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FAQs Ultra Courses Activation

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Does an 'Ultra Course' offer the same features as an 'Original Course'?

An 'Ultra Course' provides several enhancements and new features that are not available in an 'Original Course'. This includes the ability to add stimulus material to test questions, progress tracking, and 'Conversations' that can be enabled for each content item, along with inline Discussions. Certain features have been revamped to increase accessibility and improve workflows. However, please note that some features (e.g. Wikis and Glossary) have been discontinued. Other features, like Blogs, are planned for future vendor releases.  

Will there be an outage?

No. Courses will be individually converted to an Ultra Course.

Will there be a lot of work involved in updating my course from Original to Ultra?

Courses will be converted to Ultra and 'tidied up' by the eLearning team. The effort required to update a course by teaching staff for the new semester will be minimal (i.e. comparable to what staff have previously experienced). However, teaching staff will need to familiarise themselves with the new modern interface and content creation features. Once staff are familiar, we anticipate even less time required to update course content moving forward due to more efficient workflows.

What support will be available during the POC?

The following services will be available to teaching staff as part of the Proof of Concept: 

  • dedicated Microsoft Teams channel to ask questions and share insights about functionality
  • email support for questions and to report any issues
  • consultation booking system dedicated to POC courses
  • urgent support + after hours.

What support will be available after the POC?

Standard eLearning services will be available for Ultra courses such as online workshops, in-person workshops, self-paced workshops, one-on-one eLearning Adviser consultations, and technical eLearning support.

What resources will be available for support staff?

  • a staff communications pack for schools and faculties to disseminate information through local channels 
  • a student communications pack for coordinators of proof of concept (POC) courses 
  • staff guides – a curated vendor list and UQ contextual guide 
  • student guides - UQ contextual guides 
  • Exemplar Ultra course - staff will be able to self-enrol as students 
  • 'Sandpit' Ultra courses – this will enable staff to explore an Ultra Course when requested. 

How was the project initiated?

The Deputy-Vice Chancellor (Academic) requested ITaLI develop a proposal to update UQ's Learning Management System (LMS) with the least amount of impact and maximum benefit, noting UQ's Online Learning Platform is currently highly regarded by students according to National QILT student experience surveys. The Ultra course activation proposal was approved by the Digital Learning Subcommittee on 6 June 2023 and the Digital Learning Program Management Steering Committee on 22 June 2023.

Will there be changes to existing UQ tools?

Core tools integrated into Learn.UQ (Blackboard) including Blackboard assignments, Blackboard Tests, and Grade Centre will be updated. All other UQ developed and third-party tools (i.e. Turnitin, Kaltura, H5P, Echo360, UQ Extend, Inspera, Buddycheck, Ed Discussion Board, Gradescope, Course Insights, RiPPLE and Learning Pathway) will remain unchanged.

Why can we not just switch on Ultra now for all courses?

For a successful rollout of Ultra to occur, a staged approach is required to target particular courses based on their level of readiness at different stages of the project. The first 6 courses in the Proof of Concept (POC) will provide an opportunity to gather feedback on courses using only the core Blackboard tools and to test the transition process, communications, resources, and support required. The 50 courses POC will then provide a chance to gather feedback from courses that use a range of both UQ-developed and external LTI tools, as well as core Blackboard tools. After this point, faculties will be consulted about the deployment speed and approach with plans being released shortly after the 50 course POC has been completed.

Will there any implications for existing tools? 

Blackboard Assignments, Blackboards Tests, Grade Centre and content tools in Learn.UQ (Blackboard) will have enhanced functionality. All other UQ developed and external eLearning tools connected to Learn.UQ (Blackboard) may be accessible from a slightly different location, however there will be no changes to the tools themselves (i.e. Turnitin, Inspera, Ed Discussion Board and Learning Pathway).

Will all courses need to activate Ultra at the same time?

A course activation approach will be decided in consultation with Associate Deans (Academic). For instance, Ultra may be rolled out by year group, program, or another approach.  Individual courses can be converted to Ultra while other courses continue to use 'Original' course sites.

Why is testing required for tools that only connect to Ultra?

Testing is required on the connection between UQ developed and external eLearning tools and Blackboard Ultra to ensure everything is functioning correctly prior to the Summer Semester proof of concept.  

Will Ultra affect the transfer of grades from other eLearning tools into Grade Centre?

Once the connections for all UQ developed and external eLearning tools to Ultra have been tested, the transfer of grades from these tools to Grade Centre should all function the same as in “Original”. Grade Centre itself has enhanced functionality and a new interface in Ultra.

Why is UQ trialling Ultra instead of another LMS?

National student surveys show that UQ students already rate their online learning platform ahead of most local and interstate competitors, so Ultra represents a sensible low-cost and low-risk evolution providing a modern look and more efficient workflows without large disruptions to teaching staff. 

How do courses get converted to Ultra? 

Once Ultra has been enabled at a course level the course can be previewed in Ultra and then permanently converted to an Ultra course.

Will there be 'sandpit’ courses available so I can test Ultra before converting my course?

Yes, ‘sandpit’ courses will be available by request from November 2023 so that staff can become familiar with Ultra prior to converting.

Can previous versions of Learn.UQ (Blackboard) courses be transferred over?

Yes, courses can be copied as normal and then converted to Ultra, although a minor tidy up will be required.

Will I be able to copy my Blackboard Test questions across to my Ultra course?

Most question types will be available in Ultra courses, but some types will be discontinued (Either/Or, Jumbled Sentence, Opinion Scale/Likert, Ordering, Quiz Bowl). An enabling project may be required to convert question types that are no longer available to a different format.  

How will Allocate+ and Course Profiles integrate? 

There will be no changes to how Allocate+ integrates with Ultra and the Course Profile link will still be available, just accessible from a different location in the course.

Will all courses need to convert to Ultra at the same time?

No, courses will be converted in stages starting with a 6 courses Proof of Concept (POC) followed by a 50 courses POC. After this point, faculties will be consulted about the deployment speed, timing and approach with plans being released shortly after the 50 course POC has been completed.

What impact is this going to have on delivery of course material?

All course material can either be copied over from a previous semester or created from scratch within a blank Ultra course copy.

What if I have a Learn.UQ Exam? Will they be transitioned to Ultra Courses?

All Learn.UQ (Blackboard) exams will be transitioned to Ultra in the same semester. The timing of this transition will be determined through consultation with schools and faculties.  

What will Course Coordinators be required to do for the Summer Semester POC?

  • briefing meeting
  • course site consultation / content tools training
  • 1 – 2 Consultations to set up assessment tasks and Grade Centre
  • check-ins after each new Blackboard assessment item
  • Ultra courses evaluation interview + survey.

What will Course Coordinators be required to do for the Semester 1, 2024 POC?

  • briefing meeting
  • course site consultation
  • workshop attendance and feedback
  • 1 - 2 Consultations to set up assessment tasks and Grade Centre
  • 2 x check-ins during semester
  • Ultra courses evaluation focus group + survey.

How many folder levels can I have in an Ultra course?

In Ultra courses you can have up to 3 levels (i.e. two folders plus a content level). This improves accessibility for students and limits the amounts of clicks for more simplified navigation. If your course has more than 3 levels when converting to an Ultra course, the content in folders greater than 3 levels deep will be moved to the level above. Staff will be consulted on how to adapt their site structure so that multiple folder levels are not necessary.