Phase one of the implementation of the new Blackboard Ultra VLE is now completed and the platform has been in use for learning and teaching since the beginning of this semester. The project team would like to get some feedback on how staff and students have been getting on with Ultra and have put together a very short feedback form to gather your thoughts and feelings about the new system.
The form should take no longer than five minutes to complete and any feedback you provide will be fed into the evaluation report and next phase developments. You can choose to remain anonymous.
Phase two of the Ultra implementation includes reviewing the use of Blackboard organisation sites. As a first step we are looking at which sites are no longer being used, and will be carrying out a housekeeping exercise to remove any organisations which have not been accessed within the past 12 months. If you have Blackboard Organisation sites you still wish to use, please contact e.symonds@worc.ac.uk and we can arrange a discussion about future provision.
With various assessment deadlines approaching soon, you may wish to refamiliarise yourself with our new guides and resources for Turnitin, and your submission points within Blackboard Ultra.
Once marking has been completed, grades are automatically posted on the feedback release date, for Turnitin assignments. We have further details about releasing grades in Blackboard Ultra within our manual, and Blackboard also have additional advice for instructors: Assign Grades (blackboard.com)
You are most welcome to share our new Ultra Resources and FAQs with your students. Please see our Turnitin video below, which includes a demonstration of the submission process for students.
Here are some quick reference tips – if your students have any queries about their submissions:
Students can resubmit work to the submission point as many times as they like, until the due date if ‘Generate reports immediately (students can resubmit until due date): After 3 resubmissions reports generate after 24 hours’ is selected:
After the 3rd upload, there will be a delay of 24 hours until the next similarity report is received.
We recommend using ‘allow late submissions’ as a setting. Once the due date has passed, students who have already submitted ahead of this date and time, will be unable to resubmit again. However, if they have not made a submission until after the due date, a single attempt will be allowed, and this will appear as a late submission, highlighted in red.
Resubmissions, resits and mitigating circumstances, will require a new Turnitin submission point to be created in the original module.
Grades and feedback are automatically released to students, on the ‘Feedback Release Date’ and ‘Time’, for Turnitin assignments. Grades will then be visible within the Blackboard Ultra grade centre – where you will be able to see whether grades have been released, as these will have the label ‘Posted’ next to them.
You may wish to share relevant student support sources, in the run up to submissions, and to clarify with your students the title & location of the submission point.
Now that term is well underway and many of you have completed Blackboard training, here’s a reminder of where and how to access continuing support for using Ultra.
We have an Online Training session scheduled, which is available to book through your MyDay page: ‘Training Resources’ tile → ‘Staff Development’ booking system. We will then send out invitations via Teams.
Blackboard Ultra Staff Training
Wednesday 9th October 14:30 – 16:00
This session is an overview of the main features within Blackboard Ultra and is suitable for members of staff who for one reason or another, have been unable to attend previous training – or for anyone who would like a brushup on their skills.
We also have resources available for your day-to-day activities on Blackboard Ultra and guidance for how to support your students using the VLE on our website.
The site below from the TEL Team contains all you need to know about starting in Blackboard Ultra, Building your course, Tests and Assignments and Student Support. As well as the new Blackboard Ultra Manual.
Now there will be no need for tutors to take any additional steps when setting up a Blackboard assignment to enable Panopto functionality within Ultra. The assignments will work slightly differently to what was required in our original VLE. To create a submission point, a standard Blackboard Ultra assignment will enable students to submit text and attach files, or add Panopto video as content for their assignment.
If you need to attach a rubric for any Blackboard Ultra assignments, please see further details here.
When your Students come to make a submission they will instead need to select the Panopto Submission Tool from the ‘Content Market’. We are recommending that lecturers provide students with details about the new submission process for Panopto assignments.
We have further guidance in our TEL Panopto Manual for students:
The student manual includes details about how to create video using Panopto capture or PowerPoint, and information about how to submit / upload video assignments which have been recorded elsewhere. Students will need to access Panopto from their Blackboard assignment submission point to create or upload any work.
When using Blackboard integrations we recommend using Chrome as a browser and to check the permission settings for the Blackboard site, to ensure third party cookies are allowed.
Panopto is the University’s main application used for recording, storing, or sharing video content. This cloud-based platform permits students to record or upload assignments and to view live lectures. For Blackboard Ultra assessments students can:
Depending on the video assignment type, you can use the most suitable link above and share these with your students.
If you have not yet created an Ultra submission point within a module, please see a link to our Video assignment submission point set up guidance for staff below:
Sometimes students may encounter technical issues when using Panopto for the first time or when submitting video assessments. We would recommend communicating with your students the creation and submission process for any upcoming video assignments you may have in Blackboard Ultra ahead of a due date. To help with any potential queries from your students, we thought it would be useful to summarise some useful TEL tips:
When using Panopto capture to make an in browser recording, please see further help and guidance directly from Panopto below. Each step is clearly explained and there is also a short informative video, for Chrome users:
Ahead of using the Panopto integration, users should remember to check their browser’s ‘permission’ settings. For example, if Panopto is blocked from using a device’s camera or microphone, it will not be possible to make a recording. Settings can be changed to ‘allow’, through ‘Privacy and Security’ within Chrome. (These options can be accessed via the three-dot, kebab menu, towards the top right-hand corner of the window.)
