Blackboard Ultra Transition
What is Blackboard Ultra?
Blackboard Ultra is the newest Blackboard platform that offers an intuitive interface and accessible content. You can benefit from its responsive design to build learner-centered courses. The Base Navigation provides quick access to important information and improves user interactions to create an engaging learning experience.
Ultra-Conversion Deadline and Pilot
FHSU is in the process of transitioning from the original Blackboard to the, more dynamically featured, Ultra Experience. Many courses have already been successfully developed and delivered in Ultra and the plan is to have a gradual migration of all Blackboard courses fully transitioned by Fall 2025. To ensure a smooth conversion process, we are working closely with Blackboard and their partners on an automated, software-based conversion process. The first step has been to map the structure of our current courses and develop pathways to create easily navigable and highly functional Ultra Experience courses. To this end we have been meticulously monitoring a sample of 10 current courses as they move through the conversion process. The review process includes ensuring multimedia, links, content, and course structure all transition over seamlessly.
100 Course Conversion: Faculty Volunteers Wanted
As we wrap up our first round of Ultra course conversions, TILT is looking for courses to kickstart FHSU’s conversion to Blackboard Ultra. Once the heavy lifting of the 10-course pilot is complete, Blackboard, and their conversion partner K16, have offered us the opportunity to perform the automated transition process on 100 additional courses to initiate the campus-wide conversion process. These courses will help to demonstrate the ease with which FHSU will be able to transition from the original layout of Blackboard to the new Ultra version on a larger scale and we are asking for your help.
If you would like an Instructional Designer in the TILT department to walk through Ultra with you, try our Blackboard Ultra Conversion page.
By Fall 2025, TILT hopes to welcome all students to a new LMS experience when they start their courses.
Current Blackboard and Ultra Comparison
- Journal is used as a self-reflective tool and can only be shared between an individual student and the instructor
- By default, there is no Total or Weighted Total column in gradebook. Instructors can set up these two columns manually
- Only these questions types are available in tests: Essay, Fill in the Blank, Matching, Multiple choice (single and multiple correct), True/False, Calculated Formula
- Question bank can be imported from an Original course to an Ultra course, but they cannot be manually created or edited
- Blogs
- Course Link
- Self and Peer Assessment
- Survey
- Contacts
- Glossary
- Lesson Plan
- Tasks
- Wiki
FHSU Ultra Courses Showcase
The 8-Week Module is this.
16-Week Module looks like this.
Request a Sandbox
To request for a Blackboard Ultra Sandbox, please contact BbSupport@fhsu.edu