UA Ultra Practice Course for Instructors

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The University of Alabama is transitioning from Blackboard Original to Blackboard Ultra. All UA courses that use Blackboard must transition to Ultra by January 2026. No classes will use Blackboard Original after Fall 2025. 

In anticipation of this move, UA instructors receive a Blackboard practice course in Ultra Course View.

If you do not have access to a course named “UA Ultra Practice Course”, feel free to request one using our online support portal.

Practice in Ultra  

Instructor users can explore the new course view and become familiar with its interface and features.

Key Details:  

• The new practice course is named UA Ultra Practice Course. Search for “Ultra” in the Blackboard course list to find it.  

• This course is a sandbox environment to explore and experiment with Blackboard Ultra features and tools.  

• The practice course is not affiliated with any Banner courses or sections and does not contain student enrollment. It can only be accessed by you and any others you add to the course.  

• Resources and support materials are available inside this course to help you navigate and utilize the new course view effectively.  

Adding and editing course content:  

• Start from scratch: In a blank Ultra course, build course content from scratch and or repurpose items from previous Original courses via granular copy.  

• Use Blackboard’s conversion process: For any Blackboard Original course where you are an instructor, request that CIT enable Ultra, which will make an Ultra-enabled copy of the course, allowing you to examine an Ultra Preview while still keeping your Original course intact. This conversion to Ultra provides a “course conversion summary” of any items that may not translate cleanly to Ultra.

Training 

Review our article How can I learn to teach with Blackboard Learn Ultra? to find education opportunities, resources, and ideas as you start your Ultra journey. 

Use our online request form to schedule training for yourself or your department. You can also find many resources, including on-demand webinars, at CIT’s website. 

Ultra for Academic Courses 

• Face-to-face, hybrid, and non-OTIDE online courses can transition to Ultra now. Consider using Ultra for Summer and Fall 2025! Request a live course in Ultra using the online support portal.

• OTIDE courses, the fully online academic courses developed through the Office of Teaching Innovation and Digital Education, will transition to Ultra based on OTIDE’s course update plan.  If you teach fully online courses, contact your OTIDE representative for your program’s timeline.  

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