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Course Structure Gallery
One of the biggest challenges in the transition from original to ultra course view is the need to re-think how course content is organized. In response to student feedback, Blackboard has designed ultra course to keep content in single location and near the top-level of the course. In ultra courses, all course materials live in a single scrolling page under the Content tab and cannot be nested more than three folders deep. For instructors that were accustomed to creating a number of content areas in the left-hand menu of their original course or used deeper folder structures, this can feel very limiting.
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This page provides examples from courses offered at Syracuse University to demonstrate |
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other instructors are taking in organizing their Blackboard ultra courses. |
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Expand each example to see screenshots and more explanation about the tools each course uses. Clicking screenshots will expand them to a larger size for viewing. |
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| Folders to Separate Course Content by Type
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In this example course, folders are used to organize the course materials by type. There are The instructor has defined four main content types: Schedule and Syllabus, Course Resources, Weekly Content, and Exercises and & Projects. The first two folders are populated primarily with files, links, videos, and Blackboard "documents." The last two folders contain sub-folders. Weekly Content is sub-divided by the week of the semester with the newest week on top; folders contain resources for content covered each week. Exercises & Projects is sub-divided by assignment with the newest on top; each folder contains Blackboard "assignments" where students submit the materials for the assignment. Expand | Because there are four main content types and all the course content is organized into these folders, there is little content at the top-level of this course.
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In this example course the instructor uses Blackboard primarily to post documents for students, either readings in PDF format or documents the instructor has created in Microsoft Word. Expand | Top-level Shows Course StructureThe division of this course by section is visible in the organization of the top-level of the content area. The top portionis reserved for the syllabus, a course overview, and health and wellness resources. Some of these resources are contained in a folder to gather them in a single location and shorten the list on the content page.  Modules are used to contain the rest of the course materials. Each module is named for the unit of the course as defined in the syllabus. 
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In this example course the instructor uses has created Blackboard "Documents" to share PDFs of readings and lecture slides in a single running , and folders to contain assessments. This allows student to distinguish between content they need to read or study, and activities they will complete. The instructor has created a single Blackboard document for different types of content like Lecture Slides and Readings. Inside the document, they upload files as attachments that display directly in the page. They add material by editing the document and set the files so students can view them directly in the page. each week to attach additional files at the bottom. The instructor uses folders to organize their assessments. One folder contains all of the exams that will be offered during the term. Another holds sub-folders for paper assignments. Each sub-folder has the materials and resources needed for the paper and a link to submit the final paper via Turnitin. Expand | Streamlined Top-levelThe top-level of this example course has a simple and streamlined presentation organized by content type. The top section uses documents for course content and the bottom section uses folders for assessments that students complete. 
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