5 Steps to Prep Your Bb Course for Summer or Fall

Access the recorded session.

By the end of April, Blackboard course shells for the summer semester will be created; additionally, fall course shells will be available in July. Whether you plan to tweak an existing course or create something new, join us for these top five tips to help you get ready! 

This session is ideal for instructors who currently use Ultra as well as those interested in adopting Ultra for summer. We will cover five things you can do now to prepare the course for opening day, including how to:

• Convert Blackboard course shell to Bb Ultra
• Create folders, modules, and content
• Provide faculty introduction / course overview
• Use communication tools
• Create and grade assessments

Ultra offers a new, refreshed teaching and learning experience for Blackboard courses. Redesigned from the ground up, Ultra is responsive, mobile-friendly, and student-centered. 

This session will be facilitated by Dr. Susan Biro and Dr. Peter Ariev from Instructional Technology. To RSVP, click “Going” below and be sure to add the event to your calendar!

The webinar will take place in a Blackboard Collaborate virtual conference room. Enter the webinar up to 10 minutes before the start time. Use the "Join Online Event" link above to join the session.

Prior to the event

1. For the best viewing experience, we recommend using Chrome or Firefox, preferably the most recent updates to those browsers. Closing any unnecessary browser tabs will help conserve your bandwidth.   

2. If this is your first time joining one of our webinars, please review the Bb Getting Started Guide or our Quick Start Guide for All Users. You will also find additional helpful information for using Blackboard Collaborate at our extensive FAQs.

3. After joining the session, please configure your audio. Having trouble accessing Collaborate? Please see our Troubleshooting Audio Problems or Networking Issues for Collaborate guides.

At least 5 registrations are needed for this session to proceed as scheduled. The session will be recorded if two or more people attend and the link will be distributed to everyone who registered.

Connect with Instructional Technology

As always, if you have any questions about teaching, learning, and technology at UMBC, consider the following options:

• PIVOT | Academic Continuity | Student Technology Resources

• What's new in Ultra? | Known Issues 

• Open a ticket via RT

• Follow the Instructional Technology & DoIT myUMBC groups

• Request a consult with instructional technology staff

UMBC is committed to providing a consistent learning experience for everyone. The last day we will support Blackboard Original is December 31, 2024. Please check out our training and support: umbc.edu/go/ultra