Training and support are essential components of a successful transition to the Ultra Experience. This past summer, about 30 faculty and staff attended the Ultra Experience Boot Camp, one of several training solutions available to the campus community. This semester, about 30% of the UMBC faculty who attended the boot camps opted to teach with Ultra. Their fourteen courses include traditional, hybrid, and fully online formats with more than 500 students.

The FA2018 pilot faculty are not the only instructors with access to the Ultra Experience! All FA2018 faculty now have access to an Ultra Course Preview sandbox... do you know what to do with it?

• First, look over the FAQ and video about the Ultra Course Preview. The Ultra Course Adoption Center also has useful information.

• Next, check out the Ultra Learn Essentials self-paced resources. All FA2018 faculty were enrolled in this self-paced course.

• If you have questions, plan to attend an Ultra orientation, stop by a walk-in clinic, or open an RT ticket to make an appointment to speak to instructional technology staff.

Self-paced training and boot camps are not the only options. We are also prepared to offer:

Department Training

Instructional Technology staff are available for department training and orientation requests. These workshops may be scheduled in 45-minute, 90-minute, half-day, or full-day sessions on pre-packaged topics or mix & match themes. Please open an RT ticket to schedule this training.

Ultra Experience Essentials Boot Camp (3-5 hours)

This fast-paced program is intended for advanced Blackboard users who are very comfortable with the existing system. By the end of the workshop, participants should be able create and upload content to an Ultra course, create and grade assignments, configure the gradebook, and create, monitor, and grade discussions.

Webinars (ITNM & Bb)

Virtual trainings (45 minutes) provided by Instructional Technology staff and Blackboard offer flexible solutions for faculty training. Topics include Skill Builder workshops, Blackboard Innovative Teaching Series, Best of Bb World, course development, flipped classrooms, best practices, what’s new updates, or other customizable sessions.

Ultra Experience Redesign Workshop (2-day)

Focusing less on “button-ology” of using Ultra, this program is a 2-day workshop designed to support faculty as they redesign and redevelop their existing Blackboard courses for the Ultra Experience. Faculty will compare conversion vs. redesign options when migrating to UX, prepare Original courses for conversion to the Ultra Experience, and check courses for quality.

TA Training / Course Design Boot Camp (2 hours)

Instructional Technology staff are available to deliver a 2-hour workshop for Teaching Assistants on the effective use of Bb’s Ultra Experience specifically for teaching assistants. Please open an RT ticket to schedule this training.

As always, if you have any questions, please consider the following options:

• Check our extensive FAQ collection

• About the Ultra Experience | What’s new in Ultra?

• Open a ticket via RT

• Follow the Instructional Technology & DoIT myUMBC groups

• Request a consult with instructional technology staff

One in four students take some of their courses online, and two-thirds do so at a public institution in the same state where they live (Allen, Seaman, Pouline, & Straut, 2016; Allen & Seaman, 2017). In early November, UMBC celebrates the 11th anniversary of National Distance Learning Week (NDLW) with a series of lunchtime conversations. Topics include:

Hybrid or Online? Learn about the Alternate Delivery Program

• Monday, November 5 - Register Online 

Attend this information session to learn more about the Alternate Delivery Program. Ask specific questions related to the ADP Course Designer Track Call to Participate for Spring/Summer 2019. Previous ADP alumni will be on hand to share their experiences!

Support Student Engagement with Collaborate Ultra

• Tuesday, November 6 - Register Online

Imagine a room that was perfectly outfitted for collaboration -- except the room only exists online. Collaborate Ultra is an integrated web conferencing tool available to faculty through their Blackboard course shells. Attend this virtual session to learn best practices, workflows, and use cases.

Panopto Lunch ‘n’ Learn

• Wednesday, November 7 - Register Online 

UMBC has recently announced the licensing of Panopto, our new and improved screencasting platform. Learn about how Panopto could change the way you think about lecturing.

Explore Accessibility in the Technology Test Kitchen

• Thursday, November 8 - Register Online 

Bring your own device (laptop, tablet, smartphone) to one of our Technology Test Kitchen areas to learn and explore both faculty and student approaches to accessibility. Each Kitchen features “chefs” from Accessibility & Disability Services or IT to discuss “recipes” (strategies, tools, resources, etc.) for addressing a particular issue.

