Training

Reflections and Review – Blackboard Ultra Insights Week

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The Technology Enhanced Learning Unit’s Blackboard Ultra Insights Week proved to be a resounding success, drawing in enthusiastic participation across all sessions. By shifting from a full-day in-person event to several shorter, focused online sessions spread throughout the week, the format offered a more accessible and flexible experience for attendees. We had some people who attended every session and others who dipped into those sessions that were especially relevant to their interests.

The sessions covered a range of topics around engagement and retention in Blackboard Ultra:

  • Integrating Reading Resources covered methods to help students engage with course readings, including a demonstration by Michelle Sterry of her use of reflective journals for students to record and receive feedback on their readings
  • Engagement and Analytics covered Helen Watts’ research into VLE engagement as an indicator of student outcomes and Helen Hope’s use of Blackboard analytics to facilitate student engagement.
  • Guided In-class Activities showcased Louise Martin’s innovative use of Blackboard functionality to build tasks for students to work through in a classroom setting. One attendee said it was “The most useful thing I have seen in ages!”
  • Building Fully Online Courses looked at Sarah Davis’s development of a fully online master’s-level course using a combination of Blackboard Ultra and MS Teams. Sarah’s approach would be an excellent blueprint for anyone considering adopting a distance-learning approach, so we highly recommend viewing the recording if this applies to you.

Recordings are now available on the LDTE CPD SharePoint site at the link below:

LDTE CPD – Home

Thanks again to Ros Sykes, Michelle Sterry, Helen Watts, Helen Hope, Louise Martin and Sarah Davis for presenting some fantastic sessions, and to everyone who attended.

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Blackboard Ultra Insights Week – Drop in Sessions

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As part of Blackboard Ultra Insights Week, the TEL team will be hosting some online drop-in sessions open to all staff. These will offer support and ideas on enhancing course engagement and interactivity, improving course structure, and copying content effectively for the new academic year. Come along and chat to us, bounce some ideas around or ask any questions that you may have.

Drop-in sessions:

Tuesday 20th May, 14:30pm -15:30

Link to join the session

Friday 23rd May, 10:00 – 11:00

Link to join the session

Additionally, as part of the week’s events, staff are invited to participate in a quick survey about Ultra – just three questions that will help us identify what tools are most useful to staff.

You can access the survey here.

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Blackboard Ultra Insights Week

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The Technology Enhanced Learning Unit is celebrating the successful first year of the University using the new Blackboard Ultra VLE with a Blackboard Ultra Insights Week. Throughout the week, online presentations will be delivered by colleagues from academic faculties, Library Services, and the TEL team, showcasing innovative and effective uses of Blackboard Ultra. Sessions have been scheduled around lunchtime, offering a timely break and a chance to engage with something different during the marking period. The presentations will be recorded for those who are unable to attend.

In addition, the TEL team will host online drop-in sessions open to all—offering support and ideas on enhancing course engagement and interactivity, improving course structure, and copying content effectively for the new academic year.

There will also be an opportunity to take part in an online survey designed to gather insights into which areas and tools within the VLE staff find most valuable.

The itinerary for the week is as follows:

Staff Presentations:

Student Engagement with Module Readings

Monday 19th May, 11:00 – 12:00

Ros Sykes, Andrew Bright, Michelle Sterry

This session will explore strategies to boost student engagement with course literature and resources, focusing on practical techniques in Blackboard to encourage the use of your Talis resource lists.

VLE Engagement and Course Analytics

Tuesday 20th May, 12:00 – 12:45

Helen Watts, Helen Hope

This session will look at VLE engagement and student retention, and the practical use of Blackboard Ultra’s analytic tools.

Guided in-class Activities in Blackboard Ultra

Wednesday 21st May, 12:30 – 13:30

Louise Martin

In this session, Louise Martin will demonstrate how guided activities in Blackboard Ultra can be used to support in-class learning, showcasing interactive tasks she has designed to actively engage students and reinforce key concepts.

Developing Fully Online Courses

Thursday 22nd May, 12:00 – 13:00

Sarah Davis

In this session, Sarah Davis will share her experience of developing a fully online course using Blackboard. This session is ideal for anyone considering the design of fully online or highly blended courses—an area of growing strategic importance for the University.

Drop-in sessions:

  • Tuesday 20th May, 14:30 -15:30
  • Friday 23rd May, 10:00 – 11:00

Links for all presentations and drop-in sessions will be shared at a later date.

We hope that you will be able to take part!

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Blackboard Ultra Insights Week

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Week Commencing 19th May, 2025

Since the university moved to Blackboard Ultra in September, there has been a fantastic effort from academic staff to reshape and develop their modules in a variety of creative ways.

To celebrate the end of the first teaching year using the new VLE, the Technology Enhanced Learning Unit will be running a series of short online talks to showcase innovative and successful practice throughout the University, with an overarching theme of student engagement and retention. This will be in partnership with Darren Cooper, the University Lead for Continuing Professional Development in Learning and Teaching.

Topics will include:

  • Developing fully online and highly blended courses using Blackboard Ultra
  • Encouraging engagement with course readings and Talis resource lists
  • Using Blackboard for guided activities in the classroom
  • Using the reporting tools to monitor student engagement and support retention

Talks will be around 45 minutes to an hour, with time for questions at the end. The sessions will be recorded and hosted via Darren Cooper’s Learning Design For Teaching Excellence site on SharePoint, as a resource for all to use.

The finalised schedule will be published at a later date.

We hope you can join us.

