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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:

Don’t hesitate to request a web-conference one-on-one with an ID!

 


SRSU BLACKBOARD FACULTY RESOURCES & SUPPORT NEWS – UPDATED FOR WEEK OF April 21st, 2025

SPOTLIGHT ON:SRSU Spring 2025 Virtual Brown Bag / SHSU Online Faculty Forum THIS FRIDAY!

WE’RE SHAKING UP OUR USUAL VIRTUAL BROWN BAG FORMAT! 
This Friday we’ll host our entire SHSU Partnership Faculty Development Team
who will hold an open SRSU faculty forum addressing any and all Bb Ultra questions!
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WHAT: SPRING 2025 VIRTUAL BROWN BAG / FACULTY FORUM EVENT
WHEN: Friday, April 25th, 2025, from Noon to 1:30pm over SHSU Zoom
WHO: SRSU Full-Time, Part-Time, and Adjunct Faculty
HOW: Event Held on SHSU Online Zoom Meeting-

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SUMMER ULTRA COURSES UPDATE: Our Summer 2025 Bb Ultra course shells are available to faculty! If you are current spring 2025 instructor of record and are not seeing your summer 2025 Bb course shells, please let me know at: tim.parsons@sulross.edu

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1) BLACKBOARD ULTRA SUPPORT & “BY APPOINTMENT” ONE-ON-ONE SESSIONS.

-Call/email our SRSU 24/7 Support Desk or your local Blackboard Instructional Designers:
24/7 Online Blackboard Support Desk – email- blackboardsupport@sulross.edu or call- 888.837.6055
SRSU Blackboard Admin & Support Tim Parsons -tim.parsons@sulross.edu
OR for SRSU Graduate Instructors, contact Title V PPOHA Instructional Designer Rachel Carvajal directly at – rcarvajal@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 Summer Courses: 
For a “How-To” on doing this yourself please view the SRSU Blackboard Ultra Fall 24/Spring 25 – 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) SUMMER 2025 DIGITAL EDUCATOR CERTIFICATION COHORT (formerly Online Course Redesign and Faculty Certification) 

The new program has been carefully designed to equip you with the knowledge and tools you need to create dynamic, engaging, and effective online learning experiences in an online,online-live, and hybrid environment. The Digital Educator Certification program will ask more of its attendees, but will provide more practical takeaways, digital teaching competencies, and best practices.
  • Summer Cohort: 06/09/25 – 08/01/25 –20 SRSU seats available! Register Today!
The Program:
-Takes place over 8 weeks this summer in Blackboard Ultra Course View
-Is fully-online, asynchronous, and will work with your teaching schedule
-Involves collaboration and communication with our partnership Instructional Designers.
The Results:
-A better understanding of Blackboard Ultra course design and best practice for teaching in an online, online-live, and hybrid environment.
-A newly redesigned SRSU online course in the Blackboard Ultra Course view that you can start using in fall 2025/spring 2026.
-A TSUS-SRSU certification
SRSU faculty who COMPLETE the program will receive a $500 stipend, and in addition to this reward, faculty will receive 25 professional development hours for the year 2025. | Register Today |
REMINDER: If you have previously successfully completed the Online Course Redesign and Faculty Certification program and have questions on your eligibility to retake this new Digital Educator Certification program, please contact: tim.parsons@sulross.edu .

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ALSO AVAILABLE FOR SUMMER 2025:
USING GENERATIVE AI IN TEACHING & LEARNING COHORT

In this dynamic and innovative course, “AI in Teaching and Learning,” educators will embark on a transformative journey into the realm of artificial intelligence (AI) and its profound impact on the field of education. This course is designed to empower educators with the knowledge and skills to leverage AI technologies effectively in various aspects of teaching and learning.

  • Summer Cohort: 06/23/25 – 08/01/25 (10 SRSU seats available)  Register today!
This 6-week cohort is fully online and asynchronous, so interact with the course and complete activities at a time of day that is convenient for you. Space is limited and this SRSU Summer 2025 AI Certification Cohort will fill up fast!  | Register Today|
For More on AI in SRSU Blackboard, watch this TSUS/SHSU video series:The AI Design Assistant for Blackboard Learn Ultra.

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3) SUMMER 2025 FACULTY DEVELOPMENT SERIES FOR QUALITY MATTERS

Are you looking to improve the quality of your online courses while earning a stipend? We’re excited to announce the Summer 2025 Faculty Development Series for Quality Matters. This program is designed to support faculty in delivering high-quality, engaging online instruction using the nationally recognized Quality Matters (QM) Rubric.

