Blackboard Has A New Look!
Blackboard’s Landing Page and Course Colors/Theme Were Updated on January 4, 2022
The Blackboard landing page and colors/theme within courses have been updated with a new look and feel for easier navigation. The new look has a sleek, modern, mobile-friendly design with simpler workflows and easier access to important information. This change occurred as part of the transition to Blackboard Ultra Base Navigation for all campuses within the North Dakota University System.
There are no changes to the features or workflows within course sites that faculty and students are already familiar with today. The color scheme and icons within courses were updated to the Blackboard Ultra colors/theme for a modern look and feel and greater responsiveness on mobile devices, while preserving all existing content and features.
What Has Changed?
The new landing page includes a modern, intuitive Blackboard Ultra navigation menu that lives outside of courses and includes the following features:
- Activity Stream– A customizable view of activity in all your courses.
- Courses- Links to access your past, current and future courses will now be located here, with the ability to filter/sort for a cleaner look and feel. There will be a similar option to access organization sites.
- Calendar - The global calendar displays events and dates from multiple courses in one location. All due dates and meetings instructors create in their courses appear automatically on the calendar.
- Messages- On the Messages page, you can send and receive messages for all your Blackboard courses. Note: This is different from the Send Announcement or Send Email feature and does not automatically include an email copy.
- Grades - Instructors see a summary for each course and can begin grading from this page. Students see a list of recent grades and their overall grades for each course.
Blackboard course sites continue to have the same features and functions, but have the new Blackboard Ultra color scheme and icons.
Training and Resources
Register to attend a virtual "Show and Tell" session. Department training sessions can also be arranged as requested.
To get started, here are 10 Things to Try in Ultra Base Navigation. For additional information, please see the resources listed below.
Instructor Resources
Student Resources
Re-install the Blackboard Mobile App
As part of the upgrade to Blackboard Ultra Base Navigation along with an upgrade to SAML authentication, students and faculty using the Blackboard Mobile App will need to un-install and re-install the app. Failing to do so will cause a screen blackout with no way to navigate. After reinstalling, search for North Dakota University System or University of North Dakota when looking for your school in the Blackboard app.
Note: The Blackboard app does not provide full functionality. Access the Blackboard App Feature Guide for more information.
Students – for help with uninstalling and re-installing the Blackboard Mobile App, please see this Blackboard Student App help article.
Instructors – for help with uninstalling and re-installing the Blackboard Instructor App, please see this Blackboard Instructor App help article.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Why was this change necessary?
A. Ultra Base Navigation offers a more modern, intuitive navigation that provides quick access to the most critical information from across all courses. The new layout makes Blackboard more accessible for students using mobile devices and provides a simple, consistent experience regardless of how it is accessed.
Benefits of Ultra Base Navigation:
- Modern, intuitive experience
- Responsive on mobile devices
- Quick access to the most critical information
- Consistent colors/theme across all courses for improved accessibility
Q. Did UND need to transition at the same time as other NDUS campuses?
A. All 11 institutions within the North Dakota University System are on the same instance of Blackboard and had to make the transition to UBN at the same time. The decision to move to UBN was made at the Blackboard Governance level, which has representation from all 11 NDUS institutions.
Q. Do I need to learn how to use Blackboard all over again?
A. Only the Blackboard landing page and the color/theme within courses and organizations has changed. All other functionality remains the same. You do not need to re-learn how to use Blackboard.
The main changes you will experience are with how you navigate to courses/organizations and how you access other quick information in Blackboard. Previously you navigated using the MyUND tab and other tabs (across the top of the Blackboard screen) and Modules (the boxes of information contained on those tabs). After the transition to Ultra Base Navigation, the landing page has been updated and simplified. The information previously provided through Tabs and Modules is now listed in a menu down the left side of the screen, similar to the experience in Blackboard's mobile applications.
Q. Has the course functionality changed?
A. The course features and workflows did not change. The color scheme and icons within courses were updated to the Blackboard Ultra colors/theme for a modern look and feel and greater responsiveness on mobile devices, while preserving all existing content and features.
Q. Why is the color scheme purple, black, and white within my course instead of UND colors?
A. With the update to Blackboard Ultra Base Navigation, the color scheme within courses has been set to purple, black, and white. This color scheme is more accessible and matches what is used in the Blackboard mobile app.
Q. Why didn't we wait and make this change over the summer?
A. The timing for the transition to UBN had to be agreed upon by all 11 NDUS institutions because we are all on the same instance of Blackboard. The decision to make the change on January 4th was approved by the Blackboard Governance committee (made up of representatives from all NDUS campuses). Although there is never a good time to make changes to Blackboard, the winter break timeframe seemed to be the best option because there is a longer break than between the spring/summer term and a majority of students/faculty are on campus during the fall semester to allow time to appropriately communicate the changes.
Q. Was adequate testing done prior to the transition?
A. UND Blackboard administrators and Blackboard administrators from the other 11 NDUS institutions have been testing UBN since September. UBN was available on the Blackboard test instance and Blackboard stage environments. UND Blackboard administrators were able to test building blocks and additional systems that connect to Blackboard. UND Blackboard administrators also met regularly with the other NDUS campus Blackboard administrators to compare testing results.
Q. How did the transition help to support UND's mission?
A. The transition helps to support UND's mission by creating a more accessible/user-friendly Blackboard landing page. Since Blackboard is used as a primary source of communication for courses, it is important to continue to improve upon the layout and functionality of the system.
If you have questions or concerns about the transition, please contact TTaDA Academic Technologies by calling 701-777-2129 or send an email to blackboard@UND.edu