U of A Encourages Faculty to Transition Courses to Blackboard Ultra This Spring

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To help faculty prepare for the 2024-25 academic year, the university is encouraging faculty to update all courses in the Blackboard Learning Management System before the end of the spring semester. In September, the university announced its plan to transition all courses in Blackboard to the enhanced user experience known as Blackboard Ultra. Starting fall 2024, all courses will utilize the Blackboard Ultra interface.

What does this mean for you?
The shift to Blackboard Ultra signifies a significant upgrade, necessitating familiarity with new features and navigation. The university strongly recommends faculty upgrade courses to Blackboard Ultra by the end of spring to avoid delays in getting courses set up correctly in the fall 2024. Start acquainting yourself with Blackboard Ultra now!

Where can you gain insight into Blackboard Ultra and seek assistance?
Visit tips.uark.edu/ultra for comprehensive information. Consider attending an introductory workshop during Ultra Mondays or delve deeper into specific topics during Follow-Up Friday training sessions. The Ultra Video Series offers quick training on various Ultra tools. Additionally, schedule a departmental or one-on-one consultation with a member of the TIPS team.

Why this change?
Blackboard Ultra offers a modern, intuitive and adaptive user experience for all. Anthology, Blackboard's parent company, has heavily invested in its development, prioritizing Ultra over the original course view. Notably, the Ultra experience is already familiar to mobile app users through Blackboard Learn, serving as their primary interface.

What about students?
Students will access a practice Blackboard Ultra course and receive targeted communications, alongside just-in-time training opportunities. For guidance, students can currently explore bbhelp.uark.edu, which contains numerous how-to articles concerning Blackboard Ultra.

What if my course is fully online?
If you teach an online course, Global Campus is already working on communicating with online instructors and getting courses converted to Blackboard Ultra. If you haven't heard from your instructional designer already, feel free to reach out.

For more information, visit tips.uark.edu/ultra or email tips@uark.edu.