1. Home
  2. Blackboard
  3. Assessment
  4. Student guide: Blackboard Ultra assignment submission

Student guide: Blackboard Ultra assignment submission

This guide will explain how to submit to a Blackboard Ultra assignment submission point, check submitted work and access feedback / grading.

Please also visit the following Blackboard help pages for the most up to date and detailed guidance; Bb Ultra Assignment help pages.

It is the student’s responsibility to check that documents have uploaded properly onto Blackboard Ultra, otherwise penalties for late submission will apply. We strongly advise that you familiarise yourself with this Blackboard Ultra submission guide well in advance of your assignment deadlines.

Ensure a file is not still open on your device when you choose to upload it. If it is open this can result in issues with uploading correctly.

Step 1: Esssential guidance before submitting assignments

Essential guidance
  • Ensure a file is not still open on your device when you choose to upload it. If it is open this can result in issues with uploading correctly.
  • If possible, do not submit work just before any deadline is due. This will ensure you have given yourself enough time to resolve issues / contact the relevant staff contact if you encounter any technical issues or have any queries about the assignment.
  • Ensure you have read all assignment instructions and descriptions, as well as potential additional instructions received via other staff communications (such as via course announcements or accompanying documents).
  • Ensure you submit assignments from a stable internet connection from a laptop / PC. Do not attempt to submit work from a mobile device (browser or via the Bb app).
  • Do not use Internet Explorer. Please see the following help page for further browser guidance; Bb browser guidance.
File format and size
  • Only Word (.doc and .docx) and Acrobat (.pdf) file formats should be used for text based assignments. If you are not using Microsoft Word to create your document then you may need to ‘save as’ and select either the .doc, .docx or .pdf file format as the file type for your document to be saved as.
  • It is good practice to use a concise naming convention for your documents. Keep file names as concise as possible while still being meaningful (there is a maximum limit to file names in Blackboard). Only use dashes (-) or underscores (_) for punctuation. Characters such as ampersands (&) or + signs will cause problems when uploaded, usually resulting in an error. Instead of punctuation, you could capitalise the first letter of each individual word in the file name, this makes file names without spaces easy to read e.g., ThisIsMyFile.doc. Examples of good file names: EssayTitle_draft.doc, myFileNameFINAL.docx, essay-title_final.pdf.
  • You can check and reduce the size of your work. This may be necessary when submitting files to Blackboard.
  • You can check on the size of your existing files by: PC – hover your mouse pointer over a file to see the current file size, or right click on the file and choose properties. Mac – click on a file to select it and use ⌘ + i
  • You can resize images before embedding them into your work. Please access the following links to some quick guides on how to do this with several common applications; Resize using Microsoft Paint, Resize using GIMP (free software), Resize using PIXLR (free online app). You can also reduce PDF file size. Please access the following link for further guidance; reduce PDF file size.
  • File size compression may result in some loss of quality so be careful about compressing too much. It may require a bit of trial and error to get the right balance between file size and quality.

Contact information

If you have a logistical query such as about assignment deadlines / assignment content,  please contact the assignment owner. Owners may include the relevant academic, or the Programme Delivery team (phase1@hyms.ac.uk, phase2@hyms.ac.uk, phase3@hyms.ac.uk), or the Assessments team (exams@hyms.ac.uk for Undergraduate, postgraduate@hyms.ac.uk for Postgraduate). If you have a technical query please contact the Learning Enhancement and Systems team at help@hyms.ac.uk.

Please be aware that submission point settings can vary and this guide does not cover all setting variations. Access to a submission point and to any feedback and grading can also be restricted at certain points of the assignment workflow.

Please also contact the assignment owner if you have any additional accommodations you wish to discuss outside of standard assignment settings / workflows.

Step 2: Access a submission point

Access a submission point
  1. Click on the following link to access HYMS Blackboard Learn Ultra: https://blackboard.hyms.ac.uk
  2. Authentication is via HYMS Microsoft 365 account details. Please access the following link to further guidance: log in to HYMS Blackboard.
    Blackboard sign in page
  3. Upon successfully logging in, you will then be redirected back to the new HYMS Blackboard Learn Ultra homepage. Navigate to the relevant course / organisation (community) area on the new left-hand ultra base navigation menu.Blackboard navigation menu
  4. Search and select the relevant course / organisation from the listed content / by using the search engine.
  5. You can then find your assignment submission points on the course content page, or in folders and learning modules.Bb example submission link

    New assignment notification displayed in the activity stream of the Student's view.You can also access assignments in the activity stream, or in the default calendar if your instructor added due dates.

  6. After you select an assignment, the details & information panel appears. View information such as the due date, number of attempts allowed, the time limit if imposed, and any grading criteria / rubrics.

