Blackboard Ultra - New Course Basics

This is a beginning guide to the basics of adding content to an empty Blackboard Ultra course, written for instructors who are new to Blackboard Ultra (or who need a bare-bones refresher).

Accompanying Video

Instructors who are already comfortable with the basics of the Blackboard Ultra interface can refer to the Course Setup Checklist for a more detailed guide to best practices for preparing a new Blackboard course.

For troubleshooting tips and answers to common questions for both new and returning instructors, see the Blackboard - Start of Semester Frequently Asked Questions (SOS-FAQ)

New Blackboard Ultra Course Example

All new Blackboard courses are empty when first created. Opening a new, empty course will take you to the course content area, which is also the course homepage. The course number/title and the instructor(s) name(s) will be visible in the upper left. The content area will display a message reading “This course is ready for content” and below it a button labeled “(plus) Add Content.”

There are also two menus visible in the content area. The course navigation bar along the top is for navigating to the different areas of your Blackboard course. See Course Navigation for an overview of all the different areas available in Blackboard Ultra courses. The Details & Actions menu to the left of the course content area contains tools and settings options for managing your course. Search the Course Administration and Communication Index for more information.

These two menus are not customizable, and will be the same across all Blackboard Ultra courses.

Blank Course Ready for Content.png

Adding Content to a Course

Click the “(plus) Add Content” button in the lower part of the course content area to begin adding or importing items into your new Blackboard course. A dropdown menu will open with options to create, copy, or upload content items. The menu options are explained below.

Create a New Blackboard Item

Choose “Create” to create a new Blackboard document, assignment, folder, etc. The Create Content guide has a full explanation of the different course items that can be created in Blackboard Ultra.

Copy from Another Blackboard Course

Choose “Copy Content” to copy an item(s) from another Blackboard course. You can copy individual files and folders, or the contents of an entire course. The Copying Content page contains a step-by-step guide to this feature.

Import Files

To import a file from any location outside of the SU Blackboard system, select “Upload” (for files stored on your computer) or “Cloud Storage” (for files stored in OneDrive, Google Drive, etc.)

Embed/Link Other Content

The “Content Market” is for embedding or linking content from other online teaching tools available through SU, including Kaltura, PlayPosit, Turnitin, Zoom, etc. Learn more from the complete guide to Blackboard Content Market Tools.

The “Content Collection” is a legacy file storage tool from Blackboard original. It is included for the sake of completeness to preserve certain kinds of content created using the Blackboard original interface, but is not recommended for use in Ultra format courses.

Add Content.png

Blackboard Course Content List

Once you have added content items to your new course using one or more of the tools outlined above, they will appear in the course content area in a vertical scrolling list.

To add a new content item, hover your cursor on the divider line just above/below any existing item. A purple (plus) symbol will appear; click it to open the Add Content menu as described in the previous section. The same (plus) symbol also appears at the top of the content list.

All items in the content list will display a title, an icon indicating the item type (i.e. document, folder, test, attached file, etc.), and an optional description (limited to 750 characters). To add/edit a list description, click the three dot icon (…) to the right of the item and select “Edit” from the dropdown menu.

The appearance of items in the content list is kept simple by design. To view the full contents of any item such as assignment instructions, attached files, embedded videos, etc, users must click the item title to open it.

Moving Content Items

To move/rearrange items in the content list, hover your cursor just to the left of the item’s title/icon. An icon consisting of six dots will appear on the left; click and hold to move the item, then drag it up or down the list to the desired location.

Folders and Modules

Folders and Modules areCourse Structure Toolsthat can be used to organize and group items together in the content list. To create a new folder/module, click the (plus) icon in the desired spot on the content list, select “Create” from the drop-down menu, and then choose either Folder or Module from the list. Review our Course Structure Gallery for some examples of how to use folders/modules to organize your Blackboard content and choose the structure that best fits your instructional style.

Drag and Drop Course Item

Next Steps

Once you have created or imported some initial content in your Blackboard course, the following resources can help you with other course planning and building tasks.

  • The Course Setup Checklist is a guide to recommended best practices for setting up commonly used Blackboard features including the gradebook, course announcements, and overall course settings to help you get the most out of the Blackboard platform.

  • TheBlackboard - Start of Semester Frequently Asked Questions (SOS-FAQ) provides troubleshooting guidance and answers to common questions about getting new courses up and running.

  • The Getting Up to Ultra Speed guide provides links to additional training resources and documentation to help instructors navigate the transition to the new Blackboard Ultra interface.

Help Resources