Using MS Teams Meeting for live online sessions

Accessibility is fundamental consideration when choosing which online session platform is suitable. 

Live captioning

• Teams Meetings - Automatically generates captions, using AI that allows everyone to view closed captions of what is said.
• Collaborate Ultra - Does not automatically generate captions . There is an option to type captions live during the sessions, This would require an additional person to provide the captions, most likely a professional live captioner. (This facility would need to be funded by the School.)

If you have students that require captions to participate in your session, Teams Meetings is the easiest and most convenient to use. You may need to adjust how you planned to run sessions, if you previously wanted to use Blackboard Collaborate.

Learning more about webinar accessibility

More information about accessibility: How can I make my live online session more accessible?

The following differences in the ability to conduct specific active and peer teaching techniques may influence your decision on which platform to use or how you design your sessions.

• Using Breakout Groups for peer learning. 
• Polling: Blackboard Collaborate has a simple in-built polling tool. This can be useful  for delivering 'on-the-fly' polls during an interactive session and the results of polls run during a session are saved. Teams Meeting allows Microsoft Forms to be added for polling when setting up a meeting.
• Presentation: Teams Meeting provides different options to present and share PowerPoint slides. This includes the ability for students to move between slides independently. In Blackboard Collaborate, PowerPoint slides can be upload directly into the session but any slide animiations are removed. You can use application share instead to present, where animations are required
• Webcams: Teams Meetings allows more simultaneous webcam feeds, which can help your session feel like a classroom.

Once you've chosen your platform:

• Stick with the same tool for all of your sessions. This is to build consistency with your students.
• Other academics teaching on your module should use the same tool for the same types of session.
• Clearly communicate to students which tool is being used and for what purpose,  any equipment or technical requirements and signpost how they can find and access the sessions, (for example, through a link to Blackboard Collaborate in their module or links to Teams Meetings on Blackboard.)