Learner Progression & Personalized Experience

Observer role support in Ultra Courses – 3900.91

Blackboard Learn SaaS 
Ultra Experience 
Ultra Course View 
Impact: Observers 
Related Topic: Observer Role

Academic advisors, parents, coaches, and other users may find it beneficial to monitor the progress of one or more students. This enables them to effectively support the students in their learning journey. Now these observers can monitor student progress and performance in Ultra courses. 

The streamlined process for Ultra courses eliminates the need for complicated instructor settings. Observers will have access to the following information: 

  • Last Access Date: Observers can view when the student last accessed the course. 
  • Grades tab: This tab provides details on a student’s earned grades. The information included is: 
    • Overall Grade
    • Upcoming and past due dates 
    • Any exceptions granted to the student 
    • Late submissions
  • Progress tab: This tab helps the observer understand a student's progression in the course. The information included is:
    • Navigation through the course content 
    • Course elements visible on the student’s learning path 
    • Completeness and progress indicators for items, folders, and learning modules 

To view a student's progress, progress tracking must be enabled in the course. 

Image 1: Observer view of a student’s grades in an Ultra Course

Grades tab of a student on an Observer dashboard

Image 2: Observer view of a student’s progress in an Ultra Course

Progress tab of a student on an Observer dashboard

Observers can access a dedicated dashboard in the Tools area of the Base Navigation. Observers should first select the student they wish to observe and then choose the specific course they want to access. Both Original and Ultra courses can be observed from this dashboard. 

Image 3: An observer chooses which student they want to observe in the Observer Dashboard

The Observer Dashboard, showing two students available for observation

For administrators: This feature is available for all Ultra courses. There are no configurations needed. As before, administrators can manage observer-to-student relationships manually, with a bulk file, or through data integration. 

A user must be assigned the Observer system role as their primary system role. In this release, Observer accounts continue to be mutually exclusive from other user accounts. We plan to remove this restriction in a future release.

Return to May 2024 – 3900.91 Release description