Isabella Bank Institute for Entrepreneurship

Central Michigan University’s faculty and students will have a new experience managing their courses starting in the fall semester thanks to changes two years in the making. And, after years of collaborative work, the CMU team behind those changes is now being recognized for excellence on a global scale. 

Introducing Blackboard Ultra

Courses within Blackboard  will  receive a fresh look with new, user-friendly features, said Marnie Roestel, associate director of the Office of Curriculum and Instructional Support's Learning Systems Support.

Roestel said Blackboard Ultra, the name of the new system, is a major upgrade that consists of a wide variety of changes intended to modernize how faculty manage and students interact with courses. One place of significant improvement is how Blackboard handles grading.

“The gradebook alone is on steroids,” Roestel said.

As part of the gradebook upgrade, faculty can view the progress students are making on assignments and send messages to individual students, selected groups of students or entire classes.

The changes also include the flexibility to grade by either each student’s submission or by question.  The gradebook and accompanying analytics provide a variety of ways to view grades, student performance on assessments, and the level of student interaction with content through a Progress Tracking feature.   

Ultra modernizes the overall interface by replacing the traditional menu along the left side of the page with modular boxes on each course’s main page.

Students’ experience is also different. Ultra provides a much more intuitive interface that is easier to navigate and locate content within and complete the activities needed in the course, Roestel said.

The enhanced user experience for both faculty and students is the culmination of preparation by CIS that began in 2022; that was when Blackboard announced plans to upgrade to Ultra.

Roestel, her team and other CIS staff spent a year putting together training materials to help faculty transition from the old management system to Ultra, she said. Those training materials include videos, written articles and in-person training and support.

Faculty members have used those trainings and support over the last year to move their courses to Ultra. It hasn’t always been easy, she said.

“It’s not apples-to-apples,” Roestel said. “It’s apples to steak.”

The changes will also improve the experience of students.

“I’m excited for students to begin using the new interface,” Roestel said. “Students will have a more consistent experience from one CMU course to the next, find it easier to locate materials, identify due dates and access instructor feedback.”

Award-winning effort

Anthology, the owner of the Blackboard learning environment, recognized Roestel, her team and CIS for their outstanding contributions to education.

CMU was recognized as one of five universities in the world recognized in the Leading Change category of the 2024 Anthology Catalyst Awards. The Catalyst Awards are given to institutions that drive innovation and excellence in higher education.

In a letter to CMU, Anthology’s chief revenue officer, Joe Belenardo, wrote.

“The award for Leading Change recognizes institutions at the forefront of educational innovation that have used Anthology solutions to implement transformational initiatives that generate change on campus and in their academic ecosystems, with measurable results…This award celebrates Marnie’s work and dedication to providing high-quality learning experiences that are helping shape the future of education and are an example to institutions across the globe.”