Your Guided Transition to Blackboard Ultra: Collaborating with TILT for Success
Making the move to Blackboard Ultra from Blackboard Original doesn't have to be complicated. In fact, with the help of Fort Hays State University's Teaching Innovation and Learning Technologies (TILT) team, the process can be streamlined and efficient.
Frequently Asked Questions
Fort Hays State University initiated its transition to Blackboard Ultra starting in 2019. Initially, this transition brought about noticeable changes, particularly affecting the login experience for all users. However, the majority of classes at FHSU are still conducted on the “original” Blackboard platform. As an instructor, if you haven’t intentionally migrated your course materials to Ultra or received an Ultra course from TILT (or your own department), your course probably still remains on the original platform.
Understanding Ultra involves recognizing it as having two distinct components: 1) the overarching environment housing all courses, and 2) the courses themselves. When FHSU made the shift to Ultra, only the environment changed. The university aims to transition all courses to the Ultra format by the end of Fall 2025, with instructors having the flexibility to decide when to adopt the Ultra course format.
Determining whether your class resides on the “original” Blackboard or Ultra is straightforward: simply log in. Your main Blackboard page will look the same no matter what version you are in. It will all depend on what it looks like when you click each individual course.
For detailed information, go to our blog post here.
The full process is listed in our resources hub on the Tiger Learn Blog. To find out more, click here.
Exploring Blackboard Ultra for Teaching
- For hands-on exploration, request an Ultra Sandbox by submitting a ticket to Blackboard support.
- Schedule online: Use this link to schedule a one-hour consultation with a TILT instructional designer to explore Blackboard Ultra in a “sandbox” environment and personalized learning resources to enhance your skills with Blackboard Ultra.
- Sign up to be enrolled in self-guided Blackboard Ultra Training by submitting a ticket to BB Support.
- Sign up for any of the following workshops; (Coming Soon)
- Transitioning Original Courses to Ultra
- Empowering Instructors with AI Design Assistant
- Ultra Gradebook Management