Advanced features: integration with Blackboard Ultra

Version: Kora Courses, October 4, 2023 or later

Permissions required: Faculty

There are several advanced features and troubleshooting options available in the Blackboard Ultra integration.

• Create direct links to specific Digication assignments
• View Blackboard Ultra connection status
• Edit title and maximum grade point of connected Digication assignments  
• View grade sync history
• Blackboard Ultra student preview

Create direct links to specific Digication assignments 

In your Blackboard Ultra course, you can provide students with direct links to specific Digication assignments. These links can be added in the Course Content area.

Adding direct links allows students to go directly to a Digication assignment.

Adding direct links in the Content area

First, create your assignments in Digication. You can create direct links to multiple assignments in one simple step. 

• Once your assignments are created, go to your Blackboard Ultra course and go to the Course Content area (1). Click the plus sign (2).
  
  
  
• Select “Content Market” (3) from the drop-down.
  
  
  
• Select “Digication Assignment Link” (4).
  
  
  
• You’ll see a list of all the assignments that are in your Digication course. Select the checkbox next to the assignment(s) (5) and click “SELECT” (6), or click “Select All” (7) to create direct links for all of your Digication assignments.
  
  
  
• Once the assignment links are added, you’ll see a success message (8). 
  
  
  
• You can close that browser tab/window and refresh the course to see the Digication links (9) that were added to the Course Content area.
  
  
  

View Blackboard Ultra connection status

You can check the status of the Blackboard Ultra connection to Digication in several places:

1. From Grade (1), click “View Blackboard Ultra connection” (2).
   
   
   

• The Blackboard Ultra connection window will show the “Connection Status” (3) and “Grade Sync” (4) status. From this screen, you can disconnect (5) the LMS integration, and enable/disable grade sync (6).
  
  2. From “MY ASSIGNMENTS & ACTIVITIES” (1)in your course or Digication dashboard, click the hamburger menu (2) and select “VIEW Blackboard Ultra CONNECTION” (3). 
  
  
  

• The Blackboard Ultra connection window will show “Connection Status (4) and “Grade Sync” (5) status. From this screen, you can disconnect (6) the LMS integration, and enable/disable grade sync (7). 
  
  
  

Edit title and maximum grade points of connected Digication assignments 

When a Digication assignment is connected to Blackboard Ultra through the gradebook, or as direct links in assignments or modules, the title and the maximum grade points of the Digication assignment are sent to Blackboard Ultra.

Subsequently, if either field is edited in Blackboard Ultra or Digication, the title or the maximum grade points will no longer be the same across the two platforms.

• If there is a mismatch in title or maximum grade points in one of your connected Digication assignments, you will see a red dot (1) in the hamburger menu for that assignment.
  
  
  
• Click the hamburger menu (2) and select “VIEW BLACKBOARD ULTRA CONNECTION” (3).
  
  
  
  
• The connection screen will show that there is a mismatch (4) between the Blackboard Ultra gradebook column and the Digication assignment. Click “UPDATE” (5) to sync the changes to Blackboard Ultra.
  
  
  

Any other changes to your connected Digication assignment will need to be manually updated in Blackboard Ultra. This includes grade release settings.

View grade sync history

If the assignment you are grading has the Blackboard Ultra grade sync enabled, your grade should automatically be sent to Blackboard Ultra after you save the grade. This may take a few seconds after you save the grade. 

• You can confirm that the grade was sent to Blackboard Ultra and view the grade sync history by clicking the HISTORY (1) link.
  
  
  
• If the grade sync fails to send for any reason, you’ll see a red icon (2) that displays the error “Grade failed to send to Blackboard Ultra” (3) in the grading area.
  
• Click “RETRY” (4) to try to send the grade to Blackboard Ultra again.
  
  
  
• You’ll also see an error if you click on HISTORY (5). You can retry sending the grade by clicking the “Retry send grade to Blackboard Ultra” (6) next to the error message “Grade failed to send to Blackboard Ultra” (7).
  
  
  

Blackboard Ultra student preview

Student Preview is not supported in Digication’s Blackboard Ultra integration. If you access the Digication link while in Student Preview, you may receive an error message. This does not indicate that anything is wrong with your course connection.