See Learning Central Essentials for full information on:

• Copying / Reusing Content
• Adding Content to Learning Central  
• Creating Documents
• Working with Files

• You can record a welcome video in Panopto, or upload an MP4 media file to Panopto.
• After recording or uploading your video to Panopto, embed it the Content of your module. 

Although assignment submission points don't have to be created at the start of the module, students have told us that it is important that an assessment overview is available at the start so that they know what to expect and when.

• Copying / Reusing Content  
• Adding Content to Learning Central  
• Creating Documents
• Working with Files

Video guide to importing content into a module:

• To import content, hover your mouse where you want the content to appear and click on the plus sign on the left. 
  
• Navigate to the previous module and select a manageable amount of content, that you will easily be able to check over once it has imported. 
• Copied content will not initially be visible to students. Use Batch Edit to make the correct items available for the beginning of the course. 

• Copying Content
• Adding new Content to Learning Central, Rearranging Content
• Creating Documents
• Working with Files

Video guide to importing content into a module:

• For full details of Release Conditions see Content Visibility and Release.

For full details see Batch Edit.

• Do your learning materials have a clear and coherent structure, with a sequence of weekly or topic based Learning Modules? (You can easily convert folders to Learning Modules if necessary.)

• If there are multiple staff contributing to a module, is there agreement on the structure and format to avoid confusion for students?

• Does your content have clear, searchable titles and descriptions? (For example, Week 2: Pitch and Flow of Sounds, rather than simply Week 2.) 

• Do you use Learning Central Documents to organise your content? Did you know that these can now include mini formative 'Knowledge Checks'? (Multiple Choice Questions) 

• Do you use thumbnail images on your Learning Modules? These aid navigation and visually enhance the module. 

• Are there any unnecessary files or links at the top level of the module, (for example, additional links to discussion forums)? Could these be neatly organised within Learning Modules or the About your Module or Assessment and Feedback folders?

• Could there be any multiple versions of the same document inadvertently lurking in different areas of your modules? 

If you have previously added or imported learning materials into folders, you can easily convert them to Learning Modules by clicking on the 3-dots menu at the top right:

See Learning Central Essentials for more information on Learning modules and folders

Video guide to adding MCQ Knowledge Checks to Documents:

See Learning Central Essentials for more information on Creating Documents

Video guide to adding Thumbnail images:

See Learning Central Essentials for more information on Learning Modules

Consider grouping content in units of more than one week of work. For example 'Week 1 & 2: xxxx and yyy', or even 'Week 1-4: xxxx topic'. 

If you require more support, please contact LTAcademy@cardiff.ac.uk

• One easy win is to make all resources available at least 48 hours before timetabled teaching. Feedback shows that this is one of the most frequently requested points by students, and it may be a requirement for those with reasonable adjustments. 
• To create accessible content, be sure to use headers and styles in the application you're using. Choose colours and formatting with accessibility in mind, and always add alternative text ('alt text') to images.
• Use the Microsoft Accessibility Checker when you are creating content in Word and Powerpoint.
   

Learning Central has built in features that make it easy to improve accessibility:

• The integrated accessibility helper, Ally, automatically displays an accessibility score for files and Learning Central Documents. Click for suggestions for improvements:
  
• Consider running the Ally Course Accessibility Report, which lists the accessibility issues in your module in order of priority from severe to minor, to help you decide which to fix first.

Ally will automatically generate versions of your content in alternative formats, for example audio, electoronic braille or translation. These are available to students alongside the original content. Click on the Ally icon by content items to download alternative formats:

For more information see:

• Digital Accessibility in Learning Central Essentials 
• Improving Digital Accessibility with Blackboard Ally 

A more detailed guide on Blackboard Ally

Education Development Service toolkit

Universal Design for Learning in Higher Education

• Click on the 'plus' icon where you want the Panopto link to appear in the main module content area:

• Select 'Content Market' and click on the 'plus' icon in the bottom right corner of the 'Panopto Recordings' tile:

NB: Staff and students can also access Panopto via Books & Tools > Content Market.

• How Panopto works with Learning Central
• Using your Module's Panopto Folder 
• Adding Panopto videos to the Content of your module
• Uploading media files (MP3/ MP4) to Panopto
• Copying Panopto videos from previous modules

For detailed procedures for various portal set-up scenarios, please refer to: 

• Standard procedures for summative Turnitin / Learning Central Assignment portals (Chapter 1B) 
• Comparison of Learning Central Assignments and Turnitin Assignments.  

• Hover your mouse where you want the content to appear and click on the plus sign on the left. 
  
• Navigate to the previous module and select your test. 
• Be sure to adjust the due dates and check over the settings. Remember to check visibility settings for the beginning of the module.

See Learning Central Essentials for more information on:

• Copying / Reusing Content

Video guide to importing content into a module:

• Creating a Test
• Creating an Assignment

• For full details of Release Conditions see Content Visibility and Release.

Assignment Settings

For detailed procedures for various portal set-up scenarios, please refer to: 

• Standard procedures for summative Turnitin / Learning Central Assignment portals (Chapter 1B) 
• Comparison of Learning Central Assignments and Turnitin Assignments.  

• Create a new Turnitin Assignment
• Copy assignment(s) from a previous module
• Turnitin Assignment Settings
• Modifying settings and options 

• For full details of Release Conditions see Content Visibility and Release.

The Overview tab highlights the items that need marking and those that need posting.

Did you know that you can click on the Students tab (Participants tab in an organisation), to view Analytics such as Progress Tracking and Activity Log information for each student, or sort on Last Access for an overview of engagement?

See Managing Marks and Feedback for more information. 

See Setting up your Gradebook for more information.
 

Marks will only be released to students when they are Posted, either manually or automatically. (Except in the case of Turnitin assignments, where the release of marks is controlled through the Feedback Release Date.) 

