Center for Teaching and Learning
Faculty Learn Ultra Course and Content Management
Blackboard empowers instructors with robust tools to design, organize, and manage course content effectively. From uploading files and building learning modules to configuring course settings, Learn Ultra streamlines the delivery of structured, engaging educational experiences. Instructors can categorize materials logically, sequence topics for optimal learning flow, and control content visibility to align with pacing goals. Features like release conditions and module organization ensure students access resources seamlessly while maintaining academic integrity. By centralizing course management, Blackboard reduces administrative burdens, allowing instructors to focus on fostering student success. Whether refining syllabi or adjusting access permissions, the platform’s intuitive interface supports flexibility and precision, making it an essential tool for modern academic instruction.
Instructors can enhance their Blackboard Learn Ultra courses by implementing key components to support student engagement and clarity. Design a visually cohesive course banner that reflects the subject matter, using institutional branding guidelines. Customize course settings to enable accessibility features, due date reminders, and grading schemes. Utilize Student Preview mode to evaluate the learner experience, checking for usability and content flow.
Instructors can enhance course visibility and organization by uploading custom banners in Blackboard Learn. These banners appear on the Courses page, creating a cohesive visual identity.
Open the Course Banner tutorial to learn more.
Instructors can tailor their courses to meet specific needs through the Course Settings feature. Located at the top right corner of an Ultra course, this tool enables instructors to make adjustments that cater to their teaching style and the unique requirements of their students, ultimately creating a more effective and engaging learning environment.
Open the Course Settings tutorial to learn more.
Instructors aiming to deliver a seamless learning experience can leverage the student preview feature to validate their course design before enrollment. This tool allows educators to review content, assessments, and workflows exactly as students will see them, ensuring clarity and alignment with learning objectives.
Open the Student Preview tutorial to learn more.
The Blackboard app is designed to handle various content types, but it may not support every possible format. By editing your course content with mobile compatibility in mind, you can guarantee that it translates well to smaller screens. This proactive approach enables you to identify and address any potential issues, resulting in a more engaging and accessible learning environment for your students.
Open the Mobile-Friendly Content tutorial to learn more.
For instructors, creating courses from scratch can be time-consuming, involving repetitive work that takes away from more critical aspects of teaching. The AI Design Assistant is a game-changer in this regard, streamlining the course-building process and saving valuable time. Moreover, the AI Design Assistant enables instructors to give their course a unique and engaging visual identity by generating images or keywords to search for relevant stock photos on Unsplash.
Open the AI Design Assistant tutorial to learn more.
Instructors can create and share various types of content to engage students and support their academic success. These content types include assignments, discussions, and quizzes, which enable instructors to assess student learning and provide feedback. Additionally, instructors can share files, images, and videos to supplement course materials and facilitate interactive learning experiences. Learn Ultra also supports the creation of learning modules, which allow instructors to organize content in a logical and structured manner.
Open the Types of Course Content tutorial to learn more.
As an instructor, once you login, you gain access to the core features of the Base Navigation menu. This menu provides a centralized hub for managing your courses and tasks. By selecting any link from the Base Navigation menu, you can easily access all your courses, streamlining your workflow. For instance, the Grades link organizes all your grading tasks by course, eliminating the need to navigate to each individual course. The Base Navigation menu includes essential items such as Institution Page, Profile, Activity, Courses, Organizations, Calendar, Messages, Grades, and Tools, allowing you to efficiently manage your courses, access important information, and perform various tasks.
Open the Navigate Outside a Course tutorial to learn more.
The Blackboard Learn Ultra content editor is designed to streamline content creation for instructors. Available wherever text input is required, it enables educators to efficiently format text, embed images, attach files, and integrate links, equations, and tables. This functionality empowers instructors to develop dynamic, visually engaging course materials that cater to diverse learning preferences. Its intuitive interface ensures that even complex instructional content can be structured with ease, ultimately enhancing student comprehension and interaction.
Open the Content Editor tutorial to learn more.
Instructors have the ability to upload files directly within the editor, enhancing the learning experience for their students. This feature allows for the inclusion of supportive materials, such as images or documents, to clarify instructions and initial prompts.
Open the Add Local File in Content Editor tutorial to learn more.
Instructors can integrate OneDrive into their Blackboard courses, including the Course Content section, Learning Modules, and Folders. To access this feature, instructors may need to sign in to their Microsoft account, allowing them to browse and select desired files. Once added, files can be renamed within the course and student visibility can be controlled.
Open the Add OneDrive File in Content Editor tutorial to learn more.
Instructors can craft learning materials by integrating diverse elements such as text, multimedia, and linked resources into singular, structured documents. These components—ranging from foundational text and illustrative images to interactive web links—can be arranged within a content list, enabling instructors to present lessons in a logical, engaging sequence. For instance, a lesson might begin with explanatory text, incorporate diagrams for visual learners, and conclude with supplementary resources, all while considering user experience: longer documents may require careful organization to minimize excessive scrolling.
