Blackboard Ultra Updates: December 2025

1. Set release conditions for open or started and for non-assessment content items – 4000.4

Updated Help Topic: Content Release Conditions
Idea Exchange ID: LEARNU-I-638, LEARNU-I-394, LEARNU-I-2551, LEARNU-I-34

We expanded release conditions to include activity on items including non-assessment content. This enhancement allows conditions to be based on whether a student has opened or started content items such as documents, media, or course links. Instructors can now control access based on whether a student has opened or started a prerequisite content item.

Key options for release conditions:

• Unopened: The student has not accessed the item.

• Opened or Started: The student has accessed the item.

This enhancement supports flexible learning pathways and mastery-based progression. For example, an instructor can require students to open a reading or watch a video before an assessment becomes available. 

2. Specify participation requirements for Discussions – 4000.4

Updated Help Topic: Discussions (Instructor)

Instructors now have greater flexibility when managing student participation in Discussions. With this update, instructors can specify required student responses for a Discussion topic. It can be difficult for students to meet an instructor’s expectations in a discussion if those expectations are not clearly expressed. This enhancement allows instructors to more closely align grading requirements with their pedagogical goals and provides students with clear expectations for each phase of participation.

Instructors can now make clear participation requirements to students. The initial release adds participation requirements to the existing due date(s) for discussions. Instructors can set requirements on the number of required posts and/or replies for a student to fulfil the requirement.

The status of participation requirements is updated through to completion, giving a student a clear understanding of progress made. Participation requirements are linked to progress tracking, so that will be accurately displayed for the student to monitor. Participation requirements are optional but recommended for maximum benefit.

This update does not affect grading workflows or Gradebook structure.

The new participation requirements in Discussions give students a clearer understanding of instructor expectations in an assigned Discussions topic. Students can monitor their progress both in the assigned Discussions topic as well as in Progress Tracking.

Image 2: Showing the complete state when all the requirements have been met.

3. Customize grade pills to reflect incomplete/complete status and exemption criteria – 4000.4

Updated Help Topic: Default Settings for Courses
We updated the grade pill display for the Complete/Incomplete grade schema to improve clarity for instructors and students. Grade pills for incomplete items now appear in gray, making them visually distinct from graded submissions. This change ensures that incomplete statuses are clearly communicated without implying a low score or performance level.

Image 1: Incomplete items have a gray grade pill.

4. Improved handling of group membership changes – 4000.4

Impact: Instructors
We’ve enhanced Flexible Grading and the Submissions page for group assessments to better handle changes in group memberships. These improvements ensure grading accuracy and reduce confusion when groups are modified after submissions: 

• On the Submissions page, if all members are removed from a group:

  • The group avatar displays a ? icon.

  • A No members label appears.

  • The group name becomes non-selectable.

• For active groups, the Flexible Grading interface always shows the current group members for each attempt.

5. Aligned gradebook submission counts with Show/Hide Unavailable Students Gradebook setting – 4000.4

Impact: Instructors
Gradebook submission counts now align with the instructor’s Show/Hide Unavailable Students setting. When unavailable students are hidden, counts exclude their submissions. When unavailable students are shown, counts include their submissions.

This alignment applies to:

• Submissions page

• Gradable items page

• Student Activity page

6. Standardized tabbed interface in Flexible Grading – 4000.4

Impact: Instructors
We improved the Flexible Grading experience by introducing a consistent tabbed interface for all submission types. Previously, tabs were only shown for file-based submissions. With this update, instructors will now see tabs for:

• Instructions: Always present, even if no instructions are provided (displays “No instructions” when empty).

• Submission: For text, LTI or mixed submissions (text, images, files).

• File tabs: Each file submitted appears in its own tab, rendered in Annotate when possible.

This enhancement makes grading more intuitive and efficient by providing a uniform layout across different submission formats. On mobile, navigation buttons appear at the top of the tabbed interface for quick access to previous and next submissions. 

7. Better Audio and Video in Feedback – 4000.4

Updated Help Topic: Video Studio (Instructor)

Instructors can now use the full Video Studio workflow when giving assessment feedback or working in Flexible Grading. They can record or upload video and audio directly in the feedback editor, using features like captioning, transcription, and editing to deliver clear, personalized communication.

This update makes feedback more engaging and accessible, and the workflow matches other Video Studio-supported areas in Blackboard Ultra. 

Instructors will see the Video Studio button in the feedback editor when grading. They can add media to express tone and intent more effectively. Video Studio supports automatic captioning and transcription and lets instructors edit recordings to improve clarity.

8. Support Inline and Display Formulas in MathJax – 4000.4

Impact: Instructors and Students
Updated Help Topic: Math Editor (Instructor), Math Editor (Student)
Idea Exchange ID: Not applicable

MathJax support in the Content Editor now includes additional LaTeX delimiters for rendering mathematical formulas. This update improves compatibility with standard STEM workflows and simplifies uploading exam content without changing source files.

Instructors and students can now use:

• \(...\) for inline equations

• \[...\] for display equations

These options are in addition to the existing $ delimiters. Expanded support improves the experience of working with mathematical notation in Ultra courses and enhances visual clarity for complex expressions such as integrals, sums, and products.

9. Learning Module Table of Contents – Instructor View – 4000.4

Impact: Instructors
Updated Help Topic: Learning Modules (Instructor)
Idea Exchange ID: LEARNU-I-159

Instructors now have access to a collapsible Table of Contents panel in Learning Modules. This update mirrors the student experience and supports consistent navigation across roles. Instructors can quickly move between module items and access content that isn’t yet available to students—without switching to Student Preview or changing availability settings.

This streamlined workflow helps instructors review and organize course content more efficiently, saving time and improving course management.

The Table of Contents panel includes all items in a module. Select Contents to open or collapse the panel. Instructors can navigate the full module structure and align course design with the student experience.

For smaller screen sizes, when an instructor sets up an assignment within a learning module, the settings panel moves from the right-hand side into the header bar. This is signified by a settings cog.

The change has been made to allow more space on the screen with the left-handed table of contents available. Users accessing that board on smaller screens, you will notice that the settings cog has moved to the header bar for that particular piece of assessment.

For discussions instructors also see that the participation panel and settings panel both move into the header bar as buttons on smaller screen views.