Given UMBC will be migrating to Ultra by the start of Winter 2025, five more departments will fully adopt Ultra for Fall 2023, The following departments join Theater and Gender, Women's, + Sexuality Studies in applying a consistent look and feel for their students when courses are created every semester:  

• American Studies

• Education

• Emergency Health Services

• Erickson School of Aging Studies 

• Mathematics/Statistics

Additionally, at least eight foreign languages in the Modern Languages, Linguistics, and Intercultural Communication department have been fully using Ultra for the last year including Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Spanish. English 100 and IHU courses also leverage an all-Ultra adoption.

Instructional Technology offers the following course creation and conversion support for department adoption of Ultra:

1. For departments or disciplines that want to adopt Ultra by default, Blackboard course shells can be designated as Ultra when courses are created. This approach can be especially helpful for instructors who are new to UMBC and need to quickly prepare course resources.

2. If departments decide to adopt Ultra after courses are created, we can bulk convert Original courses to Ultra in early August or early January before the semester starts. Using this approach, courses start in Original before content is added and students begin to work, but switch to Ultra with the assistance of Instructional Technology staff.

3. If departments want faculty to prepare courses for Ultra over a semester before fully adopting, we can bulk copy and convert older Original courses to Ultra (e.g., prepare in fall, adopt in spring). Additional time and flexibility are key to this approach, allowing faculty review previously offered courses in Ultra and optimize a redesigned format.

Please open an RT ticket to request any of these department adoption strategies. Providing the discipline's prefix for the courseID ensures Instructional Technology can quickly identify courses and trigger the conversion process on behalf of faculty, saving time and effort.

Finally, we have extensive training options for departments including customized workshops, recording artchives, and other resources.

As UMBC gears up to fully adopt Blackboard Ultra by the Spring 2025 term, multiple training and support resources are available to help instructors become familiar with Ultra and successfully navigate the migration process. Ultra is designed with ease of use in mind, offering an intuitive interface and user-friendly features. Whether you are new to Ultra or need a refresher, many of these resources are designed to help leverage Ultra's innovative functionality. 

Training

Our training allows participants to learn directly from experts, ask questions, and gain insights in real-time. Instructional Technology offers Ultra Essentials, a series of five specific workshops tailored to various aspects of Ultra such as course design, assessment tools, grading, communication, and planning your migration roadmap. Other topics available include Ally and accessibility and deeper dives into tests and question banks, rubrics, managing groups, and supporting large courses.

Additionally, we offer: 

• Extensive recording archives for faculty to access training materials to revisit - Available Now

• Our What's New in Ultra for Teaching and Learning webinars provides the latest information about new features in Ultra - Offered in January, May, and August every year.

• A course migration and design guide to help instructors migrate their courses from Original to Ultra - Available in December 2023

Our training formats support the unique needs and preferences of the UMBC community including live webinars, faculty show and tell, and multi-model (e.g., hyflex). Typically scheduled during the lunch break, training can also be customized to meet department needs or schedules.

Support & Outreach

UMBC offers multiple options for getting help and staying informed. 

• Users can submit an RT ticket to address specific concerns or issues or browse the comprehensive FAQs for quick answers to common questions.

• Take advantage of virtual drop-in hours to receive real-time support. The Ultra Ambassadors program and Instructional Technology's consulting services also offer personalized guidance. 

• Monthly Ultra updates are posted to the FAQs and myUMBC to provide the latest information about enhancements and features. We also share effective practices for using Ultra and other instructional technologies.

• The DoIT News Bulletin, distributed via email, keeps the UMBC community updated on the latest news and development. You may observe contextual messages within Blackboard when you log in or mouseover certain areas or tools.

By leveraging these varied training, support, and outreach formats, the UMBC community remains informed, connected, and equipped to adapt to the evolving landscape of Blackboard Ultra as we progress towards full adoption in Spring 2025.

Instructional Technology is pleased to offer the following Ultra workshops in March:

March 2 (12 PM) - Ultra Essentials IV - Tests & Assignments

March 7 (12 PM) Ultra Essentials V - Grading & the Gradebook

March 13 (12 PM) - Ultra Course Orientation for Faculty, TAs & Course Builders

March 17 (12 PM) - Deliver Effective Assessments with Ultra Question Banks

March 29 (12 PM) - Ultra Design Clinic

Note: This self-paced course has been retired due to changes in available resources from Blackboard. We encourage faculty interested in Ultra training to access the following resources:

• Attend an upcoming training

• Recordings in our Panopto training folder

• Please review the FAQs, including the What's New with Ultra page, and myUMBC for additional information about Ultra. 

• Connect with an Ultra Ambassador!

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In support of the final completion of the Ultra migration by SP2025, Instructional Technology is pleased to offer a self-paced course, Ultra for Instructors. 

This course is designed to introduce instructors to Blackboard Ultra, including general navigation, content management and creation processes, assessment creation and settings options, and gradebook management. Ultra for Instructors should provide a starting point to help you design your courses in Blackboard Ultra and offers opportunities to apply what you're learning as you navigate the course. 

The course includes reference materials, links to resources, videos, and "Try It" activities to apply in your own Ultra courses. Depending on faculty interests, available time, and needs, the course can be approached in one of the following ways:

• Complete all modules, beginning with the Welcome and sequentially completing Modules 1-7.

• Complete certain modules of interest.

• Complete selected units within particular modules.

• Refer to the course as a reference guide, as needed.