IT SERVICE DESK

Explore the preview

In the Ultra Course preview, you can see exactly how your content will look if you decide to permanently switch to the Ultra Course View.

Select the View Details link in the banner or the Course Exceptions link in the Details & Information area to view how many items won't carry forward in the Ultra Course View. These items are known as exceptions.

In the Conversion Details panel, select a priority group to view the specifics so you can make the best decision for your course. At this time, some features aren't ready in the Ultra Course View such as surveys, Self and Peer Assessments, wikis, and blogs.

Understanding exception priorities

Permanently converting your course to the Ultra Course View is a big step. For some instructors, the Ultra Course View is a big shift from the Original Course View. Other instructors may welcome the more modern interface and streamlined features. To help you better understand how your course environment will change, the system groups exceptions into three priority groups, based on the potential impact.

• Low Priority exceptions include course appearance changes, formatting changes, or slight feature limitations.
• Medium Priority exceptions include feature behavior changes and formatting and submission removal.
• High Priority exceptions include unsupported features and grade data removal.

Select View Exceptions under a priority heading to learn more. All exceptions in that category appear in the panel. To see how the exception affects parts of your course, select an exception. The list of affected content appears so you can understand the specific changes.

Remember, you're in preview mode. You haven't committed to a permanent conversion of your course yet.

Any changes you make to your course while in the Ultra Course View preview won't be saved if you exit the preview and choose to continue in the Original Course View. If you choose to permanently convert your course to Ultra, the changes you made during the preview are saved.

Content types that will convert

As features and functions continue to roll out for the Ultra Course View, the supported list will expand.

• Content items are converted to Ultra documents—some loss of formatting to text and files that you added in the editor may occur
• Folders are limited to two sub-levels
• File attachments are grouped together in alphabetical order at the end of the content
• Assignments, including group assignments, are converted to Ultra assignments, with attempt data, submissions, and grades removed during conversion
  • Assignments with maximum points that contain decimal places > the points possible value is truncated and rounded down to the nearest whole number
• Assignments with SafeAssign enabled
• Tests are converted with only the Calculated Formula, Essay, Fill in the Blank, Fill in Multiple Blanks, Matching, Multiple Choice, Multiple Answer, and True/False question types supported at this time
  • Unsupported question types and test options are removed
  • Attempt data and submissions are removed during conversion
  • Maximum points or question point values that contain a decimal are truncated and rounded down to the nearest whole number
• Original questions pools are converted to Ultra question banks and appear on the Reuse Questionspage
  • Existing tags added to questions in the Original Course View appear on the Reuse Questions page
• Original question sets and random blocks are converted to Ultra question pools
• Percentage-range and percentage rubrics are converted without descriptions
  • All other rubric types are converted to percentage rubrics, such as points and point range
  • All Original rubric settings are now set to the Ultra rubric defaults, such as display to students
• Calendar due dates
• Discussions are flattened to four levels of threading—ability to view replies to replies—with some settings removed.
  • An Original graded forum that doesn't allow members to create new threads keeps the current behavior described above.
  • An Original graded forum that allows members to create new threads is converted to a graded discussion in Ultra and all of its seed child threads and replies are deleted.
  • Group discussion boards, forums, and threads aren't converted.
• Course announcements are converted with limitations:
  • Rich text announcements are converted to plain text
  • Some embedded images may appear
  • No attachments and date restrictions included
  • Course links may appear but won't take users to the content items
• Gradebook with some limitations
• Lesson plan content is organized into two sub-levels of folders
• Mashup links to the original content appear, if possible
• Web links
• Course links: To assignments and discussions only with limitations
• Goal alignments: Converted for supported items in the Ultra Course View and made visible to students
• Attendance
• SCORM packages: Attempt data is converted to Ultra, but the data is lost if you go back to the Original Course View
• Learning modules: Content organized into two sub-levels of folders with no forced sequential viewing setting
• Journals: Original Course View journals, prompts, and settings are included in course archives and exports and are converted in the Ultra Course View. Only journals from content areas in Original courses appear in Ultra courses on the Course Content page. At this time, comments and student entries aren’t included when you restore an archive.

Content types and settings that will NOT convert

These items are removed from the course when you convert permanently to Ultra Course View:

• Blank Page content type
• Wikis and blogs
• Syllabus content type
• Module pages
• Lesson plans
• Surveys
• Unsupported test options
• Unsupported question types
• Delegated grading settings
• Self and Peer Assessments
• Tasks tool
• Groups not part of a group set don't appear on the Course Groupspage
  • Self-enroll signup sheets don't convert
• Achievements
• Textbook content type
• Course links to tools and content with the exception of assignments and discussions with limitations
• Adaptive release rules and settings are removed from any content items that have them
• Guest access
• Course banners
• Course messages

Choose your course view

After you preview the Ultra Course View, you can either permanently convert the course to Ultra or stay with the Original version.

Select the course view you want in the bar at the bottom of your screen.

Back to Original course: Your course reverts to the way it was before the preview. Remember, any changes you made to your course during the Ultra preview are lost if you go back to the Original Course View.

Use the Ultra course: After you make the conversion permanent, you can open the course to students when you're ready.

Original source: https://help.blackboard.com/Learn/Instructor/Ultra/Courses/Ultra_Course_Preview