Over the last year, Ultra received more than 150 enhancements and new features to strengthen and improve the new course for faculty and students. At the first quarter roadmap for 2023, the Ultra developers presented extensive plans for the next six months, focusing on grading and assessment, engagement and collaboration, content and course organization, and learner analytics. 

In March, Ultra courses will receive improvements to multiple submissions, allowing faculty to quickly shift between student attempts for grading and comparison, as well as a downloadable PDF version of the SafeAssign report. More information about the March release is available on the What's New in Ultra FAQ with a forthcoming update expected to myUMBC before the Blackboard site is updated early March.

In April, we expect to see two improvements requested by UMBC faculty and one new feature:

• Multiple grading schema: Create more than one grading schema in your Ultra course including pass/fail or complete/incomplete.

• Import questions into Question Banks: Abandon those messy gradebook columns from unused tests and create question banks instead!

• Search course content: Quickly find course content by searching title and description. This feature will be available to students and faculty. Exclusive to Ultra courses.

These are not the only enhancements expected in April, but the most exciting to share.

Although Anthology also offered a roadmap for Original, the majority of development continues to center in usability, accessibility, security, and storage management. Most development described during the Q1 2023 Original roadmap centered on system admin tools, base navigation (e.g., the Blackboard dashboard), or global changes impacting both Ultra and Original courses such as tool integration and Bb Annotate. A few enhancements focus on usability such as streamlining the assignment submission process for students with a few improvements slated for long term development (e.g., more than six months). 

The Instructional Technology team tracks and shares monthly updates to its myUMBC group and presents a What's New in Ultra for Teaching & Learning webinar every semester. Blackboard's quarterly roadmaps are open to the public.

In a recent survey of Ultra users last semester, faculty and students expressed satisfaction with Ultra. During the Fall 2022 semester, faculty increased their use of Ultra in greater numbers. The top five departments with the highest Ultra adoption included:

• Theatre - 100%

• Emergency Health Services - 95.45%

• Modern Languages, Linguistics & Intercultural Communication - 86.76%

• Chemical, Biochemical, and Environmental Engineering - 81.25%

• Education - 80%

Additionally, several programs including freshman composition and IHU courses have leveraged Ultra templates to deploy content across multiple course sections. Departments interested in using a customized Ultra template or receiving the UMBC Ultra template should open an RT ticket to consult with an Instructional Technology Specialist. Our staff will work with you to determine the next steps and design an appropriate timeline for your department to make the transition. 

In a recent survey of faculty who used Ultra during the FA2022 semester, 86.5% of faculty who responded said they would use Ultra again, citing its ease of use and consistent experience for students. 

"It's easier to use in general," said one instructor, "and I find that I can prep and roll out my course faster and faster each semester as I learn more and adapt to the tools." Another instructor noted, "I'm anxious for ALL classes to be on Ultra so students can have a more consistent experience." 

Likewise, 87.45% students are also satisfied with Ultra, also noting ease of use as well as its clean interface and tools to track course progress. The response is consistent with previous student surveys (SP2021, FA2019).

Well organized Ultra courses were also praised by students. "Ultra shows all relevant content right away," said one student. "It's tuned for a better learning environment." Another student agreed, "It's my favorite course to log into because I love the interface." 

For more information about Ultra, please visit umbc.edu/go/ultra.

The Maryland Open Source Textbook (M.O.S.T.) Initiative is pleased to announce a Request for Proposals for the 2023 OER Grant Program. For 2023, M.O.S.T. is seeking proposals for two grant programs.  

Faculty OER Grant Program

The Maryland Open Source Textbook (M.O.S.T.) initiative is seeking proposals for its Faculty OER Grant Program, which supports faculty efforts to increase access, affordability, and achievement for students at Maryland's postsecondary institutions through the incorporation of open educational resources (OER) into teaching practice.

Available grants in 2023:

• Adopt/Adapt OER ($1,000 grant + Participation in the Lumen Circles Community of Practice)

• Create/Revise and Publish OER ($2,000 grant + Participation in the Rebus Textbook Success Program)

• OLI STEM Courseware Grants ($5,000 grant + Participation in the NSF-Funded Carnegie Mellon Open Learning Initiative (OLI) STEM Courseware Project) NOTE: Available for 2-year colleges only

Institutional OER Grant Program

The Maryland Open Source Textbook (M.O.S.T.) initiative is seeking proposals for the Institutional OER Grant Program, which supports strategic institutional efforts to increase access, affordability, and achievement for students at Maryland's postsecondary institutions through more systemic incorporation of open educational resources (OER) into teaching practice.

For 2023, selected institutions will be awarded $20,000 grants to support significant advances in OER adoption, scaling, and sustainability in support of student success. In addition, grantees will receive strategic planning and implementation support for their projects from M.O.S.T. in the form of consultations and regular monthly check-ins.

All proposals must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. ET on Wednesday, March 1, 2023

All institutional grants and faculty grants awarded to UMBC must be routed to the Office of Sponsored Programs prior to submission. Contact your unit's business manager or proposal development staff to discuss your application.

Informational Webinar

Join M.O.S.T. on Monday, January 23, 2023 from 3:00 p.m. to 4:15 p.m. ET for an Informational Webinar to learn more about the grant requirements and expectations for successful grants. We will also answer any questions about the grants at that time. Register for the Informational Webinar.

If you have any questions, reach out to us at most@usmd.edu.