What is Blackboard Collaborate?
Collaborate is a video-conferencing platform used for a variety of scenarios:
- live interactive sessions online
- online seminars and tutorials
- group work
- a meeting space for oral assessment
See this video tour of Collaborate for a quick orientation before meeting peers or lecturers online:
Collaborate is not the only video conferencing tool used at the university (for example, your lecturer may be using Teams Meetings instead). If you are unsure which platform will be used, please enquire with your lecturer or ask a question via the University RISIS portal.
Getting started with Blackboard Collaborate
Gallery view
Unless your lecturer has disabled it, you can make use of the Gallery view, which enables you to see up to 25 participant videos on screen.
Click on the View icon (four squares) top right to switch between views.
Gallery view isn’t currently available in Safari on iOS or iPadOS.
How to access Blackboard Collaborate sessions:
Links to join Collaborate sessions are displayed in your Blackboard module. Contact you lecturer if you cannot locate Collaborate meeting links or are unsure which session link to join.
*you may wish to make a note of session times in your University calendar, as a reminder to login to Blackboard and join your session.
Don’t have access to a laptop of desktop computer?
For the best user experience, it is recommended to use a laptop or desktop computer. However, it is also possible to join from a tablet or module device; Collaborate is supported on these devices and browsers:
- Android: Chrome browser
- iOS 11+: Safari browser
Participating or presenting during a Collaborate sessions
- Chat to others in the room via a mic, on camera and in the chat box (you can send your lecturer a private chat message if needed)
- Use Emojis, Raise your Hand and other in-session feedback options
- Use the Interactive Tools for Whiteboards and Slides
- Participate in Polls
Participating in breakout rooms during a Collaborate session
With breakout rooms in Collaborate, your lecturer can split the class into smaller groups – for example for project work, discussions or shared tasks. Your lecturer will manage the allocation, launching and closing of the groups, and can move between groups to offer support.
- Breakout rooms are not private. Your lecturer, other module instructors or session presenters can join and leave Breakout rooms at any time. They will see chat history when entering a breakout room.
- When participating in a breakout room, you can continue to send your lecturer private chat messages as needed.
How to join a breakout room
- Option 1: Once your lecturer has started the breakout rooms, there will be a short delay and you will be automatically moved into the room.
- Option 2: The lecturer may allow you to move between rooms. Use the door icon, displayed next to the breakout group name, to do so. Your lecturer will inform you when to enter breakout rooms.
Except for ‘recording’, all the features available in the main session space are also available in a breakout room.
How To and Top Tips – a quick guide created by Clinical Language Students as part of the Student Partners project 2020.
Using Collaborate for groupwork, outside of live interactive sessions
Organising a Collaborate Ultra session
- Option 1: Your module instructor (i.e. lecturer) can enable Blackboard groups and switch on Collaborate in the group dashboard. This will allow only group members (and your lecturer or other module instructors) to join the meeting space.
- Option 2: Your module instructor (i.e. lecturer) can switch on an ‘open course room’ that can be accessed by any student or module instructor, at any time.
Accessing Collaborate session recordings
If your Collaborate session was recorded from your Blackboard course, then once the recording has been processed, it will be available from the Collaborate area of that course.
The Blackboard Collaborate Ultra screen
On the left-hand side of your course, click on the Menu button (three dots), and pick the ‘View all recordings’ option:
After ending a session recording, it needs to be processed before it will appear in the list of recordings. Depending on the length of the recording, this can take a little time (e.g. up to a couple of hours).
The default under ‘Show Recent Recordings’ is to show any recordings made in the last week.
To find older recordings, use the filter on the top-right corner of the page and filter by ‘Recent recordings’. You can select ‘Show Recordings In A Range’. You can then specify the start and end dates you want to search.
You can also search for recordings by keyword used in the name given to the recording. Click the ‘Search sessions’ button (magnifying glass icon) in the top right of the page.
Watch a recording
Click the title of a recording or the Watch Now option to open a recording.
The recording loads in a new window. Note: It might take a little while for the recording to load.
Once loaded. Click the Play button to watch the recording.
Note: Only video, audio and whiteboard content is recorded. Chat is not captured in the recording.
If Allow Download Recording has been enabled, anyone with access to the recording can also download recordings when watching it.
To do this, click on the Open Recording Menu button, in the top left of the screen.
Click Download Recording.
Recordings are downloaded as MP4 files.
When playing the recording, controls appear at the bottom of the screen.
Need help? If you need support please use the DTS Self Service Portal to contact us.
Guide last updated on April 29, 2024
