backtoschool
Welcome to the Fall 2025 Term! 
Welcome back, faculty! We hope everyone enjoyed a great summer. We're ready to help get you up and running with the Fall 2025 Term! 
Getting Started Resources
1
Faculty Get Started 
Find help with a range of basic beginning-of-term tasks, like course copy, gradebook set up, and more on our LT site. 
Get Started Page
2
LT Knowledge Base
Have a quick question about Blackboard? Look up the answer in the Knowledge Base! 
 
LT Knowledge Base
3
ARI Tool Support 
Get help with putting in your roster verifications as the term begins! 
 
 
ARI Tool Website
4
Syllabus Process Support
Getting your syllabus uploaded to Blackboard and in the right place so that the extraction tool can find it can be tricky. Use our helpful guide to make the process a little easier. 
Syllabus Process Page
Ultra Sessions at Kickoff
Want to learn more about Ultra? You can head to one of the sessions being offered at Kickoff by our COD faculty!
 
Optimizing Your Content for the Ultra Course View
Or'Shaundra Benson-Meirick and Christine Monnier
  • Wednesday, August 20 at 2 p.m. in SRC 3003
  • Thursday, August 21 at 2 p.m. in SRC 3003
 
AI Assist Building and Updating Courses on Blackboard
Tony Chen
  • Wednesday, August 20 at 1:00 p.m. in SRC 3003
 
LT Open Labs at Kickoff 
Get help starting the term and moving your courses into Ultra at one of our support labs! 
  • Wednesday, August 20 from 1:00 p.m. to 4 p.m. in SRC 3005
  • Thursday, August 21 from 1:00 p.m. to 4 p.m. in SRC 3005
 
You can find information about this session and others in the full kickoff schedule below. 
 
Fall 2025 Kickoff Schedule
Blackboard Ultra
Ultra Updates for Fall 2025 
The Fall 2025 Term is the final term that any courses will be in Blackboard Original. Starting with the Spring 2025 Term, ALL courses will be in the Blackboard Ultra course view. If you have not yet made the switch now is the time to start! 
Ultra Numbers for Fall 
A lot of COD faculty have already made the switch to Ultra, but we still have a long way to go.
 
Of all courses at COD (including Dual Credit):
  • 70% are in Ultra
  • 30% are in Original
Of COD Credit Courses:
  • 56% are in Ultra
  • 44% are in Original
 
After this term, using Ultra will not be optional so it's key to start planning for your transition now. 
What's New in Ultra: August Updates 
Ultra has some great improvements with the latest update! Users can now: 
 
  • Add a table of contents and full-width assessment panel to Learning Modules
  • Use Forced Sequence in Learning Modules 
  • Create assessments within Learning Modules
  • Enhance Documents with block styling options
  • Use Video Studio in Announcements
 
For details about these changes, please read the release notes from Blackboard. 
Read the Full Release Notes
Ultra Training for Fall
Fall 2025 Ultra Training Sessions
While the transition deadline is fast approaching, you still have plenty of time to learn about Ultra and start moving your courses over. We can help! Here's our training schedule for this fall--and don't forget we also have asynchronous training you can do on your own and support labs where we can answer all of your Ultra questions! 
Building Your Course in Blackboard Ultra
Whether you are building a brand-new course or are looking to redesign an existing course, this session will include a guided walkthrough on how to build a course optimized for the Ultra Course View. Stick around after the session to ask more questions or get hands on help from Learning Technologies.
  • Thursday, August 28 from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. on Zoom
  • Wednesday, September 24 from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. in SRC 3013
  • Tuesday, October 28 from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Zoom 
  • Wednesday, November 26 from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. in SRC 3013
Register for Building Your Course in Blackboard Ultra
Blackboard Ultra Gradebook
This session will cover an overview of the Ultra Gradebook and how to set up your Gradebook to ensure that you and your students have a successful course.
  • Wednesday, September 3 from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. in SRC 3013
  • Tuesday, October 7 from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. on Zoom 
  • Friday, November 7 from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. in SRC 3013
  • Wednesday, December 10 from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Zoom 
Register for Blackboard Ultra Gradebook
Converting Your Course to Blackboard Ultra
Our Converting your Course session will include a guided walkthrough on how to transition your content from Original Course View to Ultra Course view and how to add new content from other sources. You can then take what you have learned and begin transitioning your content into the Ultra Course view. Stick around after the session to ask more questions or get hands on help from Learning Technologies.
  • Thursday September 18 from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Zoom 
  • Wednesday, October 15 from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. in SRC 3013
  • Monday, November 17 from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. on Zoom 
  • Tuesday, December 16 from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. on Zoom 
 
Register for Converting Your Course to Blackboard Ultra
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Ultra Asynchronous Training
Want to learn about Ultra but can't make it to one of our trainings? You can now register for one of our asynchronous online courses! You can choose from a PDH option or one that offers the same information without the PDH component. 
Learn More and Register
Decorative-- three people on computers
Blackboard Ultra Open Lab 
LT Open Labs are ready for all your Ultra questions this fall.
From August 27th (next week--see our kickoff lab times above) through December 19th, find us in SRC 3013 on:
  • Wednesdays from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. 
  • Fridays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. 
 
laptop with an image of a dictionary on the screen
Blackboard Ultra: Learn the Lingo 
One of the things that you’ll notice as you transition to Ultra is that some of the features of Original have different names in Ultra.
 
To reduce confusion over this new terminology, we created a blog series this summer to help you learn the new lingo that comes along with the switch to Ultra. You may also find that some things function a bit differently or have some additional enhancements, so we'll touch on that as well. If you missed these posts, you can check them out now! 
 
Here's what we covered:  
  • Content Areas are now Learning Modules
  • Items are now Ultra Documents
  • Date Management is now Batch Edit 
  • Adaptive Release is now Release Conditions
Learn More on the LT Blog
Joke of the Week
What do you call it when a cow grows facial hair? A moo-stache!

Contact Learning Technologies

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