Join us January 7, 2026 for our 7th Annual Blackboard Day in the Olin B. Sansbury Campus Life Center, Room 310, by accessing Zoom in the CAIFS PD Course, or by using the Zoom Link! Register Now 9 am to 9:45 am Welcome and Blackboard Learn Ultra Updates Join the Blackboard Support Team to learn … Continue reading Blackboard Day 2026: Accessible Learning
Effective Strategies for Maymester and Summer Course Preparation
As the end of spring semester approaches, many faculty begin turning their attention to preparing for Maymester or the summer sessions. Converting 15 week courses into 8 week or 4 week format, however, presents a unique challenge. How can faculty nurture student understanding and provide meaningful feedback at such an accelerated pace? Luckily, there is … Continue reading Effective Strategies for Maymester and Summer Course Preparation
Responding to Ally Accessibility Scores in Your Courses
The USC Upstate Accessibility Commitment aims to ensure students, faculty, and staff have access to all spaces and materials where learning takes place. Luckily, Blackboard Ultra has made faculty's role in fulling this commitment easier than ever. The university-adopted quality assurance program holds all courses to a high standard of accessibility, including expectations that all … Continue reading Responding to Ally Accessibility Scores in Your Courses
A Student-Centered Approach to Communication
A recent Pathify study reported the average click rate of emails in higher ed is less than 7%, even though email is the primary mode many institutions use to communicate important information to faculty, staff, and students. Right before the Pandemic, I also discovered that student responses to my emails had noticeably declined. More students … Continue reading A Student-Centered Approach to Communication
USC Upstate Blackboard Day 2024: Preparing for Transition to Blackboard Learn Ultra Courses
Join us for our 5th Annual Blackboard Day in the CLC Ballroom, by accessing Collaborate in the CAIFS PD Course, or by using the links below! Register Now 9 am to 9:30 am Welcome and Blackboard Learn Ultra Transition Updates Join Celena Kusch to hear about the latest updates in the Blackboard Learn Ultra Transition … Continue reading USC Upstate Blackboard Day 2024: Preparing for Transition to Blackboard Learn Ultra Courses
Making the Case for Modules
Are we ready for modules? Yes! And there is no better time to switch to modules from nested folders. In Blackboard Original, faculty were able to use the folder system just like the content containers on our computers. A file for P and T: files for service, teaching, scholarship; and within scholarship an articles folder; … Continue reading Making the Case for Modules