ITSpotlight is designed to keep the campus up to date on ITS activities and services.
Announcements - Course Design
Instructional Design & Learning Technologies (IDLT) Updates
Posted April 08, 2026
by IDLT
IDLT has been hard at work supporting faculty through the transition to Blackboard Ultra and promoting accessible course design. Here’s a summary of current initiatives and available resources.
Blackboard Ultra Resources
KB Articles & Guidance
We’ve launched a comprehensive Ultra Transition Guide and Feature Comparison article in the ITS Knowledge Base covering what’s changing in Ultra, what stays the same, and how to get started. This article, and oth...
Webinar Recording: From Checklists to Check-ins — Accessibility, AI, and Human Judgment in EdTech
Posted April 08, 2026
by IDLT
Accessibility is most effective when technology and human insight work together. This engaging panel discussion explores how AI-driven tools are reshaping accessibility in higher education while highlighting the continued importance of reflection, ethical decision-making, and human judgment in course design.
IDLT highly recommends this webinar, as it offers practical ideas and timely strategies that connect directly to the accessibility and course improvement work many faculty ar...
Blackboard Ultra Transition: New Self-Paced Trainings, Open Labs, and Course Shell Updates
Posted March 11, 2026
by IDLT
As previously announced in campus communications, Blackboard at SIUE is transitioning all courses to the Blackboard Ultra experience, with full adoption required by Fall 2026. To support you through this process, IDLT has launched an ITS KnowledgeBase transition guide that walks through what’s changing, what remains the same, and how to begin working in Ultra.
Available Support Resources
In addition to the new self-paced trainings, we offer:
-
Open labs for ...
Course Remediation Support for Digital Accessibility
Posted March 11, 2026
by IDLT
Need help getting your course content ready for the April 24 ADA Title II compliance deadline? Remediation assistants are available to assist with remediating course materials to improve digital accessibility. This service is for help with Microsoft Word, Microsoft PowerPoint, PDF, and contentectly input to Blackboard. and select other files. Remediation assistants cannot assist with remediation of items that require content knowledge expertise including but not limited to image alt t...
Blackboard Learn Ultra – A New Way to Teach
Posted December 10, 2025
by IDLT
SIUE will be transitioning from Blackboard Learn Original to Blackboard Learn Ultra by Fall 2026, in response to Anthology’s decision to phase out support for the original interface. This change is not optional for institutions, and we are working to ensure the transition is smooth and well-supported for faculty and students. Learn Ultra offers a cleaner, more intuitive design, mobile-friendly access, and powerful learning analytics to support student success.
We know change br...
Complete These End-of-Semester Activities for Course Management
Posted December 10, 2025
by IDLT
As the term nears completion, the following tips will be useful for faculty in wrapping up their courses.
-
Check your Grade Center Total and/or Weighted Total column(s) to be sure they are set up to calculate correctly. The Mercer University Online Weighted Average Grade Calculator is a useful tool for checking your Weighted Total calculations. If you find errors and need assistance, please contact ITS at 618-650-5500 or at help@siue.edu for assistance.
-
Make sur...
