This release has new or updated features in the following areas:
- Instructional design
- Mastery learning and learning pathways
- Gradebook
- Learn core and security
These improvements impact instructors, students, and administrators. Below you’ll find our top highlights, and more detail on the most relevant updates.
Top Highlights
Add Submission Attempts for Release Conditions
Instructors can now use item submission status for a release condition. For example, an instructor who wants students to access a document only after submitting a quiz would use a release condition. Students can access content items without needing to wait for a grade to be posted.
Show/hide columns from instructors in the gradebook
Instructors can now configure column visibility for their gradebook view, ensuring a cleaner and more organised workspace when grading. There is a new Items Management page accessible from the Gradebook Settings panel. From this page, instructors can configure visibility for a single column selection or in bulk.
The student view of any grading-related page is unaffected. If an instructor hides a column from their gradebook, that column continues to appear for students.
Set default automatic zeros to off in the gradebook for new courses
The Assign Automatic Zeros for Past Due Work option is now turned off by default for newly-created Ultra courses. Existing courses are unaffected. Changing the default setting to off prevents students from automatically receiving zeros for past due assignments. Instructors can turn on automatic zeros for late submissions in the Gradebook Settings panel.
Other updates include:
Improvements to file uploads for Content Designer: Documents
Improvements to AI Design Assistant Image Generation
Improvements to AI Design Assistant Outputs
Full details can be found on these Blackboard pages.
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.