March 2026

Blackboard recently announced that Blackboard Original will sunset on December 31, 2026. This means all courses and communities from Spring 2027 onward will automatically be created in the Ultra view. 

But you don’t have to wait until 2027 to experience working in Ultra. In fact, we recommend creating a development course for yourself now to see what your course will look like with the new interface.

Creating a development course 

Copying content into an Ultra course 

We at IMPACT have been reaching out to department chairs and program directors to work on transition plans. But if you have questions about Ultra’s features, please contact Alison (alisonmcguire@gwu.edu) or Laurie (lbl@gwu.edu).

You may have seen postings recently about upcoming changes to the Americans with Disabilities Act as it pertains to universities and digital content accessibility. There is an April 24th deadline for public colleges and universities to ensure that all digital content, including all course material, is fully accessible to everyone regardless of whether there are students with documented needs. This includes: 

• alt text for images
• captions and transcripts for audio and video
• logical heading structures
• color contrast and text readability
• and keyboard navigability

While this legal change does not affect GW as a private institution, it is already GW’s policy. It is also tricky to implement! 

We in IMPACT are always happy to talk with individual faculty and programs about ensuring digital accessibility. Please reach out if you have questions. 

To help instructors who have students with a documented need for accommodations, GW’s Disability Support Services (DSS) hosts instructor drop-in hours weekly from 2:00–4:00 pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays though April 23rd to help instructors navigate the DSS portal and manage accommodation requests. Use the following info to access these drop-in hours:

Zoom Link 

Meeting ID: 970 3353 7530

Passcode: 083101

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