FAQs: Ultra Courses Proof of Concept (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.

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.

• 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 
• 'Sandbox' Ultra courses – this will enable staff to explore an Ultra Course when requested. 

For a successful rollout of Ultra to occur, a staged approach is required to target particular courses based on their level of readiness. 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.

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.  

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.

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. 

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

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.

• 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.

• 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.

No, until the proof of concept is accepted guest access will not be available. This capability can be added after the POC if required.

There can be no course redesign or uplift during the proof of concept due to potential contamination with the Ultra evaluation process. The university decided to delay deeper collaboration with faculties until Semester 2, 2024 due to limited timeframes and resources. The project team will be providing high-touch support and will be contactable for all Ultra related issues throughout the proof of concept.

All Learn.UQ (Blackboard) exams will be left in Original courses.