When the call for Ultra first wavers came out, it wasn’t just a technical update—it was a moment of opportunity. And our CREATE team rose to the occasion! With our work in supporting colleagues across the university in achieving professional recognition—through our experiential Fellowship scheme and our taught, credit-bearing Postgraduate Certificate in Academic Practice (PGCAP) —we saw a chance to lead by example.
By embedding Ultra into our programmes, we gave colleagues a first-hand, immersive experience of the platform—not just as educators, but as learners. And the impact was immediate:
“I joined to see how Ultra looked to help me with re-building my units.”
— January 2025 Fellowship Participant
🌟 Navigating Change, Together 🌟
As with any bold step forward, reactions to Ultra have been mixed. Some participants shared their challenges:
“I really don’t like Blackboard Ultra… it is extremely confusing and unnecessarily a bit of a faff.”
These feelings are completely valid — change can be uncomfortable, especially when it disrupts familiar routines. But alongside these concerns, we’ve also heard exciting, positive feedback:
“It feels more up to date and somehow lighter than before.”
“It looks like a learning site.”
These diverse perspectives remind us of the importance of supporting one another through this transition. The Digital Education Office (DEO) and our amazing Student Developers are here to help—so don’t hesitate to reach out!
🚀 Ultra: A Platform with Purpose 🚀
One powerful mindset shift is this:
Ultra is not just a website—it’s a learning platform.
This distinction is key. Ultra gives us a chance to rethink the purpose of our VLE and ask:
- What do we want our students to experience?
- How can we design our units to support meaningful learning?
🎨 Designing with Purpose: Learning Modules in Action 🎨
At the heart of Ultra are learning modules—the building blocks of our new templates. These can be tailored, personalised, and visually engaging.
When designing, consider:
- Are students accessing flipped content?
- Will they explore materials before a live session (pre-lecture prep)?
- Are you offering extension activities post-lecture?
Ultra allows you to sequence content, which is especially helpful for asynchronous learning. Within modules, you can include:
- Folders to organise content
- Documents for readings, videos, and tasks
✨ Top Tip: Aim for no more than three clicks to reach key content. Consistency is crucial—agree on naming conventions like Pre-lecture Task, Lecture Material, and Post-lecture Extension to help students navigate with ease.
📊 Enhancing Engagement & Monitoring Progress 📊
Missing the old left-hand menu? Ultra’s streamlined horizontal navigation is intuitive—and it comes with powerful analytics:
- Set alerts for non-engagement
- Send personalised check-in emails directly from the platform
This makes it easier than ever to proactively support your students.
🤖 Exploring AI Tools in Ultra 🤖
Ultra now includes AI-powered features that can save time and enhance learning:
- Auto-generate learning modules from your content
- Quickly create formative quizzes for low-stakes assessment
These tools reduce workload and provide valuable insights to adapt your teaching.
💬 Building Interactivity & Teaching Presence 💬
We’ve embraced the Discussion Board, which is more accessible than ever. But remember: teaching presence matters (Garrison et al., 1999). Without it, student engagement fades.
You can also explore:
- 📚 Talis Elevate – for collaborative journal article discussions
- 🎮 H5P – for interactive, engaging content
♿ Designing for Accessibility ♿
Ultra is also a chance to level up accessibility. Use Blackboard Ally (the speedometer icon) to check your content. The DEO’s Digital Accessibility Guidance is a great resource to help you build inclusive, accessible units.
🌈 Looking Ahead: Reflect, Redesign, Reimagine 🌈
Yes, moving to Ultra is a big change—but it’s also a huge opportunity. A chance to reflect on our teaching, redesign our units, and reimagine how we use our VLEs to create meaningful, accessible, and engaging learning experiences for all.
If you too are an Ultra first Waver, please do share your experiences in the comments below.
References
Co-pilot (2025) – helped with the tone of this piece, Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat
Garrison, D.R., Anderson, T. and Archer, W., 1999. Critical inquiry in a text-based environment: Computer conferencing in higher education. The internet and higher education, 2(2-3), pp.87-105.
Salmon, Gilly Five Stage Model – Gilly Salmon summer 😊