For full details see Column and Grade Visibility  

• Students appreciate regular Announcements, introducing units of work, or reminding them of important events - although it can be important not to overuse this feature. Always tick the box to send a concurrent email. 
  • New announcements appear as a pop-up when a module is opened.
  • If you sent out a series of carefully crafted Announcements last year, it is possible to import the whole series and edit them for reuse in the new module.
• If you need to contact individual students or small groups, you can also use Messages. Always tick the box to send a concurrent email. (This is another type of 'one-way' communication, as students cannot reply to Messages in Learning Central.)
• Discussions (see below) are designed for conversations with students, and should not be confused with Announcements. 

All the previous Announcements and Messages are stored in the module, so provide a useful reference for students and staff. 

The Announcements tab is where you can send or schedule messages to the whole cohort. Here, students and staff can also view the archive.  

Be sure to send a concurrent email to the students' Cardiff University email:

See Learning Central Essentials for more information on Announcements.

If you prefer, you can prevent the additional link from displaying on the course content page altogether, in the Discussion Settings: 

See Creating Discussions for more information.

You can Follow Discussions in order to receive notifications for new posts by email.

You can view all the Discussions in the module in the Discussions tab, where the number of Discussions with new posts is indicated:

More information in Discussion Notifications.

Under Settings, you can optionally:

• Allow students to make their responses anonymous. (In this case, the discussion cannot be graded.)
• Make the discussion count for a grade
• Require students to respond to the initial post before viewing other discussion activity
• Assign students to groups
• Decide whether to display the Discussion on the Course Content page as well as the Discussions tab. 

See Anonymous Discussions for further information

Ensure the module has at least one 'Primary Instructor':

• Go to the 'Details & Actions' menu and click 'View everyone on your course'
• Click the name of the module lead
• In the 'Member Information' pane check the 'Primary Instructor' box and click 'Save'.

Your personal profile is used across all modules so you will only need to update it once. You can add a profile picture, update your contact details and link to your profile on the university website. To check your personal profile, go to https://learningcentral.cf.ac.uk/ultra/profile or click your name in the left-hand menu of the homepage.

See Learning Central Essentials for more information on: 

Your Personal Profile

Module Staff Lists and Roles

You can also decide to keep some email notifications but to set up an Outlook rule to filter them to a specific folder. 

See Notification Settings for more information. 

Click on Course Settings at the top right of your module to edit the dates of your course. 

See Changing your module start date.

You can create one more level of folders inside a Learning Module. These will also have sequential navigation. 

To create a learning module:

• Navigate to where you want the new learning module, and hover your cursor in that location. Click the purple '+' that will appear.

  

• Select 'Create' and then select 'Learning module'.

• Click on the default name ('New Learning Module..') to rename it to something that accurately explains what the folder is for. 

• Add to the description field with clear, concise information describing what the content item is about, who it is for and what it contains. 

• You can optionally add a thumbnail image to add visual identity to your learning module. 

• If you want students to access this content immediately (or as soon as they have access to the module) change the drop-down option from 'Hidden from students' to 'Visible to students'.

• Tick the 'Forced Sequence' option if you want to ensure students work through the learning module in the required order.

• Select 'Save' - your new folder will now appear.

Helpful hint: when creating new learning modules items, always rename them and complete the description fields.  This helps students understand what content is without having to access it.

• Opt for simple images, icons, or symbols over complex pictures to maintain clarity.
• Avoid embedding crucial information within images unless it's accompanied by alternative (alt) text for accessibility.
• Strive for consistency across your program or at least within individual courses. For example, using a tick symbol to denote assessments can help standardise understanding and expectations.

For a quick guide on how this tool operates, check out the short video below.

Folders work well for resources that students are more likely to access as a point of reference, as and when required (e.g. module information, assessment information).

You can create two levels of folders to organize your content. To create a folder:

• Navigate to where you want the new folder, and hover your cursor in that location. Click the purple '+' that will appear.

• Select 'Create' and then select 'Folder'.

• Click on the default name ('New Folder...') to rename it to something that accurately explains what the folder is for. 

• Add to the description field with clear, concise information describing what the content item is about, who it is for and what it contains. 

• If you want students to access this content immediately (or as soon as they have access to the module) change the drop-down option from 'Hidden from students' to 'Visible to students'.

• Select 'Save' - your new folder will now appear.

Helpful hint: when creating new folders, always rename them and complete the description fields.  This helps students understand what content is without having to access it.

If you have previously added or imported learning materials into folders, you can easily convert them to Learning Modules by clicking on the 3-dots menu at the top right:

It is also possible to change learning modules to folders. (Instructors are warned that all learning module functions are removed when converting a learning module to a folder.)

It is recommended that you use the top two folders for module-wide information such as a module handbook and reading list, together with all the module assessment information and summative submission points. This will give students consistency across modules so they can always easily find this information. 

Following on from these, the learning modules will contain the main learning materials, and enable students to work through a flow of content. These can be broken down either on a week-by-week basis, or another structure that makes logical sense in the context of your module. 

Below is an example of a structure that will help students navigate with ease and guide them through their learning content. 

Click on the Ally icon by content items to download alternative formats:

Watch a video by Blackboard on an overview of Ally:

A more detailed guide on Blackboard Ally

Ultra has and integrated accessibility helper, Ally 

Ally measures the accessibility of each file attached to your course and shows you at-a-glance how it scores. Scores range from Low to Perfect. The higher the score the fewer the issues.

• 

   Low: File is not accessible and needs immediate attention.

• 

   Medium: File is somewhat accessible and could use improvement.

• 

   High: File is accessible but could be improved.

• 

   Perfect: File is accessible. No improvement needed.

