MySCU Transition

MySCU Transition includes resources supporting the transition to Blackboard Ultra learning environment at SCU

MySCU Transition Project

The MySCU Transformation Project is an exciting university-wide project that will positively impact students, academics, general staff, technology teams, student support teams, and teaching and learning teams by enhancing our digital environment. This is a staged project that commences with the shift to Blackboard Ultra Base Navigation which replaces the MySCU homepage and gives staff and students immediate access to the most important features of MySCU in one location. Learning sites will not be affected by this initial upgrade. The project will then commence preparation to shift Blackboard classic learning sites (our current state) to Ultra Learning Sites (future state).

The project will provide the opportunity to uplift and consolidate our digital learning environment. This will support and allow the development of innovative learning sites with enhanced unit and course design, enhanced engagement activity, and additional student support capacity and connectivity.

The move from Classic to Ultra has several key benefits for the user:

Teaching and learning teams can create contemporary learning experiences that leverage greater functionality with a modern user interface of Ultra and the introduction of a new suite of tools.
The ability to utilise emergent AI tools to support unit design and development.
Mobile-friendly design that enables students and staff to access Ultra sites on mobile devices.
Simplified navigation that reduces the number of clicks within ultra units.
Utilising a standardised platform functionality along with a simplified home page.
Greater ongoing capability with Ultra with the seamless release of additional new tools and functionality.

The MySCU Transition project aligns with the following imperatives documented in the SCU Strategic Plan.

Priority 1 - Education & student experience

Create outstanding student outcomes through our revolutionary Southern Cross Model and a seamless student journey.

This project will contribute to enhancing the quality of student experiences and help to achieve learning outcomes by delivering a solution that will ensure the Learning Management System is scalable, supported and up to date with the latest innovations available. This baseline provides a solid foundation for SCU to further develop the work undertaken in transitioning the organisation to the 6x6 block model and better align the underlying platform to support future development.

Priority 6 – Digital Transformation

Transform our digital and analytics capabilities to deliver outstanding digital experiences.

Moving to a cloud-based solution will reduce the time for feature releases and bug fixes and minimise service disruption through a regular monthly release cycle. The cloud-based system will also allow for scalability to cope with short-term spikes in peak loads and keep SCU up to date with advances in artificial intelligence.

The First Change

The first change in the project, that is visible to staff and students, is the move from “Classic Navigation” to “Universal Base Navigation”. This change provides the underlying technical enhancements required to transition from “Classic Units” to “Ultra Units”.

This upgrade will result in the enhancement of the MySCU homepage with a modern, simple, accessible design that is fully responsive for different devices.

The simplified menu on the left-hand side of the screen gives staff and students immediate access to the most important features of MySCU.

The new page went live on April 27th.

The Updated Menu

	MySCU Home has links to services and helpful information and is where new features in Blackboard can be found, and alerts for upcoming system maintenance. There is a search bar for the SCU website. Staff and students will see different customised content.
	My Profile page allows you to add a profile picture and personal information, change your privacy settings and customise the notifications you want to receive in the Activity Stream.
	An Activity Stream shows personalised upcoming and recent activity across all of the Learning Sites and Information Sites you are enrolled in. This can be a due date for an assignment, an announcement, or newly uploaded learning materials. You can jump directly into a site from an item listed in the Activity Stream.
	The Learning Sites have been designed to make navigating and finding your Units easier. They are listed by Terms and can be searched, filtered, and displayed in different ways.
	Information Sites will display those sites you are enrolled in and have greater prominence by being part of the main menu.
	Calendar shows all Learning Sites, Information Sites, institution, personal events and due dates in one place, and is two-way synchronised with external calendars.
	Grades shows in one place, across all your Learning Sites, what needs grading, grades that are ready to be posted, and the average course grade. Start grading with just one click.
	The Library page gives you quick access to Library services without having to leave MySCU.
	Tools provide access to tools that live outside your Learning Sites, like portfolios, your Content Collection files, and third-party tools.

Ultra Base Navigation Walkthrough

Universal Base Navigation process provides a clean and contemporary interface to enhance the navigation for staff and students.
For a more detailed preview of the changes the videos below provide a walkthrough of the new navigation showcasing the improvements to the staff and student views.