Academic Technology Workshops

Come Learn the New Blackboard - Ultra Workshops

A newer, more modern version of Blackboard called Ultra Course View is currently being rolled out at the University of Hartford and the Office of Academic Technology, Teaching, and Learning over the next year. All Blackboard courses have been created in Ultra for Winter and Spring Term 2025. Faculty are encouraged to attend special Ultra training now so they can begin to transition their courses.

IN-PERSON ULTRA WORKSHOPS

The following in-person trainings will be held in the Woods Classroom in Harrison Libraries on campus and lunch will be provided. Be sure to RSVP to actech@hartford.edu ahead of time so a sandbox can be created for you. We appreciate at least a week’s advance registration so we have a final number for lunches.

Session 1: Friday, November 15, 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM

Session 2: Friday, December 6, 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM

Session 3: Tuesday, January 7, 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM

Session 4: Friday, January 10, 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM

Session 5: Monday, January 13, 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM

Session 6: Thursday, January 16, 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM

VIRTUAL ULTRA WORKSHOPS

Each of the following is a 2-part, 2-day, 2-hours each day, offered virtually on Microsoft Teams. Participants need to attend both parts one and two. Be sure to RSVP to actech@hartford.edu ahead of time so a sandbox can be created for you. A week in advance is best, but at a minimum, register 24 hours prior to the workshop. 

Session 1: Tuesday, November 5 and Thursday, November 7 – 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM

Session 2: Monday, November 18 and Wednesday, November 20 – 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM

Session 3: Monday, December 16 and Wednesday, December 18 – 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM

Session 4: Tuesday, December 17 and Thursday, December 19 – 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM

Session 5: Monday, January 6 and Wednesday, January 8 - 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM

Session 6: Tuesday, January 7 and Thursday, January 9 - 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM

Session 7: Monday, January 13 and Wednesday, January 15 - 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM

Session 8: Tuesday, January 14 and Wednesday, January 15 - 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM

For more on Ultra Course View, watch  Blackboard Learn Ultra: It’s never been easier to teach and learn

Instructors with questions about the transition to Blackboard Ultra are encouraged to contact the Office of Academic Technology, Teaching, and Learning at 860.768.4661 or actech@hartford.edu.

Wednesday, November 13, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM – Woods Classroom, Harrison Libraries
Tuesday, December 17, 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM (Virtual)

Prerequisite: You must have attended the Ultra Institute and have the basics of building a course in Blackboard Ultra first before attending this workshop.

Take your Blackboard Ultra skills to the next level! Building on the foundation from the regular Ultra Institute, this hands-on workshop is designed for educators ready to enhance their course development expertise. Participants will dive deep into advanced tools and techniques, including the Blackboard Design Assistant (AI) to craft dynamic learning modules, discussions, journals, test questions, and rubrics. You'll also learn advanced editing of Ultra Documents, create engaging HTML content, and explore additional features to elevate your course design. Join us to unlock the full potential of Blackboard Ultra and create an exceptional learning experience for your students. E-mail actech@hartford.edu to register today.  Don’t miss out on this opportunity to refine your skills and take your teaching to new heights!

Monday, November 4  – 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM – Woods Classroom, Harrison Libraries
Wednesday, December 4  – 6:30 PM – 7:30 PM (Virtual)

Video and audio files should never be added directly to Blackboard; instead, instructors should be using Kaltura (the new replacement for Ensemble).  Kaltura works like an in-house YouTube, allowing faculty to upload videos to a media library quickly and easily, then link to them from Blackboard and other websites. Faculty who are flipping the classroom, teaching online, using video clips in instruction, or working with student video projects should plan to attend this special information session about Kaltura.  Kaltura Capture is a simple, convenient tool that can capture your voice, the action on your computer screen, and webcam video to create lecturettes. You can use it to record audio podcasts, video lectures, or narrated presentations and demonstrations.  This session will guide you through the process of recording a narrated screen capture, editing it, and publishing it to Blackboard. All of these sessions will be virtual and you can click the link to join the workshop at the time of the session.  If you require a 1:1 assistance to set up Kaltura, email actech@hartford.edu, and we will be happy to arrange either a face-to-face or virtual appointment.

Wednesday, November 13  – 6:30 PM – 7:30 PM (Virtual)
Thursday, December 19  – 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM – Woods Classroom, Harrison Libraries

Microsoft Teams is a video-conferencing application that now integrates with Blackboard.  It is a platform that can be employed for remote instruction, office hours, or collaborative group work in your courses. Microsoft Teams can be accessed via a desktop application or a browser and is available on mobile devices as well. In this session, we will show you how to set up a Teams Meeting in your Blackboard course, how to navigate the Teams interface, how to share files or documents with students, and how to share screens. We will also show you how to set up groups so your students can work on collaborative activities together. All of these sessions will be virtual and you can click the link to join the workshop at the time of the session.  If you require a 1:1 assistance to set up Teams, email actech@hartford.edu, and we will be happy to arrange either a face-to-face or virtual appointment.

Friday, November 1 – 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM (Virtual)

Learn about the different ways you can store and share your files at the university. We'll explain the uses and benefits of OneDrive, SharePoint, Teams, Network Drives, and Local Drives in simple terms. Discover the best practices for each option to keep your data organized, secure, and easy to access.

Thursday, November 14, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM (Virtual)

Dive into the expansive suite of Microsoft applications in this informative workshop. Learn the key functions and practical uses of popular tools like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams, OneNote, and more. Whether you're a beginner or looking to enhance your productivity, this session will demystify each app's purpose and show you how they can streamline your work and personal tasks. Join us to unlock the full potential of Microsoft's powerful software ecosystem!

Monday, December 2 – 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM (Virtual)

In this session, we will discuss the University of Hartford’s OneDrive for Business and how instructors can use it for instruction.  Instructors, staff and students all get a free 1TB worth of file storage space on One Drive.  We will cover:

• Creating a course folder.
• Inviting students to your shared folder.
• Uploading and organizing documents and/or other files.
• Sharing files with students so they can access them.
• Collaboratively editing documents in the Shared OneDrive folder with colleagues or others.

There will be time for Q&A throughout the session.

We encourage participants to log into https://portal.office.com (use your UHart email and password) in order to become familiar with One Drive and explore the many other Office 365 applications available before attending this workshop.

Thursday, December 19 – 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM (Virtual)

Microsoft SharePoint is a suite of tools, included with Office 365, that allow online collaboration between groups on campus. The SharePoint site gives groups access to features such as file sharing, data storage and retrieval, and communication via chat or live via Teams. In this workshop, we will show you how to start setting up your own SharePoint site for your campus group.

Once your site has been created, faculty, staff, and students may collaborate virtually. Some of SharePoint’s features include:

• Document storage and sharing with your group
• Shared tasks, contacts, calendars, announcements, and link lists
• Online discussion forums, including the integration with Teams for meetings online
• Subsites for teams, departments, or collaboration around meetings and documents
• OneNote for meeting minutes