Blackboard Ultra is our new-look enhanced learning environment. All University modules and programmes in Blackboard will have this new user-friendly layout from September 2024 onwards (May 2024 for modules and programmes delivered online).
Go to https://udo.derby.ac.uk/ and select the Blackboard Learn tile.
You may need to login with your university credentials e.g. 100123456@unimail.derby.ac.uk and password.
The Blackboard App is designed especially for you to view content and participate in your module.
The current version of the App is available on: iOS and Android.
After you have downloaded the App:
Once logged in, you will automatically land on the Institution page. Within this home page you will see:
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Institution Page – find important announcements as well as helpful links and resources. |
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Profile – add your profile picture and customise the notifications you want to receive in the Activity Stream, by email or on the Blackboard app. |
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Activity Stream – setup and configure your activity stream to alert you to new and upcoming activity in your modules and programme. |
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Modules – here you can find and access your modules. They can be searched, filtered, and displayed in different ways. You can also ‘favourite’ modules. |
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Programmes and Organisations - here you will find information specific to your programme and your discipline area (if applicable). |
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Calendar - view all modules, programme, institution, and personal events. |
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Messages – a tool to send messages within a module or programme areas. Note – messages are not emailed. Tip – please continue to contact your tutors through agreed communication channels. |
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Provisional Grades and Feedback - a quick access to view your provisional marks and feedback across all your modules. |
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Tools - access tools that live outside your programme or modules. Currently the University of Derby does not have any additional tools enabled. |
You can edit your profile on Blackboard to personalise it.
To access your profile page, click on your name on the left-hand side navigation menu.
Click on the Modules tab on the left-hand navigation menu. You can view your modules in two ways, either in text line view or in image block view, this is accessed at the top of the module tab and left of the search bar.
To add a module to your favourites, click on the star on the right side of the module tile. This will move the module to the top of the page under the “Favourites” heading.
How do you prefer to engage with digital learning content? Do you read on your phone or tablet, use a screen reader, like to annotate and highlight, or listen to an audio version?
Ally automatically generates ‘alternative formats’ from your original module files and makes them available for download so that you can engage with your learning content in a way that works best for you.
From the Ally button, an A with a downward-facing arrow, appearing next to all uploaded documents and items in Blackboard, you can access multiple different formats. To access the alternative file formats, Click on the A↓.
The image below shows some of the types of alternative formats available. Choose a format that is right for you.
Select the accessible format you would like to download and click on the download button. Your accessible file will be available wherever your browser places downloaded files or open it in a browser tab. You can then open the downloaded file with an appropriate device.
Choose from:
Note: Ally doesn’t currently work in the Blackboard mobile App.
For more info on alternative formats, visit: Alternative Formats (blackboard.com).
At present, externally added resources such as Word and PowerPoint can already be downloaded in their original format or as a PDF. However some resources, such as Blackboard authored ‘Documents’, do not yet offer these options and therefore need to be downloaded in the ‘ePub’ format or printed using the Beeline Reader option.
Beeline Reader assists in the readability and focus on digital text. At the end of each line, the text is coloured the same as the beginning of the next, so the colour acts as a signpost that directs the reader's eyes through the text more easily. In addition to this, Beeline Reader offers the ability to print the content or to save it as a PDF document.
1. To locate the Beeline Reader download option, first go to the resource on your Blackboard module, usually located inside a learning module and click to view it.
2. At the top right of the screen or page, you will see the Ally ‘Alternative Formats’ icon. Click on the icon to bring up further options.
3. Select ‘Beeline Reader’ from the drop-down menu and then click the ‘Download’ icon. The resource will now download to your device in HTML format which you can open in your web browser.
4. Once opened, you can use the colour tools at the top of the page to alter the text colours.
5. To print or save the document in PDF format, right click and select ‘Print’ from the menu option.
6. The print dialogue box now allows you to select your printer to produce a hardcopy or create a PDF document.
Please note that these steps must be repeated for each individual Blackboard item, and it is not at present possible to select or download resources in bulk.
Certain devices, such as the Amazon Kindle natively support the ePub format and students with a Kindle can download and use ePub files straightaway, either by using the Send to Kindle service to email the file to your device or transferring it by connecting your Kindle device to your computer.
To view downloaded ePub versions of Blackboard resources on alternative devices, you will need to first download and install an ePub reader, of which there are numerous free versions available. Android users can use ‘Google Play Books’ and Apple iOS users can use ‘Books,’ freely available in the respective app stores for those devices, or sometimes already pre-installed on the device. Windows users can either use the inbuilt Microsoft Store, web browser supported add-ins, or separately installed device software.
1. To locate the ePub download option, first go to the resource on your Blackboard module and click to view it.
2. At the top right of the screen or page, you will see the Ally ‘Alternative Formats’ icon. Click on the icon to bring up further options.
3. Select ‘ePub’ from the drop-down menu and click the ‘Download’ icon. Depending on the type of item you are viewing, there may also be additional formats available for downloading.
The resource will now download to your device, ready to be opened in the application or software you have installed to open ePub files.
Some apps that allow you to view ePub files might also allow you to print those files. However, for printing we recommend using the Beeline Reader format.
Please note that these steps must be repeated for each individual Blackboard item, as it is not at present possible to select or download resources in bulk.
