TABLE OF CONTENTS
- About the Updates
- System Navigation Improvements
- Course Content Improvements
- Communication and Collaboration Improvements
- Assessment and Grading Improvements
- AI Features and Improvements
- Learner Progression & Personalized Experience
- Additional Resources and Support
About the Updates
Blackboard releases new Ultra features and improvements every month! Some of these new features are large updates with completely new functionality while others are small enhancements. This page highlights some of the newer features and improvements that we think you'll enjoy.
Be sure to check out Blackboard's What's New in Blackboard page for additional information about new tools and features.
System Navigation Improvements
These improvements focus on system navigation, including navigating inside and outside of courses.
Base Navigation Improvements (January 2026)
The new Base Navigation offers a cleaner design with quick access to key navigation tabs.
- Your Profile is now positioned at the top of the panel and includes your profile image, making it easier to view and personalize your Blackboard identity.
- The Sign Out link has been moved to the bottom of the panel. This separation from other tabs provides clearer, more intuitive access.
Ultra Course Navigation Improvements (January 2026)
The new Ultra Course improvements are designed to use screen space more effectively, reduce navigation errors, and improve performance and load times.
- Courses Open in Full-Screen: Ultra courses now open in full-screen mode to enhance your screen space and reduce clutter.
- Home Button: To prevent accidentally closing out of a course, the “X” to exit a course has been replaced with a Home button. Click the Home button to exit your course and return to the myLesley Home page.
- Course Switcher: Click the Courses button to open the Course Switcher. From here, you can quickly jump to your four most recent courses or choose View All to access the full Courses page.
- Course Banner: The course banner now extends across the full width of the screen and displays the course ID and title on a darker background for improved clarity and accessibility.
Watch the January 2026 Blackboard UI Changes overview video for an overview of these improvements.
Course Content Improvements
These improvements focus on course content, including Ultra Documents, Learning Modules and Folders, and more.
Ultra Documents: Stack Blocks Vertically (February 2026)
Within an Ultra Document, instructors can now stack blocks in a single column to create cleaner layouts and reduce whitespace.
A new toggle in the block toolbar allows switching between column-level and block-level editing. In column mode, actions apply to the entire column. In block mode, instructors can resize, move, or delete individual blocks.
Ultra Documents: Block Styling Options (September 2025)
Instructors can use new block styling options to enhance the visual appeal of Ultra Documents and guide students' attention to key ideas, questions, next steps, and more.
When creating or editing an Ultra Document, click on the Styling button (paint palette icon) to open a menu. Select the styling option you wish to use.
You may select from the following styling options:
- Question (question mark icon): Use for prompts or reflective questions. Keep questions concise and open-ended to encourage critical thinking.
- Tip (light bulb icon): Use for tips, insights, or helpful suggestions. Ensure tips are actionable and relevant to the content.
- Key Points (pin icon): Use to highlight key points or essential facts. Keep these blocks brief and focused to reinforce retention.
- Next Steps (chevrons icon): Use for next steps or instructions. Present steps in a clear, logical order and consider using numbered lists for clarity.
Learning Modules: Table of Contents (August 2025)
Blackboard has redesigned how users experience Learning Modules by adding a collapsible Table of Contents. The Table of Contents provides easy navigation between items and allows students to easily track their progress.
These improvements focus on communication and collaboration tools, including Announcements, Messages, Discussions, and Groups.
Discussions: Add a Second Participation Requirement and Due Date (March 2026)
You can now add a second due date and participation requirements for your Discussions.
For example, your Discussion asks students to create an initial post by date 1 and two replies to their classmates by date 2. In your Discussion Settings, select the option to Grade Discussion. Select the first due date and participation requirement (Post, Post or Reply, Reply). Then check the box to add a second due date, select the due date and second participation requirement.
When students open the Discussion, they will see two clear participation requirements with separate due dates. As they post and reply, progress indicators update in real time.
Announcements: Record or Upload Audio and Video (August 2025)
You can now use the Video Studio tool within an Announcement to record or upload video and audio. Click on the Audio/Video button in the text editor to open Video Studio.