Opportunities include:
Applying Quality Matters Rubric (APPQMR):  Learn best practices for online course design using the QM Rubric.  This two-week asynchronous course will be facilitated by an instructor with Quality Matters.  It is a very fast-paced course and will require you to clear your calendar for two weeks!  To participate in this training, you must have completed the SHSU Course Design Certification.
  • Dates: June 3 – June 17
  • Pre-requisite: Completion of SHSU Course Design Certification Course
  • Stipend: $1,000
QM Self Review 1.0:  Evaluate one of your online courses using the QM Rubric.  This asynchronous self-paced course is open to anyone who completed the APPQMR Training.  It provides you with an opportunity to review one of your own courses so that you can make decisions as to how to improve the course design.  You will be automatically enrolled when you complete the APPQMR training.
  • Dates: Self-paced
  • Pre-requisite: APPQMR Training
  • Stipend: $500
QM Self Review 2.0:  Evaluate a second online course using the QM Rubric.  This asynchronous self-paced course is open to anyone who completed the QM Self-Review 1.0.  You will have the opportunity to review a SECOND course using the QM Rubric!  You will be automatically enrolled when you complete the QM Self-Review 1.0.
  • Dates: Self-paced
  • Pre-requisite: Completion of QM Self Review 1.0
  • Stipend: $250
If you’re interested or have any questions, please contact Dr. Jennifer Haan at jennifer.haan@sulross.edu.
We hope you’ll take some time to participate in this professional development opportunity to improve your online teaching.

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4) UPCOMING 14th ANNUAL DIGITAL EDUCATION SUMMIT – Free Online Conference June 26-27!


We invite you to register and attend #DES25, the 14th Annual Digital Education Summit, hosted by SHSU Online. This year we bring together the Digital Education Summit and TSUS Faculty Development Days for a free, virtual experience covered by a two-day period.
Register, mark your calendars, and join your fellow educators on Thursday and Friday, June 26–27, 2025, to hear from a diverse group of thinkers, doers, education professionals, and faculty peers in a series of engaging and informative breakout sessions.

Why Attend #DES25?

  • Actionable Strategies: Get inspired by plans of action that are practical, concrete, and ready for implementation to promote student success.
  • Networking Opportunities: #DES25 is the perfect opportunity to connect and learn from experienced professionals in the field of digital education.
  • Whether you’re new to online education or a seasoned expert, you’ll leave with effective strategies and proven methods for increasing engagement in a digital environment.

Register today!

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5) 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:

-Bb Ultra Quickstart Guides, Blackboard Ultra Help from A-Z, Bb Ultra Roadmap (when new Ultra tools & features will appear)
–SHSU Online Webinar Recordings – In the “Ultra Webinar Recordings” folder you’ll find the latest recorded SHSU Online Ultra webinars such as:
• Blackboard Ultra Instructor Bootcamp
• Grading in Blackboard Ultra
• Adding Content and Activities to Ultra Courses
• Blackboard Ultra Course View: Tips & Tricks
• Blackboard Collaborate Ultra
NEW – SRSU Only– Mastering Bb Gradebook for Faculty Sucess 
NEW – Spicing Up Your Blackboard Course with Images & Multimedia
NEW –All Ultra 5-Pack Webinars (a master class in making the transition to Bb Ultra w/a bonus 6th webinar)
NEW – Bb Ultra AI Tools – 2025 Webinar Recordings folder

… 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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6) ALSO: SRSU Blackboard Ultra Student Support / Orientation Org site is available for all students!
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 spring 2025 Blackboard Ultra course shells!**

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7) BLACKBOARD SPRING/SUMMER 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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SPRING 16-WEEK TERM – SRSU2025SPRG – Blackboard courses automatically opened on the first-class day (01/15/2025) and will automatically close a week after the final class day (05/07/2025) on 05/14/2025.
SPRING 1st 8-WEEKS TERM – SRSU2025SPRG10 – Blackboard courses automatically opened on the 1st-8-week first class day (01/15/2025) and will automatically close a week after the final class day (03/07/2025) on 03/14/2025.
SPRING 2nd 8-WEEKS TERM – SRSU2025SPRG11– 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 (05/07/2025) on 05/14/2025.

FULL SUMM TERM – SRSU2025SUMM1 – Full summer session Blackboard courses automatically opened on the first class day (05/28/2025) and will automatically close a week after the final class day (08/13/2025) on 08/20/2025.
SUMM 1 TERM – SRSU2025SUMM4 – 1st summer session Blackboard courses automatically opened on the first class day (05/28/2025) and will automatically close a week after the final class day (07/02/2025) on 07/09/2025.
SUMM 2 TERM – SRSU2025SUMM6 – 2nd summer session Blackboard courses automatically opened on the first class day (07/07/2025) and will automatically close a week after the final class day (08/13/2025) on 08/20/2025.

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TO REQUEST A DIFFERENT AUTOMATIC CLOSING DATE FOR YOUR 16-WEEK AND  2nd 8-WEEKS SPRING COURSES (or opening date for your summer courses): Simply contact your Blackboard support at blackboardsupport@sulross.edu and make a close date change request.
If you are the instructor of record for a Spring 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

    • BAB 104
    • PO Box C-106
    • Alpine TX 79832
  • 432-837-8524 | 432-837-8525

Quick Links