Blackboard – Page 7 – OLD – eLearning Support and Resources eLearning support and resources for the University of Southampton Blackboard for Staff Blackboard Ally Supporting the Continuity of Education Access Blackboard Prepare your course for the next academic year Rollover – Copy course content to a new course Blackboard Collaborate Support Getting Started Your Course Content Communication Assessment E–Submission User Admin Blogs and Journals Wikis Service and Policies Blackboard for Students Blackboard Ally Access Blackboard Blackboard Mobile App Blackboard Collaborate Getting Started Blackboard App Student FAQs How to… Using Blogs Using Wikis Support Turnitin Collaborate Blackboard Collaborate for Staff Blackboard Collaborate for Students TurnItIn Turnitin for Staff Managing Assignments Originality Reports Feedback Studio for PC Feedback Studio for iPad Rubrics in Feedback Studio External Guides Turnitin for Students Viewing submission ID Submitting to Turnitin Checking your submission Viewing your Similarity Report Viewing feedback Viewing assignment Info Viewing rubrics OnDemand Panopto Panopto and Blackboard Creating a recording Live-streaming Uploading Settings Editing Assessments and other uses Legal information Office 365 BoB TV MySouthampton Training Vevox Vevox for instructors Vevox for students Accessibility Blackboard Ally Check accessibility as you work in Microsoft Office Using Colours Accessibly Captions, Subtitles, and Transcripts University Digital Accessibility Resources eAssignments Staff FAQ’s Student FAQ’s eFolio Dashboards Module Information Blackboard 1st April 2020 Blackboard Collaborate: Staff Frequently Asked Questions Matthew Deeprose Bb Communication, Blackboard, Blackboard Collaborate, Collaborate Return to Blackboard Collaborate For Staff Main Page ↵ Blackboard Collaborate has a 250 attendee limit. If you wish to use Blackboard Collaborate with more than 250 attendees view our guide. Want to test Collaborate? You can use this test room. Getting Started with Blackboard Collaborate Ultra What is Blackboard Collaborate Ultra and where do I start? Blackboard Collaborate is a real-time video conferencing tool like Zoom or MS Teams, that lets you to add files, share applications and use a virtual whiteboard to interact with students. Collaborate with the Ultra experience opens right in your browser, so you don’t have to install any additional software to join a session. What do I need to run a Collaborate Ultra session? A Blackboard course. A computer with the Google Chrome or Firefox browsers installed. An Internet connection. (Preferably not wireless, as reliability can vary.) A microphone to capture audio. A combined headset and microphone or an echo-canceling microphone works well to avoid echoing and feedback. A webcam if you plan to share video. How do I use Collaborate Ultra in my course? There are two ways you can use Collaborate Ultra in a Blackboard course. They both start from the Bb Collaborate menu item in your course. You can use the Course Room, which is an open Collaborate session dedicated to your course. Learn more about the Collaborate Ultra Course Room. You can schedule sessions for a specific date: Go to the Control Panel of your Blackboard course. Click Course Tools and select Blackboard Collaborate Ultra. Click Create Session. Type a meaningful name for the session. Set the start and end date and times of the session. You can also choose to keep a session open or repeat it. Set an Early Entry point. This is the period of time before the start of the session that users can join. Optionally, open Session Settings and select what students can do in the session. Learn more about Collaborate Ultra Session Settings. By default, anyone with a participant role can share their audio and video, post chat messages, and draw on the whiteboard and any shared files. Select Save. Which browser should I use for my sessions? Google Chrome or Firefox are recommended. Google Chrome has best results. Any browser that supports WebRTC should be fine. How many participants can I have in a session? You can have up to 250 people in your session as standard. Should you need more than that then you need to activate a feature to your scheduled session in advance as shown in this guide. The absolute maximum is 500 in this mode. Should I add a picture to my profile? Yes. Having a picture helps participants to get a mental image of you are and can be used when webcam video is not being shown. If you do not want to share a picture of yourself, consider using a picture of a pet, hobby, or favourite travel destination. I want to remove the Collaborate menu item from my course! We have a quick guide on how to do this that can be found here: https://elearn.southampton.ac.uk/collaborate/staff/removefrommenu/ Minimum equipment needed To join a Collaborate session you will need the following A modern computer or laptop. You can also use a Android or iOS device. Access to your Blackboard course so you can get the link. Internet Access (Broadband connection highly recommended). Soundcard with microphone and headphones (A USB headset with microphone/headphones is highly recommended). If you have Bluetooth on your computer or device a set of Bluetooth headphones with a microphone should work as well. Webcam (optional). For the best experience, use the latest version of Google Chrome. The latest version of Firefox will work as well. The latest version of any browser that supports WebRTC should be ok, but Chrome is best. View the official browser support list. Using a headset is preferred, users without headsets should be sure to be in a quiet area to prevent background noise, and should turn off their microphone when not speaking. Be in a well lit area if transmitting video. Equipment suggestions from the community Here are some recommendations from Amy Eyre who runs the Blackboard Mobile / Collaborate User Group For webinars: Logitech 960 Wired Headset: Excellent microphone, simple to set up, can feel a bit warm after an hour of use. For small meetings with attendees in the same (small) room and others online: Plantronics Calisto 610 USB Standard Version Speakerphone: