East Michigan News

Central Michigan University’s faculty and students will experience a new way of managing their courses starting in the fall semester, thanks to changes two years in the making. The CMU team behind these changes is now being recognized for excellence on a global scale.

Courses within Blackboard will receive a fresh look with new, user-friendly features, said Marnie Roestel, associate director of the Office of Curriculum and Instructional Support's Learning Systems Support.

Roestel stated that Blackboard Ultra, the name of the new system, is a major upgrade consisting of various changes intended to modernize how faculty manage and students interact with courses. One significant improvement is how Blackboard handles grading.

“The gradebook alone is on steroids,” Roestel said.

As part of the gradebook upgrade, faculty can view student progress on assignments and send messages to individual students, selected groups of students or entire classes. The changes also include flexibility to grade by either each student’s submission or by question. The gradebook and accompanying analytics provide various ways to view grades, student performance on assessments, and the level of student interaction with content through a Progress Tracking feature.

Ultra modernizes the overall interface by replacing the traditional menu along the left side of the page with modular boxes on each course’s main page. Students’ experience is also different. Ultra provides a more intuitive interface that is easier to navigate and locate content within and complete course activities.

The enhanced user experience for both faculty and students results from preparation by CIS that began in 2022 when Blackboard announced plans to upgrade to Ultra. Roestel's team spent a year creating training materials to help faculty transition from the old management system to Ultra. These materials include videos, written articles, and in-person training and support.

Faculty members have used these trainings over the last year to move their courses to Ultra. It hasn’t always been easy.

“It’s not apples-to-apples,” Roestel said. “It’s apples to steak.”

The changes will also improve students' experiences.

“I’m excited for students to begin using the new interface,” Roestel said. “Students will have a more consistent experience from one CMU course to the next, find it easier to locate materials, identify due dates and access instructor feedback.”

Anthology, owner of the Blackboard learning environment, recognized Roestel's team for their outstanding contributions to education. CMU was one of five universities globally recognized in the Leading Change category at the 2024 Anthology Catalyst Awards. These awards honor institutions driving innovation and excellence in higher education.

In a letter to CMU, Anthology’s chief revenue officer Joe Belenardo wrote:

“The award for Leading Change recognizes institutions at the forefront of educational innovation that have used Anthology solutions to implement transformational initiatives that generate change on campus and in their academic ecosystems with measurable results…This award celebrates Marnie’s work and dedication to providing high-quality learning experiences that are helping shape the future of education and are an example to institutions across the globe.”