Basics of Course Creation

Blackboard Ultra courses have a single course content page where all course materials are organized using modules,  folders, and multimedia documents.  Click and expand to view content within modules and folders . Please visit Ultra Course - Navigation  if you are not familiar with the navigation in Blackboard Ultra. This page is designed to assist instructors in getting started with designing your course. We have put recommendations throughout this guide to reduce additional work after course setup. 

As you create your course, we recommend using your syllabus as a guide to assist you in the setup process.

 Course Organization

In ultra courses, modules and folders can be used to organize your course content on the content page. 

Before creating/coping course materials, determine your course structure and create the folders or modules based on your chosen organizational structure. Our course structure gallery has examples of courses designed with different structures. 

Comparison of features between Modules and Folders

ModulesFolder
Can only exist as a "Top Level" itemCan exist as a "Top Level" item or can exist within another folder or module.
Ability to force the sequence of items within the module. (Not required. Items can exist without forced sequence, as well.)N/A
Ability to add a banner image.N/A
Progress tracking ability: Students are alerted to which items are still in need of viewing/completing; Instructors can view students' progress with course items.Progress tracking ability: Students are alerted to which items are still in need of viewing/completing; Instructors can view students' progress with course items.

Advanced module navigation will be available (coming soon.)

Image of advanced module navigation in Blackboard Ultra


N/A


  1. Decide top level organization: see table to left for comparison
  2. Click on the plus sign (plus) 
  3. Click module or folder from the slide out menu
  4. Add title and adjust additional settings if necessary.




Create Content

Once you have your modules or folders created, click on them to expand and see the plus sign  (plus)  where content can be created or copied. Content can be created anywhere the  (plus)  is found.  For more ideas and information about course content, visit our  creating content and /wiki/spaces/blackboard01/pages/154388661 pages. 

If you plan to utilize weighted categories for grading purposes, it is important to properly categorize your content items. This may require creating custom categories in the Gradebook. See Gradebook setup for more information.

  • Select the plus sign (plus) wherever you want to add content.
  • Choose the "Create" option to add items such as content items, links, and assessment items . Create new content by selecting an option from the slide out menu.
  • Choose the "Content market" for items such as Kaltura, PlayPosit, Turnitin, and Zoom, as well as links for major e-textbook publishers that are frequently licensed by individual departments/programs such as McGraw Hill or Pearson. /wiki/spaces/blackboard01/pages/154390821


If you plan to create Group Assignments or Discussions, we recommend creating these group sets prior to creating the associated content. Please read more about Groups here.

Utilize groups to establish collaborative spaces for students. Employ groups for both assignments and discussions, and also to apply release conditions to a specific set of students.

Creating groups:

  1. To add  a group set, Press the (plus) icon on the upper right side to add a new custom group set. A new group set panel will appear.
  2. Enter the  title at the top left of the panel. Group sets can be set to visible by students by clicking on "hidden from students" in the upper right of the panel then by selecting "visible to students"  from the drop down menu. This is necessary to be able to use the "self-enrollment" option. If the group is hidden to student,  then selecting "self-enrollment will not be possible and it will appear in a light grey color.

The dropdown menu next to "group student" has three options:

  • Custom:  Create specific groups needed for that particular project or discussion

  • Randomly assigned:  Blackboard's system will assign students at random based on set number of group members

  • Self-enrollment:  Allow students the option to join a group of their choosing, with a limit on the number of students that can enroll in each group.


 



Content is copied in reverse fashion from Original courses. Be sure to precisely follow the instructions below.  

To Copy Content:

  1. Enter the new course where you want the content to appear
  2. Access the "Copy Content" option (either within the "Add Content" options or the options menu via the ellipse icon).
  3. Search for course where content will be copied from.
  4. Check the box to select content that will be copied. Entire courses or individual items can be copied into your course.
  5. Search for additional courses if copying content from multiple courses at the same time.