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Staff Training – Using Tests in Blackboard Ultra

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The TEL Team are running a staff training session for staff interested in using the Blackboard Tests feature.

Blackboard Tests enable a range of different question types to be added to create self-marking and short answer tests in Blackboard Ultra. These can be for summative exams or formative testing to help gauge student understanding, and ultimately assess student performance.

The workshop will cover the set-up of a test canvas and the various deployment options, together with a closer look at some of the question types and how these might be used.

Picture of Blackboard Test question example - image of drop down boxes and answers to choose from.

Participants will engage both as students to experience the student view, and also as tutors setting up and marking their own tests – to gain an all-round appreciation of the online assessment function.

The session will be on 26th March 2025, 10:15 – 11:30 – via MS Teams (online).

To sign up please visit your staff page on the ‘MyWorcester’ Portal and select the iTrent tile. You will then see the menu option for ‘Learning’, where you can view all staff training workshops.

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Online speaker / person

Speakers Wanted! – A Scaffolded Approach to Blackboard Ultra for Engagement and Retention

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Now that staff have been using Blackboard Ultra for a Semester, we would like to showcase exemplary practice in the academic faculty, with a specific focus on using aspects of course design facilitated by Blackboard Ultra to aid student engagement and retention. As a result, we will be offering a short series of online seminars delivered by academics and members of the TEL and Library teams to generate ideas for methodologies that can be employed on your own Ultra modules. These sessions will be recorded and offered as resources for all staff.

While we have some sessions planned already, we would like to offer the opportunity for staff to volunteer as speakers to demonstrate innovative practice in their modules. Examples do not need to be perfect as areas where you can adapt your methodologies in future can provide a rich seam of discussion.

Areas that we are particularly interested in hearing from staff about include:

  • Using the in-built AI tools offered in Blackboard to create content.
  • Using Blackboard Ultra to help students engage with reading materials on Talis resource lists.
  • Innovative approaches to assessment, either formative or summative.
  • Using blended tuition structures, such as pre and post-session asynchronous tasks.
  • Using the Analytics tools to track student engagement.

If you would be interested in presenting, or discussing any ideas for presentations, please email Andrew Bright at a.bright@worc.ac.uk

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Updating Your Blackboard Courses for Semester 2!

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As we approach the end of the year, it’s time to start preparing your course content for Semester 2, which students will be able to access from December. Below are some effective tools and strategies to help you organise your Blackboard Learn Ultra courses:

Organise with Learning Modules

Structure your course content with Learning Modules, which provide an immersive and trackable experience. These modules allow students to follow a cohesive learning journey, and you’ll be able to see who’s engaging with each section.

Use the Content Market to add useful tools

Set up Turnitin assignments, add Panopto videos, and incorporate Talis Aspire Reading Lists (resource lists) directly into your Learning Modules. These integrations streamline access to essential course materials.

Convert or Create Course Documents

You can easily upload existing Word files and convert them into web pages that are accessible and editable directly within Blackboard. This makes updates convenient and ensures students always have the latest version to work from. Alternatively, create your own web pages using the content blocks to construct pages with multiple types of content all in one place.

Enhance Interactivity with AI Tools and Discussion Boards

Use AI Tests to set up quick, formative knowledge checks based on your course content. You can also incorporate Discussion Boards to foster peer interaction and co-construction of knowledge (and see who has participated!).

Leverage Analytics to Track Engagement

Adding interactive elements not only enhances the learning experience but also feeds valuable data into your Analytics. This can help you identify students who may need additional support or who aren’t fully engaging with the course material.

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A new version of our VLE, Blackboard Ultra

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Further Blackboard support from the TEL Unit

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.

Ultra Resources

If you have any questions or need any technical support when using Ultra, please do not hesitate to contact the TEL Team, tel@worc.ac.uk.

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Blackboard Ultra Training – Additional Mop Up Sessions

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The training programme for the new Blackboard Learn Ultra VLE continues apace, with the majority of academic teams now having received their initial training.

The TEL Unit has offered a selection of mop up sessions for those staff members who were unable to attend their main team session.  All of the original mop up sessions are now fully booked so, due to popular demand, two additional sessions will be offered in July. These will take place on:

Thursday 18th July, 09:15 – 12:15

Tuesday 23rd July, 13:30 – 16:30

Interested parties can sign up via the Staff Development Workshops on the Staff Portal.

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Blackboard Learn Ultra Virtual Office Hours.

Blackboard Learn Ultra Office Hours

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Join Us for Fortnightly MS Teams Meetings!

The TEL team invites staff to our Blackboard Learn Ultra Office Hours, held every two weeks via MS Teams. This is a dedicated time for you to get answers to your Ultra-related queries and receive further support in structuring and developing your new modules.

Who Should Attend?

  • Staff members who have completed the three-hour Blackboard Ultra training session.
  • Those currently building their Ultra modules.
  • Staff with specific questions or in need of additional support.

Details:

Time: Drop in anytime between 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM

Dates:

  • 26/06/2024
  • 10/07/2024
  • 24/07/2024
  • 07/08/2024
  • 21/08/2024

No booking required – just join us on Teams!

Join here: Office Hours Link

Don’t miss this opportunity to enhance your Blackboard Ultra experience with expert guidance from the TEL team. See you there!

Disclaimer:
Please note that this is not a training session. These office hours are for specific Ultra-related queries. If you have not yet attended the dedicated course team Ultra training session, please ensure you attend this first. If you cannot make your team session, you can book onto an ‘open’ session via the Staff Development Workshops page.

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