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Introduction to Ultra Base Navigation

What Is "Ultra" Navigation?

The Ultra experience allows you to easily stay on top of what's important, and manage a user's academic life at-a-glance. The intuitive, fluid interactions in the new modern design are simple and fun to use.

Benefits Bb_logo.png

  • Modern, intuitive experience
  • Responsive on mobile devices
  • Consolidated cross-course information
  • Quick access to the most critical information
  • One-click to take action.

What’s on the Ultra navigation menu?

The Ultra interface was designed to help users stay organized and on task. The core features on the Ultra navigation menu include:

  • The institution page is the blackboard entry page.
  • The profile page is how you want to present yourself to your peers, classmates, and instructors.
  • The activity stream shows course activities and announcements.
  • Courses show the blackboard course list.
  • The calendar shows personal course and institutional events.
  • Grades is where you can see the course.
  • BB Assist shows campus resources links to Blackboard Assist.
The first thing you see when you log on to Blackboard is the Institution Page which broadcasts important messages and links to everyone in MCCC. 

Here you will find links to our Blackboard help pages, and there are also links to various MCCC services displayed on this page, and we'll use it to inform you of changes to Blackboard, or upcoming maintenance periods.
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  • View Video about the Profile Page


    The profile page     shows how users want to present themselves to their peers, classmates, and instructors. In the Blackboard profile, users can decide what they want to be called, share academic interests, and more.

     - Profile picture: Upload a picture to replace the generic silhouette.
     - Basic Information: Update their personal information.
     - Global Notification Settings: Set up notifications for course activities. 

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    Profile Picture
    Users can upload a profile picture that appears throughout the system and within Blackboard.

    The personal image appears in the page header, people tool, blogs, journals, discussions, wikis, and roster. User's profile picture also appears in the notifications modules, such as  What's New. on the  My Institution tab.   ( images must be less than 5 MB and at least 50 x 50 pixels in dimension. Acceptable file formats include GIF, PNG, and JPEG).

    To add a personal image

     - Point to the generic silhouette or the user's picture and select the pencil icon to upload, change, or remove an image.

     - In the panel, select Upload new profile picture to browse for pictures on your computer or users can drag a file to the Upload area.

    Images are saved automatically. Close the panel to return to the profile.

    To remove or replace a profile picture

     - Upload or drag in another image.
     - To return to the generic silhouette, select the Delete this picture icon to delete the existing image file
  • View Video About Notification Settings

    Notifications
    Users can control which activity appears in their stream.

    - Select the Stream Notification Settings tab to open the panel . 
      Notifications for due dates, grades, and feedback always appear in the stream.

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    - Choose which notifications to receive about the activity.
       Users can choose to receive all or some notifications of a certain type.
       A checkmark appears when they select all notifications.
       A dash appears when they select some notifications.

    Email Notifications
    Select the Email Notification Settings tab to open the panel.  email1.png

    To choose how often a user wants to receive emails for activities in all Original and Ultra courses:

    • Email me right away: Receive individual notifications for each activity they choose from the list.
    • Email me once a day: All notifications are collected and sent once a day. 
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    In the Notify Me by email about these activities list, choose which notifications users want to receive:
    • New gradable items
    • New messages
    • New discussion messages
    • New content added
    • New and upcoming due dates
    • Past due items
    • New courses available

    Clear all the checkboxes if users don't want to receive emails about the activities in the list.
The Activity Stream provides up-to-the-minute information on all the actions in a user's courses.
Users can see what's new in all courses and jump directly into course activities from the list! They don't need to dig through the system or miss submissions from students. Users see a prioritized list of what's relevant to them. 
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Students can follow discussions as they happen, including the latest submissions. They can:
• Take note of how many submissions are ready to grade. You can also access new submissions from the stream.
• Enjoy a bird's eye view of course activity and direct access to course items.
• Filter your view. Use the Filter menu and choose Show All, Assignments and Tests, or Grades and Feedback.
On the Courses page, users can access all of their courses from the current or past semesters, as well as for upcoming semesters.
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Finding Courses
The page lists a user’s Current Courses by default, but they may use the forward and backward arrows or the Current Courses drop-down menu to access previous or upcoming semesters. They can also use the Filter menu to modify their view of the page or use the search function to find courses on the current page. 

If users access a course frequently, they may select the star icon to add it to their favorites so it appears at the top of the list. No more scrolling! They can also select the star icon again to remove a course from their favorites when they are finished working on it often. 

If there are courses they do not need to see, they can hide them from your view. Click the ... menu next to the course and select Hide Course. Once hidden, they can use the filter menu to view the courses that are hidden. Note: This only hides the course from the user's view and does not affect whether students or other faculty and staff can view the course. 

Managing Course Availability
In addition to the settings within a course, users can adjust the availability of a course from the Courses Page. Click the ... menu next to the course and choose to open the course or make it private (this is equivalent to available and unavailable). 

Changing the course view
There are two views for the course: list and tiles. Use the icons to the left of the Search bar to switch between views.
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From the global calendar in the list where a user's name appears, users can see all their upcoming due dates and meetings across their courses—all in one place. 
Watch a video about the calendar

Use the calendar to keep track of upcoming assignments, events, and other due dates.
Find and navigate the calendar
From the global calendar in the list where your name appears, you can see all your upcoming due dates and meetings across your courses—all in one place.
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In your calendar, find this event information:

Office hours. These appointments appear automatically on the calendar when an instructor adds them to a course.
Due dates. Assignment due dates appear automatically on your calendar.

Select Day or Month to zoom in on one day's tasks or plan for the weeks ahead.
Select Due Dates to focus only on your upcoming deadlines.
Select the Calendar Settings icon in the upper-right corner to select the calendars you want to see.
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Create and edit an event

Add events to your personal calendar by selecting Calendar from the list where your name appears. Select the plus sign and add an event title, date, time, and location.

Select the title of an event you added to change its details.

You can move and delete events in your calendar. Drag and drop personal events to change times or delete personal events that aren't needed. You can't delete or move events added by your instructor.
As a student, you can see your tests, assessments, and all your different course grades in several different places.
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To see grades for all your courses at once:
  1. Select grades in the left side menu.
  2. On the global Grades page, your grades are organized by course name and term in alphabetical order.
  3. Select the grade pill next to the course name to view information about your overall grade. Your instructor chooses if the overall grade appears.
  4. Select any title to go to that course's grades, you can select most items in any course to view details.
  5. For assessments select the green pill to access your submission and view more information and feedback from your instructor.
Bb Assist promotes MCCC services in one place for their students to access where and when they need it 24/7. Blackboard Assist is designed to help drive student success by offering information concerning academic, financial, housing, transportation, student life, career readiness, advising and health and wellness services.

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CONTACT US

MercerOnline is staffed Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5 p.m. (EST). If you have any questions regarding distance learning or are in need of technical assistance, there are multiple ways to reach us:

Email – merceronline@mccc.edu (during business and after-hours)
In-Person – SC240 (Student Center) on the West Windsor Campus
Phone – 609.570.3389
IT Help Desk – 609.570.3300