Open the Documents tutorial to learn more.
Instructors can leverage AI Conversations to foster critical thinking and active learning by designing scenarios that incorporate Socratic questioning and role-play exercises. These interactive activities encourage students to explore topics deeply, reflect on their perspectives, or simulate real-world situations relevant to their academic or career goals. Each AI Conversation is paired with a reflection question, prompting students to articulate their insights and identify potential biases or inaccuracies in AI responses—aligning with Anthology’s Trustworthy AI principles.
Open the AI Conversation tutorial to learn more.
Course links serve as shortcuts to existing content, tools, or resources within a learning management system, streamlining access for students and improving instructional efficiency. Instructors can place these links alongside relevant materials to guide learners—such as directing them to review prior readings before a quiz or linking to supplementary resources within a module. When created, these links appear on the Course Content page with a distinct link symbol overlay on the target item’s icon, offering visual clarity about their purpose. For instructors, this feature simplifies course organization, enabling intentional connections between resources while maintaining a structured, user-friendly design.
Open the Course Links tutorial to learn more.
Instructors can enrich their courses by incorporating web links to external resources, providing students with seamless access to supplementary materials. For instance, embedding links to reputable online dictionaries, thesauruses, or academic databases allows learners to explore definitions, synonyms, or research topics in real time, supporting writing assignments or critical analysis. These links serve as bridges between course content and broader educational contexts, fostering independent learning and resourcefulness.
Open the Web Links tutorial to learn more.
Blackboard has partnered with Cengage to provide seamless access to Cengage digital content directly in your Blackboard course, making delivering your course easier and more convenient, saving you time, and helping you create an even better course experience for your students.
Open the Add Content from Cengage tutorial to learn more.
Blackboard has partnered with McGraw-Hill Education to provide seamless access to McGraw-Hill digital content directly in your Blackboard course, making delivering your course easier and more convenient, saving you time, and helping you create an even better course experience for your students.
Open the Add Content from McGraw-Hill tutorial to learn more.
Managing course content efficiently is crucial for a seamless learning experience. Fortunately, locating and deleting unused course files is a straightforward process. By selecting the ellipsis menu at the top of the Course Content page and choosing Unused Files, you can easily identify and remove unnecessary files.
Open the Edit and Manage Content tutorial to learn more.
Additionally, the Batch Edit tool allows you to update common settings, such as visibility and due dates, across all content simultaneously. This feature also enables you to delete a group of selected course content, streamlining your content management. With Batch Edit, you can control content settings in one place, saving time and effort.
Open the Batch Edit tutorial to learn more.
Instructors can easily replicate course structures and materials, saving time and effort. Additionally, Learn Ultra allows for seamless import of course content, enabling instructors to integrate new materials and resources into their existing courses. Furthermore, courses can be saved as archives, providing a secure and organized way to store and retrieve valuable teaching materials.
Creating high-quality course content demands significant time and strategic planning, especially for instructors managing multiple courses with overlapping topics. To streamline this process, the Ultra Course View offers a practical solution: copying content between courses. Instructors can duplicate entire courses or selectively reuse individual items—such as modules, assessments, or resources—from other courses they currently teach or have taught previously. This feature supports both full course replication and customized combinations of materials from multiple sources, allowing educators to build new content without starting from scratch.
Open the Copy Content from Other Courses tutorial to learn more.
Instructors can export course content into an organized archive package, preserving essential components for future use. This export includes core course materials, assignment rubrics, calendar events (e.g., office hours and schedules), discussions, gradebook settings, manual grade items, goal alignments, archived attendance records, and announcements.
Open the Export and Archive Courses tutorial to learn more.
Instructors can seamlessly import course packages from previous courses or other instructors, bringing over content in bulk. This functionality also applies to organizations, streamlining the transfer of materials. Additionally, ZIP files containing question pools or other resources can be imported into Ultra courses, with original question pools converting to question banks.
Open the Import Course Packages tutorial to learn more.
Organize your course materials effectively with the Course Content page, designed to provide a structured and engaging learning experience. You have the flexibility to create folders to group related materials and learning modules to present content in a sequential and digestible format. Within these containers, you can incorporate a wide variety of resources, including documents, file attachments, tests, assignments, engaging multimedia, and direct links to external websites, internal discussions, and journals.
Open the Create Containers for Content tutorial to learn more.
Instructors can control student access to course content using release conditions, ensuring a structured and personalized learning experience. By setting release conditions, instructors define when and how materials become available. For instance, content can be restricted to specific course members or groups, enabling tailored access for sections or collaborative teams. Timing parameters allow instructors to schedule content visibility, ensuring alignment with lesson plans or deadlines.
Open the Content Release Conditions tutorial to learn more.
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- Center for Teaching & Learning
- Governors State University - C Building
- 708-534-4115
- blackboard@govst.edu