How do I find my courses?

From the list where your name appears, you can view a list of your courses.

On the Courses page, you can access all of your courses. Each course card lists the course ID, course title, and instructor. If your course has multiple instructors, select Multiple Instructors to view all instructors. Select More info to see the description and schedule, if added.

More on the Courses page


Can I customize my course list?

No, you can't change the order of courses in the list. Courses are listed in alphabetical order and grouped by term.

If you access a course frequently, you can select the star icon to add it to your favorites so it appears at the top of your course list. No more scrolling! You can select the star icon again to remove a course from your favorites when you're done working in it often.


How do I create content?

Create Content

Your course creation starts on the Course Content page. You'll find it's easy to discover features and complete actions.

Course Content page. The plus sign menu is maximized to show all the options.

Add content

Select the plus sign wherever you want to add content. You can also expand or create a folder or learning module and add content. Create new content, upload something you already have, or add content from external sources or from another course.

Create: Add learning modules, documents, links, folders, assignments, tests, discussions, and journals. A panel opens and you can choose the content type you want to add.

Auto-Generate Modules: If your institution has turned this feature on, you can create learning modules with the help of the AI Design Assistant.

More on the AI Design Assistant

Import Content: Want to copy an entire Original course or import a course package? Open the menu on the right side above the content list and select the Import Content option.

Copy Content: Copy an entire course or select items from the courses you teach.

More on exporting and archiving your course

Upload: Browse for files on your computer. They will appear in the content list. Students select a file title to download it. Supported file types include DOC, DOCX, HTM, HTML, MP3, MPG, PDF, PPT, PPTX, XLS, XLSX, RTF, TXT, ZIP, and most image types.

Cloud Storage: Instantly connect to multiple web apps where you store files, such as OneDrive® and Google Drive™. You may choose multiple files from cloud storage to add to your Course Content page in one action. The files you add are copies. If you make a change to a file in cloud storage, you need to upload a new copy in your course.

More on cloud storage

Content Market: Discover and add content and tools from external sources. Access valuable learning materials from Blackboard's partner publishers, such as Macmillan and Cengage.

More on copying and importing content

Content Collection: Add files from your institution's shared repository. You can store and find content in personal, course, and institution folders in the Content Collection. If you stored files from other courses in the Content Collection, you'll be able to easily find and add them.

More on browsing and adding files from the Content Collection

Control what students see

Students can't access your content until you decide to show it, but you can always see it. Select an item's visibility to change it. You might show only the first week of content—and keep the rest hidden as you refine it. Have fun! Experiment! You can also create rules to release content based on date, time, or how a student performs on other items in your course. When you create these rules, you can choose whether the item is visible to students before they have access.

With your keyboard, tab to the visibility list and press Enter to open the menu. Use Alt/Option + the up and down arrows to select an option.

Organize with folders

You can create two levels of folders to organize your content. Students can navigate easier when they don't have to search for materials. Optionally, add folder descriptions to help students understand what content you've included in them. After you already have two levels of folders, you can't create a third level or upload a folder into the second-level folder.

Organize with learning modules

You can use learning modules in your course as containers for organized collections of content. Modules let students navigate from one content item to the next without distractions or extra clicks.

More on learning modules

Reorder content easily

Point to an item to reveal its management functions. Select and drag the item to a new location in the list.

With your keyboard, you can move an item to a new location, move an item into an expanded folder, and move a folder into another expanded folder.

  1. Tab to an item's move icon.
  2. Press Enter to activate move mode.
  3. Use the arrow keys to choose a location.
  4. Press Enter to drop the item in the new location.

Edit and delete content

In an item's row, open the menu to access the Edit and Delete functions. You can make changes or delete an item from your course. If you delete a folder or learning module that has content, the content is also removed from the Course Content page.

Add goals and standards

You and your institution can use goals to measure student achievement across programs and curriculums. After you successfully upload a file to your course, you can align one or multiple goals. Students won't be able to see the goals you align with a file.

More on how to align goals with course content

Product Experience

How do I make my course available to students?

From the list where your name appears, select the Courses link to access your course list. Open a course card's menu to change your course availability.

Courses page with the dropdown menu on a course selected. The Course Settings option is highlighted.

You can make your course private while you add or experiment with content, and then open it to students when you're ready. Students see private courses in their course lists, but they can't access them.

You can change your course from private to open on the Course Content page.


Can I hide course content from students until I'm ready?

Yes. As you create content, you can set its availability. You can make content unavailable to students until you're ready for them to view it. You can also limit which content items students see based on date, time, and performance on other graded items.

More on conditional release


How do I make my course content more accessible?

Ally in Learn Ultra Instructor Overview

Your class is full of diverse students with unique learning abilities. Providing students with more accessible content means each individual can choose formats that work best for them. If your institution uses Blackboard Ally, you can use the tool to help ensure your course content is accessible to every student.

Accessibility score indicators and alternative formats appear next to course documents and tests.

Get started with Ally in Ultra


How do I set a language pack?

You can set the language you want for your overall system. At this time, you can't change language packs at the specific course level. The language change affects all of your courses. Administrators can set specific course languages, and students can choose their preferred language packs.

You can change the language at a user level:

  1. Select Language on your profile.
  2. Select a language pack from the menu.
  3. Select Submit.