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Blackboard Collaborate (for Instructors) Last Updated September 6, 2013

Blackboard Support Office, Library 321, 202-885-3904

Blackboard Collaborate is a web-conferencing tool accessed through Blackboard. It is

similar to other products like Skype or Google Hangout, except that it can host up to about 400

people in one session at a time. It works on Macs, PCs, and mobile devices (iOS and Android).

Creating a Course

To access Blackboard Collaborate, go to a specific course and click on Tools (or Course

Tools in the Control Panel) and then Blackboard Collaborate. You should see the scheduling

manager:

Next, click on Create Session and go through the settings. Most can be left on the

defaults, but you will need to change the time window for when the session will be available,

otherwise it will only show up for the next three hours:

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One important note is that Collaborate is very touchy about your session starting in the

future. If the time is 2:27, and the session is set to start at 2:30, it might not let you schedule the

session because it is not far enough into the future. Setting the start time at least 15 minutes into

the future can resolve this issue (if you want to enter the session immediately, you can schedule

it up to an hour from now as long as the EARLY SESSION ENTRY time is 1 hour, as in the

image above). Occasionally evening changing the start time will not work (after unsuccessfully

trying to schedule a session). If the problem persists you will need to start over and create a new

session.

Once your session has been created it will show up in your course list. All you need to do

is click on the link for the Collaborate session and then follow the prompts to open the session:

When you click on the link it will download a file called a JNLP file, which will launch

the session once opened. Some browsers do this automatically, while some will require you to

double-click the download. If you do not see the JNLP you will need to open up the folder that

your browser downloads to, and then double click the file once you have found it.

In Chrome it will also ask you if you want to keep the file. Make sure to press KEEP, and

then the file will download.

Some users prefer Firefox since it handles JNLP file with less intervention from users,

but any browser should work.

If the session fails to launch, it is probably because Java on your computer is not up to

date (you can update or install Java from java.com). Make sure it is up to date and then try again.

If it still does not work you can contact us at 202-885-3904, or blackboard@american.edu

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Navigating Collaborate

Once a Black board Collaborate session launches, it should look like this:

While there are many features, as the instructor the main features you will need to

remember are the load content button, the Whiteboard button, the screen-sharing button, the

website sharing button, the talk button, and the record button. Below is an overview.

The load content button is located at the top right of the page. Click it to upload a

PowerPoint, image, audio, or video file up to your session. Please note that once you leave the

session these files will not be saved into the session. To do so you will need to save the files

during session set up in Blackboard, under the SHARING tab. PowerPoints need to be converted

into Whiteboard files, by clicking FILE > SAVE > WHITEBOARD before they can be added.

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If you would like to share any other types of files, such as PDFs, you can also press the

load content button, but the difference is that it will give you a message that this file cannot be

uploaded to the session, but that you can share it with others in the course. This will send the file

to everyone’s computer and give them an option to save it.

The Whiteboard button is kind of like a home button. It is located at the top of the page,

towards the left, and is on the left of a group of three buttons. You usually use it after having

used the screen share button or share website button (explained below), in order to get back to

the main page of your session (or to a PowerPoint, if you had uploaded one).

The screen share button is in the middle of this same group of buttons. It can be used to

share your desktop with others, have students follow along as you page through a document, or

demonstrate how an application on your computer works. Note that it is not suited for sharing

video because it only refreshes a few times a second. After sharing the screen, you can click on

the whiteboard button to get back to your session.

The share website button is relatively straightforward. Click on it and type in the address

of a site you want to send everyone to. Everyone will be taken to that site. Once you are there, if

you scroll up and down nothing will happen for others, but if you click on a link, it will take

everyone there. Once again, to get back to your session or PowerPoint, click on the whiteboard

button.

The talk button is located under the webcam window. While it may sound unnecessary

to mention it, many people forget it because this is different from programs like Skype, which

automatically have talk activated. In Collaborate that would not work in situations where you

have something like 30 people in a course with talk activated, and thus background noise from

30 people. Note, there is also a video button if you want to share your webcam video. If there are

problems with your microphone or webcam not working, click on the little icons on the top right

of the video area to try walk through any issues.

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The record button (located at the top right of the Collaborate session) is used only if you

need to record a session, such as archiving it for students who could not come to class. All you

need to do is press it to start your recording. If you want to pause your recording, just press it

again. When you come back, you can pick up where you left off. In order to save it, all you need

to do is exit the session. The recording will automatically process and be available under the

RECORDING tab, although it does not come up right away:

Other Features

You should also know that students can raise their hands by pressing the button, after

which a number will appear next to that student’s name. Students can also respond to polls that

you give them in the session, by pressing the or button, depending on the type of poll

you have specified. This feature is similar to an iClicker where students can respond in real time

to questions or quick polls during a lecture. These options

are all available for students under the PARTICIPANTS

box. To change the type of poll (such as from Yes or No,

or A, B, C, D) go to TOOLS > POLLING. You can also

use this to make polls anonymous or to publish them to

the whiteboard.

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There is also a basic chat feature, located on the left, in the middle of the Collaborate

session page:

In addition, you can grant students moderator privileges by clicking on the option button

next to their names, which brings up an option menu:

Sharing Your Session with Guests

One final feature to be aware of is the ability to invite non-AU users to a Collaborate

session. To do this, while in the session simply go to TOOL > IN-SESSION INVITE > INVITE

NEW PARTICIPANT. This will give you a link that you can email to anyone, or even post on a

website. This setting is available as long as the IN-SESSION INVITE option is checked during

session setup (which it is by default).