The SRSU Blackboard Online Support Desk is where faculty can direct all your Blackboard questions or requests. For instance, if you are the instructor of record for a Blackboard courses and need to add a TA, GA, or additional instructor to your course(s), merge course sections, need help with course copying content, need help with using a Blackboard feature in your course (such as Collaborate Ultra), etc., contact the Online Support Desk.
The Blackboard technical support desk is open 24 hours a day/7 days a week for your convenience. To reach the support desk:
- By calling 888.837.6055
- Via email blackboardsupport@sulross.edu
Don’t hesitate to request a web-conference one-on-one with an ID!
SRSU BLACKBOARD FACULTY RESOURCES & SUPPORT NEWS – UPDATED FOR WEEK OF Nov 10th, 2025
SPOTLIGHT ON: SRSU Fall 2025 Virtual Brown Bag / SHSU Online Town Hall & Faculty Forum!
For this virtual brown bag, we’ll start with our usual SRSU updates, then our SHSU Partnership Faculty Development team will hold an open SRSU faculty forum where you can bring any Bb Ultra / AI questions you have! Finally, there will be opportunities to explore specific topics in smaller groups covering the Bb Ultra AI design assistant, general AI in Real Life topics AND Title II Accessibility for Bb courses!
Pre-Submit Questions Here for the SHSU Online IDs to Address at the Virtual Faculty Forum!
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WHAT: Fall 2025 All Campuses VIRTUAL Brown Bag / Town Hall Event for all SRSU Instructors!
WHEN: This Friday, November 14th, 2025, from Noon to 1:30pm over SHSU Zoom
WHO: SRSU Full-Time, Part-Time, and Adjunct Faculty
HOW: **An RSVP invitation and Zoom link for the event will be sent out this week!**
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———— WEEKLY SRSU FACULTY BLACKBOARD NEWSLETTER————
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1) BLACKBOARD ULTRA SUPPORT & “BY APPOINTMENT” ONE-ON-ONE SESSIONS.
SRSU Blackboard Admin & Support Tim Parsons -tim.parsons@sulross.edu
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-ALSO AVAILABLE TO ALL SRSU FACULTY- Digital Teaching How-to By Appointment
If you can’t make the times for some of our Digital Teaching Webinars or don’t see what you want listed in our offerings, why not sign up for a “By Appointment” session with an Instructional Development team member? Use our convenient form and let us know what you’d like to go over and when you have availability. Schedule By Appointment sessions for yourself, your program, or even your entire department!
Register for a By Appointment session TODAY for:
- Migrating old content to Bb Ultra
- Course Design
- Plan/Design Your Program
- Technology Integration
- Accessibility
- Much more!
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-For Course Content Copying into Spring Courses:
For a “How-To” on doing this yourself please view the SRSU Blackboard Ultra Fall 2024 – Fall 2025 – Quickstart and Overview Video.
Ultra course copy topic covered by video timecode: 56:50 to End min – Course Copying into your Summer Ultra Bb Shell
blackboardsupport@sulross.edu can ALSO assist in course-copying content into your summer semester course shells from a previous Bb courses!
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2) REGISTER NOW @ SHSU Online – FINAL NOVEMBER BLACKBOARD ULTRA & DIGITAL TEACHING WEBINARS
All November digital teaching webinars are now available for free registration
-11/11 @ 1pm – Title II Accessibility: What it means for my Blackboard Course(s)
–11/12 @ 2pm – Student Engagement in Large(r) Online Classes 🆕
-11/18 @ 2pm – Office Hours: Copying & Prepping Your Courses for Next Term 🆕
-11/20 @ 2pm – Gradebook Lab: Hands-On with Blackboard Ultra 🆕
USE THIS LINK TO REGISTER FOR FREE NOVEMBER WEBINARS!
NOVEMBER SPOTLIGHT WEBINARS:
Title II Accessibility: What it means for your Blackboard Course(s)
This session focuses on making digital courses inclusive and easy to navigate for all learners by applying accessibility best practices in Blackboard Ultra and Kaltura. It covers why accessibility matters (equity, legal compliance, universal design), introduces the POUR framework (Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, Robust), and provides practical “quick wins” such as using proper headings, alt text, captions, and color contrast. Participants learn how to create accessible documents, media, and assessments, leverage built-in tools like Blackboard Ally, and implement sustainable habits for ongoing improvement.
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Student Engagement in Large(r) Online Classes
Teaching a large online class for the first time or returning to one can feel overwhelming. This session will help you rethink how to scale your content, assessments, and interactions to keep students engaged and learning effectively. Learn practical strategies to manage larger sections, foster meaningful participation, and design activities that work at scale while maintaining quality and connection.
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Office Hours: Copying & Prepping Your Courses for Next Term
Join our Faculty Development Team during office hours to get hands-on guidance copying your courses and prepping them for the next term. Learn tips and best practices to save time and start the term smoothly.
