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Features comparison table for live online student presentations

Collaborate vs Teams for live online student presentations

Note: Teams Meetings is the preferred platform for students in China. Please refer to Advice for students studying in China and staff based in China.

 Item Blackboard Collaborate Teams Meeting
Creating sessions / meetings for live presentations The sessions are created within a Blackboard module.

  • Anyone with the Instructor or Teaching Assistant role in the Blackboard module can set up and edit session settings. Label sessions clearly, so students know which session to join.
  • Students can join sessions from within the module or they can be sent a guest link.
  • You can create a series of separate scheduled sessions for different presentations.
 Teams meetings are created within Outlook or a Teams calendar.

  • The person delivering/leading the session needs to create the Teams meeting. They become the ‘meeting organiser’ and can edit meeting details and settings, invite attendees and download an attendance report during a session.
  • You can create a single meeting and choose to hold students in the ‘Lobby’ until it is their turn to present.
  • You can create a series of separate meetings and invite the required student/s to the meeting appointment.
  • You can copy meeting links and display them in the Blackboard module. If you are using multiple meetings, label them clearly so each student/group knows which one to join for their presentation.
Inviting students
  • Students should join via the Collaborate tool link on their Blackboard course. This option requires a University login.
  • Use the Collaborate ‘guest’ link option with caution. Anyone who has the guest link can join the session.
  • Individuals or Outlook groups can be invited to a meeting when it is set up.
  • When University email addresses are added to a Teams event, an automatic Outlook invitation and calendar event are created.
  • Meeting owner can also copy the meeting link and post it in the Blackboard module.
 Allocating roles
  • Students join with the ‘participant’ role.
  • Blackboard instructors or teaching assistants can change the role of participants during the session, once students have joined. This is necessary if students need to present slides or screen share.
  • It is possible to create a session guest link with a default role (Presenter)
  • By default, all attendees have Presenter permissions in a meeting. To prevent students having Presenter permission the ‘Meeting Options’ must be edited.
  • Presenter permissions can be given to individual invited attendees.
  • Presenter permissions can be edited before and during the meeting.
Restricting access To restrict access to Collaborate, you can run sessions outside of the student Blackboard module. To do this, use your practice course. You can either:

  • Set up separate scheduled sessions for each presentation and manually enrol the required students temporarily.
  • Or send each student the relevant guest link for the session they need to join.

Recommendations:

  • Practice the process of enrolling/removing students before the live presentation day.
  • Inform students in advance that a new temporary module will appear in their My Modules area on Blackboard,
  • or send students a direct link to the Blackboard course so they know where to find the temporary course being used.
  • Invite students using their University email addresses when creating the meeting event.

 

  • Use the settings in Meeting Options to hold those joining the meeting in the lobby.
 Guest access Yes: The Guest link can be used to let anyone join not enrolled in the Blackboard module. For example, an external assessor (students should find and join a session via the Blackboard Module). Yes: Non-University email addresses can be invited to Teams meetings.
Waiting in Lobby No Yes
Screen and file sharing Yes: File sharing – animations are removed from PowerPoint presentations Use Screen sharing to retain animations Yes: Application sharing retains PowerPoint animations
Playing audio and or video during presentation Yes Yes
Sharing files during presentation No: Workaround: links to online file locations, such as OneDrive, can be shared via chat. Yes
Switching presenters Moderator/Presenter can do so within session. Moderator/Presenter can do so within session.
 Simultaneous camera feeds 5 standard with no screen/file sharing, 1 if sharing

25 with Gallery View (moderator only)

 9 standard

49 with Large Gallery View or Together Mode
 Allows multiple presenters Yes Yes
 Virtual backgrounds No Yes
Automatic calendar scheduling No Yes (in Teams and Outlook Calendar)Note: students need to be invited to the appointment to see it in their calendar.
Breakout rooms Yes Yes
Student access without a member of staff Yes

Option 1: All students can access the module ‘open room’ in the Collaborate tool area.

Option 2: Allocate students into Blackboard Groups and switch on the Collaborate tool in the Blackboard Group dashboard, to give access to only those in the group.

 Yes

Option 1: Select ‘bypass lobby’ when creating the meeting.

 

Option 2: Students can create and join their own Teams Meetings.

For considerations and recommendations when making a recording during student presentations see ‘Features comparison for recording of student presentations‘.