Learn With Us

Learning Technologies facilitates workshops and courses throughout the year on a variety of topics. Find out what’s coming up below and start learning with us!

Upcoming Ultra Workshops and Labs

March 6 from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Zoom
March 7 from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. in SRC 3010
April 7 from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Zoom
May 7 from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. in SRC 3010

Introduction to Blackboard Ultra

This session will cover the Ultra course view layout, ways to make your transition into Ultra easier, and how to prepare to transition by adding content to your Ultra course.

March 13 from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Zoom
March 14 from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. in SRC 3010
April 14 from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Zoom
April 18 from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. in SRC 3010
May 5 from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Zoom
May 16 from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. in SRC 3010

Converting Your Course to Ultra

Our Converting your Course session will include a guided walkthrough on how to transition your content from Original Course View to Ultra Course view and how to add new content from other sources. You can then take what you have learned and begin transitioning your content into the Ultra Course view. Stick around after the session to ask more questions or get hands on help from Learning Technologies.

March 20 from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Zoom
March 21 from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. in SRC 3010
April 21 from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Zoom
April 30 from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. in SRC 3010
May 12 from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Zoom
May 14 from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. in SRC 3010

Blackboard Ultra: Gradebook

This session will cover an overview of the Ultra Gradebook and how to set up your Gradebook to ensure that you and your students have a successful course.

May 2 from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. in SRC 3010

Building Your Course in Ultra

Whether you are building a brand-new course or are looking to redesign an existing course, this session will include a guided walkthrough on how to build a course optimized for the Ultra Course View. Stick around after the session to ask more questions or get hands on help from Learning Technologies.

February 27 from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Zoom
March 28 from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. in SRC 3010
April 9 from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. in SRC 3010
May 9 from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. in SRC 3010

Blackboard Ultra: Rubrics

Streamline your grading by building rubrics in Blackboard Ultra! Join Learning Technologies to discuss that benefits of using a rubric and learn how to create your own rubric manually or using the AI rubric tool.

March 26 from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. in SRC 3010
April 11 from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. in SRC 3010

Blackboard Ultra: Communicating with Students

The Communicating with Students in Blackboard Ultra session will cover the different tools in Ultra that you can use to communicate with your students as a whole or individually. Whether you are using Announcements, Messages, Discussions, or the Calendar; students can have different opportunities to feel connected.

February 25 from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Zoom
March 19 from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. in SRC 3010
April 16 from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. in SRC 3010

Blackboard Ultra: AI Tools

Blackboard uses Bloom’s Taxonomy as the foundation for the Generative AI tools implemented in Ultra to assist in course design. Join Learning Technologies to walk through the different places you can find AI in Ultra. Attendees will be guided in the discussion of the ethical use of AI in Blackboard.

February 13 from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Zoom

Blackboard Ultra: Enhanced Ultra Docs

Come discover the new Ultra Documents layout! The Ultra Documents tool allows a more dynamic layout with new tools and features. Join us to discover what this tool has to offer and how you can use it to enhance your course content in Blackboard Ultra.

February 26 from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. in SRC 3010

Blackboard Ultra: Discussions

Let’s discuss… discussions! Join Learning Technologies and discuss different ways discussions can be utilized in courses and best practices. We will then cover how to create discussions in Blackboard Ultra manually and using the AI Discussion tool.

February 28 from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. in SRC 3010
March 27 from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Zoom

Blackboard Ultra: Creating Tests and Assignments

Learn how to build tests and assignments in Blackboard Ultra! Join Learning Technologies to discuss the benefits of using tests and assignments for online submissions in Blackboard and learn how to create your own test or assignment manually or using the AI tool. Registration Coming Soon!

March 5 from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. in SRC 3010
April 25 from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. in SRC 3010

Blackboard Ultra: Analytics

Do you wonder what analytics you can see for your course when using Blackboard Ultra? Join Learning Technologies to dive a little deeper into course analytics and learn what information you can access about your students in Ultra.

Wednesdays from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. in SRC 3010
Fridays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in SRC 3010

Blackboard Ultra Hands-On Support Lab

Need some help? Want to ask questions about Ultra? Our open support labs are here to ensure you get the best possible start with Ultra. No registration needed!

Please note: these lab times sometimes overlap with sessions we are holding on Ultra. We may be temporarily unavailable but will do our best to accomodate any walk-ins!

Foundations of Online Teaching

February 10, 2025 to March 16, 2025 Asynchronous Online

Foundations of Online Teaching – Part 1

This five-week, online course is designed to promote instructor development and enhance instructor engagement whether you are teaching NET, Hybrid, or VCM courses. Participants explore techniques and best practices for online course development and instruction.

This course is highly participatory in nature, combining practical hands-on learning with engaged discussion. You will be required to complete independent activities due each week, develop a course module, and participate in weekly discussions to successfully complete this course.

Registration is now closed.

April 7, 2025 to May 10, 2025, Online but with two synchronous Zoom sessions required

Foundations of Online Teaching – Part 2

This five-week, hybrid course is designed to build on the skills that were developed in Foundations of Online Teaching Part 1 but can also be taken if you would like to enhance a course you have already developed.

Using the OSCQR Rubric, participants will develop their entire course structure and complete at least two units of work. This course will tackle more advanced topics regarding content development and assessment building.

This hybrid course is highly participatory in nature, combining practical hands-on learning with engaged discussion and meet twice on Zoom on the Fridays of weeks 2 and 4.

On Demand Training

Online Courses for Ultra

Online, Self-Paced

Want to learn about Ultra but can’t make it to one of our trainings? You can now register for one of our asychnrous online courses! You can choose from a PDH option or one that offers the same information without the PDH component–the choice is yours!

Please Note: to properly complete these courses you will need a Blackboard Ultra development shell.
If you do not already have a Blackboard Ultra development shell, or would like a new one to work on a specific course, you should request a development shell from learningtech@cod.edu.

Blackboard Ultra Basics

Introduction to Ultra Basics is a video course developed exclusively for College of DuPage faculty. This course provides an overview of Blackboard Ultra. The PDH version is worth one hour of credit and includes deliverables.

Blackboard Ultra: Introduction to the Gradebook

Blackboard Ultra: Introduction to the Gradebook is a video course developed exclusively for College of DuPage faculty. This course provides an overview of the Gradebook function within Blackboard Ultra. The PDH version is worth one hours of credit and includes deliverables.

Converting Your Course to Blackboard Ultra

Converting Your Course to Blackboard Ultra was developed exclusively for College of DuPage faculty who have content in a Blackboard Original course and are converting their content to a Blackboard Ultra course. We also cover how to create new content in your Ultra Course.

Blackboard for New Users

Online, Self-Paced

This 7-module course for new users covers the essentials of Blackboard, including basic navigation, the course menu, availability, communicating with students, and so much more. It is the perfect introduction for the beginner.