This page covers a list of common issues and queries you may encounter when working in Blackboard Ultra.
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Check you are assigned to the module you expected to see, if you are then contact the Blackboard Helpdesk with the module code, problem description and your details.
🧐 I can’t see any of my modules in Blackboard
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👩🏫 Adding learning and assessment to Course Content
Copying content from a previous module
To copy into the course content area; in your Ultra module, you can either …
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or add new learning content from scratch
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Create and add new items in the Course Content area
Mouse over where you want to add an item, click on the plus icon.
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Adding Learning Modules and Folders
Adding a Blackboard dropboxtestAdding
Add a Blackboard
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Adding a Turnitin assignment dropbox
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Assignment dropbox
Mouse over where you want to place the drop box in. Click on the + icon
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Then click on ‘Content Market’
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Content Market shows all the tools integrated with Blackboard, select and click on Turnitin to add a Turnitin dropbox and then adjust your settings.
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For more detailed instructions on how to add a Turnitin assignment dropbox
Changing the name of an item in Ultra
To change the name of an item in Ultra, click on the three dots (ellipsis) and select edit.
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Then mouse over the title and click when you see the title underlined and the pencil icon appears
when you see the flashing cursor you can edit
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No need to save, just use the purple X to close.
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How do I set up groups?
Your groups will sit under the Groups tab in the Course toolbar
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Groups sit within Group Sets, for instance one Group Set may contain five groups that divide your cohort into five groups for one project.
You can either create your group sets manually by clicking on New Group Set, or import your group set and group members using spreadsheets saved as .CSV files.
If you are creating your groups manually click on New Group Set
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This brings up the Group Set options page, give your Group set a name then select how you want to create groups within the Group set, by selecting an option in the Group students drop down menu.
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Chose from:
Custom: manually add students to groups
Randomly assign: automatically add students to groups at random
Self-enrolment: lets student choose their group
Find out more about creating Group sets manually
How do I make content available to certain students or groups?*
How to a create a group discussion?*
How do I set up an assignment dropbox?*add an item, click on the plus icon. This brings up the add content context menu, select Create
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This brings up the Create Item context menu. Select Assignment in the Assessment section.
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Add a meaningful title, add instructions for your students and click Save.
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Use the cog to access the full range of Assessment settings
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Find out more about adding a Blackboard dropbox
Add a rubric to Blackboard Assignment
Click on the cog icon in your Blackboard assignment dropbox to access your assignment settings, scroll down to ‘Additional tools’.
Select Add marking rubric.
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Either select Add to add an existing rubric or select Create to create a new rubric.
This will open up an empty rubric template with four achievement columns with percentage marks and four empty criteria rows each weighted at 25%.
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Click on “New Rubric” to add a meaningful name to your rubric.
Select your preferred rubric type e.g. Percentage Range from the Rubric Type drop-down menu.
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Along the top of the columns, you have the levels of achievement: Excellent, Satisfactory etc. If you need to add another achievement column, e.g Very Good, mouse over the vertical border between the cells in the top row between Excellent and Satisfactory. Click on the plus that appears
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Add in the achievement level in the text box, click outside the textbox to confirm the edit.
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To edit an achievement level, mouse over the right hand side of the cell and a pencil icon will appear. Click on it to edit the name of the column. Click outside the cell to confirm the text edit.
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In the first column, mouse over the right hand side of each cell until the pencil appears … then click to add text to the Criterion text box
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If you need to add another criterion row, mouse over the border of the cells in the first column and click on the plus.
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Add your criterion and then add in the weighting of that category. When you add the weighting you’ll get a warning that your weighting isn’t balanced. You can choose to add your own weighting or balance the values evenly using Balance Criteria.
Continue to add your content to the cells, mousing over each cell, click on the pencil icon to edit achievement descriptions and values.
Select Save at the bottom of the rubric and Save in the settings
Find out more about creating rubrics.
Adding a Turnitin assignment dropbox
Navigate to the folder / section you want to place the drop box in. Click on the + icon
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Then click on ‘Content Market’
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Content Market shows all the tools integrated with Blackboard, select and click on Turnitin to add a Turnitin dropbox and then adjust your settings.
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For more detailed instructions on how to add a Turnitin assignment dropbox
Changing the name of an item in Ultra
To change the name of an item in Ultra, click on the three dots (ellipsis) and select edit.
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Then mouse over the title and click when you see the title underlined and the pencil icon appears
when you see the flashing cursor you can edit
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No need to save, just use the purple X to close.
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Adding Accommodations and Exceptions
You can set up an accommodation for a student with Reasonable Adjustments (RARs) in Gradebook. That accommodation will affect all forms of assessment within the module. Students with accommodations are identified throughout the module with a purple flag beside their name.
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To add an accommodation, go into Gradebook and click on Students view:
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Click on the three dots (ellipses) to the far right of the row for the student you wish to add an accommodation for:
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Select ‘Accommodations’ and then tick ‘Time limit accommodation’. Then add in the custom percentage for the student as per their RAR > Click SAVE.
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Find out more about adding accommodations in Gradebook
An exception is associated with one assessment and is used for exceptional circumstances like a hospital appointment. An exception will be denoted by a timer in the student's row in the column of that assessment in Gradebook (Marks view)
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Set up an exception by going to Marks view in Gradebook
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In the Blackboard assignment column, click on the student's cell and select Add or edit exceptions.
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This opens up the Exception settings panel for that assignment, choose from Assessment due date, show and hide and attempts allowed and click Save.
The student will have the timer symbol appear beside their name.
👨👧👧 Using groups
How do I set up groups?
Your groups will sit under the Groups tab in the Course toolbar
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Groups sit within Group Sets, for instance one Group Set may contain five groups that divide your cohort into five groups for one project.
You can either create your group sets manually by clicking on New Group Set, or import your group set and group members using spreadsheets saved as .CSV files.
If you are creating your groups manually click on New Group Set
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This brings up the Group Set options page, give your Group set a name then select how you want to create groups within the Group set, by selecting an option in the Group students drop down menu.
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Chose from:
Custom: manually add students to groups
Randomly assign: automatically add students to groups at random
Self-enrolment: lets student choose their group
Find out more about creating Group sets manually
How do I set up a Group Discussion?
Use Group sets for group discussions
Select the Discussions tab along the top navigation panel.
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Click ‘New Discussion’
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Once you have given your discussion a title and a topic/context /a question or a starting point etc. you can adjust the settings by clicking on the cog in upper right hand side.
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Under the Group discussion section, select Assign to Groups.
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This will open up the group setting for your discussion. Select Custom in the Group students drop-down menu and select the appropriate Group set from those listed (NB Group sets, not groups are displayed). Click Save.
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You will return to the Discussion Settings menu, “1 group” should now appear under Group discussion, click Save.
Find out more about creating Group Discussions
Release Conditions making content available to certain students or groups?
Use Release Conditions to make content available to certain groups or students.
Click on the Visible/Hidden from Students underneath the name of the item in Course Content. Select Release Conditions from the drop-down.
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You can use rules to show or hide your items to students based on certain criteria.
For instance if you want your folder or learning module to release to your class on a certain date.
Set rule 1: select All members and Date/time checkbox, then enter the date you want the item to become visible:
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Select Save and then select Hide:
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You can also add more than one rule to the same item.
For instance, you can set an earlier release time for a specific student, by selecting Specific members or groups and using the drop-down arrow to find the student. Then you can set Date/time as before
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Find out more about using Release conditions
😌 Getting support
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