For files with Low to High scores, Ally shows you the issues and gives a step-by-step guide on how to fix them.

Ally’s course accessibility report includes Overview and Content tabs so that you can get the big picture as well as specific details about the accessibility of your digital course content. 

• The Overview tab shows the accessibility score for the course, course content grouped by content type, and a list of all accessibility issues identified in the course 

• The Content tab shows you the content with any accessibility issues found. 

Watch a video to see how to launch the Ally accessibility report:

Ally allows you to fix some issues within Learning Central such as adding missing alt text and contrast or formatting issues found in Ultra documents. Ally can also identify issues with documents that have been uploaded to Learning Central (Word Docs, PDFs, PowerPoint slides) and these will need to be fixed in the original files and re-uploaded. Ally allows you to do this within the report so you do not have to locate individual files in the course to replace.  

It is advised that you prioritise Severe and Major issues to improve the overall accessibility of the course. Minor issues should be considered when appropriate to improve the accessibility score.  

Watch a video to see how to fix accessibility issues with Ally:

The Blackboard Help Center provides detailed information about the Course Accessibility Report.  

• Styles in Blackboard - these can found in the top left of the content editor - you can include a title, header, subheader or paragraph.
• Styles in Microsoft Word 

Ensure there is sufficient contrast between text and background, but avoid very high contrast (for example, use a dark grey on an off-white background). Use a simple sans serif font (the default font is often best). Avoid italics, block capitals or underlining; use bold for emphasis only. Left-justify your text. While it is tempting to focus only on aesthetics, these formatting choices can benefit a range of learners, including both visually impaired and neurodiverse students. 

Designing Powerpoint slides for people with dyslexia 

Use images selectively, and describe the appearance and function of each image. Many applications have specific 'alt text' functionality, otherwise you can add it alongside the image. This can particularly help those with visual impairments as the 'alt text' can be read by screen reader software, which cannot access the image contents otherwise (this is why text within images is inaccessible). 

Adding Alt text in Blackboard - when you add an image into the content editor in Ultra, you will be presented with file options - this includes a space to enter alternative text. If your image is purely decorative you should tick the relevant check box - this will tell screenreaders to ignore this image.

Adding Alt text in Word and Powerpoint 

Microsoft guide to writing good Alt text 

When you create a hyperlink (a web link to another resource or website) use as the linking text words or a phrase that describe what you are linking to, rather than a generic phrase like 'click here' or the URL itself. For example: rather than 'for information on making link text meaningful click here' use 'read more about making link text meaningful'. This helps learners navigating using a keyboard, including visually impaired learners using a screen reader. 

• Avoid using PDF documents, which are not always compatible with screen readers and other assistive technology, where possible.
• Don't upload image files of text or tables.
• Don't make extensive or exclusive use of tables to present information unless absolutely necessary.

• Navigate to where you want the new content to be - i.e. the appropriate place within the correct folder or learning module - hover your cursor in that location and click the purple '+' that will appear
• Select 'Create' and you will be given a range of content items to select from
• Select the desired item. On the new page, rename it with something that accurately explains what the item is for - e.g. Assessment 
• Complete the description field with clear, concise information to help students understand what that content item is about, who it is for and what it contains
• If you would like the content to be available to students straight-away, make it visible with the dropdown list:
  

Select a block type from the options below. To open the Editor, select Content:

• You can type directly in the editor or paste text from another source. Use the editor's functions to format text, add links, embed images etc:
  
   
• You can also use the plus sign in the editor to embed other content here. For example, 'Content Market' allows access to the Panopto videos associated with the course:
  
• When you have finished editing the block, click Save. The Document will revert to viewing mode:
  
• Take some time to explore the possibilities of the content editor. As well as adding tables, lists and links, you can click on the 'plus' sign in the editor to insert maths notation, You Tube videos or Content Market content such as Panopto videos or Padlets.
   

• Question: blue 
• Tip: yellow 
• Key Points: Purple 
• Next Steps: Green 

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

You can add as many blocks as you wish to your Document. To add an additional block, click on Edit on the menu bar:

• The menu bar now displays in Edit Mode, with several options: add blocks, undo, redo, cancel and save.
   

• Click on the Plus sign to add another block. You can choose to: 
  •     Add another Content block
  •     Add a block of HTML
  •     Upload a file such as Word, PDF or PowerPoint from your computer. This will be displayed in collapsed form, with options to view with the inbuilt viewer or download. (NB This option preserves the original file type, rather than converting it to an editable format.) 

• Click on Edit Content to edit your Document:
  

• Hover over any 'plus sign' and choose 'Knowledge Check': 
  

• On the screen that opens, you can add a multiple choice question with one or more correct answers. 
  Enter feedback for correct and incorrect responses. 
  
• The question displays inline to students as an integral part of the page:
  
• When the students begin to answer the question, you can see analytics in place on the Document. (There is no connection with the Gradebook):
  

• To add a standalone file to a sequence of materials, click on the plus sign followed by 'Upload':

• When you upload a file, you can set display options. For accessibility, choose either 'View and Download' or 'Download only':
  
• If you choose 'View and Download', a preview will display to students automatically. They will also be able to download the original file:
  
   
• If you choose 'Download Only', students will only see a link to download the original file:
  
• Remember to make the file visible to students:
  

• Either:
  • To import at top level, click on the 3 dots (ellipsis), next to the search icon, just below the banner graphic
• OR
  • To import at a particular point in a Learning Module or Folder, click on the 'plus' icon 
• Select Copy Content
• Search and select the module you want to copy the content from
• Navigate to the content folder(s) or item(s) you wish to copy and click the relevant checkboxes
• Click 'copy selected content'

• Either:
  • To import at top level, click on the 3 dots (ellipsis) in the top right or your module, just below the banner graphic
• OR
  • To import at a particular point in a Learning Module or Folder, click on the 'plus' icon 
• Select Copy Content
• Search for the present module in the list
• Navigate to the content folder(s) or item(s) you wish to copy and click the relevant checkboxes
• Click 'copy selected content'

• At any point in the module, click on the plus sign and choose ‘Content Market’
• Don't click on ‘Panopto Recordings’ - simply click on the plus icon to add a link to the folder in the Content section. 
• You can then drag and drop the Panopto folder within the Content section, rename the folder and give it a description.

