The July 2025 Blackboard Ultra update (3900.121) is one of the most robust releases we’ve seen, bringing major improvements across instructional design, assessment, grading, and accessibility. In case you missed our latest podcast episode, here’s a breakdown of the key features we explored—and how they can directly enhance your teaching.
Image Captions in Documents
You can now add captions above or below images in Documents!
This long-awaited update improves both accessibility and clarity. Whether you’re labeling a diagram or providing context for an infographic, captions help students better interpret visual materials. Just click “Edit File Options” in your Document and choose your caption position.
Improved Course Conversion from Original to Ultra
Migrating from Original to Ultra just got easier.
Rich descriptions in folders and learning modules (with text formatting, media, and attachments) used to be stripped down during conversion. Now, those descriptions can automatically convert into full Documents embedded directly in the module. No more content loss!
QTI Question Imports for Question Banks
Assessment just got more flexible.
Blackboard Ultra now supports importing QTI-formatted questions (an industry standard), making it easier to move content from tools like Respondus. Supported question types include multiple choice, true/false, multiple answer, fill-in-the-blank, and essay. If anything can’t be imported, the system will now tell you why—no more mystery errors.
“No Category” Option in the Gradebook
Sometimes, you don’t want an item in a grading category—and now that’s allowed.
This update simplifies grading workflows for one-off assignments or nontraditional assessments. Instead of reassigning or faking a category, you can now simply select “No Category.”
Enhanced Rubric and Group Submission Features
Grading with rubrics is smoother than ever:
- You’ll get a warning if you try to close a rubric without saving.
- You can now save without the rubric window closing.
- Improved keyboard navigation for accessibility.
And for group submissions, new previous/next buttons let you seamlessly move between groups—saving serious time.
Announcement View Tracking
You can now see who has viewed your announcements.
Just click the viewer count and get a list of students who have (or haven’t) read a message. Better yet, you can message non-viewers directly—a great tool for following up on critical updates like due dates or policy changes.
MathJax Integration for LaTeX
STEM faculty, rejoice: Blackboard Ultra now renders LaTeX math formulas using MathJax.
This means cleaner, more professional-looking equations—consistent with scientific publishing standards. (Note: Use double dollar signs $$ to activate MathJax.) Wiris remains available as the default if MathJax isn’t enabled.
Retroactive Achievements
Finally, achievements can be awarded after the fact.
If students already completed a requirement (like scoring above 90% on a midterm) before you created the achievement, they’ll still receive credit automatically. This change brings much-needed flexibility to motivation and reward systems.
In Summary:
This release is all about efficiency and flexibility. From grading tools to visual communication to responsive design improvements, these updates are designed to support your work and your students’ learning.
Have questions? Want to share how you’re using the new features in your courses? Reach out to us at TILT@fhsu.edu — we love hearing from our FHSU faculty and staff!
Until next month,
Keep innovating. Keep learning. Keep those discussions active.
— The TILT Team
*note: information from this blog post and podcast has come from Anthology’s June release that can be found here.
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