For additional information about copying content, /wiki/spaces/blackboard01/pages/154384915. 


Gradebook Setup

While gradebook setup can be performed at any point in your course, it is advisable to work on your gradebook during course setup. This approach minimizes additional work when calculating final grades at the semester's end.


The following settings can be adjusted by clicking the gear icon within the Gradebook section of your course.

Grading categories should match your syllabus to in order to easily calculate your overall grade. Custom categories should be added before graded items are created. Create custom categories by clicking "Add New Category." Reference the image to the right for default categories that already exist in Blackboard courses.

List of default grading categories included in the gradebook settings. Categories are assignment, test, discussion, journal, exam, homework, presentation, quiz, attendance, and form


  • Configure your overall grade by selecting the "Set it up" prompt or from inside the Gradebook settings. 
  • Points, weighted, or an advanced calculation can be used for the overall grade. 
  • Manual columns can be utilized for items included in your overall grade such as participation or offline submissions
    • Add manual items by hovering in between two columns and clicking (plus)→ "Add Item."

For more information please visit: Overall Grade.  

 


To create a rubric in your Ultra course:

  1. Navigate to the Gradebook and open the gradebook settings by clicking the settings iconsettingsin the upper right. The settings menu will appear on the right hand side of your screen.
  2. Scroll down to the "Course Rubrics" section.
  3. Click on the black "Create" button. (For more information on the "Generate" button,   see our Answers page on Blackboard's AI Design Assistant.)

Screenshot of a list of rubrics in the Gradebook settings. A pink box is highlighting a black button that says Create at the top of the section and a pink arrow points to the button.


  1. In your Blackboard course, open the Gradebook tab in the course navigation menu.
  2. Find and click the gear icon in the upper right to access the Gradebook settings. 
  3. The first section of the Gradebook Settings is Grade Schemas. Click "Manage Grade Schemas" to open the settings.
  4. Once the settings are open, you can see the SU Letter schema or a custom schema can be created. If a custom grading schema is desired, please use follow the steps provided here Ultra Course - Grade Schemas

Image showing the location of the link to Manage Grade Schema Settings 

 For information about how to apply accommodations for students, exceptions, and exceptions, please visit Accommodations, Exceptions, and Exemptions. 

Course Communication 

Blackboard Ultra has multiple ways to communicate with your students. Utilize announcements and messages for communication with students. View due dates and events like office hours conveniently on the course calendar.

Announcements can be used to communicate information with your entire class. Ultra announcements, accessible in the Activity Stream, allow direct access by clicking within the stream. Upon entering the course with a new announcement, a pop-up banner prompts students attention. Some faculty opt to create a document in the Content area, serving as a dynamic course information hub akin to the old announcements page, requiring students to check it frequently for updates. To add an announcement click the plus sign (plus). 

Within the Announcements tab, a plus icon is shown to the right of the screen, highlighted by a red circle.

 Messages are useful to communicate with individual students or groups of students. These messages can also email the student if desired. Select the "New Message" button to compose and send a message.

Screenshot of a pink arrow pointing to the Messages tab in the course navigation. The page is opened to the Messages page and another purple arrow is pointing to a button to create a New Message, located on the right hand side of the screen.

 Due dates can be easily viewed on the calendar. Click the Plus sign (plus) to add office hours, important events, and the course schedule to the calendar helps students stay organized.  


 Item visibility 

By default most items in an Ultra course are "hidden from students". Items can be made visible to students or release conditions can be added by clicking the dropdown menu anywhere the item has "hidden from students." Release conditions can determine the visibility of items at a scheduled date and time. They can also be employed to make items visible to specific group(s) or student(s).

Release conditions can be applied to folders and modules if a group of items need to be available simultaneously.

Opening Your Course

Once everything is configured, you’re ready to open your course for students to view it. You can do so from the “Details and Actions” menu of the Content area or by clicking the menu button on the Courses Page that’s visible right after you login to Blackboard.