For Blackboard video assignment submissions, students should ensure they follow the correct submission process carefully, with use of their assignment submission text box, the Insert Content button, and the Panopto Submissions tool in the Content Market.
Students should allow themselves plenty of time to make a submission ahead of a due date.
Chrome works well as browser with the Panopto integration, when making a Panopto / Blackboard assignment submission, so we recommend using this if possible. The Blackboard browser checker can also be used to troubleshoot.
If a connection times out because a large video file is being uploaded there are additional things for your students to try:
Check their internet connectivity.
When uploading to Panopto, they can help their computer process the data contained in a video file, by closing down any additional applications, such as, PowerPoint.
Check the size and type of video file they are attempting to upload, and then contact the TEL Unit with this information so that we can assist them further.
After submitting their work, your students will be given the option to download an Ultra submission receipt for their records.
Blackboard Ultra training is now underway and we are delivering sessions for departmental, course and school teams over the coming weeks and months. Feedback from the early sessions has been very positive and colleagues seem to be leaving the sessions with more confidence and a clear plan of how to use the new system.
Additional Ultra Workshops
We recommend that colleagues attend their departmental sessions where possible, to collaborate on their modules and establish a unified approach. However, we appreciate that not everyone is able to make a particular date or time so we have arranged some extra workshops to enable academic staff, who are unable to attend their bespoke departmental training sessions, to participate and get training and support from the TEL team in additional generic workshops.
We are pleased to inform you that your Turnitin inbox is being upgraded for better management of assignments and student submissions. These changes are designed to streamline your workflow and lay the foundation for exciting enhancements in the future.
Turnitin Assignment Inbox Enhancements:
New search bar functionality
Dynamic flags column in the assignment inbox
Automated paper deletion workflow
Streamlined PeerMark assignment setup
OneDrive submissions now supported
Access to upcoming releases, including new Paper to Digital assignment type for handwritten assessments, and an enhanced feedback and grading experience
To ease this transition Turnitin have provided a self-guided demo designed to assist you in adjusting to the upcoming changes.
The TEL Unit are pleased to confirm that the various Blackboard copy functions are now available again, for copying module content. As part of the transition to Ultra, copy functions recently were not accessible, and we are sorry for any inconvenience this has caused. Staff should now have the option once again to copy content between modules; which includes copying over items or folders.
Thank you for meeting with us!
Finally, a big Thank you to everyone who has met with us over the last few weeks. The TEL Unit have enjoyed meeting with staff at the VLE Roadshows, and when attending Departmental Briefing sessions.
We are excited about the next steps, including meeting with more departments and commencing training after Easter, which staff members will soon be able to sign up to. The TEL team are willing to share further information with any staff members who would like to know more about Blackboard Learn Ultra. Please do continue to contact us, at tel@worc.ac.uk, if you have any questions you would like to ask about our new VLE.
The VLE review is well underway, with the first pilot courses using Anthology Ultra with their students. So far, student feedback has been excellent, with all preferring the new system. We also had an overwhelming response to our online briefing sessions, which were oversubscribed.
We’re sure that many of you are champing at the bit to take a look at the new VLE, so we at the Technology Enhanced Learning Unit will be running a VLE roadshow in the main reception foyer on Thursday 22nd February, from 11am until 2pm to demonstrate how Ultra works and how to get the best from it. Feel free to come along and ask questions or simply watch our demonstrations.
We will of course be providing full training in the coming months.
The implementation of the new VLE Anthology Ultra is now well underway, and the TEL team have started working with a number of early adopters to prepare their Ultra modules, ready for teaching in semester 2. We also have a group of users who have expressed an interest in learning more about the new system early on in the project. The TEL Unit will be gathering feedback from all the early adopters, which will be used to inform the full rollout to all staff over the coming months.
We will be running briefing sessions for anyone wishing to find out more, on 2nd February 2024 1-2pm and 5th February 2024 12-1pm. Members of the TEL team have also arranged to attend a number of departmental and school meetings, to provide further updates and to provide an opportunity for questions and answers. If you would like to join either of the open briefing sessions, you can sign up from the Staff Development Booking system Staff Development Workshops – University of Worcester
The new Ultra environment is significantly different from our current version, with a more modern look and feel, new features and functionality. We strongly encourage all teaching staff to engage in training to make the most of the enhanced opportunities, and to set aside some time to prepare your modules for the next academic year – the training will enable you to assess how much time you should allow. Training sessions will be organised for all Schools, so please look out for workshops and other opportunities to get involved. If you have any away days or events organised where you would like a briefing for your team, please get in touch, and a member of TEL would be happy to attend to answer any questions you may have. Please contact Libby Symonds, e.symonds@worc.ac.uk, if you would like any further information, or to organise a session for your team.
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