What’s New

Faculty prioritize grading & assessments for Ultra’s future

About 76% of current & planned Ultra aligns with Original

When Ultra was first introduced at UMBC in SP2018, four adventurous faculty opted to use a newly redesigned Blackboard course interface in their courses. Ultra represented a new phase of...

Posted: May 11, 2021, 11:27 AM

Coming Soon: Pinning Videos & Student Gallery View in Collab

Choose who you want to focus on during synchronous sessions

UPDATE: Following the introduction of gallery view to faculty in April 2021, we are pleased to announce that students and participants will also have access to 25 videos per page with the May...

Posted: May 5, 2021, 11:07 AM

SU2021 Courses Created in Blackboard on April 27, 2021

Blackboard course shells for SU2021 were created on April 27, 2021. The Ultra Course Preview setting is again enabled in SU2021 courses to allow faculty adoption with anupdated support schedule...

Posted: April 28, 2021, 10:11 AM

End of Semester Sprint Offers Customized Consults to Faculty

Two Sprints. One Day. Choose your time & topic.

The end of semester is a busy time of year for everyone, especially faculty. Instructional Technology will host two 2-hour sprint sessions on Thursday, May 13, 2021 for faculty to virtually...

Posted: April 27, 2021, 11:37 AM

12 Effective Practices for Delivering Blackboard Tests

Get ready for final exams with these test prep tips

Online tests and assignments are an effective and convenient way to assess students in the virtual environment. Throughout the semester, faculty can leverage many different options and settings...

Posted: April 26, 2021, 12:38 PM

New Update to Respondus Lockdown Browser Released

Students using Macs & Chromebooks must install update

A new update to Respondus Lockdown Browser (RLDB) is available for students to download and install. This update is for Mac users and the Chrome extension.  Students must make sure they are using...

Posted: April 22, 2021, 8:28 AM

Finalize Ultra gradebooks with new drop grades function

Much needed feature finally arrives to Ultra courses in May

An easier way to drop multiple grades from a category in the final grade calculation has been a frequent request from Ultra faculty for the Ultra course gradebook. With the May release, just in...

Posted: April 21, 2021, 10:12 AM

Using WebEx for Live Instruction and Collaborative Learning

One Instructor’s Use Case and Lessons Learned

It’s a cliche at this point for one to state that this past year has presented many complexities for all of us to adapt to. Not the least daunting of these adversities has been connecting...

Posted: April 19, 2021, 11:07 AM

Free Training for Respondus Lockdown Browser & Monitor

Join an upcoming webinar to see the latest features

Join an upcoming training webinar from Respondus to see the latest features and integrations for LockDown Browser and Monitor. Learn how these applications are used with a range of online testing...

Posted: April 13, 2021, 11:41 AM