Blackboard Ultra Experience: Summer 2022

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As much as I complained about piloting* the new Blackboard version (called the Ultra Experience), now that I'm 99.9% finished with recreating the English 120 Online course, it wasn't as terrible as I thought. The tweaking process required me to reflect on what the class should look like and contain in order to lead students down a path of learning.

I do miss some of the features of the version we'll still be using come fall (or maybe the Distance Ed office people will move all of my classes to Ultra?), but oh well. I've been making a list of issues for people to review as all of campus moves to this new fancy version (which looks a lot like Canvas to me, but whatever).

*Yes, it was my idea to pilot this version for summer.

Blackboard Ultra Experience Issues:
  • The landing page is gone; I had an intro video and my contact info right there. A simple banner can be used, though, in Ultra.
  • Embedding from Google or YouTube or TED doesn’t seem possible. Almost everything has to be linked out. 
    • I think I was able to place a video right inside the course shell, but it caused extra clicks.
  • Everything that gets graded requires a deadline.
  • Discussion boards appear to be on one page - better aesthetics and ease of reading all posts.
  • It’s a toss up as to how the Gradebook will function… the “Needs Grading” spot is nonexistent?
  • Where can I easily change deadlines in the future?
  • Moving things around with those little arrows - not easy.
  • Test question pools don’t seem to transfer between non-Ultra and Ultra courses? Or maybe I didn't give it enough time to do so?
  • Quiz defaults to 10pts a question - why 10 instead of 1? The system also seems to lean towards having assignments add up to 100pts, which is a lot.


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