Organizing Your Content in Blackboard Learn Ultra
Blackboard Ultra offers two tools for organizing your content in the Course Content outline: Learning Modules and Folders. This page outlines some of the key differences to assist you in choosing which to use.
On this page:
Learning Modules - Only Available for Use at the Highest Level
About Content Nesting & Flattening Logic in Blackboard Ultra
Learning Modules - Only Available for Use at the Highest Level
First, it's important to note that Learning Modules can only be used at the highest level of the Course Content Outline.
When using the "Create"content option, accessed as shown in the screenshot below, you will not have an option to choose Learning Modules unless you are accessing the "Create" option from the highest level. In the screenshot below, the "Create" option was being accessed from within a Learning Module, rather than at the highest level.
As you can see in the next screenshot, accessing the "Create" menu from within a Learning Module (or within a Folder) results in no option for "Learning Module" in the overlay menu.
However, as shown in the following screenshots, accessing the "Create" menu from the highest level of the Course Content outline, "Learning Module" is the first item in the resulting list of options.
The resulting "Create Items" menu includes "Learning module" as the first option in the list because it was accessed using a + line at the highest level of the Course Content outline.
About Content Nesting & Flattening Logic in Blackboard Ultra
Content nesting refers to how content items can be contained within other content items on the Course Content page. By default, courses in Ultra Course View support up to three levels of hierarchy on the Course Content page. (Blackboard set this limitation based on best practice research using feedback from students.) For example, a folder within a folder is two levels. A folder within a Learning Module is also an example of two levels. Added content in the level 2 folder represents the third level. This is different from the Original Course View, which had no restrictions on the number of levels that could be used. This change simplifies course structures to enhance student experience.
The flattening process refers to how items can move when copied, imported, or converted into Ultra courses. The process moves items with a depth greater than two to the lowest supported level in Ultra courses.
Learning Modules vs. Folders
So why might you choose Learning Modules at the top level of your Course Content outline rather than Folders?
Great question! We're glad you asked.
Similarities
Both can contain a Folder (but contents can only go two levels deep)
Both can contain any other item types including Documents, Files, assessments and media.
Progress Tracking works with both Learning Modules and Folders, but has some different functionality for students (noted under "Differences" below).
Differences
Learning Modules can only be used at the highest level of the Course Content Outline.
A Learning Module can contain multiple Folders, but a Folder cannot contain a Learning Module.
Learning Modules hold three distinct advantages over Folders.
Only Learning Modules will show a Progress Bar for students in conjunction with Progress Tracking with the following status details regarding their progress in the Learning Module:
"Not started" (Note: The Start button only appears with Force Sequence enacted. Otherwise it will simply show "Not Started")
"# started"
"Completed"
Three distinct advantages of Learning Modules over Folders:
You can use a small, square image with the title of the Learning Module rather than the default Learning Module icon, making the Course Content outline (default homepage of the course) more visually appealing.*
When students view the items that are within a Learning Module, they will have links at the top of each page taking them to the "Next page" and "Previous page", enabling them to advance through the content in the module without returning to the Course Content outlne.* These pagination links are not available on items within a Folder.
Learning Modules allow for the option, "Advance in sequence".* This option forces students to access a module's content in sequence. You can not force the sequence within a Folder.
* See screenshots of each of these three advantages below.
*Using an image for a Learning Module vs. the default Learning Module icon
*Next Page and Previous Page links at the top of a document within a Learning Module
Note: This feature is available only for students or in the instructor's "Student Preview" user view. You will not see the pagination links in the instructor view.
*Advance in Sequence (Forced Sequence of content delivery)
More on Learning Modules
More information regarding Learning Modules can be found in the following Blackboard Help for Instructors documents:
Learning Modules
Create Learning Modules