Announcement from CTLD/ITS - May 22, 2025

Dear Faculty,

As shared in the Provost’s April 24th email, Stockton is moving to Blackboard Ultra. All live courses in Fall 2026 will use Ultra Course View. Now is the time to get ready and take advantage of Ultra's modern, user-friendly features. Check out the Blackboard Ultra for Faculty webpage for step-by-step guidance, updates, and best practices. New content will be added monthly.

What is Ultra Course View? Ultra provides an intuitive design that works seamlessly across devices. It simplifies course setup and navigation—for both you and your students.

Start Preparing This Summer (2025)

Here’s how to get started:

• Request a Development Section - Explore Ultra in a test environment (sandbox) to explore features and experiment with course design.
• Join Training Sessions - Sign up for Anthology’s free webinar series this summer — start with the “Essentials” session. CTLD will also offer ongoing training and support throughout the year.
• Become an Early Adopter - Build your Fall 2025 course(s) in Ultra with assistance from CTLD or ITS.

Why Use Blackboard in All Courses?

• Provide students with 24/7 access to the syllabus, course materials, grades, and assignments
• Built-in accessibility tools (Ally) to meet WCAG 2.2 AA standards and comply with Title II regulations
• Stocktontech support available for students and faculty
• Direct integration of assessment data with HelioCampus
• Consistent experience for Stockton students across all of their courses
• Blackboard course access to all course materials via multiple devices
• Decrease workload by using Blackboard tools such as Gradebook and Activity Stream to assist with grading and assignment collection
• Manage course organization with Ultra's Learning Modules and Folders
• Support students using Ultra tools such as Messages (email), Announcements, Discussions, Activity Stream, and Analytics

Let’s get started with Ultra together!

Sincerely,

CTLD & ITS Transition Team

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Announcement from Provost - April 24, 2025

Faculty Colleagues,

I am sharing an important update about Anthology’s Blackboard system, our current Learning Management System (LMS). Anthology will retire Blackboard Original course view in Fall 2026. Stockton will transition all courses to Blackboard Ultra course view by Fall 2026. Information about our timeline and process for transitioning to Blackboard Ultra will be posted on a webpage to be shared soon with the Stockton community.

We appreciate that change brings both opportunities and challenges. This transition mandated by Anthology is an opportunity to enhance the teaching and learning experience for both faculty and students. Blackboard Ultra offers an intuitive and modern interface, improved mobile accessibility, streamlined workflows, and enhanced tools for engagement and collaboration. Moving all Blackboard courses to Ultra will provide a more dynamic and user-friendly platform, ultimately supporting innovative and effective teaching practices.

To ensure a smooth transition, we are committed to providing comprehensive support throughout this process. Faculty will have access to a variety of resources, including:

• Training Opportunities & Webinars to familiarize you with Blackboard Ultra features and functionalities. View the CTLD Events page to attend Ultra training sessions.

• One-on-One Support and personalized assistance for course migration and customization.
• Online Resources & Guides include self-paced tutorials and documentation to support your learning at your convenience.

Our colleagues in the Center for Teaching & Learning Design (CTLD) and Information Technology Services (ITS) are available to support you during this process. Additional details will be provided in future communications.

Thank you for your dedication to providing exceptional learning experiences for our students. We appreciate your collaboration in making this transition a success. Please contact ITS (helpdesk@stockton.edu) and the CTLD (ctld@stockton.edu) with any questions or comments.

Provost Palladino

Michael A. Palladino, Ph.D.
Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs
Stockton University | 101 Vera King Farris Drive | Galloway, NJ 08205-9441
609-652-4514 | michael.palladino@stockton.edu
www.stockton.edu

The transition from Blackboard Original to Ultra Course View modernizes Blackboard to allow faculty to teach with ease and innovation. 

• Familiar Name: Stockton has been familiar with Blackboard since 2008. Faculty and staff have relied on Blackboard for teaching and administrative work.
• Upgraded Platform: Blackboard Ultra's modern platform offers tools and features that allow the Stockton community to expand their abilities. Its intuitive interface and cutting-edge capabilities will allow users to experiment and embrace new methods.
• Teaching with Ultra: Create engaging, interactive, and impactful learning experiences.
• Ultra Empowers:  Ultra empowers the Stockton community with streamlined workflows, real-time collaboration, and robust analytics to elevate their courses.
• Reengage and Reimagine: Ultra will enable faculty to reimagine or redesign courses aligned with best practices.
• Equipped for the Future: With this transition, the Stockton community accesses new levels of creativity, efficiency, and engagement with Ultra .

