Blackboard
Blackboard Course View Transition
 Beginning Fall 2024, all Blackboard courses will be delivered in Ultra Course View, but you can start using it now. Please visit Answers for more information about Ultra Course View. |
Blackboard is the supported Learning Management System at Syracuse University. From this page you can choose which version of Blackboard you would like information for.
ITS and Online Learning Services (OLS) are offering instructors to begin teaching their credit-bearing courses in the Ultra Course View. Syracuse University will complete the transition from original courses to ultra courses during the summer of 2024.  Beginning with the Summer 2024 term, courses will be created by default in the ultra format and instructors can request that the course get reverted to Original by emailing help@syr.edu. For the Fall 2024 term, all newly-created courses will be in ultra course view. Instructors will retain access to their previously-offered original courses to copy content into ultra courses and for record keeping purposes.
Original Course View
You are using the original course view if the course menu appears on the left side of your window. This menu is the cornerstone for all course content. Select an item to open it and the content appears in the main window to the right of the course menu. Content modules and folders open in a new tab/window.
Ultra Course View
You are using the Ultra Course View if your instructor's name and picture appear in the content area. At the top of the page are navigation links to your course tools. Ultra courses have one course content page where all course materials are organized using modules and folders. Content modules and folders open as layers within the same window.
Upcoming OLS Events
Date Time Event Type Description Mondays 9:00 - 10:00 AM Monday Office Hours Open time with Online Learning Services staff for instructors to ask questions and get support on ultra courses. Hosted on Zoom: https://syracuseuniversity.zoom.us/j/99215387414 Tuesdays 2:00 - 3:00 PM Tuesday Office Hours Open time with Online Learning Services staff for instructors to ask questions and get support on ultra courses. Hosted on Zoom: https://syracuseuniversity.zoom.us/j/96710631791 On-going Ultra Essentials Course This one-week, asynchronous training course is designed for a group of instructors from a department, program, school, or college to go through together in a collaborative, guided working environment. The ideal group size is 10-15 individuals who are enrolled in a training course delivered through Blackboard Ultra itself. Each cohort is assigned a facilitator from the OLS team that actively monitors the online course, participates in Blackboard discussions, answers questions, and makes individualized suggestions based on instructional needs and goals. Each session begins with a live, one-hour Zoom workshop. Participants then have a week to work through the Blackboard training modules on their own time, interacting with colleagues and the course facilitator through Blackboard discussions and messages, if they choose. Near the end of the week, there will be another live Zoom Q&A session with the facilitator. When the one-week course is complete, OLS staff will no longer actively monitor the Blackboard training course, but instructors will retain access to the course training materials for reference and review. OLS will run this training for groups of instructors on request. Please email help@syr.edu with list of instructors you have organized to participate along with suggestions about the best dates for the cohort. The training is designed to run Wednesday-Wednesday, but other schedules can be accommodated.