Moving to Blackboard Learn Ultra

A new support site, staff development programme and practice courses on the University’s updated digital learning platform are all available for Teaching & Learning staff, as we get ready to make the switch to Blackboard Learn Ultra.

The University currently uses Blackboard Learn as its Virtual Learning Environment to support and deliver digital teaching and learning. Blackboard Learn Ultra is the latest version and introduces some significant enhancements that make it more effective and efficient to use.

All courses (also known as modules) will be moving from Blackboard Learn to Blackboard Learn Ultra ready for September 2024. The Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) team is working with colleagues who use Blackboard to support them with this transition.

What’s been happening?

• More than 500 colleagues have attended a Blackboard Ultra Roadshow event, which provided an overview of an Ultra Course, explained the move and gave an opportunity to ask questions. One participant said: “Thank you for the Ultra Roadshow…It was really well-pitched, helpful and brought out a number of good points that I think people can clearly see the benefit of in terms of making the switch from Blackboard Learn Original to Ultra.”
• TEL has been working with Teaching & Learning staff in Schools to create a standard institutional course template. This will help to provide a more consistent experience for staff and students.
• Blackboard Organisations, used to support learning, were moved to Ultra ready for September 2023. Thanks to the positive collaboration of everyone involved, the move went successfully.

What’s happening now?

• The Ultra staff development programme is open for booking. The programme has been designed to support colleagues to move Blackboard Course(s) from Original to Ultra and is flexible to enable staff to access it in a way that works for them.
• Ultra Practice Courses for staff are now available – find out how to get one and what it can be used for.
• Designed to help staff use Ultra, the new TEL support site for staff is also now available. Find out more and how to access it on the TEL Blog.
• CQSD TEL is working with Schools to assess requirements for School and Dept-based training to support colleagues with their transition to Ultra Courses.

What’s next? 

• TEL will be delivering both open and School/Dept-based Ultra staff development sessions and course-building retreats during the Spring and Summer.
• TEL and DTS are making preparations for the release in April of 2024/25 Course shells on Blackboard to allow colleagues to start building their courses.
• We will be communicating with students during the Summer Term to let them know about the changes they will see in their 2024/25 Blackboard courses.

Useful resources

The Blackboard Ultra Project page provides links to other useful Ultra pages, including Ultra FAQs. The Getting up and running with your Ultra Course page outlines the timeline and the four-phase approach (Discover, Plan, Build, Teach) to help staff move their Blackboard Course(s) to Ultra.

To contact the CQSD TEL team about this project, get in touch by emailing DTS or log via the DTS Self-Service Portal.