Ally Level Up Champion
Join Us to Level Up Your Accessibility!
Join Learning Technologies on Wednesday, November 19th to learn how you can "level up" the accessibility of your courses and documents! We'll be offering sessions on making the most out of tools you already use (Microsoft Office, YuJa, Blackboard) to enhance accessibility as well as covering some accessibility fundamentals. Stop by our open lab (1 to 2 p.m. and 3 to 4 p.m. in SRC 3013) to get assistance or ask questions related to accessibility issues. 
 
Introduction to Digital Accessibility
9:00 a.m. to 9:50 a.m. on Zoom
 
Designed for anyone new to accessibility, this workshop offers a practical overview of digital accessibility, laying the foundation for inclusive design. We’ll cover core concepts relating to disability and assistive technologies, demonstrate common barriers students face online, and explore how ADA Title II relates to your role. We’ll also cover high-impact techniques you can use right away to ensure your content is accessible to your audience.
 
 
 
Getting Started Creating Accessible Documents
10:00 a.m. to 10:50 a.m. on Zoom
 
Nearly every COD employee will need to share a document. This might be an email attachment, a course syllabus uploaded to Blackboard, or a PowerPoint presentation from your kickoff session. Ensuring that your content is accessible is a great way to build meaningful connections through care. You’ve spent time making sure that your message delivers the intended meaning or content, but it’s also important that all people who need or want that content can access it. Employing a few simple steps when creating a document can help to make sure your content is accessible to the greatest number of people.
 
 
Using YuJa to Create Accessible Video Content
11:00 a.m. to 11:50 a.m. on Zoom
 
Captions make your videos more accessible and more effective for every student — captions can help all students stay focused, search video content, and learn more effectively. In this session, you’ll discover how easy it is to add and edit captions to your videos in YuJa. We’ll walk through auto-captioning, quick editing tools, and how to share your finished video in your course—all in just a few simple steps.
 
 
Intro to Accessible Content in Blackboard
2:00 p.m. to 2:50 p.m. SRC 3013
 
Designed for educators new to accessibility, this workshop offers a practical overview of digital accessibility, laying the foundation for inclusive teaching. You’ll learn core concepts around disability, explore common barriers students face online, and understand how ADA Title II connects to everyday course design choices. With that context, we’ll transition into Blackboard and demonstrate easy first steps, such as structuring content, adding alt text, checking color contrast, and utilizing built-in accessibility tools.
 
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Course Removal Starts January 2026
With the move to a SaaS model of Blackboard, the College gained more room to store Blackboard courses. However, this storage, while larger than before, isn't unlimited and in order to stay within our storage limits, we will need to resume the process of removing old courses from Blackboard.
 
Going forward, we will only be storing seven terms of courses and will be removing courses at the end of each term to stay within this limit (don't worry, we'll always let you know when this will be happening). We are currently planning to remove the following from Blackboard: 
  • All Blackboard course shells from FALL 21 to SPRING 23
  • Old/Unused zDev shells 
 
This cleanup will happen between terms the first week of January 2026. If you would like to see if you have any courses that will be removed, we have created a term in Blackboard called "To Be Removed." Sort your course list by this term. If you cannot see this term as an option, you have no courses slated for removal. 
 
If you DO have courses that will be removed and would like to preserve them, you can export your course content. 
Once exported, you can use this file to copy content into a new course or zdev shell or simply store it for your personal records. 
 
If you have any questions or need assistance with this process, please let us know! 
 
newultra
Ultra Training and Updates
Chart Your Course for Ultra
Ahoy, COD faculty! The deadline for transitioning to Ultra is on the horizon and starting with the Spring 2026 term all courses at COD will be in Ultra (as you see your Spring courses being assigned in Blackboard, you will notice that they are now ALL in Ultra). With that date looming, the time is now to figure out how you’re going to get to Ultra.  
 
The path won’t be the same for every course. Those who only use Blackboard to store a syllabus are going to have a very different transition from those who teach their entire course in Blackboard. But not to worry! We’re here to help you chart your course for the Ultra transition including figuring out how much time it will take, what training you should pursue, and the amount of support you may need from us. 
 
Chart Your Course for Ultra
Fall 2025 Ultra Training Sessions
The Fall 2025 Term is winding down. That means just a few more months before all courses will be in Ultra. To ensure you're "Ultra-ready" for spring, we recommend signing up for one of our Ultra trainings. There are only a few sessions left, so register ASAP to secure your spot.   
 
Can't make it? 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.
 
  • 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, 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.
 
  • 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
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Blackboard Ultra Open Lab 
LT Open Labs are ready for all your Ultra questions this fall.
From August 27 through December 19 find us in SRC 3013 on:
  • Wednesdays from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. 
  • Fridays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. 
 
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Make an Appointment with an Instructional Designer
Need a little extra help with structuring your courses or have specific questions about course design in Ultra? We've got Instructional Designers for that! We now have a request form that allows you to book a 30-minute session (either virtual via Teams or in-person) with one of our Instructional Designers. 
 
Before booking a 30-minute appointment with an instructional designer, we strongly encourage you to complete Blackboard Ultra training (available in both live and self-paced formats). These sessions will give you the foundation you need so our meeting time can focus on your specific questions and course needs.
Request a Virtual Appointment
Request an In-Person Appointment
Blog page with new bubble
New Posts on the LT Blog!
Christine Monnier is back to blogging for the Fall Term! Check out her latest posts (most recent at the bottom, newest are bolded): 
 
Joke of the Week
Why did the turkey get in trouble at school? It used fowl language!
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