FACULTY: ULTRA: Course Conversion FAQs

A transition to any new system is a complex process, and the move to Blackboard Ultra is no different. Following are some common questions that may arise as we make our way forward to the new modern version of Blackboard.  

• If Ultra is the new version of Blackboard, what is the version we are currently using called?
  • We refer to the current version of Blackboard as "Learn Original". The new version is officially called "Learn Ultra". 
• If the Teaching & Technology Center converts my courses to Ultra format, will I lose access to my "Learn Original" course sites from previous semesters?  
  • No, the TTC is retaining all your courses. When we convert your courses to Ultra format, we create a COPY of that course first, and then upgrade the copied course to Ultra. Your "Learn Original" course remains untouched.
• When will BSU be using Ultra for all courses?
  • Beginning in the summer of 2024, all course shells that are automatically created for you will be in Ultra format.  
• After BSU is at full Ultra in summer 2024, will I still have access to my Learn Original course sites?
  • Yes, we will retain your Learn Original course sites for some period of time. They will only be archived and removed from the system after 2 years of life (beginning from when the course site was first created), per our BSU Course Retention Policy (see attachment on this FAQ page). 
• After the TTC converts my Learn Original course to Ultra format, can I continue to update my Learn Original course site?
  • We highly recommend only making changes in your Ultra course site going forward, for any changes you make in your Learn Original course site won't appear in your converted Ultra course site.
• Which features in Learn Original are no longer in Ultra?
  • There are some features in Learn Original that Blackboard has no plans to implement in Ultra; in other cases, some features from Learn Original are in development in Ultra; in other cases, Ultra has or will have functionality that Learn Original never had!
  • Blackboard, since being purchased by a company called Anthology, have tripled the number of resources working on Ultra development, so there are new features coming all the time. Consider reviewing their roadmap webinars. If your course has any of these unsupported tools or question types, we will be working with our partner, K16, to have them convert your course to Ultra format. 
  • K16 attempt to take any unsupported activities and question types and use existing tools and question types in Ultra to replace them. 
    • Features not currently in Ultra include: Blogs, Tasks, Wikis, Lesson Plans, Achievements, and folder descriptions over 750 characters.
    • Exam question types not currently in Ultra include: Ordering, Jumbled Sentence, Quiz Bowl, Likert, Multiple Answer, Either/Or, Short Answer (replaced by Essay)
• How do my students and I access Zoom in Ultra?
  • Because there is no left-hand menu in Zoom, you will need to create a link to Zoom in your Ultra course site.
• What actions will I need to take after my course is converted?
  • Update your next semester empty course shell to Ultra format. You will be copying your converted Ultra course site into your next semester course shell, so it will need to be upgraded to Ultra format first. To learn more, view our YouTube video instructions at
    or our KnowledgeBase article.
  • Copy your converted Ultra course site into your next semester Ultra course shell. To learn more, view our YouTube video instructions or our KnowledgeBase Article.
  • Review your new Ultra course(s) after conversion to check for issues and make needed revisions.  Ultra is much improved and very different in many ways.  Ultra is focused on student accessibility, so you may lose some formatting features like highlighting and text colors.   If you used Weighted Grading settings, please re-input those weighted scores (see instructions towards the bottom of this help document for details).  If there are technical problems, email ttc@bridgew.edu.