(s).

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How to Search for Content

1. The course search icon is located in the top right corner of the Course Content page.

2. When you click on the course search icon, a search bar will expand where you can insert text or emojis.

3. As you type, Blackboard will begin to generate results based on what you have entered.

4. Clicking enter or return will generate all search results in the course. From there, users can select the assessment or item that they are looking for.

5. To clear search results and view all course content, select clear search.

Blackboard Ultra allows you to set Accommodations for individual students that apply to all graded items, such as Assignments and Tests, within the course. Accommodations can include adjusting time limits, exempting students from time limits, and exempting students from due dates. Along with course-wide Accommodations, exemptions and exceptions can be made in the Gradebook on an individual basis. More information about exemptions and exceptions can be found in Gradebook & Rubrics.

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Set Accommodations

1. In the Details & Actions panel on the left side of the course, select Roster from the list.

2. Locate the student that needs an accommodation, click on the ellipse (...) next to their name, and select Accommodations.

3. On the Accommodations panel, you have two accommodation options:

• Due date accommodation: Students with this accommodation never have their work marked late.

• Time limit accommodation: Students with a time limit accommodation have more time to finish their work during timed assessments.

• Custom percentages can be selected if the student requires a specific time limit for their assessments.
  • To give the student time and a half on assessments, please enter 50% in the extra time percentage box.
  • To give the student double time on assessments, please enter 100% in the extra time percentage box.
• Unlimited time can be selected if the student requires no time limit for their assessments.

4. Check the checkbox next to the necessary accommodation for the student. Once changes have been made, click Save.

5. After an Accommodation has been applied, a purple flag will appear next to the student's name. The purple flag will also appear next to the student's name within the Gradebook.

 

Please note: Accommodations can be applied and changed at any time. If an accommodation is removed, previously submitted work for assessments may be flagged late.

 

More information: Blackboard Help: Make Accommodations