Ellucian has improved the ARI Tool and added new features that will be of note this term as you enter your verficiations and grades. These changes will be implemented February 19th.

Click the image above to watch a short video detailing all the updates. 

Will you be our Ultra Valentine? Inspired by Christine Monnier’s “Do One Thing in Ultra” blog posts, join us this Valentine's Day (Friday, February 14th) to check out a few simple things that may just make you fall in love with the Blackboard Ultra upgrade.

We'll be in the SRC 3010 lab all day (9 a.m. to 4 p.m.) so you can stop by when it works for you, but allow at least 45 minutes to complete four activities of your choice and receive one hour of PDH credit!

Some of the activities include:

• Adding or Generating a Course Banner
• Creating a Learning Module
• Creating a Test or Assignment
• Copying Content from Original
• Setting Student Accommodations

Faculty attending will earn one Professional Development Hour (60 minutes). Please note that this training covers the same topics as our "Not So Haunted Ultra" session so if you've already attended that, you may not want to register for this one!

Foundations is back and better than ever! We're still offering our long-running Foundations of Online Teaching (now updated for Ultra) but this term we've added a second, more advanced session! 

Christine Monnier, one of the facilitators of the course, shares more information in a new blog post or you can find the basics and registration below: 

Foundations of Online Teaching: Part Two
April 7 to May 10

This five-week, hybrid course is designed to build on the skills that were developed in Foundations of Online Teaching: Part One but can also be taken if you would like to enhance a course you have already developed.

Using the OSCQR Rubric, participants will develop their entire course structure and complete at least two units of work. This course will tackle more advanced topics regarding content development and assessment building.

Register for Foundations of Online Teaching: Part Two

Join Christine Monnier, Professor of Sociology and current Chair of Online Quality and Learning Technology, to learn more about mind mapping. 

When: Wednesday, March 12, 2025 from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Zoom and 
Friday, March 21, from 10:30am to 12:30pm via Zoom

Session Summary: This session will describe the basics of mind mapping and the different ways you can use them in your courses. It will also provide examples from different tools available. Participants will also get a chance to get hands-on practice.

Faculty can earn 2 PDH. 

Are you ready to get into the "swing" of things? Hit a home run by taking one of our Blackboard Ultra spring training sessions. We'll be covering the fundamentals as well as some more advanced techniques! If you're interested in a topic, please register ASAP as sessions (especially in person) can fill up quickly. 

Blackboard Ultra: Converting Your Course

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.

• February 12, 2025 from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. in SRC 3010

Register for Blackboard Ultra: Converting Your Course

Blackboard Ultra: Building Your Course in 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.

• February 21, 2025 from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. in SRC 3010 

Register for Blackboard Ultra: Building Your Course in Ultra

Blackboard Ultra: Gradebook 
Our Gradebook 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 term.

• February 18, 2025 from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Zoom 
• February 19 from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. in SRC 3010

Register for Blackboard Ultra: Gradebook

Blackboard Ultra: Rubrics
Streamline your grading by building rubrics in Blackboard Ultra! Join Learning Technologies to discuss that benefits of using a rubric and learn how to create your own rubric manually or using the AI rubric tool.   

• February 27, 2025 from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Zoom

Register for Blackboard Ultra: Rubrics

Blackboard Ultra: AI Tools 

Blackboard uses Bloom’s Taxonomy as the foundation for the Generative AI tools implemented in Ultra to assist in course design. Join Learning Technologies to walk through the different places you can find AI in Ultra. Attendees will be guided in the discussion of the ethical use of AI in Blackboard.  

• February 20, 2025 from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Zoom
• February 25, 2025 from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Zoom

Register for Blackboard Ultra: AI Tools

Blackboard Ultra: Enhanced Ultra Docs 

Come discover the new Ultra Documents layout! The Ultra Documents tool to allows a more dynamic layout with new tools and features. Join us to discover what this tool has to offer and how you can use it to enhance your course content in Blackboard Ultra.

• February 13, 2025 from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Zoom 

Register for Blackboard Ultra: Enhanced Ultra Docs 

Blackboard Ultra: Discussions 

Let’s discuss… discussions! Join Learning Technologies and discuss different ways discussions can be utilized in courses and best practices. We will then cover how to create discussions in Blackboard Ultra manually and using the AI Discussion tool.

• February 26, 2025 from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. in SRC 3010 

• February 28, 2025 from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. in SRC 3010

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--the choice is yours!

Even better, we've added a new topic: Converting Your Course to Blackboard Ultra! Check out this new course as well as the existing courses below to get started using Ultra. 

NEW: Converting Your Course to Blackboard Ultra

Converting Your Course to Blackboard Ultra was developed exclusively for College of DuPage faculty who have content in a Blackboard Original course and are converting their content to a Blackboard Ultra course. We also cover how to create new content in your Ultra Course.

• Register for the PDH Version 
• Register for the Informational Version

Blackboard Ultra Basics 

Introduction to Ultra Basics is a video course developed exclusively for College of DuPage faculty. This course provides an overview of Blackboard Ultra. The PDH version is worth one hour of credit and includes deliverables.

• Register for the PDH Version 
• Register for the Informational Version 

Blackboard Ultra: Introduction to the Gradebook 

Blackboard Ultra: Introduction to the Gradebook is a video course developed exclusively for College of DuPage faculty. This course provides an overview of the Gradebook function within Blackboard Ultra. The PDH version is worth one hour of credit and includes deliverables.

• Register for the PDH Version 
• Register for the Informational Version 

For questions about these courses, please contact us! We're happy to help

Looking for support as you get started with Ultra? Want help converting your courses? We're here! During the Spring Term we'll be offering open labs twice a week to ensure you have a chance to get in-person help if you need it. Here's where we'll be:

• Wednesdays from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. in SRC 3010
• Fridays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in SRC 3010 

Contact Learning Technologies

• Phone: (630) 942-2490
• Email: learningtech@cod.edu
• Website: COD Learning Technologies

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