Campus Invited to Test Java-Free Blackboard Collaborate

Wed, 15 Jul 2015 11:18:37 -0400
bb-collaborate, beta-testing, blackboard, ultra-experience

A new Java-free version of Blackboard Collaborate is now available for faculty and staff to test-drive this summer. Classified as the "Ultra Experience," this release of Bb Collaborate uses the web browser as the delivery format for virtual classrooms, meetings, and other engagement opportunities.

Blackboard consulted with hundreds of faculty throughout the world to redesign Bb Collaborate to give you a better teaching and learning experience. The updated Collaborate provides a clutter-free, intuitive interface with crisp audio and high definition video tools in a stable environment. The Ultra experience dynamically adjusts, according to bandwidth and network constraints. Four unique roles are available: Moderator, Presenter, Captioner, and Participant. The Captioner role allows faculty to provide accessible alternatives to audio content for participants who are hearing impaired, as well as for participants whose native language is different from the moderator's. The Participant role is designed to allow students to present without giving them full moderator privileges. Collaborate Ultra provides a basic whiteboard and supports image, PDF, and PowerPoint sharing.

[Video]

There are some limitations for this initial release of Bb Collaborate Ultra:

Rooms are not yet available in Blackboard Learn. As such, faculty and staff request a virtual space via RT ticket.

Recording is not yet available.

Collaborate Ultra's room capacity is currently limited to 50 users at this time.

The Chrome browser provides the best experience; a specific Chrome extension is required for desktop/app sharing in a session.

Consider using the Ultra experience if you use office hours, lectures, and small group collaboration. On the other hand, you may want to stay with the Classic experience (e.g., the Java-based Collaborate that is accessible in Bb Learn) if you have large group collaboration, conduct deep teaching and learning that requires the use of polling or breakout rooms, and have large-scale webinars.

For more information about Bb Collaborate Ultra, please see these resources:

Bb documentation for moderators

Bb documentation for participants

Our FAQ on requesting early access to Collab Ultra