Content Editor

In Blackboard Ultra, the Content Editor is a tool used to create and customize the content you add to various course elements. It allows you to add and format text, embed images and videos, attach files, insert links, create tables, and design rich content. This tool is available wherever text can be added in the course, such as in assignments, discussions, tests, and documents. The Content Editor acts as a WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editor, meaning it shows you exactly how the content will appear to students.

The text editor is consistent across Ultra Blackboard and is the same for both students and instructors.

Font Options

The first four tools from left to right are used to style your font.

  1. Text Style: To visual readers, the text style changes the size of text. To screen readers and assistive technology, text style imparts valuable information about the role the text is playing. When creating documents, use text style instead of size to denote sections of text.
  2. Font: Choose your font. The default Open Sans is an accessible font that is suitable for both print and screen reading.
  3. Font Size: Change the size of text here. The default is 14pt.
  4. Color: Change the color of your text. Colors available all pass accessibility requirements.

Text Options

In the text options, you can alter the appearance of your text.

  1. Bold the selected text.
  2. Italicize the selected text.
  3. Underline the selected text.
  4. Additional text tools including:
  1. Strikethrough.
  2. Superscript.
  3. Subscript.
  4. Code snippet.

Tables, Alignment, and Lists

You can also alter how your text is arranged and sorted using tables, alignment, and lists.

  1. Create or edit table. Cells cannot be merged, nor can the height or width or rows and columns be changed.
  2. Alignment: Align your text left-align, center, right-align. or justify.
  3. Lists: Select this tool to create numbered or bulleted lists, or to change the direction of text and spacing options.
  1. Bulleted list.
  2. Numbered list.
  3. Height line option: single, 1.15, 1.5, double.
  4. Left-to-Right direction.
  5. Right-to-Left direction.

Clearing

The next two tools allow you to un-do actions, and to clear formatting, respectively. Clearing formatting will revert text back to the default font, size, color, and style.

  1. Undo your previous actions.
  2. Clear format to revert text back to the default font, size, color, and style.

Attaching Content

The next three tools allow you to attach external items including links, files, and media.

Links: Link to an external site by entering the site’s URL. The text editor does not recognize links unless you select this tool. To ensure your link is accessible, you should input Link text that describes where the link will lead.

Attach Files: Attach files from your computer (i.e., documents, PDFs, PowerPoints, or images). Once uploaded, you can select whether items are available for download only, view only, or both. Allowing students to view files lets them read the files from the page, without needing to download them.

Add Media: Attach learning resources, such as a math formula editor, online videos, images, and third-party tools available in the Content Market.

What’s Missing?

The text editor does not have some functions that you might be used to. One example is highlighting. You are not able to highlight text in your course. This change is made to keep all content accessible.

Another difference is how we use the HTML editor. You cannot create HTML items via the text editor. Instead, you will have to add HTML via a special HTML editing block.

Additional Resources

Watch this video on how to use the content editor in the Blackboard Ultra course view:

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