You may choose to record any combination of your camera, microphone, and screen. You may also upload a video that you saved on your machine.
Once the application launches, you may use the camera, microphone, and screen options to select or change your connected devices. If you are creating a recording, select Start Recording. There is a three second countdown before recording begins. While recording, you can pause, resume, retake, or end the recording. Once you end the recording you can preview the recording, edit the title, and add a description. Once it has finished processing, select Save.
Please note that students can only access the audio/video recording from within the course. When sent as an email, students will need to click on the link to go into the course and view the Announcement.
Announcements: Review Student Engagement (July 2025)
Instructors can now verify which students have viewed Announcements within the course. The Announcements page displays a viewers column, showing the number of users who have viewed each Announcement.
Clicking on the viewer count will open the viewers list, showing who has viewed the Announcement in the course.
Please note that this only applies to Announcements viewed within the course. If a student viewed the Announcement as an email, but not within the course, their status will remain "unread".
Assessment and Grading Improvements
These improvements focus on Assessments (including Assignments and Tests), the Gradebook, and grading workflows. To learn more about the Ultra Gradebook, grading tasks, and more, refer to the Gradebook and Grading support article.
SafeAssign: Metadata Analysis in Originality Report (March 2026)
SafeAssign now includes a new metadata analysis layer within the Originality Report. In addition to traditional text matching, instructors can access contextual insights in the new Document Properties section in the report summary.
Metadata may include:
- Author/Created by
- File creation date/time
- Last modified by
- Last modified date/time
- Total ending time
- Document revision count
- Software used
These metadata signals complement existing detection methods, providing richer context and supporting more informed academic integrity reviews. When specific metadata is unavailable, it will not be shown.
AI Features and Improvements
These features and improvements focus on Blackboard's AI tools, including the AI Design Assistant, AI Conversations, and Ally Alternative Text Assistant.
Generate Knowledge Checks (March 2026)
Instructors can now generate multiple choice Knowledge Checks within their Documents. This enhancement allows instructors to create just‑in‑time formative assessments using AI‑generated questions based on the content of their Ultra Document and any selected course materials.
The system will auto-generate four multiple choice questions at a time. Select a question to add it to your Ultra Document.
Learner Progression & Personalized Experience
Automations: Automatically Send Messages to Students Based on Course-Level Rules (November 2025)
You can create automations to send messages to students based on custom rules you set in your course. For example, you can create an automation to send a congratulatory message to all students who earned 90% or higher on an assignment.
To create a new automation, go to the Course Content page and select View Automations.
In this initial release, you may choose from two different automation types - send a congratulatory message when students earn a high score on a graded item or send a supportive message when students do not achieve a specified score.
In the Automation Trigger section, set the conditions that will trigger the message to be sent (ex students earn 90% or higher on a specific assignment).
Then, in the Action to be Taken section, write the message that will be sent to students when the meet the conditions.
Automations: Remind Students to Check Their Feedback (February 2026)
You can create automations to send messages to students who have unread feedback, gently encouraging students to review their feedback.
To create a new automation, go to the Course Content page and select View Automations.
Select + New Automation to create your new automation. Give your automation a name and then select Send feedback reminder.
In the Automation Trigger section, set the conditions that will trigger the message to be sent (ex when feedback is unread for 2 days). Then, in the Action to be Taken section, write the message that will be sent to students when the meet the conditions.
Additional Resources and Support
What's New in Ultra?
Blackboard is releasing new Ultra features and improvements every month! Some of these new features are large updates with completely new functionality while others are small enhancements. Check out Blackboard's monthly roundup of new features: What's New in Blackboard.
Faculty Quick Start Guide
This guide contains instructions and tutorial videos to get you started with Ultra Course View: Blackboard Ultra Course View Faculty Quick Start Guide.
Student Quick Start Guide
This guide contains information for students taking an Ultra course: Taking Your First Ultra Course? Here's What You Need to Know.
Contact Us
Reach out to eLearning and Instructional Support (eLIS) at elis@lesley.edu with any questions or to request a 1:1 or small group training.
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