By GENEVIEVE PRESLEY
Columnist
Since the transition to Blackboard Ultra in the fall 2023 semester, students have noticed changes to the way they view their courses, assignments and grades.
Blackboard Support and Services Manager, Ariana Tiroff, said that since the switch to Blackboard Ultra is still new, they haven’t gotten as much student feedback as they would like, but the feedback they have gotten has been mostly positive.
“They really enjoy navigating Ultra, they said it was intuitive, very responsive on different user devices,” Tiroff said.
“So, that was good feedback that we got. We also had the opportunity to have a booth at one of the fairs, and during that time we asked students their thoughts about Blackboard Ultra and once again, it was good positive feedback,” she said.
Tiroff said students say Ultra is easy-to-use and they’re able to navigate their course and find things that they need.
However, some students did report some downsides to Ultra, specifically related to them just being used to the original view before the transition took place.
“It was kind of difficult because I’m not used to just all the little trinkets, all the little extra stuff,” Lea Dominguez, a Psychology major, said.
Graphic Design major, Jocelyn Aguilar, works in The Underground on the Washington Street Campus and said the biggest problems students have faced have been forgetting their passwords and printing problems.
Aguilar said to figure out how to use the new Blackboard Ultra, students need to familiarize themselves with it.
“It’s completely different from what they’re used to, and I completely get that,” Tiroff said. “I guess some students were not expecting it. So, whenever the transition happened, they were just kind of shocked that it looks completely different.”
Tiroff said there are resources available to students who need help with Blackboard Ultra.
“If they don’t feel comfortable navigating Blackboard, we do have an online course that students can register for,” Tiroff said.
“There are assignments, some exams and some things that they can download. It’s just getting their feet wet. They can just go in, navigate the course and familiarize themselves that way. We have created some PDFs and videos for students to access. It’s just basic step-by-step information. So, if it’s checking your grades, they can go to that PDF and then they are walked through on how to do that or how to submit an assignment or take a test,” Tiroff said.
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