Blackboard Learn Original: Access Class Collaborate

Your administrator can add Class Collaborate to your Blackboard Learn courses. You can find Class Collaborate in your Course Tools.

You have both a dedicated course room and the ability to schedule as many new sessions as you want.

Doesn’t seem familiar? Jump to the “Learn Ultra” help about finding Class Collaborate from your course.

---

Filter and search for sessions

You can filter the list of sessions that appear by all upcoming sessions, all previous sessions, and sessions in a date range. Use the filter to help you find the session you are looking for.

If you know the name of the session you are looking for, select Search Sessions and type the session name.

---

Join sessions

In Class Collaborate a unique session link is generated to help each session identify you. Each link is associated with an individual session and a specific user in that session. This means that the link only works for you in that moment. You are not able to use the link to join session again or share your link with another user. Session links expire after 5 minutes.

If offered by your institution, you can use the telephony feature to communicate with other users. To learn more, see Join by Collaborate Teleconference.

1. From the Scheduler, select the session you want to join.
2. Select Join session.
   

---

View your course while in a session

Collaborate sessions open in a new window or tab depending on your browser settings. Go to the course tab or window, if you want to view the course content during a session.

---

Course Room

The course room is an open session dedicated to your course.

This makes it easier for you to use Collaborate in your courses. It also provides you and your students a convenient launch point for classes or impromptu meetings.

Note: The course room is on by default but can be turned off. To learn more, see Turn off the course room.

Not sure where to find Class Collaborate in your course? Jump to Join Sessions and select your LMS.

Select the session name or Session options menu to join the session. This opens a panel with the information to you need to join the session:

• Join Session link associated with your account. Select this to open the session. Each link is unique to an individual session and a user in that session. This means that the link only works for you in that session. You are not able to use the link to join session again or share your link with another user. Session links expire after 5 minutes.
• Dial in information, if available

---

Turn off the dedicated course room

If you don’t want students to view or join the open course room session, you can turn it off.

1. Open the More menu for the course room.
2. Select Lock course room.

When the course room is disabled no one, including the instructor, can join it.

Note: If you don’t see or can’t open the Course Room, your administrator has turned it off.

---

Can my students use the room without me?

Yes, the room is on until you turn it off. To learn more, see Turn off the course room. 

---

Why create new sessions if I have a course room?

There are a number of reasons you may want to create scheduled sessions when you have a course room. Two examples are:

• Supervised sessions: When the course room is unlocked anyone can join the session at any time. Instructors don’t have to be present for students to join the session. If you don’t want students to join a session unsupervised, lock the course room and create scheduled sessions.
• Multiple sessions at once: If you want to run multiple sessions at the same time for students to use as virtual study room, for example, you can create multiple sessions for the different groups to join.

---

Create and edit sessions

From the Scheduler sessions list, select Create Session. The Create session panel is organized by tabs.

The tabs you see depend on if you create sessions from inside your course or not. Only event details are required to create the session. The other tabs are optional.

• Event details: Basic information required for a session. More on Event Details.
• Invitations: Optionally, send email invitations to specific attendees. More on Invitations.
  • Note: This feature is only available from the Scheduler web page. You can’t send invitations from inside LMS courses.
• Session Settings: Optionally, decide if users can download recordings, share audio or video, post chat messages, and more. More on Session Settings.
• Attendance Reporting: Optionally, share session attendance data to your Blackboard Learn course. More on Attendance Reporting.
  • Note: This feature is only available in Blackboard Learn.

---

Event Details

Event details include the name, date, and time of a session. Decide if the session is open ended or recurring.

Note: Sessions that last longer than 12 hours are disconnected. Recordings also limited to 8 hours.

Make the name something meaningful for your attendees so they know what the session is for.

Note: Collaborate uses your computer’s local time zone for session start and end times.

You can also allow guest access from the Event Details tab.

Edit recurring sessions

Recurring sessions are based on the first session in the series. To change the time of the whole series, make the update in the first occurrence. You can also update individual occurrences.

1. From the Scheduler find the recurring session.
2. Expand the session to see all occurrences.
3. Select the Session options menu and select Edit occurrence.
4. Edit the occurrence and save.
   

Sessions that run for very long are automatically disconnected

By default, sessions that last longer than 12 hours are disconnected. While sessions can be scheduled for any length of time including no end date, it’s unusual that anyone stays in the session for more than 12 hours at a time. We assume it is unintended and disconnect the room. Attendees can rejoin the session, if they need.

---

Guest access

Guests are attendees who don’t need to sign into the session or be enrolled in your course to join the session. Guests don’t require authentication.

When you allow guest access, a guest link is available for the session. This link is a public link that can be used and shared by anyone who has it. Anyone with the guest link can join the session.

Guest access is off by default to limit access to authenticated attendees. If you want to keep your session secure, don’t use guest links.

More on session security

After you allow guest access, choose a role for your guests based on the permissions you want to give them. Make sure you understand the different roles and their permissions before assigning them to guests.

More on roles and permissions

If you allow attendees to teleconference into your session, anonymous dial-in information is also available. As with guest links, anybody who has the dial-in information can use it. You also won’t know who the attendee is as they’ll be anonymous. If you want to keep your session secure, don’t share the anonymous dial-in information. Attendees can still teleconference but with dial-in information that authenticates them.

More on Collaborate teleconference

Remove guest access

If you allow guest access and change your mind later, clear the Guest access check box in the session’s Event Details tab. Any guest links that were previously shared will no longer work. The session is still active but the guest link is broken. Attendees will need to join from your course or email invitation.

If you are using the Class Collaborate tool, you can add Class Collaborate directly to your course content.

1. From the content area select Tools and More Tools.
2. Select Class Collaborate. By default the link name is Class Collaborate.
   • Tip: When you add Class Collaborate to your course content, it links to the tool, not a specific session. Help your students find the session you want them to join. Tell them the session name in the link name or content editor.
3. Select Submit.

If you are using the Class Collaborate tool, go to Class Collaborate in Course Tools. Use the date restriction options in Add Link to Course to add sessions to your course. Choose when and how long you want the session to appear in a content area.

Tip: Add reminders for your sessions so nobody misses them. 

---

Group sessions

Improve critical thinking, problem solving, adaptability, and communication with group sessions. There are different ways you can set up group sessions.

• Breakout groups: Use breakout groups during a session for in the moment group collaboration.
• Multiple sessions: Create multiple sessions. If you want to run multiple sessions at the same time for students to use as virtual study room, for example, you can create multiple sessions for the different groups to join.
• Course group tool: If it’s for long term group work, create groups in your course and give access to a Collaborate session.

More on creating groups in your Blackboard Learn course

---

View session recordings

Record your sessions so that your students can access presentations whenever they need them.

Recorded sessions are saved as MP4s. Recordings include audio, any content shared or active speaker video, and the captions entered during the live session.

If you want users to download the recordings, you must allow session recording downloads for each session. Open a session’s Session Settings and check Allow download recording. Any recordings made in this session can be downloaded while downloads are allowed.