While we only have experience with an earlier version that is no longer available the reviews of this update make it sounds just as good as the earlier model we have been using for years. For hybrids: Samson UB1 USB Omnidirectional Microphone – USB boundary microphone that picks up all audio from a decent sized seminar room with little trouble, used for all hybrid sessions at the University of York. Logitech 960 Wired Headset: Excellent microphone, simple to set up, can feel a bit warm after an hour of use. We really like the look of Catchbox microphones and have seen them used well at conferences in the past, but they are very expensive! Introductory video to catchbox mics here [YouTube]. The following have been mentioned by the user community: For Webinars: Jabra Headsets (nice and crisp sound, portable) Sennheiser Headsets – Reading Recommendation Summary Document inc. Audio/Visual Recommendations – Cardiff Gigaware USB Stereo Headset with Microphone – Cardiff Recommendation Plantronics USB Headsets – Cardiff Recommendation Any USB Headsets from Microsoft and Logitech (with noise-cancelling mics) – Cardiff Recommendation Sennheiser SC 60 USB Headset with Microphone – Cardiff Recommendation – Good clear microphone that doesn’t catch background noises Logitech C930e Webcams – Reading Recommendation – Used throughout campus For Hybrids: ClearOne Chat 150 USB Conference Mic – Good lack of feedback BOYA Dual-Channel Wireless Microphone System – Glasgow Caledonian Recommendation – Requires some AV knowledge to get going, but allows to wireless microphones to be used in the same room simultaneously Plantronics Calisto P620 Wireless Bluetooth UC Speakerphone – Edge Hill Recommendation – Good quality connection with Collab (no drop out) and is wireless, also has built in speaker Bandwidth requirements Collaborate uses dynamic bandwidth adjusting for Chrome and Firefox users. This allows Collaborate to actively monitor a user’s network connection and adjust the download speeds before a user should experience issues. The primary factors in bandwidth consumption for Collaborate Ultra are sharing webcam videos and sharing applications. Webcam video bandwidth uses ranges from 360kbps down to 20kbps per camera, up to 4 cameras Audio always uses 48kbps Ability to receive application sharing and audio as low as 88kbps Application sharing bandwidth uses ranges from 500kbps down to 70kbps It can show 4 cameras with audio as low as 128kbps and with a max of 1488kbps. A small amount of overhead is also required for chat, and so on. If network conditions falter and can’t sustain the minimum bandwidth needed, Collaborate will turn off cameras and application sharing. For 1 camera and audio the trigger will be 68 kbps and for application sharing and audio 118 kbps. When network conditions improve, the cameras and application sharing will turn back on automatically for Chrome and Firefox users. For sessions where bandwidth is a concern, we recommend that no attendees share their webcam video unless required for the instruction. We also recommend that the moderator or presenter use file sharing and whiteboard for content instead of application sharing. Use application sharing when it is required for the instruction. With no video and application sharing, a user with 128kbps connection will be able to participate fully in the session. Using Collaborate from an employer or institution that may have a stricter network By default Collaborate with the Ultra experience will be using UDP on the port range 49152 through 65535, if your organisation has a firewall in place that is not open to this range, we will next try UDP 50000 and if that fails we will allow traffic to connect via TCP on port 443. It should be noted that TCP is a slightly slower connection protocol than UDP, but the experience should still be acceptable. Additionally, Collaborate with the Ultra experience uses HTML5 Web Socket traffic to connect to session servers. Network traffic filters such as Cisco Firepower may have a filter added to prevent HTML5 and thus WebRTC from connecting. Furthermore, Proxy servers need to allow HTML5 Web Socket traffic in order for Collaborate to connect to the session servers through a proxy. Proxy servers may need to be specifically configured to handle this Web Socket traffic. Collaborate with the Ultra experience requires a HTML 5 Web Socket connection be allowed on browsers and networking appliances such as proxy servers. To test the Web Socket connection please use the same setup that is failing to connect to the Collaborate with the Ultra experience. For example if you are using a proxy server, please try this test from behind the proxy server. In a browser, go to the following link: https://www.websocket.org/echo.html Enter this text in the Location text box: wss://echo.websocket.org Click the Connect button. Once connected, press the Send button. The output will appear in the Log section. A successful Web Socket test will show a Response in the logs for “Rock it with HTML5 WebSocket”. Users trying to connect from networks that do not allow HTML 5 Web Socket connections will be unable to launch a Collaborate with the Ultra experience. Other things you may not considered The following section is an extract from a blog post on the Blackboard Community site by Lloyd Stock. Since the site is not publicly visible useful extracts follow: If running a session on multiple campuses across timezones, e.g. Dalian, USMC, and Southampton, use Every Time Zone to pick a date for your session and see at a glance the best time to meet across timezones. For live timings on our campuses check http://mytime.southampton.ac.uk/ Before your session, print this Door Hanger out on card and hang it to let people know you’re not to be disturbed. We’ve all seen the viral video of the expert who had his video link news interview interrupted by his toddler. Though in fairness, you’ll need more than a door hanger with toddlers! Moderators could pre-load an Orientation slide like these ones. If you’re going to run an Audio Check, don’t do it without using an Audio Check Slide. Preparing sessions What can I do to prepare sessions