• Log into the module you would like to copy TO. (If it is a new module, the following process will also 'provision' it for Panopto this year, so that you will subsequently be able to access its Panopto folder through the Panopto portal directly, if you wish.)
• In the Details and Actions panel, click on Books and Tools / Panopto Recordings
• At the top right, click on the icon to open the Panopto folder for the module in the full interface:
  
• Navigate to the course you would like to copy FROM. Click on Browse and use the search box if necessary:
  
• On the next page, find the recording you need to copy. 
• Tick the box to select it. (You can do several at a time.)
• Then click on "Copy":
• Select the course you want to copy into and click "Copy".
• You'll notice a green tick next to the videos once they've finished copying to the destination module folder.
• You will then be able to access the video in the Panopto folder of your new Learning Central module (through 'Books and Tools' or the 'Content Market' as shown above).

Note: When you first copy a recording, it will inherit permissions from the new folder. The default in Panopto is that you need to make recordings available to students before they can be viewed, so this may need to be adjusted in the new module.

You can also link directly to component parts of your reading list, such as a section (e.g. week / topic) or an individual item (e.g. journal article / book chapter).

The following video shows how to add reading list links to a folder or learning module in Ultra Courses - it covers adding a link to the whole reading list and adding a link to a section (week or topic). This second method can also be used to create a link to an individual item (e.g. journal article / book chapter).

Click on 'Release conditions' to set conditions based on members, dates or performance. You will be presented with the following screen where you can create a release condition:

Create Rule 1. This can consist of one or more criteria:  

• Participants: The content can be released to all members of the module, to specific individuals or to groups of students.  
• Date/Time: You can adjust the time window when the content is available with the 'Access from' and 'Access until' conditions.
• Performance: You can also choose one or more Gradebook items and specify a minimum grade to trigger the condition:
   

Please Note: If you specify several criteria under Rule 1, each of these must be true in order to trigger the rule and display the content. This is where you can specify 'AND' rules. 
You may then go on to add additional rules for the content item. This is where you can specify 'OR' rules.

• To add additional rules for the content item:
  

• Add the criteria for rule 2:
  

• You can see that a second release condition has been added for this content item. The content will now display if either rule 1 OR rule 2 is triggered:
  

• When will content appear? determines whether the content will be completely hidden if students don't fulfil the condition to view it, or whether it will appear to students as a non-clickable placeholder on the Content page:
  
  

For students, times and due dates will automatically be converted to their local time, as defined by the timezone property of the device they are using. If you have students studying in different timezones, it may be worth making them aware that any submission deadlines mentioned in UK time will automatically convert to their local time in Ultra.

The utmost care should be taken if you ever need to set up assignments or adjust release times while you are out of the country. In this case, first ensure that the timezone property of your device is set to UK time. The illustration below shows a Test which was set up while on Central European Time, and automatically converted to GMT for users in Britain. 

It is possible to check the timezone of the deadline in the test settings, but it doesn't display in the description on the Content page. It is only displayed to students after opening the test. 

For this function to work, your content must be visible to students. You can do this by clicking on the small black drop-down arrow in the corner which will appear if you hover over the learning object.

What can I do while in Student Preview?

1. Review course content and structure from the student perspective 
2. Submit assignments 
3. Take tests
4. Download and upload files
5. Participate in conversations
6. Participate in discussions and journals
7. Send course messages
8. View grades as a student 
9. Experience group membership

Note: You won't be able to use Student Preview or make changes in a completed course. 

Enter Student Preview Mode

• The student preview button can be located in the top-right hand side of your Blackboard Ultra page.
• When you click it, you will see the following pop-up window appear on your screen: 

• You personal preview student will load. You will then be able to experience the course as if you were an enrolled student, including interactive activities such as tests and discussion boards.

Exit Student Preview Mode

• To exit student preview mode, click on Exit at the top right. 

• You will be given the option to either keep or discard the student preview information. 

If you choose to Discard the information, your student preview will be removed without trace. However if you choose to Save, all activity will remain visible in the course. You will be able to see any submissions made by the user and, for example, use them to practise marking, before returning to the same student preview to view the feedback that you left.

Students enrolled on the course will also be able to see any preview user data until it is discarded, and respond to any comments you may have made (i.e. on discussion boards) while in preview mode.

Ensure that Progress Tracking is switched on via the Details & Actions panel in your module:

Student View:

• When Progress Tracking is switched on, students will have a visual record of their progress through the materials. 
• There is a circle icon next to each item of content - this is empty before they open the item, and half filled when they have looked at it. 
• Completed items can be marked with a green tick: 
  • Tests, Ultra Assignments and Turnitin Assignments are automatically marked as complete when submitted. 
  • Items such as files, Ultra Documents and Discussion Forums can be manually marked as complete by the student, if they wish. 

Instructor View

• When Progress Tracking is switched on, you will be able to check which students have accessed specific content.
• At the top right of any content item, click on the three dots and choose Participant Progress to see when each student accessed the content.  

• For an overview of a single student's progress through the course, click on their name in the Gradebook, followed by Participant Progress:
  

To do so, 

• On the Course Content page, click the plus sign wherever you want to add content, then followed by Content Market.
• You can find and add content from content providers or browse the list of tools that's been made available.

