Greetings from your Center for Instructional Technology! CIT provides training, support, and consultations for UA’s instructional technologies and technology accessibility. Visit cit.ua.edu to find step-by-step guides with pictures, discover upcoming workshops and webinars, or book an appointment. You can also reach us at cit@ua.edu or 205-348-3532 or visit us in A203 Gordon Palmer Hall.
This month’s CIT Instructor News features information and resources to support teaching and learning needs, with a focus on Blackboard Ultra and CIT’s Instructional Technology Knowledge Base.
The CIT Knowledge Base – Tutorials, Known Issues, and Best Practices
The CIT Knowledge Base (“KB”) features quick answers to frequently asked questions and step-by-step instructions for common tasks, such as:
- Teaching with Ultra: Check out Blackboard Ultra for Instructors and Blackboard Ultra for Students.
- Using the Blackboard Browser Checker to find out whether your browser supports the most recent release of Blackboard.
- Exams and grading:
The knowledge base also includes articles you can share with your students, such as Lockdown Browser Information for Students and Testing Tips for Students. You can also correct or suggest a KB article. We welcome your input!
All Blackboard Courses in Ultra by Spring 2026
Blackboard Ultra Course View (“Ultra”) offers a simple, modern, intuitive, and consistent interface across devices and a more streamlined experience for instructors and students. All Blackboard courses will be designed and delivered in Ultra by Spring 2026. Visit the CIT site to learn more about Ultra and UA’s plans; join or watch a recorded demonstration/information session; request presentations, training sessions, and consultations; and request practice and live courses: Blackboard Ultra Course View
A Message from the Provost
In a March 3 message to faculty, Executive Vice President and Provost James T. Dalton, Ph.D.announced the required transition of all courses to Ultra at the beginning of the spring 2026 semester, articulating Ultra’s benefits to students and faculty:
- Faculty and other instructors will benefit from a more efficient and intuitive interface, reducing time spent on routine course management tasks.
- Students will be able to access course materials, participate in discussions, submit assignments, and engage in collaborative activities from anywhere at any time via a streamlined design and mobile-friendly user experience.
- The updated interface prioritizes accessibility and ensures compliance with accessibility standards, so all students have equal access to course materials and online resources.
- Blackboard Ultra also boasts enhanced analytics and reporting capabilities with comprehensive data and insights into student engagement, performance, and progress.
Save the Date: Ultra Café on April 23
Anthology partners will be on campus Wednesday, April 23, 9:00 AM – 2:00 PM. Please make plans to join us in A232 Gordon Palmer Hall, and bring your laptop and course content to work on your Ultra courses while CIT and Anthology staff are on hand to answer any questions.
Ultra Course View Team
The Blackboard Ultra Course View Microsoft Team serves as an online community of practice for users exploring and teaching with Ultra in Blackboard. Members ask and answer questions; access resources; discover webinars, workshops, and events; find release notes and updates; and more. UA community members may request to join the Team via this link: Blackboard Ultra Course View-Center for Instructional Technology-Academic Affairs-Center for Instructional Technology | General | Microsoft Teams (select “Join”).
Ultra Good Additions to Blackboard
Check out these recent eye-catching additions to Blackboard!
Adopt messaging inviting instructors to teach with Ultra in Summer or Fall 2025
The message includes a link to Request Ultra Courses and a link to the CIT Ultra page (and an option to Dismiss the message and not see it again).
Ultra content on the Institution Page
You can now find Ultra resources and links to request Ultra courses, consultations, and trainings on the Institution Page (UA’s current Blackboard home page).
Ultra Good Features
Check out these updates coming to Blackboard in April.
Gradebook Indicator if Student Has or Has Not Reviewed Feedback
In the Gradebook, an indicator on the student Overview page now displays whether a student has reviewed the feedback for a given assessment.
When a grade is posted, the indicator includes a label of Not reviewed with the existing Completed label in the Status column. When the student reviews the feedback, the status updates to Reviewed with a review timestamp.
If the new grade indicator is reset for the assessment, such as when a grade is updated or if the assessment has multiple attempts, the timestamp updates when the student reviews the feedback again. If all attempts are deleted, the Not reviewed or Reviewed label is removed.
Print Document
Instructors and students can now print Documents or save them as a PDF. This new option allows users to review content offline, share content with students or peers, and physically archive content.
