Blackboard Ultra: A Source of Frustration  

Story and photo by: Breanna Prince

Blackboard has updated its new features after talking about doing so for many years, which is now called Blackboard Ultra.  

After the launch for Fall 2024, students and faculty have had to adapt to the new look.

Based on CMU’s website, it’s stated that it’s designed for a cleaner, modern interface, displaying content on one page with expanding and collapsing learning modules and folders. Blackboard Ultra will also display content on one page with expanding and collapsing learning modules and folders. This will be a simpler, more intuitive, and accessible-friendly display, providing instructors and students with a more consistent experience.

Many students that are used to the old Blackboard are not fond of the new version.

“I don’t really care for it honestly,” junior, Kyla Wygant, majoring in Integrated Public Relations said. “I think it’s more confusing not even to just students but professors as well. I’ve had them mention in class that they don’t even understand it, so if we have questions, they can’t really help us.” 

For sophomore, Emma Brown, majoring in Commercial Music, said it has made the user experience more complex than it needs to be.

“Now in order to view instructions on an assignment, you have to click start submission or something along those lines, which is just an unnecessary added step for students,” Brown said. “I also hate that there is a smaller attachment icon in the toolbar when a user goes to submit their assignment.”  

Wygant and Brown both said Blackboard Ultra is confusing and unorganized. 

“Before, there were labeled tabs on the left-hand side that guided you to homework, projects, tests, and more,” Wygant said. “All your homework and assignments for the week could be under one tab. Now, it’s just one single tab labeled content that everything is under. This makes it more confusing to navigate what needs to be done. It also makes it super easy to forget an assignment. Another thing, having to start an assignment attempt only to view instructions, that’s very annoying and tedious.”  

Eric Limarenko, professor of Media Arts is still getting used to how the software works.  

“Right now, I have not figured out grades,” Limarenko said. “The grading section is a little confusing to me, I need to do a deeper drive on exactly how to use it, but it seems like the last version of Blackboard on importing grades was a lot more intuitive than what it is now.”  

Even though it’s a struggle with how to put the grades in, Limarenko said he does like the announcement section.  

“I like the fact that I can see the number of students who have checked the announcements itself,” Limarenko said. “I like the way you can attach hyperlinks, or frankly anything to the announcements, and then click on the tab that sends it to everyone as an email. This way, I know everyone is definitely seeing what I’m announcing.”  

As students and faculty are adapting to the new Blackboard Ultra interface. CMU continues to gather feedback, it remains to be seen whether Blackboard Ultra will meet the expectations of ease and accessibility it promised—or if it will remain, for now, another source of frustration.