Please note that you can select a tool to launch and browse for content to add. Or,  click the little plus sign at the bottom right corner to add the entire tool. When you add a tool or a piece of content to the editor, it appears as a link.

In the editor, select Insert content > Content Market 

<iframe src="THE-URL-OF-YOUR-XERTE" width="100%" height="665" frameborder="0" style="position:relative; top:0px; left:0px; z-index:0;"></iframe>

If you have copied embed code generated by Xerte, you are recommended to change the parameter width="800" to width="100%" to ensure that the Xerte object will be responsive to screen size, particularly on mobile devices. 

1. Go to the Course Content area
2. Click the "More options" (ellipsis) menu in the top-right corner
3. Select "Export Course Package"
4. Select  for manual export

When exporting, you'll have two main options:

• Export only course content (most common for sharing or transferring materials)
• Export course content and student activity data (for complete course archives)

Once the export is complete, you'll be able to download a ZIP file containing your course package. This file can then be imported into another Learning Central course or stored for future use. It's important to note that exported packages are automatically deleted from the system after 30 days, so be sure to download your export in good time.

To add a new Announcement, select Announcements from the top menu of the course:

The ‘Course Announcements’ page will open. (Here, you can see all of the previous course announcements, when they were posted and how many people have viewed them.)

To add a new announcement, click on the ‘plus’ icon at the top right. (Alternatively you can copy and edit a previous announcement.)

Type a title and a message. The message can include links and attachments if you wish. (You can also click on the 'plus' sign to make an audio or video recording. If you do this, be sure to also draw attention to the recording in the text, as students may need to click on a link to view it.)

Click on Post to post the announcement. (You can also save the draft to complete later.) 

Announcements will be displayed for students when they open the course, and must be actively dismissed before moving on.

They also appear on the Activity Stream landing page, and by email if the option is selected.

1. Following Discussions

• Click on the 'Follow' icon to enable notifications for a discussion:

• Notifications will be added to your Activity Stream and/or sent by email, depending on the 'notification settings':

• Follow the 'notification settings' link to ensure that you are receiving the notifications you want. You can set it to email you with discussion activity either once a day or as soon as new messages are posted in a forum:
  

 2.    New message indicators within a module

Within Ultra, new messages are indicated with a blue icon in the Discussions tab and the Content area.

Please Note: This is ONLY the case for discussions that are also available on the Content page. This in itself is a good reason for incorporating Discussions within the flow of the Content page as well as in the Discussions tab.

• On the Discussion tab, any forums where there are new messages since your last visit are indicated with a blue icon - as long as the discussions are also available on the Content page. 
  
• In the Course Content view, discussions with new messages are also indicated with a blue icon.
  
  

Import Group Sets using CSV upload

• On the top menu choose Groups
• Click Import Group Set
  
• Download the Group Sets template from the Import Groups panel.
• Open the spreadsheet. Leave the first row as it is. Delete the example rows. You now need to enter the required data to create the Groups.Each row contains information for one group:

   

• Columns marked with a * need to be populated. (Other columns do not need to be completed). 

  • Group Code* - The unique identifier for the group. This doesn’t show anywhere but needs to be unique for each group within the module.
  • Title* - The name of the group which will show in Learning Central.
  • Description - Add a group description if you wish
  • Group Set* – This will be both the unique identifier and the name of your Group Set. It needs to be the same for all Groups within the Group Set. 
  • Self enrol - Enter Y if you want to create a self enrol group i.e. a group students can add themselves to. Enter N to enrol students in the groups yourself.
• Save the spreadsheet as a csv file.
• Return to the Import Group Sets panel and click Upload File. Browse to your saved file. Click Import.

• You will receive an email confirmation when the upload is complete.

• Refresh the browser to view the imported group sets and groups.

• Select a Group Set and open it. You should see a list of all the Groups within the set.
• Click the Import Groups icon.
• Select the Assign members option.
• Select Download members template.
• Open the spreadsheet. Leave the first row as it is. Delete the example rows. You now need to enter the required data to add members to groups as required. In each row you will specify information to add the student to the group: the unique Group Code and the username of the student you wish to add to it.
  

  Columns marked with a * need to be populated. The other columns can be left blanked. 

  • Group Code* - Enter the unique Group Code. If you created the group via CSV upload, you will have entered this information then. If you don't know the group code it can be obtained by downloading the Group Set.
  • Username* - Enter the student's username
• When ready, save the group members spreadsheet as a csv file.
• Return to the Assign members tab on the Import Groups panel.
• Choose Upload File, browse to the saved csv file and click Import.
• You will receive an email confirmation when the import is complete.
• Click Save to close the Group Set.

Note: If you need to find out the Group Code:

• Open the Group Set and click the Export Groups icon
• Select the check box Group sets only and click Export File
• You will receive an email when the export is complete.
• Go to the Export tab where the file will be ready to download.

Full info from Blackboard Help - Group Discussions

• Create an Assignment as normal
• Click on the Assignment Settings
• Select Assigned Group > Assign to group
• You can reuse an existing Group Sets or clicking on the plus "+" icon to create new Assignment Groups 

Watch this video on Creating Group Assginments:

Full info from Blackboard Help - Group Assignments

Journal Navigation

1. Titling the journal

Give the journal an engaging and specific title so that the student knows what to expect.  You can edit the title by selecting the pencil that will appear at the end of the title, when you hover your cursor over it.

2. Show or hide the journal

The journal will be hidden by default.  This will allow you to prepare the journals in advance and release them to the student when ready from the dropdown menu and selecting the 'Visible to students' option.

3. Add a prompt to set expectations and guidelines

Use the options at the top of the test box to format the text.

