Webinars (Collaborate)

Blackboard Collaborate is our supported webinar (online seminar) software that can be used both for synchronous teaching or student collaborations within VLE sites, and for external speakers to present without any VLE log in required. We are interested in working with those who wish to use the tool (just contact us), but if you want to experiment for yourself you can have Collaborate set up within your Yorkshare VLE sites now:

• Contact vle-support@york.ac.uk to request Collaborate Ultra for your site.
• Find guidance documents for using Collaborate in the Essential info section at the bottom of this page.

About webinars with Collaborate

Blackboard Collaborate allows you to:

• Deliver presentations remotely, including asking students to present remotely
• Sharing desktop, for example remote software demonstrations
• Text-chat, audio-chat and video-chat with small or large groups
• Polling tools and emoticon response from audience
• Full moderation options, if required
• PC or Mac for full participation, mobile app for limited participation
• Recording of sessions, including chat logs.

Please feel free to contact vle-support@york.ac.uk for assistance or if you would like to discuss a particular use case.

Collaborate Classic and Collaborate Ultra

We have recently moved from Classic Collaborate to Collaborate Ultra. You’ll see both Classic and Ultra versions referred to on this page, but please note that all future Yorkshare VLE sites provisioned with Collaborate will be given Ultra by default.

Ultra functions very similarly to Classic but has updated features and a generally improved user experience. Classic required a download to allow participants to join a webinar whereas Ultra functions wholly online; participants only have to click a link to access their session via their web browser.

• Learn more about the differences between Classic and Ultra here.

Quick Overview – Collaborate Classic

Slides 1-5 and 16-19 of the following deck are true of both Ultra and Classic. Slides 6-15 depict Collaborate Classic only:

Quick Overview – Collaborate Ultra

The Collaborate Ultra interface works well for delivering presentations or having web chats with large numbers of participants (up to 250).

Watch the below video for a tour of the Collaborate Ultra moderator interface:

 

Learning design with Collaborate

We have summarised nine different learning and teaching approaches using webinar tools on our blog. These were created off discussions at a conference with other learning technologists and are also explored in more detail in the slides below.

Guides

The following resources provide advice on the pedagogical aspects of using webinar tools. Some documents may refer to Elluminate which is the precursor to Collaborate. Further guides on the technical use of Collaborate can be found in the Essential Info section at the bottom of this page.

• E-Conferencing for Instruction: What works? [Educause]
• Running Successful Webinars – Video, skip to 00:03:53 for start [UCISA]
• Webinars for Education – Why use a webinar? [JISC]
• Designing for Participant Engagement with Blackboard Collaborate [JISC Archived Site]

Case study

Bringing Professional Expertise Into The Virtual Classroom

An exploration of Health Sciences’ use of Collaborate to enable distance learners to interact with module tutors working in professional contexts.
View Case Study

On this site

Essential info

Collaborate Ultra

If you wish to use the Ultra interface, please request your VLE site has this enabled by emailing vle-support@york.ac.uk

• Ultra Participant Guide [GDoc]
• Ultra Instructor Guide [GDoc]
• Ultra Opening Slide [.pptx]
• Downloading Recordings and Uploading to YouTube [Google Doc]
• Communication and Adoption Toolkit [help.blackboard.com]

Classic Collaborate

• Guide for participants [PDF]
• Brief overview of the interface [PDF]
• Step-by-step set up guide for instructors (creating rooms and sessions) [PDF]
• Common problems [Google Doc]
• Complete session guide for instructors (running sessions) [PDF]
• Video guides by Blackboard

• Collaborate – Opening help slide for participants
• Collaborate Mobile App

Recent posts

• E-Learning Newsletter – June 2017 Edition
• Recap: ELDT Lunchtime Webinar: Facilitating Equal Interaction Opportunities
• E-Learning Newsletter – April 2017 Edition
• Webinar: Student-led teaching and content creation
• E-Learning Newsletter – March 2017 Edition

All posts about Webinars