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.
- From the Scheduler, select the session you want to join.
- 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.
- Open the More menu for the course room.
- 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.
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Event details: Basic information required for a session. More on Event Details.
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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.
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Session Settings: Optionally, decide if users can download recordings, share audio or video, post chat messages, and more. More on Session Settings.
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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.
- From the Scheduler find the recurring session.
- Expand the session to see all occurrences.
- Select the Session options menu and select Edit occurrence.
- 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.
- From the content area select Tools and More Tools.
- 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.
- 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.
- In the Class Collaborate tool, select the tool menu. Select Recordings for a list of all recordings.
- In the Class Collaborate tool, recordings are listed below the course room.
Note: The ability to share attendance information with a course is only available in Blackboard Learn. Don’t have Blackboard Learn? You can still view attendance information in the Session Attendance Report.
Let Collaborate take attendance for you. Host a Collaborate session from your Blackboard Learn course without tracking attendance manually.
Attendance reporting is off by default. You must turn attendance reporting on for each session you want to track attendance in.
Attention! Attendance reporting is only available in sessions with an end date and time. You can’t track attendance in your course room.
- Create or edit a session and select the Share attendance information with LMS check box to turn attendance reporting on.
- Optionally, change the late, absent, and time is session thresholds.
- Late after: Attendees who join the session after the number of minutes entered are marked late. By default, attendees are late if they join 6-20 minutes after the scheduled start time.
- Absent after: Attendees who join the session after the number of minutes entered are marked late. By default, attendees are absent if they join the session 21 or more minutes after the scheduled start time.
- Required time in session: Attendees must be in the session for the percentage of time selected, or longer, to be marked present. By default, attendees must be in the session for at least half of the session scheduled time to be marked present.
- Select Save.
Based on the criteria you set, Collaborate tracks if a student is present, late, or absent from a session. Collaborate then sends that information directly to the Attendance page in your Blackboard Learn course.
Attendance from the Collaborate session is counted in each student’s average attendance in the course, which can also be used in calculating student grades.
More on attendance in your Blackboard Learn course
Blackboard Learn Ultra: Access Class Collaborate
Your administrator can add Class Collaborate to your Blackboard Learn courses. You can find Class Collaborate under your course Details & Actions. Next to Class Collaborate, open the More options for Collaborate menu.
From this menu you can get the course room guest link, edit the course room settings, view the course room attendance report, and disable the course room.
You can also view all scheduled sessions and watch recordings.
Note: Collaborate is only visible when the course is available to students. If you don’t see Class Collaborate, you may need to make the course available to students. Contact your institution administrator for more help.
ULTRA: 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.
- From under your course Details & Actions, select Join session.
- Select the session you want to join.
ULTRA: Course room
The Course Room is an open Collaborate session dedicated to your course. This makes it easier for you to use Collaborate with the Ultra experience in your courses. It also provides you and your students a convenient launch point for classes or impromptu meetings.
The room is on by default. The Collaborate camera icon appears in purple to show you and other course members when people are active in the Collaborate room.
Select Join session and Course Room to join the session. This generates a unique link to help the session identify you.
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.
ULTRA: Turn off the course room
To disable the course room, open the More options for Collaborate menu. Select Disable course room to prevent your students and other course members from accessing it. The Join session link changes to say Room disabled. You can re-enable the course room from this same menu.
ULTRA: Add sessions to course content
- From the More options for Collaborate menu, select Manage all sessions.
- Find the session you want and open the Session options menu.
- Copy the session guest link.
- From your Course Content, select Add.
- Select Create and select Link.
- Name the link and paste the session link in the Link URL field.
- Select Save.
ULTRA: View session recordings
You can find your session recordings in the menu. Open the More options for Collaborate menu and select View all recordings.