4. Attaching files and adding multimedia

Select the + sign to reveal the dropdown menu.  From here, you can attach files, embed multimedia or choose something from the 'Content Market'. 

To add a new form,  select the plus icon on the Course Content page, then select Forms from the Assessment section

The process for creating forms is similar to that of tests. You can modify the default name, use the plus icon to add questions to the form, adjust availability, and change settings. You can also access sections such as submissions and student activity.

Please note: Student-submitted data can be downloaded in spreadsheet format. 

• Check your profile picture in the circle towards the top of the page
• To upload a profile picture, click the pencil icon when hovering over the circle and click on 'Upload new profile picture':

• Scroll down to check that your personal information is correct. 
• If you would like the edit or add something simply click the corresponding 'add' link to include a new item or pencil icon to edit.

Helpful hint: If you are an Academic, you may also want to add a link to your University website profile in the 'website' field to emphasise your professional standing, any publications you have been involved in and/or research and subject specialisms.

Important!
Update your Privacy Settings to allow anyone on your courses to view your profile information. Otherwise students will not be able to see it!

• Only staff with the Instructor role are listed under Course Staff - so the main academic staff should be enrolled as Instructor and admin staff generally as TA. 
   
• The course lead should be marked as Primary Instructor in the Class Register (see below), so that they appear at the top of the Course Staff list. 
   
• Clicking on the profile picture or the Envelope icons in the Course Staff list allows staff to send a Message to other staff in Ultra.

  Note: You won't see an envelope icon by your name as you can't send a message to yourself! Students cannot use the Message feature at this time.)

Click on Class Register to view all staff and students on the module:

• The Class Register is where you can:
  • View staff members' profile information. (See Your Personal Profile to learn how to update your profile and make it available to students)
  • View students' progress and marks
  • Set the Primary Instructor (so that they appear at the top of the list on the first page)

• Only staff with the Instructor role are listed under Course Staff - so the main academic staff should be enrolled as Instructor and support staff as TA. 
   
• The course lead should be marked as Primary Instructor in the Class Register (see below), so that they appear at the top of the Course Staff list. 
   
• Clicking on the profile picture or the Envelope icons in the Course Staff list allows staff to send a Message to other staff in Ultra.

  Note: You won't see an envelope icon by your name as you can't send a message to yourself! Students cannot use the Message feature at this time.)

Click on Class Register to view all staff and students on the module:

• The Class Register is where you can:
  • View staff members' profile information. (See Your Personal Profile to learn how to update your profile and make it available to students)
  • View students' progress and marks
  • Set the Primary Instructor (so that they appear at the top of the list on the first page)

• Instructor: this should be used for the module lead and any staff who teach on the module
• Primary Instructor: Of these, the module lead should be marked as 'Primary Instructor'. This will place them at the top of the 'Course Staff' list on the Content page. 
• Teaching Assistant (TA):  This role should be given to non-teaching staff who may be required to edit or upload content to the module.
• AMI Instructor: This role has the same permissions as an instructor, with the additional ability to
•     transfer grades from the Gradebook to SIMS using the AMI (Assessment Mark Integration) tool. In some schools, admin staff take this role. 
• Marker: any staff that need to mark students' work, but aren't required to edit/upload content
• Staff Read Only: any person that needs access to see the content being taught to students, but is not required to see assessment data

NB There can be caveats, for example, Staff Read Only accounts may not always work correctly with integrated tools, such as Panopto. If in doubt, please contact LTAcademy@cardiff.ac.uk.

• Click on your name on the left hand menu to open your profile page:

• To the right, you will see your global notification settings for the three types of notification:

• These open in three tabs, for Stream, Email and Push notifications:

• On each tab, you can deselect any notifications you would prefer not to receive. (You can modify these at any time.)

• On the email tab, you can choose whether you would like to receive emails straight away or in a daily digest:

• The important category shows any overdue notifications or events that have passed. You can remove these notifications using the dismiss button. 
• Under upcoming you will see your next five notifications from your calendar. 
• Today will show you any events such as announcements or scheduled lectures. 

You can adjust your notifications by opening the settings using the icon in the top right corner. From here you can adjust which notifications you see in your activity stream.  

As well as choosing which categories of notification you want to receive by email you also have the option to reduce notifications into a daily digest or receive them as soon as they are released.

In the notifications panel select the envelope icon to adjust which notifications you will receive by email.

In the notifications panel select the bell icon to adjust which notifications you will receive via the app.

To create a question bank, go to the Details and Actions panel (bottom left) and click on Manage Banks:

In the screen that opens, you will find a searchable list of all the question banks already in the course. Click on the plus symbol to create a new bank:

1. Give your new Question Bank a name, and optional Description
2. Click on the plus sign to add questions
3. Choose from available question types (More details on the blackboard website). 

Open Manage Banks from the Details and Actions panel:

• Click on the plus sign to create a new Question Bank, or open an existing one
• In the Question Bank, click on the plus sign to add questions and choose Reuse Questions:
  
• On the next screen you will be able to choose questions from all your existing Assessments and Question Banks. When you add a question to a new Question Bank, a new independent copy will be made of the question. 

• If you need to manually post results to students:
          ○ Open "Gradebook" for the module
          ○ find your test in the "Markable Items" list
          ○ select the "Post marks" button. 
   
• You will be able to access test attempts either through the Gradebook or through the 'Submissions' link at the top right of the Test page:
  

Remember: What were called "Pools" in Original are called "Banks" in Ultra.

To use the export/import method, export a test from your Original module to your computer then do the following:

1. Navigate to your Ultra module
2. Select the three dots to the right of the Course Content title
3. Select "Import Content"
4. Select "Import Course Content"
5. Navigate to the zip file that you exported from your original module to your computer and select it

It my take a few moments for the test to import. You will receive an email notification when the test successfully uploads.

