The University of Alabama is excited to announce that all courses are transitioning to Ultra, the latest version of Blackboard. Starting in Spring 2026, Ultra will be the default for all courses. Fully online academic courses offered through the Office of Teaching Innovation and Digital Education will be in Ultra for Fall 2025. In total, approximately 4,000 Fall classes will be using Ultra.
Ultra represents the first major overhaul of UA’s academic LMS in several years. This transition aligns with our institution’s general education curriculum revision and new federal accessibility requirements. Over the past six semesters, a growing number of UA courses have been taught in Ultra. Throughout this journey, we have gathered feedback from both faculty and students. Faculty have described Ultra as clean, easy, and intuitive compared to the Original version. Students have found Ultra to be logical, easier to navigate, and more organized.
Accessing Ultra is simple. You can log in via myBama or directly at ualearn.blackboard.com, just as you did with Blackboard Original. Ultra offers many of the same capabilities but with a streamlined interface, standard navigation, and accessible design. Students will find commonly used tools in the top menu of every course and can access Ultra from anywhere, thanks to its mobile-first design.
All instructors have access to a UA Ultra Practice course, which includes helpful guidance and ideas for exploring this new Blackboard. Some of the most exciting new features are part of Anthology’s AI Design Assistant, which offers instructors a starting point for module structure, discussion prompts, assessment questions, and course images. Instructors and students can learn more at cit.ua.edu, register for one of our many upcoming workshops, and explore our expansive knowledge base to learn about Ultra and all of UA’s enterprise instructional technology tools. To request a consultation, classroom visit, tabling event, or other assistance, email cit@ua.edu.