University IT

Training Opportunities for Blackboard Ultra Courses

• • Workshops to Support your Teaching within Blackboard
  • Workshop Series for Blackboard Ultra Courses
  • Self-Paced Training Options

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Self-Paced Training Options

An Ultra self-paced Blackboard course is available to guide you through the different functions and features of Ultra courses.
Click to Enroll (login required)

You can also explore our Video Playlists

• Blackboard Student Experience
• Course Communications
• Adding Content to your Ultra Course
• Creating Effective Discussions
• Grading Student Work
• Exploring the Content Market

Assistance with any use of Blackboard or associated learning tools is always available. Submit a ticket at UnivITHelp@rochester.edu.

Workshops to Support your Teaching within Blackboard

Using AI Features in Blackboard Ultra to Streamline Course Design

Blackboard Ultra has a number of AI Assistant features that can help you with your course design and save you time in the development of your course. Join us to learn about how the AI Design Assistant can assist with the generation of assignment and discussion prompts, the generation of test questions, the naming of learning modules, the development of grading rubrics, and more.

• Monday, March 2 at 2pm, Register here
• Tuesday, March 3 at 12noon, Register here

Using Harmonize – Promoting Student Interaction, Sharing Student Work and Presentations, Peer Review

This workshop will help instructors discover dynamic ways to increase engagement in your online or hybrid courses. It will introduce the core features of Harmonize, including multimedia discussion posts, student presentations, and structured peer review activities. Learn how to create interactive prompts on your own or with AI, facilitate meaningful feedback, and showcase student work in a collaborative environment. Whether you’re looking to move beyond traditional discussion boards or strengthen community in your course, this session will provide practical strategies you can implement right away.

• Monday, March 16 at 3pm, Register here
• Tuesday, March 17 at 12noon, Register here

Using Panopto – Store and Share Video Content for your Courses, including Access Statistics

In this workshop, instructors will learn how to effectively manage and deliver video in Blackboard Ultra. It will cover uploading media to Panopto, creating and organizing course folders, and linking videos directly within your course. You’ll also explore how to edit recordings, adjust access settings, review viewing statistics, and enhance engagement with captions, quizzes, and bookmarks. Whether you’re new to Panopto or looking to deepen your skills, this session will help you use video more strategically to support student learning.

• Monday, March 30 at 3pm, Register here
• Tuesday, March 31 at 12noon, Register here

Past Workshop materials

Workshop Series for Blackboard Ultra Courses

Workshop #1 – Blackboard Ultra – Create your Course Structure and Content

This workshop will help you learn how to best organize your Ultra courses and prepare the content for your students.

• Monday, April 6 at 2pm, Register here
• Tuesday, April 7 at 12noon, Register here

Workshop #2 – Blackboard Ultra – Promoting Interaction and Collecting Student Work (Assignments, Tests)

This workshop will cover using all of the Graded Items (Discussion, Journal, Tests, Assignments) available in Blackboard Ultra.

• Monday, April 20 at 2pm, Register here
• Tuesday, April 21 at 12noon, Register here

Workshop #3 – Blackboard Ultra – Setting up the Gradebook and Overall Grade

This workshop will cover setting up your gradebook and the overall grade column.

• Monday, May 4 at 2pm, Register here
• Tuesday, May 5 at 12noon, Register here

Workshop materials