{"id":10464,"date":"2025-06-13T12:50:37","date_gmt":"2025-06-13T16:50:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/excellence\/?page_id=10464"},"modified":"2026-06-16T12:23:11","modified_gmt":"2026-06-16T16:23:11","slug":"course-management","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/excellence\/programs-services\/academic-technology\/ultra\/course-management\/","title":{"rendered":"Key Features: Course Management"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Blackboard Ultra offers convenient course design features for faculty as well as flexible course appearance features for students.<\/p>\n

Taking full advantage of features like drag-and-drop course creation tools and course content quick search creates an improved course management experience that can:<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\tSave Time\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/h3>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n
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Greatly reduce course development time.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/picture>\n\t<\/div>\n\t<\/article>\n\n\n\n\t\n\t

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\n\t\t\t\tEnable Responsive Changes\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/h3>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n
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Support real-time course changes that are responsive to your students’ needs.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/picture>\n\t<\/div>\n\t<\/article>\n\n\n\n\t\n\t

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\n\t\t\t\tEncourage Experimentation\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/h3>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n
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Encourage experimentation with course design and structure.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/picture>\n\t<\/div>\n\t<\/article>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/p>\n

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Because I am strict with deadlines, having reliable ways to see whether a student tried to participate, opened, completed, and submitted an assignment helps me be fair and gives me the evidence I need to make decisions.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Nivea Canalli Bona<\/p>\n

Master Lecturer<\/p>\n

College of Communication<\/p>\n<\/cite><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Modules or Folders?<\/h4>\n

When designing your course, modules and folders are primary tools for structuring and sorting course content. Let\u2019s break down the uses for each and what\u2019s new about them in Blackboard Ultra.<\/p>\n

Why Use Modules?<\/h3>
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\"Screenshot<\/p>\n

Modules offer the most options for an interactive and structured content experience for students. Modules feature previous\/next buttons when viewing content pages, like a book chapter. Use modules if you\u2019d like students to view or complete content in a sequence or in a single sitting.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s new in Ultra?<\/i> <\/strong>Modules can now have their own unique image, which helps with memorability and association. If progress tracking is activated for your course, modules can also display a progress bar that fills as a student accesses module pages or completes activities. If you\u2019d like to require that students complete content in an exact order, the new \u201cforced sequence\u201d setting can be activated.<\/p>\n

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Why Use Folders?<\/h3>
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\"Screenshot<\/p>\n

Folders are the more basic option for content organization; they simply store the content items that are placed within them. Folders can have names and descriptions that help students understand what\u2019s stored inside. Use folders when it is not a priority that students view or complete content in a sequence.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s new in Ultra?<\/i> <\/strong>Within a top-level folder, up to 2 nested subfolder levels can now be added. If a folder is placed inside a module, 1 nested subfolder level can now be added. Nested folders are a useful organizational tool, especially for group projects or categorized resources.<\/p>\n

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Course Appearance for Students<\/h4>\n

\"ScreenshotFor students, the clarity of presentation in Blackboard Ultra and the responsive design on mobile devices gives courses a modern feel and unprecedented ease of access.<\/p>\n

What is responsive design? This means that if the student accesses your course on devices other than their laptop, Blackboard Ultra will automatically reformat course content to fit on the screen of their device.<\/p>\n

Students can now access courses based on their preferences. This accommodates students\u2019 busy schedules by giving them the option to interact with your course on-the-go. This is most useful for quickly checking the due dates, announcements, grades, and discussion board of a course. The convenience of this feature will help your students stay up to date with course developments.<\/p>\n

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Now that you’ve learned a little bit about course management in Ultra, check out more key features of Blackboard Ultra!<\/p>\n

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