Ultra Base Navigation


From the base navigation, you can:

  • Access your profile
  • View institution information
  • View recent activity
  • Enter a course
  • View organizations
  • View and respond to messages
  • View grades
  • Access additional tools

The base navigation is always available to you, no matter where you are within the Learn site. You can move back to this location at any time by simply clicking the base navigation, and all other layers will close (even if they have a close button). 



Watch Video on How to Navigate the Site


In this video, we will explore the overall navigational components of the Ultra experience in Learn, and the responsive design functionality of the platform. Select Play to begin watching.



Introduction to Activity Stream


Once logged into the system, you can choose  Activity Stream. Here you will receive real-time notifications of new activity in all courses in which you are enrolled, any messages that have been sent to you, grades/submissions, announcements, and important messages from your institution. The Activity Stream allows you to see activity since the last time you logged in, upcoming events, and other information relevant to you. The content that displays in the Activity Stream is grouped into categories to make the list easier to scan: important, upcoming, today, and recent.


The Activity Stream allows you to complete various actions, such as:

  • Select a stream item to go directly to the relevant piece of content or activity. For example, you can view items  which the instructor recently graded.
  • View alert-based iconography and visual treatment depending on the urgency of the event.
  • Track items as new or viewed.
  • Receive notifications of new messages.
  • Filter the stream based on the information you would like to see.
  • Control the types of notifications you receive.

The Stream Filters and Stream Settings


You can filter your stream to control the types of notifications you see and you can change the settings to control the types of notifications you review in the stream. On the Activity Stream page, you will see the Filter By drop-down menu and Stream Settings icon. Find these features in the image below.


Filtering the Stream


Depending on the number of courses you are enrolled into, you might want to filter the Activity Stream. As a student, you can filter by:

  • Assignments and tests
  • Grades and feedback
  • Messages


Introduction to Courses


The Courses page allows you to view courses in which you are enrolled, view high-level course information, and access your courses. The courses appear on the Course Timeline and you can use the Filter By drop-down menu to filter them.



The Course Timeline


The Courses interface displays a course timeline showing past, present, and future courses. Your institution controls how these categories will display and the titles you will see. The Course Timeline includes arrows for navigating through the sequence of courses. 


Filtering Courses


The course filters allow you to further narrow down course results. Simply click the Filter By drop-down menu. As a student you can filter by:

  • Courses I am taking: Use this to filter courses that you are currently taking.
  • Open courses: Open courses are ones that are available for you to access.
  • Completed courses: Use to view courses that are marked as completed.  Previous courses you have completed can be accessed to review content only.

Course Navigation


After you enter a course, use the main menu to navigate throughout the course.



Breadcrumb Navigation


Blackboard creates a "breadcrumb" navigation when accessing items through Content. For example, if you navigate to Content -> Week 1 folder -> Week 1 Assignment, you have the option to use the breadcrumb navigation at the top of your screen to go back to the Week 1 folder instead of jumping all the way back to Content.