    Bb example submission link

  7. Click on start an attempt. You will then be directed to the assignment submission page.

Please check in the details and information panel before you start if you will be able to attempt more than once and / or if there is a time limit restriction once you start.

Step 3: Submit an assignment

Submit
  1. From the submission page you can submit your assignment via the submission box. It is not standard practice at HYMS to write any content directly into the submission box.  Please see the image below.Bb example submission box
  2. You can drag and drop files from your computer directly into the submission box.Bb example drag and drop
  3. Select save.Bb example save submission work
  4. You can also click inside the submission box for the editor menu to appear. You can then alternatively select the paperclip attachment icon from the tool bar.Bb example attachment icon in text box
  5. You can then select the correct document from your device. Bb example upload document for submission file search

    Ensure a file is not still open on your device when you choose to upload it. If it is open this can result in issues with uploading correctly.

  6. You can then select save.Bb example save work for submission save field
  7. The document will then appear in the submission box.Bb example assignment on submission page
  8. You can select the delete icon in the top right-hand corner of the submission box if you have selected the wrong document.Bb delete assignment option
  9. When you are happy you have uploaded the correct document. Select to submit from the bottom right-hand corner.                                                                                                Bb submit assignment option

    We do not advise that you save work and return to the submission point later to submit. We advise you complete all steps during one attempt.

  10. You will then be prompted again to submit. Select submit again.Bb submit assignment option
  11. You will then see a success message with a copy of your receipt which you can download as an additional record of submission.Bb assignment submitted success message
Please now proceed to read the next step of this guide –check an assignment has successfully submitted * essential step.

Step 4: Essential step - check your submission

Check submission

It is the student’s responsibility to check they are satisfied with any documents uploaded and that they have submitted correctly. Penalties may apply for incorrect or late submission.

As mentioned in the previous step, at the end of the submission process, a ‘success’ message will appear after you click on the submit button. This indicates successful upload. However, there are additional checks you now need to complete.

  1. Ensure that any uploaded content appears as expected on the submission page after clicking submit. Click on the submission point link again. Then select the attempt submitted.Bb example submitted work link
  2. Then select the submission.Bb example submitted work link
  3. Check the preview / download appears as expected.Bb example student submission page

 

Blackboard converts files uploaded to submission points so they can be viewed online. Depending on the file you submitted, in exceptional circumstances, documents can be rendered incorrectly. 

If content does not preview correctly on the grading page, tutors will download the original file you submitted.  You can check that this file is correct by clicking on the ellipsis icon (three dots) and selecting Download Original File.

  1. Check your submission receipt. Upon successful submission, a receipt is generated and will be sent to your HYMS email account. You can run a general search of your emails if it does not appear as a new email in your inbox. Search for the key words ‘assessment submitted’ or from sender ‘do-not-reply@york.ac.uk <donotreply@blackboard.com>’. Bb example email receipt for submission

Please ensure you check details such as the submission size in the receipt- that this is as expected. In particular, that there has been no error during upload resulting in an issue such as an empty document upload (the submission size would say ‘0 bytes’ if this had occurred).

Step 5: Access feedback and grading

Feedback and grading

When feedback and grading are made available you can access content by following the same steps above for checking on a submission. Click back on the link to the submission point and click on your attempt to see all feedback and grading in the context of the submission page. This is the best way to view all feedback and grading. Please also ensure to check for any feedback speech icons, such as in the image below.Bb feedback and grading

You can also return to the submission page and view all feedback and grading via a link in the activity stream when grading is posted. Students can view their grade by clicking on View my grade on their activity stream. Another route is via the marks option on the homepage menu. Blackboard landing pageOnce you have clicked on marks, click on the relevant course/ select the view all work direct link to that course gradebook. Blackboard Grades view You can then select the relevant submission attempt from the gradebook to view all feedback and grading within the context of your submission. It is also possible to access the gradebook directly from the navigation menu at the top of any course.

If you are a postgraduate student:

If you are a postgraduate student, you will find your marks and grading within the rubric. To find the rubric:

  1. Navigate to the Gradebook in the course.
  2. Select the relevant assignment within the Gradebook. The below image displays what you will see when you have done this. Click View submission.
  3. Once you have selected view submission your submission with the mark will appear as in the image below. Navigate to the ‘rubric’ on the right-hand side of the page.

  1. Once you have selected the rubric option, your marks for each rubric criterion will appear in a column to the right-hand side of the page.

  1. Selecting the downwards pointing arrow will open each section of the rubric and at the top of this column will be your ‘Criterion Feedback’. These are the comments your marker has left for you related to this criterion.

Updated on 11/10/2024

Was this article helpful?

Related Articles