Blackboard Post Merge Checklist

πŸŽ“ Blackboard Ultra Course Merge: Post-Merge Checklist

Use this quick checklist after your courses are merged in Blackboard Ultra.
Target time: 5–10 minutes

What You Need to Know-
Work in the parent course and don’t worry if students only see one course tile (that’s expected in Ultra)

🧭 How Merged Courses Work in Ultra (Quick Visual)

Instructor View:
Parent Course (you teach here)
⬇
All content + all students combined

Student View:
One Course Tile (entry point)
⬇
Access to all merged content

πŸ‘‰ Even if students are enrolled in multiple sections, they will typically see only one course tile


βœ… 1. Enter the Parent Course

  • You will see one course on your dashboard

  • This is the parent course

πŸ‘‰ All teaching, grading, and communication happens here


βœ… 2. What You’ll See on Your Dashboard

  • You will typically see only the parent course

  • Section (child) courses may be:

    • hidden

    • or unavailable

πŸ‘‰ This is expected behavior in Ultra
πŸ‘‰ No action is needed


πŸ‘€ 3. What Students Will See

  • Students may see only one course tile

  • They will not see multiple sectionsβ€”even if enrolled in more than one

πŸ‘‰ This is normal in Ultra

βœ” That one course provides access to all merged content
βœ” No content or enrollment is missing


πŸ‘₯ 4. Roster & Section Visibility

  • The Roster no longer shows section/course IDs

  • All students appear in a single combined list

πŸ‘‰ Section distinctions are not visible in the roster


πŸ“Š 5. Grading by Section (Good News!)

While sections aren’t visible in the roster, you can filter by section in the Gradebook:

  • Go to the Gradebook

  • Select the Grades tab

  • Open Filters

  • Under Merged Courses, select a section (e.g., ALP)

Uploaded Image (Thumbnail)

πŸ‘‰ This allows you to view and work with one section at a time

βœ” Helpful for grading
βœ” Helpful for reviewing student progress by section


πŸ›  6. Optional: Creating Groups

(keep your existing groups section after this)


 

πŸ›  5. Need to Work by Section? (Optional)

If you need to separate students by section:

  • Create Groups (e.g., β€œSection 01”, β€œSection 02”)

  • Manually assign students

πŸ‘‰ Ultra does not support automatic grouping by section


🧩 6. ALP / Co-Requisite Courses

  • Students may be enrolled in multiple sections (e.g., ALP + Composition)

  • They will still see only one course tile

πŸ‘‰ This is expected and does not indicate a problem


πŸ†˜ If Something Looks Wrong

Contact OLT if:

  • Students cannot see the course at all

  • Students cannot access content after clicking into the course

πŸ‘‰ There is no need to manage section courses directly


πŸ”„ What Changed from Blackboard Original?

Blackboard Original Blackboard Ultra
Multiple course tiles visible Single course tile (auto-managed)
Roster shows section IDs No section identifiers
Instructors managed child visibility    Blackboard manages this automatically
Section awareness built-in Section awareness must be recreated (groups)
Need Help?
πŸ“© Submit a ticket through the OLT Service Catalog
πŸ“ Or visit a Blackboard drop-in lab (Thursdays 10am-1pm- Knight Rm 4100)