Last Updated: 7th May 2025
This page will be populated as we near the new academic year with important information about setting up Blackboard Ultra courses for 2025/26. Keep checking back for updates.
Course Set Up
Courses for the next academic year 2025-26 have been provisioned in Blackboard. Module Leads listed on Worktribe and Principle Instructors on Banner (if different).
Migrating from Original to Ultra or setting up a new module?
Your Blackboard Ultra course will contain a module template. There is no automatic rollover for your first-time migration of a module, so it’s important to set some time aside. You will need to manually move your module content from the Original version of Blackboard Ultra.
For more information, see the eLearn guide about migrating your content from Blackboard Original.
Rolling over content from a 24/25 Ultra module?
If your Blackboard module ran in Ultra in 24/25, then will be provisioned with a blank 25/26 Ultra course. This will enable you to easily review and rollover content from a previous Ultra course ready for teaching in 2025/26.
For more information, see the eLearn guide about rolling over content from Ultra to Ultra courses.
Staff Enrolments
Following feedback from tickets during the Blackboard Ultra migration project and that all staff enrolled as instructors are visible to students, how we enrol staff on Blackboard is changing.
This affects taught courses listed in Banner which have a module code and a 5-digit CRN (Course Reference number) for example: ABCD1234-56789-25-26.
Staff Enrolments are changing
When 2025/26 courses are provisioned in Blackboard, the following will be enrolled as a Blackboard Primary Instructor:
- The Module Coordinator listed on Worktribe.
- If different, the Primary Instructor listed on Banner module (CRN).
Other staff listed as teaching on modules on the timetable will be enrolled on Blackboard Courses as teaching assistants around September when the teaching timetable is confirmed. This will not overwrite existing enrolments. Roles can be edited from within a Blackboard Course.
These new enrolment methods will allow us to use the most accurate data available to us as well as allowing more open access for academic staff to check their module details are correct.
What do I need to do?
As a module lead, check that Worktribe is up to date and you are listed as module coordinator for the correct 2025-26 module on the system. To update this information, contact your Faculty CQA Team.
As a member of staff teaching on a module, you will be added to the Blackboard course before the start of the academic year but make sure you are listed as teaching the correct modules on the timetable. If you require access before this date, contact the module lead/programme lead/instructor who can manually add you to a course.
Other roles such as programme lead and auditing instructor can use Staff Enroller to access courses.
New Features
Blackboard Ultra received monthly updates and you can keep track of those relevant to the University of Southampton
Training and Guidance
eLearn Guides
There are many eLearn guides to support using Blackboard Ultra but if you can’t find what you are looking for please raise a ticket and we can create more guides.
Recently published guides include three new quick start Ultra guides:
- Quick Set Up – Part 1: Personalise your Course and check Enrolments.
- Quick Set Up – Part 2: Plan the Layout and Add Content to your Course.
- Quick Set Up – Part 3: Review Content and Engage with your Students.
Staff Development Sessions
A new round of Staff Development Sessions will start after Easter break. This will include brand new sessions on setting up Groups, Ultra Documents and Rolling over content from Ultra to Ultra. More details can be found on the Blackboard Ultra Project Sharepoint.