To print a Document, students and instructors select Print, then use the browser’s print options to select a printer or the PDF option, the page range, and the layout. When printing from a mobile device, the Document prints as displayed on a desktop web browser.
- Blackboard Instructor Help: Create Documents (“Print Documents”)
- What’s New in Blackboard – April 2025
Achievements in Course Copies
Instructors can use Achievements to create course badges and set criteria for students to earn the badges.
Achievements are now included with course copies. Previously, instructors had to create new Achievements for each course.
Achievements can only be copied with full course copies. Achievements can’t be copied in a granular copy where content is selected individually. This is also true for other settings like Item Availability, Gradebook Categories, and Alerts. LTI tool links are also not copied.
If that sounds complicated, don’t worry. You’ll find information, step-by-step guides with pictures, and other guidance on copying course content and settings in the CIT Knowledge Base. Here’s a sample:
- How do I copy content from any of my Blackboard courses to an Ultra course?
- What should I know before copying content from Original to Ultra?
- Known Issue – Copying course settings and/or LTI tool links to Ultra
CIT Technology and Tool Highlights
Blackboard
Hypothesis
- Hypothesis’s April Learning Lab workshops will focus on Summer Prep, providing adaptable, ready-to-use instructions to enhance engagement in your courses.
- Don’t miss AnnotatED 2025, the premier virtual and free conference exploring the transformative power of social annotation in higher education. This event is your opportunity to connect with other educators across the globe, discover innovative strategies for social learning, and enrich your teaching practices.
- April 9-10, 2025, 11:00am – 2:00pm CT each day
- Network with other like-minded educators and walk away with teaching strategies you can immediately implement to drive engagement and outcomes in your classroom. REGISTER today!
Gradescope
- On April 10, Gradescope will offer a session on curriculum redesign and Gradescope: Redesigning STEM Curriculum for Student Success in the Age of AI: Strategies, Insights & Tools
- Gradescope’s bubble sheet assignments allow you to create a multiple-choice answer key for the automatic grading of your students’ submissions as they are uploaded. Learn more and get step-by-step instructions: Creating a Bubble Sheet Assignment
Panopto
- Panopto will be unavailable to all users during an April 12 scheduled maintenance window: Known Issue – Panopto Scheduled Maintenance 4-12-25
People.ua.edu
- CampusPress is a WordPress-powered platform designed for higher education websites. UA faculty members may use CampusPress to create and manage a website or blog using The University of Alabama branded template with UA approved plugins. CampusPress is available to all UA faculty members to create websites for professional use like online CVs, labs, and research projects.
- Standout features for CampusPress include: creating complex page layouts, quickly duplicating pages, and reusing design patterns, blogging, and publishing workflows.
- Learn more about the service, explore support articles, or request a site: People.ua.edu
Respondus
- Respondus offers regularly scheduled webinars for product training or to introduce new features. Check out April learning opportunities: Respondus Webinars
Upcoming Learning Opportunities
Learn with us! CIT regularly hosts workshops and webinars on UA instructional technologies and technology accessibility. We are also pleased to offer individual consultations and group instruction by request.
CIT sessions
Please register to receive webinar links. Registration is not required for in-person sessions.
Meet the New Blackboard: Blackboard Ultra Demo & Info Session
- Tuesday, April 1, 9:30-10:30 AM via Teams
- Friday, April 11, 2-3 PM in Gorgas Library Camellia Room (Room 2020)
- Tuesday, April 15 11 AM – 12 PM via Teams
- Tuesday, April 29, 1-2 PM via Teams
Blackboard Ultra Basics
- Friday, April 4, 2- 3 PM via Teams
- Tuesday, April 15, 9:30-1o:30 AM via Teams
- Tuesday, April 25, 11 AM – 12 PM in A232 Gordon Palmer Hall
Doing More with Panopto for Lecture Capture, Video Assignments, and More
Partner events
Partner events are workshops and webinars offered by CITs vendor partners. April highlights include sessions led by Blackboard, Hypothesis, Panopto, and Respondus. A full list can be found on the UA Events Calendar.
About This Message
All UA instructors of record are automatically subscribed to updates about Blackboard and other instructional technology. UA community members who would like to be added to the communications list for CIT news can contact us.