This evolution isn’t just a change—it’s a transformation from a well-established platform to an up-to-date intuitive one. Embrace the freedom, precision, and strength that Ultra brings. Let’s soar together!

1. Learn About Ultra Course View

   • Attend Ultra Webinars and watch Tutorials (listed above)

2. Request Development Sections to Convert Your Current Courses

   • A Blackboard development section is a sandbox not linked to a semester or made available to students. It provides instructors with a flexible environment to experiment with new Blackboard features, revise or develop courses, and prepare for upcoming terms well before their live courses become available.
   • Submit a request for a development section. In the request form, under Course Type, select "Ultra View".

   • Course Copy all of your content (full couse copy) or select parts of a current course to copy into your development section. Course content in an Ultra development section may be copied onto live courses.

   For optimal organization, copy items or folders one at a time from your current Blackboard course to a development section (Follow Refresh your Course below for course organization tips in Ultra). You may explore both course copy methods and choose the one that best fits your needs.

3. Refresh your Course

   The transition to Blackboard Ultra presents the perfect opportunity to enhance student learning by keeping course materials relevant, engaging, and aligned with evolving best practices in education. Below are suggested steps to help you navigate the transition.

   Step 1: Plan Your Course Structure

   • Decide on a format: use Learning Modules to organize content by week, topic, or chapter. Use folders within each module to organize related materials.
   • Keep folder structures simple: Ultra supports a two-folder level structure. This ensures a streamlined experience when accessing course content.

   • Sketch an outline: Plan what materials go where — lectures, assignments, readings, discussions, etc.

   Step 2: Review and Update Course Content

   • Update course content based on student feedback.
   • Check for outdated links or materials each term, including assessment due dates.
   • Use Anthology Ally's accessibility checker to ensure that text content meets Title II accessibility standards, now a government mandate and a requirement by April 24, 2026. Make students aware of Ally’s alternative formats to support diverse learning needs.

   • Take advantage of Announcements to guide students through the content.

   Step 3: Create a “Start Here” Section

   Create a Learning Module titled "Start Here" to include:

   • Welcome message or video
   • Syllabus
   • Course schedule
   • Instructors contact info
   • Technology and support resources

   • Expectations and navigation tips

   Step 4: Build Learning Modules

   For each week/topic/chapter:

   Create Learning Modules in the main content area. Include:

   1. A brief overview and learning objectives
   2. Lecture materials (PDFs, videos, slides)
   3. Discussion prompts and/or activities

   4. Assignments or quizzes

   Label each Learning Module clearly (e.g., “Week 1: Introduction to Psychology”), using consistent naming conventions and formats throughout the course.

   Step 5: Use Descriptive Titles and Instructions

   • Instead of "Assignment 1," use "Week 2 Assignment: Case Study on Motivation."

   • Add clear, concise instructions (due dates, file formats, submission process).

   Step 6: Check Availability and Dates

   
   • By default, new content created in Ultra is hidden from students. Check the availability of the content below its name. If set to Hidden from students, click on it and select Visible to students to make the content available.

   • Control when content appears by date with Release Conditions.

   Step 7: Set up the Gradebook

   • Use the Gradebook in Blackboard Ultra to simplify grading. Provide students with 24/7 access to grades and overall progress. Access to grades is required to help students make informed decisions about their continued course participation with consideration of drop and withdraw deadlines.

   Step 8: Test- Drive your Course as a Student

   • Use the Student Preview mode to experience your course from a student perspective. Check that navigation, content visibility, and assessments are functioning seamlessly.

4. Initiate Migration of your Live Course to Ultra Course View

   Convert your live (semester) course to Ultra:

   • When live Blackboard courses are available to instructors, log into your Blackboard account and navigate to the live Blackboard course you want to migrate.
   • Follow the quick video tutorial (visit the Blackboard Help Center, Ultra Course Preview, for more information) to initiate the migration process from Original to Ultra. 

   Copy Content to your Live Course:

   • Course Copy the entire course content from the development section to your Ultra live course.