Blackboard Ultra Events
Events, Webinar Recordings, and Resources
The Center for Teaching and Learning team provides multiple supports to design, build, and teach courses in Ultra.
January 2026: Spring and Summer 2026 terms - New Blackboard course shells are set to “Instructor Choice,” so instructors can choose to teach in Original or Ultra
August 2026: Fall 2026 and all future terms - New Blackboard course shells are set to Ultra only. All courses will be taught in Ultra.
January 1, 2027: All past Original courses will be set to completed and be read-only. No new content can be added, no new assignments submitted, no new discussion posts, etc., but all content can still be accessed and copied over into Ultra. Original courses can't be reverted to an open state.
January 1, 2028: All past Original courses will be converted to Ultra and the content flattened, essentially removing any nesting structure. If instructors have an infrequently taught Original course that will not be taught until 2028 and beyond, they should submit an ITS Help Desk ticket prior to this date to create an Ultra sandbox course to copy that course's content into Ultra now.
On Tuesday, August 18, from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm, faculty and adjuncts have been invited to an Ultra event facilitated by Blackboard. Contact ctl@hpu.edu if you have not received the invitation.
- Introduction to Ultra - 9:00-10:00 am
- Course Conversion Best Practices - 10:00-11:00 am
- Gradebook and Grading - 11:00 am-12:00 pm
- Lunch - 12:00-12:30 pm
- AI tools in Blackboard - 12:30-1:30 pm
- Open office hours - 1:30-3:00 pm
Monthly Ultra webinars were held in Fall 2025 and Spring 2026. If you missed them, please see the recordings in Panopto below.
- Introduction to Blackboard Ultra
- Creating a Blackboard Ultra Course
- Blackboard Ultra Gradebook
To schedule consultation time, click on the link in the most recent Ultra Updates email sent to you by CTL.
- Getting started with Ultra
- Review the list of Original course content types and settings that will and will NOT convert to Ultra
- Determine the best course structure for your course (learning modules strongly recommended for online, hybrid, and virtual courses)
- Consider using the CTL Blackboard Ultra Course Template (all faculty are enrolled as Course Copiers)
- Review the instructions to Copy Content from Other Courses to determine whether to copy an entire course or individual course items
- Set up your course and reach out to CTL if you need help
- Learning more
- Visit Blackboard Ultra 101 for links to commonly used Ultra course elements
- Online and hybrid courses benefit from offering multiple ways to Interact with Students
- Attend a CTL Blackboard event or schedule an individual consultation with CTL