{"id":10826,"date":"2025-06-26T10:28:13","date_gmt":"2025-06-26T14:28:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/excellence\/?page_id=10826"},"modified":"2026-05-13T11:37:14","modified_gmt":"2026-05-13T15:37:14","slug":"ai","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/excellence\/programs-services\/academic-technology\/ultra\/ai\/","title":{"rendered":"Key Features: Artificial Intelligence"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Blackboard\u2019s Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered tools are designed to enhance teaching and learning with meaningful educational value. <\/span>Key features like the AI Design Assistant and AI Conversation Tools work together to create more engaging, responsive, and impactful learning experiences.<\/span><\/p>\n

AI Design Assistant<\/h3>\n

Blackboard Ultra’s new AI features revolve around the\u00a0AI Design Assistant<\/strong>, which streamlines course creation and content generation.\u00a0These features include tools for generating learning modules, rubrics, test questions, assignment prompts, and images.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\tCourse Structure Suggestions<\/strong>\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/h3>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n
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Create outlines for course modules, providing titles, descriptions, and suggested images.<\/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\tRubric Generation<\/strong>\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/h3>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n
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Generate rubrics for assignments, ensuring fairness and consistency in grading.<\/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\tAssessment Creation<\/strong>\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/h3>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n
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Generate test questions, assignment prompts, and discussion prompts based on course content.<\/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\tImage Generation<\/strong>\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/h3>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n
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Generate course banners and learning module images based on descriptions.<\/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\tContent Generation<\/strong>\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/h3>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n
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Generate content for assignments, discussions, and journals for idea generation and to save time and effort.<\/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\tAuto-Generated Modules<\/strong>\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/h3>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n
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Suggest a list of modules with titles, descriptions, and images.<\/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

AI Conversations<\/h3>\n

The new AI Conversations<\/strong> tool, built into Blackboard Ultra, is designed to facilitate deeper learning through interactive dialogues that simulate those conversations which may take place in personal, academic, and professional contexts. From a subject perspective, it provides faculty with the opportunity to create AI-driven conversations around discipline-related topics or scenarios, encouraging students to engage in critical thinking and reflective learning across a wide variety of pedagogical contexts.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\tRole-Playing<\/strong>\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/h3>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n
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Allows you to create simulated conversations and scenarios for students to enhance learning through practice.<\/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\tSocratic Questioning<\/strong>\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/h3>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n
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Engages students in Socratic dialogue, prompting them to think critically and explore concepts in depth.<\/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\tReflection Prompts<\/strong>\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/h3>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n
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Prompts students to reflect on their experience, highlighting strengths, weaknesses, and potential biases.<\/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\tInstructor Review<\/strong>\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/h3>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n
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Allows instructors to review conversation transcripts and student reflections to assess understanding and provide feedback.<\/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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Pedagogical Benefits<\/h3>\n

 <\/p>\n

Building powerful, learner-centered experiences for the modern workforce<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\" The integration of the AI Design Assistant into the course-building workflow has significantly streamlined the instructional design process. By automating routine tasks\u2014such as content generation, rubric creation, and question formulation, instructors, instructional designers, and subject matter experts can now focus more deeply on pedagogical intent, which reduces course development time and ensures that learning experiences are aligned with cognitive and affective learning objectives.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Fostering more dynamic and personalized learning experiences for students<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Three AI-supported instruction fosters more dynamic and personalized learning by offloading routine course tasks, allowing educators to focus on pedagogy. With foundational elements managed by AI, instructors can design authentic, context-rich learning experiences that mirror real-world challenges and cultivate higher-order thinking. The time reclaimed can be strategically invested in developing adaptive learning pathways, embedding formative assessment, and implementing active learning strategies that deepen student engagement and support meaningful learning outcomes.<\/p>\n

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Blackboard AI Ethics<\/h3>\n

As stated on Blackboard’s website:<\/p>\n

“Blackboard is not involved in the training of the large language models that power the AI Design Assistant functionalities. These models are trained by Microsoft as part of the Azure OpenAI Service that power the AI Design Assistant functionalities. Microsoft provides information about how the large language models are trained in the Introduction section of Microsoft\u2019s Transparency Note and the links provided within it. Blackboard does not further fine-tune the Azure OpenAI Service using our own or our clients\u2019 data.”<\/p>\n

For more information, please visit Blackboard’s AI Design Assistant webpage<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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

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