Why can't I create more than 2 levels of folders in an Ultra course?

Designed for mobility, Ultra supports a condensed hierarchy for content nesting on the main course content page. Student preference and support were the primary purpose for Blackboard to reduce the number of folders that can be nested from unlimited in Original to two in Ultra. Many faculty adopted the streamlined approach to redesign and organize their courses for efficient access.

Two levels of folders, however, could be somewhat limiting for certain types of courses and organizations. Beginning in mid-March 2024, Ultra will support an additional level of nested folders to faculty as they develop and teach their Ultra courses. The top level applies to either learning modules or folders, and within this top level, two additional levels are then supported. This change aims to provide faculty with greater flexibility in organizing course materials, especially for complex topics that require a more hierarchical content structure. Read more on myUMBC.

Faculty can create two levels of folders in an Ultra course to organize content. After you already have two levels of folders, you cannot: 1) create a third level sub-folder within the second-level folder, or 2) upload a folder into the second-level folder. Content that is imported or converted will be bumped out of its Original structure and raised to the second-level folder.

Benefits of the New Ultra Folder Structure

Students won't get lost looking for materials, and your content is easier to manage.
Students can navigate easier on smaller screens (e.g., tablets, smartphones) when they don't have to search for materials.

Comparing Original & Ultra folder structure

UNKNOWN ATTACHMENT

In the Original course, folders can be nested in many layers. In the Ultra course, however, the Level 3 and Level 4 folders are pushed up to Level 2 and renamed using the breadcrumb trail in Original.

COURSE DESIGN TIP

The Course Menu in an Original Course, located on the left sidebar, becomes the Course Content area in Ultra, located in the center page, where you build and manage your course resources. Therefore any content on that Original Course menu – Start Here, Syllabus, Course Materials – becomes a top level folder in an Ultra Course.

What does this mean? If you started building content within Course Materials in your Original Course, we now have another layer to consider.

UNKNOWN ATTACHMENT

will produce Folder 1A/Labs/Lab 1 in an Ultra course.

To avoid this extra layer, create your content from the course menu. You can also use the Document in an Ultra course to present folder-type content with attachments and links in a clean, attractive and organized way.

TIP: Add folder descriptions to help students understand what content you have included in them.

Need more help preparing your course for Ultra? Visit the Ultra Course Adoption Center.

Related Resources

Ultra Adoption - Inventory Assessment Form
This form is designed to help Instructional Technology staff align your course needs with the current features and functionality of the Ultra Course View.

Ultra Course Adoption Checklist
Clicking this link will make a copy of the spreadsheet to your UMBC Google Drive.

Blackboard Feature & Tool Feedback Survey
Instructional Technology would like your feedback on the current suite of Blackboard tools and features. Your response is anonymous.

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