Get Ready for Blackboard Ultra
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Blackboard Ultra
ACC Has Successfully Migrated to Blackboard Ultra
Overview
Austin Community College (ACC) has completed its migration from Blackboard Learn to Blackboard Ultra, a next-generation learning management system (LMS). This upgrade introduced a modern, intuitive interface and advanced capabilities designed to enhance teaching, learning, and course management for both faculty and students.
Why the transition was made
The move to Blackboard Ultra aimed to take advantage of its streamlined navigation, flexible instructional tools, and improved accessibility. The platform provides a consistent user experience across all devices, making it easier for students and faculty to interact with course content anytime, anywhere.
Key benefits of Blackboard Ultra
The migration brought several enhancements, including:
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A user-friendly and intuitive interface
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Enhanced instructional design capabilities
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Flexible and efficient grading tools
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Improved communication and collaboration features
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Consistent course layout across all courses
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Responsive design for desktop, tablet, and mobile devices
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Increased accessibility for all users
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Streamlined administrative controls
Project Timeline
Spring 2024 – Planning Phase
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Change Management Plan developed
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Biweekly LMS Transition Team meetings (faculty and staff collaboration)
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Creation and refinement of in-house training resources
Summer 2024 – Spring 2025: Training & Course Preparation
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Face-to-face and HyFlex departmental training sessions
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Asynchronous training modules made available
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Drop-in support sessions offered for ongoing assistance
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Ultra course shells provided for faculty course development
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Instruction continued in Blackboard Learn during this transition period
Summer 2025 – Full Implementation
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All instructional activities officially transitioned to Blackboard Ultra
Frequently Asked Questions
When can the faculty start teaching with Ultra?
Faculty will start seeing Ultra Build Out sites in Blackboard at the start of summer 2024. These sites are for faculty to develop (convert or build) their Ultra courses and there will be plenty of time for these conversions. While we will not ‘flip the switch’ and use Blackboard Ultra until the summer of 2025, these sites will allow for well-paced, quality course conversion/construction over the next academic year. In sum, to keep the experience consistent for students, instruction will continue in the original version of Blackboard through the spring 2025 semester. We will – as an institution – shift to using Blackboard Ultra as of summer 2025.
Is there going to be a requirement to use Blackboard?
Members of the LMS Transition Committee (comprised of faculty, staff, and instructional leadership) are currently considering what professional standards would best support student success as we transition to Blackboard Ultra.
What is the workload involved in this transition?
There are three main options for moving courses from the current version of Blackboard to Ultra: one is a more automatic option that converts materials quickly (on average, about 90 seconds), a second is to do a ‘granular’ copy of course elements from Learn into Ultra picking and choosing what is best to keep and what may need to be rebuilt, and a third is to rebuild entirely within Ultra. The latter, while more time consuming, allows faculty to review their course design choices from the ground-up, leveraging best practices from the Quality Matters (QM) process. The existing complexity of the Learn course being converted will largely determine the workload involved with regard to the editing required post-conversion in Ultra.
Will courses convert and files move over?
Yes! As mentioned above, courses and files contained within can convert via three main options. If faculty elect to use the automatic conversion process, they will get an ‘exception report’ that points them to aspects of the course that did not convert successfully and need to be addressed. The number of exceptions on this report will be relative to the compatibility of course elements pre-conversion. Note: Folders within the current version of Blackboard will likely convert to Ultra as modules.
Will there be training?
Yes! Training is currently being developed by our office of Distance Learning in collaboration with faculty. This training will be both face-to-face/HyFlex and asynchronous, largely starting with the fall 2024 semester. There will also be a website/InfoHub available with resources and reference materials.
What tools will I be gaining? What tools will I be losing?
Much of the functionality of the original version of Blackboard will exist and actually be enhanced in Ultra. There will also be new features to augment and facilitate teaching and learning. One notable exception would be Wikis, which have yet to be released as part of Ultra.
How different will this be for our students?
Students will benefit from the more modern user experience within Ultra, which is very mobile friendly.
Will students need training on the new Ultra interface?
No, as it is much more straightforward for students. Other institutions have found this to be a smooth part of the upgrade process. Note: We do have a communication campaign for students – closer to the upgrade date – as part of our Change Management plan.
Will I get advanced access to a space for course building in Ultra?
Yes! Ultra Build-Out Courses are scheduled to be available to all faculty by summer 2024 for each course they commonly teach (within the last year). These Build-Out courses are for faculty to use from summer 2024 through Go-Live. Courses developed within the current version of Blackboard can be converted into these Build-Outs or the Build-Outs can be where faculty completely rebuild their course (see #2 above). But the Build-Outs are not permanent! Once faculty teach each course associated with a Build-Out (i.e., copy the Build-Out to an upcoming, live shell), the Build-Out will be removed from our server to ensure we have enough storage for active courses.
Will there be a size limit for courses?
Yes. There will be an overall course quota limit of 1G (most courses fall under this threshold already), and a process for requesting a pedagogically-necessary exception.
More questions?
Please reach out to us at [email protected]