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Gradebook Lab: Hands-On with Blackboard Ultra
Wrap up the term with confidence! Learn how to manage grades, provide final feedback, and complete your Gradebook in Blackboard Ultra with ease. Partner with a Faculty Development Team expert to finalize your Gradebook quickly and confidently.
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If you missed any of the free webinars over the spring/summer so far, visit the SRSU Faculty Central “Teaching Online with Blackboard” Organization Site to find webinar recordings and slide decks / resources (SEE: #3 Below)
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3) ULTRA WEBINAR RECORDINGS AVAILABLE in the Faculty Central “Teaching Online with Blackboard” Organization Site
To access our Faculty Central “Teaching Online with Blackboard” instructor resource site within Blackboard:
Choose the “Teaching Online with Blackboard” link in your “SRSU Faculty Central” module on the institutional landing page.
Inside the ToWB site you’ll find:
NEW – Effective Assessment in the Age of AI
NEW – Insightful Grading & Feedback (NEW)
… and so much more in the new SRSU “Teaching Online with Blackboard” instructor resource site!
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Videos on new Ultra features – A new YouTube video playlist has been put together by SHSU Online covering significant new Bb Ultra features this past fall including a new Content Designer for Ultra documents, as well as another great new feature, the ability to Convert a File into a content block in an Ultra document.
To see the whole playlist of episodes: New Features For Ultra in Fall 2024 – Highlights
For More on AI in Blackboard, watch this TSUS/SHSU video series: The AI Design Assistant for Blackboard Learn Ultra
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Students can access their SRSU Blackboard Student Support / Orientation site within Blackboard from the SRSU landing page:
Choose the “SRSU Student Central – Blackboard Student Support / Orientation” link in the “SRSU Student Central” module at the top of our landing page.
**A Blackboard Student Support Orientation site link has been added to all fall 2025 Blackboard Ultra course shells!**
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5) BLACKBOARD FALL 2025 COURSE INFORMATION & SUPPORT INFO:
2025 Blackboard course shells are set to automatically become available to students on their first official class day and are set to automatically become unavailable to students a week after the final official class day.
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FALL 16-WEEK TERM – SRSU2025FALL – Full fall session Blackboard courses will automatically open on the first class day (08/25/2025) and will automatically close a week+ after the final class day (12/10/2025) on 12/19/2025.
FALL 1st 8-WEEK TERM – SRSU2025FALL10 – Fall 1st 8-week Blackboard courses will automatically open on the first-class day (08/25/2025) and will automatically close a week after the 1st 8-weeks final class day (10/17/2025) on 10/24/2025.
FALL 2nd 8-WEEK TERM – SRSU2025FALL11 – Fall 2nd 8-week Blackboard courses will automatically open on the 2nd-8-week first class day (10/20/2025) and will automatically close a week+ after the 2nd 8-week final class day (12/10/2025) on 12/19/2025
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SPRING 16-WEEK TERM – SRSU2026SPRG – Blackboard courses will automatically open on the first-class day (01/14/2026) and will automatically close a week+ after the final class day (05/06/2026) on 05/15/2026.
SPRING 1st 8-WEEKS TERM – SRSU2026SPRG10 – Blackboard courses automatically opened on the 1st-8-week first class day (01/14/2026) and will automatically close a week after the final class day (03/06/2025) on 03/13/2026.
SPRING 2nd 8-WEEKS TERM – SRSU2026SPRG11- Blackboard courses will automatically open on the 2nd 8-weeks first class day (03/10/2025) and will automatically close a week+ after the final class day (05/06/2025) on 05/15/2026.
TO REQUEST A DIFFERENT AUTOMATIC OPENING /CLOSING DATE FOR YOUR 16-WEEK AND 2nd 8-WEEKS COURSES: Simply contact your Blackboard support at blackboardsupport@sulross.edu and make an open/close date change request.
If you are the instructor of record for a fall 2025 Blackboard course and you need to add a TA, GA, or additional instructor to a course, need to have course sections consolidated, course copied, converted to Ultra, etc. you may request this by contacting our 24/7 Online Blackboard Support Desk at: email- blackboardsupport@sulross.edu or call- 888.837.6055 anytime, 24/7!
Don’t hesitate to request a web-conference one-on-one with an ID!
You may also email your SRSU Team of Blackboard Instructional Designers directly:
Tim Parsons – tim.parsons@sulross.edu
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SRSU Nursing Program Faculty Support
Angela McGuyer – mmj20ew@sulross.edu
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Title V PPOHA – Accelerating Access and Opportunity in West Texas – Faculty Support
Rachel Carvajal – rachel.carvajal@sulross.edu
More SRSU faculty and student support resources may be found at ourSRSU Blackboard webpage
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The following are popular faculty resource links. More information can be found by accessing your SRSU Teaching Online With Blackboard (TOWB) site within Blackboard (see above).
| Content | Manage Course | Training Resources |
Academic Affairs / Instructional Services
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- BAB 104
- PO Box C-106
- Alpine TX 79832
- 432-837-8524 | 432-837-8525