Blackboard Ultra
- Sturdy Knight
- Matthew Warne
Blackboard Ultra
Blackboard Ultra is the supported Learning Management System (LMS) at Syracuse University for sharing of course materials, communication among faculty and students within a course, and submission, grading, and feedback for course assessments. Blackboard is available for all SU courses, whether online, hybrid, or face-to-face.
The Ultra course view layout utilizes contemporary web design practices that meet current accessibility guidelines and responsiveness across all device sizes. This creates a more consistent and accessible online experience for both faculty and students across different devices and operating systems. Starting from the the Fall 2024 semester, all SU Blackboard courses have been in the Ultra course view. Content from older courses in the original course view format, which was supported from 2003-2023, can be imported and updated to Ultra view.
Blackboard Access
Blackboard is available to all SU faculty, students, and instructional staff. Users with an active SU NetID can Login to Blackboard using their NetID and password.
Help and Consultations
For general questions about Blackboard, email help@syr.edu, refer to our quick start guides, or search the Answers pages indexed below for keywords related to your question.
Online Learning Services Staff are available for one-on-one consultations with faculty — instructors can schedule an appointment by visiting our booking page. There are a number of appointment slots each business day available on a first-come, first-serve basis. Appointments can be reserved up to two weeks in advance. Please book only one appointment slot at a time.
Answers Guides for Instructors
Below are links to Blackboard Answers pages created for SU instructors by Online Learning Services, indexed by main topic areas. Frequently referenced Answers are highlighted for each index. A full page list for each index can be viewed in the page tree on the left.
If you cannot find information related to your specific question in the Answers index, email help@syr.edu and include “Blackboard” and the name of the feature(s) you need help with in the subject line of your message.
Answers about Blackboard login access, setup, technical settings and requirements, and general FAQ's
Top Pages
Accessing Blackboard - how to login to Blackboard and locate your courses
Blackboard Support Contacts - contact information for the ITS service center and Blackboard support group, and for school/college IT offices
Locating Blackboard Courses - searching/filtering your course list
Full Page List
Answers about managing course availability and appearance, course enrollments and merges, announcements, calendar, email/messages, notification settings, etc.
Top Pages
Blackboard - Start of Semester Frequently Asked Questions (SOS-FAQ) - common questions and request forms related to setting up new Blackboard courses
Course Availability - making your Blackboard course available to students
Merge Course Enrollments - combining 2 or more sections under a single "parent" course in Blackboard
Course Announcements - posting announcements and sending mass notifications to all users in a course
Course Messages - sending direct messages to selected users/groups in your course
Full Page List
Answers about building and publishing course content including documents, embedded files, links, streaming media, assignments, etc.
Top Pages
Create Content - adding new items to the course content area
Modules and Folders - organizing items in the course content area
Copying Content - transferring files and content from other Blackboard courses
Content Visibility and Release Conditions - managing student access to items in the course content area
Full Page List
Answers about using the Blackboard Ultra gradebook and course analytics tools
Top Pages
/wiki/spaces/blackboard01/pages/154386419 - overview of the Gradebook interface
Grading Rubrics - creating and applying grading rubrics
Attendance - using the attendance tool and importing into the Gradebook
Full Page List
Answers about managing your course roster, including tools and settings for individual students and creating groups
Top Pages
Course Roster - using the course roster
Group Sets and Groups - creating new groups and enrolling students
Accommodations - changing course settings/permissions for individual students to reflect accommodations
Full Page List
Answers about supported tools for online learning including Zoom, Kaltura, PlayPosit, PointSolutions, Microsoft 365, and Google Suite, as well as information about the process for requesting to connect other third-party tools to SU Blackboard
Top Pages
Content Market Tools - accessing the full list of supported third-party tools that can be linked/embedded in Ultra courses
Kaltura Video - embedding videos from your Kaltura Media library into Blackboard content
Turnitin - creating a Turnitin assignment link in the course content area and linking to the Blackboard gradebook
Zoom - embedding a Zoom meeting link and/or recording in the Blackboard content area
Full Page List
Answers Guides for Students
Blackboard Answers for students
Top Pages
Student Profile - editing you Blackboard profile picture, language preferences, and notifications
Course Navigation - finding course information, files, assignments, and grades in Blackboard
Submissions and Grades - submitting assignments in Blackboard and checking grading status/feedback
Full Page List