All supported questions from this test will now be available for you use when you create a new test. For guidance on this, please see Adding a Question Pool to a Test and Reusing Questions (From Banks or Other Tests).

• In the Course Content area of your Ultra module select Copy Items:
  
• Search for the course you want to import from:
  
• The course contents will be displayed. Navigate to where a Test is deployed and select it. (You can't import a non-deployed test.) Click on Start Copy. 
  
   

• The test will appear in the Course Content area and will be hidden from students. 

• If you would like to move the questions into a Question Bank, follow the instructions below.

At any point in an Ultra module, click on the plus sign and choose 'Create', followed by 'Assignment': 

Click in the Instructions field to add assignment instructions. Click on the Plus sign in the editor to add any supporting files, such as marking criteria or additional instructions. 

Note: When you create an assignment, a Gradebook item is created automatically. After receiving a grade, students can this on their grades pages or in the activity stream. They can also access an assignment, their submissions,  feedback, rubrics, and their grades from the assignment link on the Course Content page.

Under Assignment Settings, click on Enable Turnitin:

• Review the remaining Assignment settings (due date, marking rubric, attempts etc) as normal. See the Assignment Settings section for more detail on this.

• The Assignment Description field can be found at the bottom of the Assignment Settings panel.  

• When you are happy with your settings, press ‘Save’ at the bottom of the panel to complete the assignment creation. 

• Select the drop-down box in the top right corner and choose when you want to make the assignment visible to students. Students will be notified in their activity stream if they have assessment notifications turned on.

• Learning Central Assignments allow students to submit and retain multiple drafts, whereas in Turnitin Original each submission overwrites the previous one. (There are pros and cons to this.) 
• However, this means that the originality reports of subsequent submissions in Learning Central Assignments will always cite up to 100% any previous drafts as matched sources. This isn't a bug, and we don't expect the design of this to be changed. 
• When this happens, you can click on the 'No entry' sign to exclude the previous draft as a source to get an accurate originality score:
  
  

On the page that opens:

1. The student's submission will show under Submission Content, either as text typed directly into the editor or a file which has been uploaded. (Panopto assignments appear as embedded video files.)
2. Most uploaded file types will display inline, which will enable you to use the inline grading tools to add comments directly on to the file. 
3. Here, you can also download the original file if necessary. 
4. Overall feedback for the assignment can be left here.
5. If a rubric is being used, you can fill out the rubric criteria here. 
6. The final mark goes here. If using a rubric, it will be calculated automatically. Otherwise, enter a mark in this field.  

Note: After you have graded an assignment, students will not see the feedback until you post the results. This can be done with the 'Post grades' button in the Gradebook:

• Navigate to the Gradebook in Learning Central
• Click in the ‘Cog ’ sign in the top right corner to access the Gradebook Settings
• Scroll down to the Course Rubrics and click on the Create button. 
• Give your rubric a name, select the type of rubric you wish to use, and populate the rows (criteria) as well as columns (levels of achievement). There are no limits to the number of rows and columns you can add to your rubric. 

Once you've created the rubric, you can assign the rubric to a marked item by selecting Use marking rubric in the assessment settings: 

Rubrics are saved at a course level and can be associated with assignments, journals and discussions. You can copy rubrics between Learning Central courses. 

Please note that Learning Central rubrics cannot be used in Turnitin.

Warning: With parallel marking enabled, the first and second markers cannot see each other's grades and completed rubrics. Reconcilers can view the markers’ grades and feedback but not their rubrics or annotations in student assignments. Also, students only see the rubric and annotations left by the reconciler.

• Scroll right down to the Additional Tools section if you would like to add a rubric. This is also where you can add a description to appear in the Content area:
• Set the due date to the date of the offline assignment or the deadline for handing in work offline. (This will show to students in the Activity Stream, etc.)
• Set the visibility if you would like the assignment to show in the Content area.  

All the students where we created an attempt now show 'New Submission':

Filter on Groups:

• You can enter feedback and a rubric grade here (if applicable):
  

1. Navigate to where you want the new Turnitin Assignment (e.g. the Assessment and Feedback folder) and hover your cursor in that location. Click the purple '+' that will appear.
2. Select 'Content Market' from the dropdown
3. Select 'Turnitin Assignment'
4. Add your title and set the grade between 0-100. (It is strongly recommended to set this to 100 if you will be exporting the marks to SIMS.)
5. Select a due date and feedback release date
6. In most cases you will want to select 'optional settings' and choose the correct settings for your needs. More on creating a Turnitin assignment and on settings can be found on our Turnitin Feedback Studio intranet page.
7. Scroll down and click 'Submit'

• If you think you may have done this already: Once the due date has passed, please change the visibility of the assignment to completely hide it from student view until marking is completed. This will also hide the grade column:

• NB If you need to allow late submissions for any reason after marking has commenced, it may be necessary to set up an additional portal. 
   

• Click on the edit menu for the Tii assignment
• Click Release conditions at the top
• change the date the assignment will become available to students

To amend the Feedback Release Date, click on the link to your assignment to open the Turnitin interface. (Here you can change the settings that are not greyed out. The others are modified through Ultra - see above.)

Grades will become available to students on the Feedback Release Date, provided that the Gradebook column is visible.

To do this, select all papers in the Turnitin inbox, click on 'Download selected', select 'Grademark PDFs':

• The Marks view is more similar to the Gradebook you may be familiar with from Original Courses. By default, it displays a grid of all students and all markable items in the course. You can easily filter by student, group, assessment or assessment category to narrow the view. 
  • You can grade items or post grades from this view for an individual student by clicking in the corresponding cell. 
  • When a column header is selected, depending on the type of item, you may edit, post all grades, view the question analysis, download results, download submissions, or delete the item.