Monthly Blackboard Ultra Experience Orientation

• Friday, November 9 - Register Online 

UMBC's current flavor of Blackboard has not changed significantly in many years, but that's about to change with the Ultra Experience! Attendees will receive information about training opportunities and how to access an Ultra Experience sandbox. Discuss the differences between course conversion and course redesign, and learn about other features exclusive to the Ultra Experience.

Please RSVP: A light lunch will be provided for in-person sessions.

Can't make these National Distance Learning Week sessions? Try these virtual events?

Technology vs. Innovation: Strategies to Build an Engaging Online Course

Does the inclusion of technology alone make a course innovative? Learn strategies to make your courses more engaging through multiple modalities. 

• Monday, November 5, 2018 from 1-2 PM EST
• Register online -> (Note: You must have a free QM profile. See this FAQ.)

The IT Experiences of Undergraduate Students: EDUCAUSE’s 2018 ECAR Report

Topics will include student device access and ownership, device use and importance, student technology experiences, LMS use and satisfaction, learning environment preferences, experiences with instructors and technology, home internet access, a day in the online life of a student, accessibility, and student success tools.

• Monday, November 5, 2018 from 1-2 PM EST
• Register online -> (Note: You must have an EDUCAUSE profile)

During the FA2018 semester, UMBC faculty are invited to explore how their current (or “Original”) courses will convert to the Ultra Experience.

The Ultra Course Preview conversion tool allows you to convert an existing Original course and see what it looks like in the Ultra Experience. Blackboard provides a conversion log with a list of Original features and functions that change in Ultra or those that won't carry forward if you choose to convert the course to Ultra. All faculty who are teaching a Blackboard course during the FA2018 semester will receive an Ultra Course Preview course shell, which can be used as a sandbox to import or copy an existing Original course.

Where is my Ultra Course Preview shell?

The Ultra Course Preview shell is located on the main Courses page under the Assorted Dates section toward the bottom. The name of the Ultra Course Preview shell is username’s Ultra Course Preview Sandbox.

• Related FAQ: How do I preview my course as an Ultra course?

Since the Ultra Course Preview is intended to explore rather than build, any changes you made to your imported course in the Ultra Course Preview mode are lost if you switch back to the Original Course View. Faculty may request the Ultra Course Preview to be enabled on any previously delivered course as long as the course is unavailable to students. Please open an RT ticket and request “Ultra Course Preview” in the subject.

Five steps to planning your Ultra roadmap

1. Learn about the Ultra Experience and how it changes your course

Attend one of our monthly Ultra Experience orientation sessions. Learn about about training opportunities, course conversion, and other features exclusive to the Ultra Experience.

2. Review your course & determine if it is current ready for Ultra

Use our course inventory form to assess the type and frequency of Original tools you use most often. This tool will help Instructional Technology staff align your course needs with the current features and functionality of the Ultra Course View.

3. Discuss your Ultra adoption roadmap with instructional technology staff

Stop by one of our walk-in walk-in support clinics or schedule an appointment with our staff (via RT) to review your course inventory.

4. Select & attend training that best fits your schedule or personal preference

We encourage faculty to attend at least one Ultra-specific training session. Several options are available including self-paced Ultra Essentials, Skill Builder workshops and webinars, and the Ultra Experience Boot Camp.

5. Decide on a strategy that fits your course or schedule: Convert or redesign

Faculty have several options with Ultra:

• If you’re ready for Ultra, you can permanently switch your course to Ultra and update it after it is converted.

• If you’re ready for Ultra, but you don’t want to convert your course, you can redesign your course from scratch.

• If you need more time to prepare for Ultra, you can return your sandbox to the Original Course View and revise the content, organization, and tool settings for a smoother transition before converting later.

Visit our Ultra Course Adoption Center for helpful resources and tools including a course adoption guide, course inventory, and course roadmap.

As always, if you have any questions, please consider the following options:

• Check our extensive FAQ collection

• New Features | Known Issues | Updates & Fixes

• About the Ultra Experience | What’s new in Ultra?

• Open a ticket via RT

• Follow the Instructional Technology & DoIT myUMBC groups

• Request a consult with instructional technology staff