Blackboard Ultra Updates – September 2025

Contents

Staff news: This article will contain a summary of useful updates you may see in your Blackboard Ultra courses from Friday 5th September 2025.

Block Styling for Documents

Learn how to make the most of Ultra! Sign up for Staff Development Sessions via the Blackboard Ultra SharePoint.

Add block styling to your Blackboard Ultra Documents. The styling options feature both colour and icons. The style options include:

Question (blue border with a question mark icon)
Tip (yellow border with a lightbulb icon)
Key points (Purple border with a pin icon)
Next steps (Green border with an arrow icon)
Highlight (Light blue shading with darker blue border, no icon).

You can select styling options from a dropdown menu that appears in Edit mode on all block types.

The content block toolbar with the block styling option highlighted in blue, showing an expanded menu. The question option is represented by a ?. The tip option is represented by a light bulb. Key points is represented by a pin. Next steps is represented by two arrows. The highlight option is represented by a star. The reset styling option at the bottom shows two arrows circling each other.

Each style will add a colour border and an icon to the block. Blocks can be resized as usual. Selecting “Reset styling” will remove the block styling but will not delete any of your block content.

Examples of different block styles. Each block has a different border colour and an icon on the top left corner. Next steps is green a chevron icon. Tip is yellow with a lightbulb icon. Question is blue with a question mark icon and Key points is purple with a pin icon.

Block styling is a way of adding visual appeal to your documents, but you should not rely on the block style to convey meaning. Add headings, context and signposting to your Documents to guide students through your Blackboard course.

Add and manage question titles in tests, forms, and banks

Question titles are for instructor reference only. Students do not see the question titles when they take a test or review their submission.

You can now add, view, edit, and delete question “titles” when working on questions in tests, forms, and banks. Question titles are optional, non-unique labels that are useful for providing enhanced searchability.

Screenshot of a Blackboard Ultra test creation page. The new field for Question title is highlighted by a blue box.

Titles appear when:

Creating or editing questions in tests, forms and banks
Viewing or selecting questions via the Reuse questions workflow in tests, forms and banks
Adding questions to pools (Add Question Pool workflow)
Viewing questions in a pool (View Questions workflow)

Titles do not appear when the instructor views or grades the test and form submissions. Students do not see the question titles when they take a test or review their submission.

Use pop-out rubric when grading group submissions

Markers can now use the pop-out rubric when grading group submissions. This enhancement brings the same efficient grading experience already available for individual submissions to group work.

The pop-out rubric is a separate, moveable window and formatted in a grid view.

You can access the pop-out rubric when reviewing a submission.

Bulk performance level selection: Apply a level across all criteria with one click.
Cell syncing: Selected cells update the grade pill automatically.
Focused feedback entry: Selecting a cell moves focus to the feedback textbox.
Navigation warning: Alerts instructors if they try to leave with unsaved changes.
Override warning: Shows a banner if the grade was overridden and disables rubric editing.
Printing: Instructors can print blank or completed rubrics using the browser’s print function.

Display per question feedback to students on group test submissions

Students can now view per-question feedback on group test submissions. Instructors have been able to provide per-question feedback, but it was not visible to students until now.

Improve EULA Workflow for Turnitin Submissions

Students now receive clearer guidance when submitting assessments to Turnitin if they haven’t signed the End User License Agreement (EULA).

If a student selects Decline, they receive this message: By declining the Turnitin End User Licensing Agreement, you will not be able to submit assignments online. You must contact your instructor for alternate ways to submit your assignments.

Display time limits and extra time consistently across roles

Blackboard have improved how time limits and extra time are communicated in Assessments.

Now, everyone will see time limits and extra time presented in a consistent format:

Example:

“Time limit: 20 minutes + 10 minutes extra time”

This format appears:

When instructors configure or review assessment settings.
When students begin or review an assessment.
In the preview mode for instructors.

Improved accessibility on the Submissions list page in the Gradebook

To improve accessibility, Blackboard have updated the Submissions list page in the Gradebook to use a semantic HTML table structure. This change replaces the previous layout, which relied on stacked <div> elements. The new structure improves screen reader support and keyboard navigation.

Screen reader users can now hear row and column headers as they navigate the table.
Keyboard users can move efficiently across rows and columns without needing to tab through each element.
The table uses proper HTML markup, including <caption>, <th>, <tr>, and <td> elements to ensure clarity and accessibility.
The update applies to all submission list views, including standard, individual, and peer assessments.

This change aligns the Submissions list with the accessibility improvements previously made to the student Gradebook and supports Blackboard’s commitment to inclusive design.

Export question banks in QTI v2.1 format

Instructors and instructional designers can now export question banks in the QTI v2.1 format.

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