Author: peter.peasey

Ultra Update – November 2024

Posted on by peter.peasey

This release has new or updated features in the following areas:

  • Instructional design
  • Tests and assignments
  • Communication and collaboration
  • Learner progression and personalized experience
  • Mobile app

These improvements impact instructors, students, and administrators. Below you’ll find our top highlights, and more detail on the most relevant updates.

Top Highlights

Print tests with questions from Question Pools

Instructors can now print tests that include questions from Question Pools. An answer key will be automatically generated and printed with the test.

Screenshot of Printing Tests setup window, informing the user that an answer key will be automatically generated, and that randomised questions or question pools will result in a different version of the test being generated with each print. There are two buttons at the bottom of the window: Cancel and Print.

Please see the Release Notes for full details.

Batch edit: usability improvement

Change dates to a specific date and/or time is the most popular option used in Batch Edit to change dates in a batch, so it’s been changed to the default option. This should help instructors to prepare their courses for teaching and learning more quickly.

Screenshot of the Edit Dates screen in Batch Edit. Edit type is highlighted, showing that Change dates to a specific date and/or time is the default option.

New course completion setting in Administrator Panel

Administrators can now manage course completion through the Administrator Panel. This gives administrators more control over course access that previously could only be controlled by instructors.

Screenshot of the new Complete option in the administrator panel. The options are Yes or No.

Please see the Release Notes for further information.

Additional Updates

Improved performance for assignment file submissions

This release includes architectural improvements to assignment file submissions, including:

  1. Managing multiple file uploads: to prevent issues when uploading multiple files, students will now be required to wait for the first upload to complete before attaching additional files.  
  2. File size limit notification: a message will be displayed if a file exceeds the permitted size limit.  
  3. Corrupted file alerts: in the unlikely event of a student attempting to submit a corrupted file, a message will be displayed and the system will alert the instructor.

Blackboard mobile app rebranding

The Blackboard Learn App will now be known simply as the Blackboard App. It has an updated splash screen, app icon, name, and app description.

Screenshot demonstrating the Blackboard mobile app rebranding. It shows the app with its new name 'Blackboard' in the app store, as an icon on a phone screen, and on the app start up screen.

Further help and support

For more guidance on using Blackboard Ultra please explore this site Ultra Essential Guidance via the site menu on the right.

Students can view an Ultra orientation and advice on using Ultra from their Help for Students sections (or equivalent) in your Blackboard course.

Ultra Update – October 2024

Posted on by peter.peasey

This release has new or updated features in the following areas:

  • Instructional design
  • Mastery learning and learner pathways
  • Tests and assignments
  • Communication and collaboration
  • Flexible grading
  • Gradebook

These improvements impact instructors, students, and administrators. Below you will find our top highlights, and more detail of the most relevant updates.

Top Highlights

Auto-generate question banks

There is now the ability to automatically generate question banks when creating quizzes providing inspiration and saving time.

Please see the release notes for full details

Additional Updates:

Enhancements to student submission review page

The student submission review page makes it easier for students to access instructor feedback on their submissions.

  • When an instructor selects student preview, they can now access the student submission review page.
  • Students can now access offline submissions from this page.
  • Students now have a Read more option for overall and attempt feedback.

Email notifications for followed discussions

Blackboard have added functionality to discussions to include emails in the notifications for a followed discussion

Show unavailable students in the Gradebook

Now unavailable students appear in the Gradebook for their enrolled courses, but their avatar has a strikethrough to indicate the unavailable status.

For advanced users looking for a full list of all the updates, see the Blackboard Release Notes

Further help and support

For more guidance on using Blackboard Ultra please explore this site ‘Ultra Essential Guidance‘ via the site menu on the right.

Students can view an Ultra orientation and help on using Ultra from their ‘Help for Students’ sections (or equivalent) in your Blackboard course.