Faculty FAQ - Blackboard Ultra Base Navigation
What is Blackboard Ultra Base Navigation (UBN)?
What do these tabs mean?
I cannot find my course, what might be wrong?
Can I change the image when I am in my courses in Grid View?
What are some items that will show up in my Activity Stream?
Where did the top tabs go for My Institution, Student Support, Faculty Support, Course
Evaluations, and Starfish?
Will I get an email if a student or faculty member sends a message using the Messages
tab in UBN view?
How do I upload a profile picture?
Can I still have my courses or organizations copied or merged?
Can I still use Blackboard Collaborate, Echo360, and Respondus Lockdown Browser?
What are the recommended browsers?
I have been using the Blackboard application on my phone or tablet, will there be
any changes?
I am a new faculty member and have never used Blackboard, what does this mean for
me?
What is Blackboard Ultra Base Navigation (UBN)?
NEW for Summer 2022! Starting May 11, 2022, Blackboard will have a new look and feel with Blackboard’s Ultra Base Navigation (UBN) update. This exciting change will bring a modernized navigation menu, improved notifications for important course events, easier access to grades, and more. This update will only impact the Blackboard interface outside of your courses. Courses will continue to look and operate as they do today. This change does provide a pathway for adoption of a new course environment which will be selectively released starting with a small pilot program.
What do these tabs mean?
In the “Original” view, various tabs for navigation were located at the top of the screen. In UBN, you’ll find the navigation menu items on the left side of the screen.
Menu items include:
Where you will find help desk support, faculty and student guides, and many other
helpful resources for students, faculty, and staff.
Your profile is where your name appears. This location offers easy access to upload
your photo and change your user preferences.
Provides a centralized location for notifications like due dates, new grades, and
new content from your courses as well as institutional announcements. The stream is
sorted into upcoming, today, and recent categories.
Access to all of your courses. You’ll be able to switch between list or grid view,
mark courses as favorites to pin them to the top of the screen, hide courses, and
more. Instructors can navigate between past, present, and future course sites.
Access to Blackboard organization sites where you may be a member.
An overview of important dates in all your courses and helpful “Due Dates” view to
see all your course due dates in one place.
Quick access to the internal messaging tool in each of your courses. Users will see
a red notification dot when new messages are waiting.
A hub for students to review grades for all of their courses in one place where faculty
will find an overview of all pending grading activities.
I cannot find my course, what might be wrong?
Is your course hidden? Go into your Courses tab where you can select the Filter option
to find hidden courses.
Is your course in a different term? Go into the Courses tab and you will find Current
Courses where you can select the drop down to navigate to different terms.
Still having trouble finding your course? Contact UToledo Online Help Desk.
Can I change the image when I am in my courses in Grid View?
Yes, if you hover over the course, you can select the ellipsis (…) and select Edit course image. The image must be at least 1200 X 240 pixels. Images with text do not scale well.
What are some items that will show up in my Activity Stream?
- Alerts from your school (Blackboard system announcements)
- Course announcements
- Tests and assignments that are due today or this week
- Instructor changes to due dates
- Calendar events for today and the week
- Instructor changes to events
- Grades posted for tests, assignments
- Item added for course items, assignments, tests
- Missed, overdue, and completed assignments and tests
Where did the top tabs go for My Institution, Student Support, Faculty Support, Course Evaluations, and Starfish?
The new Institution Page provides a centralized location for help desk support, faculty and student guides, Starfish, and many other helpful resources. Various resources may also appear under the Tools menu item.
Will I get an email if a student or faculty member sends a message using the Messages tab in UBN view?
Yes, you will receive an email that there is a new message waiting for you. You can
click on the link in the email to access the message, this will direct you to log
into Blackboard. The frequency of notifications will depend on how you have your email
notification settings set. You can either receive an email right away or once a day.
How do I upload a profile picture?
Go into your profile by selecting your name from the Ultra Base Navigation menu. Hover over the current picture and select the pencil icon to edit. You can select Upload or drag and drop an image. This will update your photo for all of your courses.
Can I still have my courses or organizations copied or merged?
Yes, courses and organizations can be copied or merged and will look the same. There are no changes to how courses and organizations are viewed.
Can I still use Blackboard Collaborate, Echo360, and Respondus Lockdown Browser?
Yes, the only change will be how you navigate when you first log in. The course structure and how you access these tools will remain the same.
What are the recommended browsers?
Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox are recommended browsers to access Blackboard.
I have been using the Blackboard application on my phone or tablet, will there be
any changes?
The new UBN view resembles the same view as the application downloaded to a phone or tablet, no changes will be made.
I am a new faculty member and have never used Blackboard, what does this mean for me?
Welcome! This will mean you are learning a new way to navigate Blackboard along with other faculty, staff, and students.