In the Students view, you will see a list of all students, including student ID, last access date and Overall Mark (if available). Click in a row to open all gradebook items for a student. From this page, you can also send a message or add an accommodation for the student.

Columns can be manually added from the Markable Items tab:

Changing the order of columns (Markable Items)

To reorder items in the Gradebook, drag and drop them in the Markable Items tab. This will also change the order of the columns in the Student Grid view. 

Note: The Overall Mark should be set up after all the grade items in the calculation have been created. 

• You will be asked to choose a Points, Weighted or Advanced format for calculating grades. (You can leave this on the default Points setting and change it on the following page.)
  
• On the following page, you can set how all of the items and categories are weighted in the course. 
• You can toggle between Points, Weighted and Advanced methods of calculating the Overall Mark. (See the guides below for an explanation of each.)
  
• You can also modify the Overall Mark Settings:
  • It is recommended to UNCHECK Base calculations on points earned out of total marked points, so that the total mark appears as a total of all available marks in the module. 
    Caution: Leaving this checked (the default setting) will give a potentially misleading average of only those assignments that have been marked so far.
     
  • By default, the overall mark is displayed as a letter (A+ to F). You will probably want to change it to either a percentage or a points total. 
  • You can decide whether to show the Total Mark column to students.

• On the next page:

1. Give your new column a name 
2. Decide whether it should display as a points, percentage or letter value. 
3. If you want the calculation only to take into account items which have already been graded, check 'Base calculation on points earned out of total marked points' 
4. In the bottom field you can add a description of the calculation
   

• The pane that opens allows you to build custom formulas by adding functions, variables and operators. Click on an element from the list on the left to add it to the forumula on the right:
  
• The examples below show how to use this in practice. 

• In the Gradebook, click on the plus sign to create a new calculated column of the type 'Total Calculation':

• First give the column a meaningful name.
  Deselect 'Calculate marks based on points earned out of total marked points', and choose a mark schema - in this case 'Percentage':

• Next, it is necessary to deselect all grade items NOT to be included in the calculation.

  First deselect any other Categories, by clicking on the 'no entry' icons to turn them purple and change the Category score to 0:

• Then expand the remaining section and deselect any other grade items that are not to be included in the calculation in the same way:

• Click on 'Edit Calculation Rules':

  
• Choose to 'Enable' the Category Calculation Rule.
  In this case, the lowest two scores are dropped.
  Click on Continue:
  
• Decide whether to make the field visible to students and click Save:
  

• To add a simple new column, click on the Plus sign at any point in the Gradebook and choose 'Add Item'. (Skip this step if the column you need to upload marks to already exists.)
  
• Give the column a name, and decide whether it should be visible to students yet, etc (Note that you can completely delete the due date if you would like to prevent unnecessary reminders being sent to students.)

• Open your Gradebook and choose 'Download Gradebook' to download a spreadsheet to use as a template:
  
• Select the column you are working with. Select 'Include feedback' if you would like to upload text feedback as well as marks: 
  
• Open the file and add scores and feedback for each student. Save the spreadsheet.
  
• Click on Upload Gradebook to upload your finished spreadsheet:
  
•  Remember to make the column visible to students and post the marks when you would like to release them. 

Each grader can only view submissions for the group of students they have been assigned. Unassigned instructors on the module can view all student submissions and post the grades. 

• Alternatively, from the Student Grid view, you can post marks either for a whole column or for individual students.
• You can also post marks from an assignment submissions list:

The Student Profile page can be accessed anywhere where the student's name appears as a link - for example in the Students tab of the Gradebook:

Tip: Click on the Last Access column to sort the students by their most recent module access. 

• There are four tabs available in the Student Profile page:
  • Marks - this links to the student's marks in the Gradebook
  • Progress - When 'Progress Tracking' is switched on, this shows when the student accessed each content item
  • Notes - here, course staff can jot down private notes about a student
  • Activity Log - Allows you to view all recent activity for the student
• Directly from the Student Profile page, you can send a Message to any student who may be at risk. (Don't forget to tick the field to send a copy to their email address as well as within the module.)
  

• NB Progress Tracking must be switched on to view this data.  

• Go to https://learningcentral.cf.ac.uk/ultra/profile or click your name in the left-hand menu of the homepage
• Check the picture in the circle towards the top of the page
• To change and upload a new picture simply click the pencil icon when hovering over the circle and click on 'Upload new profile picture':

Helpful hint: another benefit for adding a profile picture is that it gets displayed in the 'Class Register' of every module you have access to. Also it gets attached to any discussion board or module messages that you post giving students a greater sense that the post is actually coming from you.

• Go to https://learningcentral.cf.ac.uk/ultra/profile or click your name in the left-hand menu of the homepage
• Scroll down and check all relevant information is correct
• If you would like the edit or add something simply click the corresponding 'add' link to include a new item or pencil icon to edit.

Please be aware that you do not have to complete all profile fields, only fill in the information that you would like your students to know.

Helpful hint: we recommend updating this as all of your students will be able to see your profile from any module you both are enrolled on. If you are an Academic, you may also want to think about adding a link to your University website profile in the 'website' field to emphasise your professional standing, any publications you have been involved in and/or research and subject specialisms.

• Go to https://learningcentral.cf.ac.uk/ultra/profile or click your name in the left-hand menu of the homepage
• Look at the 'Privacy Settings' box in your profile and if it says 'Administrators and other instructors' move your cursor over that text and click the pencil icon that will appear
• In the 'peek pane' that will appear select either 'Anyone on my courses' or 'Anyone on the platform', which ever you prefer

Helpful hint: sometimes students may wish to contact you regarding material  posted to your module.  If you keep your profile only visible Administrators and other instructors then students will not be able to access crucial information in your profile such as your email address.