in advance? First you need to be able to get into the session. If it is not open ended you will not be able to get in until the start time (minus up to one hour early entry depending on how you set it up). To get around this edit the session start time to the present, and join in the session. Then when done leave and go back to the scheduler settings panel to change the start time back to a future date/time. Pre-loading files Files can be pre-uploaded and they will remain after you have left that session and go back to that specific session later. Polls and breakout areas Polls and breakout areas are created on-the-fly in a session. You can create one poll and launch it in the session. As long as you do NOT end the poll it will remain open when you return to the session. However anyone who joins the session can open it immediately. Therefore this approach is not very practical. You can only assign attendees to breakout groups when they are in the session. You cannot assign people who are not in the session currently to breakout groups. If you create and name breakout groups and then leave a session those settings do not remain when you rejoin. Better ways to pre-prepare polls The answers to poll questions tend to have numbers starting at 1 on the left. You could set the questions and answers in your PowerPoint file (along the top half so that the questions are not obscured by Collaborate’s controls) and advise your attendees to look at the slide and just pick the corresponding number in the pol. If possible, have a second person assisting in your session, have them prepping your polls in advance whilst you’re still presenting and then making them live when you’re reading. Create your poll questions and answers in advance in a word processor/digital notepad, then just copy and paste them into Collab when you need them. Share computer screen, use third party polling tool such as Vevox. Remember When you leave files in your Collaborate session any moderators and presenters can access them. This includes students you temporarily promote to the presenter role. Do not leave confidential files in a Collaborate session. Remove files when you have finished using them. Are students notified when a session is about to begin? There is no notification to students about upcoming Collaborate sessions. Therefore you may wish to create announcements letting students know about upcoming Collaborate sessions that week, and send emails to all students an hour before a session is due to start. Is there recommended technology/equipment for Blackboard Collaborate? Which technologies (such as browsers and operating systems) and what equipment (such as microphones and headsets) here is what works best with Blackboard Collaborate: https://elearn.southampton.ac.uk/collaborate/tech/ International Usage How does Collaborate work when users are in different time zones? When you set the time for a session to start and a user in a different time zone views the details of that session the start time will be translated into their computer’s local time zone. For example if an instructor in the UK set a session to begin at 09:00 BST, it will be open to a user in China at 16:00 China Standard Time. How well does Collaborate work in China? Please review this section of our Collaborate technology page where we are updating information based on feedback on usage in China. What else can be done with Blackboard Collaborate Ultra Can I have a meeting that anyone can enter at any time for the whole semester? Yes. You may create a session with no end date. You can make this choice when you are creating a session. There is also a standard open session created automatically for all courses that can be used for this purpose. Can people use their phone to attend a session? If the moderator allows it when they set up the session, people will be able to call in with their phone. They can also do this after opening collaborate and then get a number to dial in and speak over the phone but use the chat and view the screen as normal. Is there an app for users who wish to attend using a device other than their computer? Android and iOS users can just use Chrome and Safari respectively without needing an app. Can participants send private messages to each other using the Chat tool? Yes, but it should be remembered that moderators can see the content of private chats sent between attendees. I see that there is a closed captioning feature. Does that mean that sessions are captioned automatically? No. To use the closed captioning feature, you will need to appoint someone on the session with the role of Captioner and then they would be able to create Captions by typing it out themselves. Can I use this to have my students give their presentations? Yes. You can promote one or more students to the role of Presenter, which would allow them to upload files and show them to everyone in the session. You can also demote them back to the Participant role when they are finished. If I have a session and want participants to work in small groups for a few minutes, is there a way to do that? Yes, you can use the Breakout Groups feature to divide participants into small groups. When participants are placed in breakout groups, the session audio will split automatically so they only hear the audio of the other participants in their breakout group. If a participant leaves their microphone open after speaking, can I turn it off? Yes. You can mute the microphone of one participant or all participants. This will “mute” their microphones, but will not prevent them from reopening their microphones. What should I do if I don't want participants to be able to use their microphones at all? In this case, you would go to your session settings and uncheck the box that enables them to share their audio. You can also turn off the ability for them to share their video, use the text chat tool, and to mark on whiteboard slides and shared files. How many participants can share their video at the same time? Everyone in your session can share their video at the same time, but only the five most active participants will be shown at any given time. If I have a PowerPoint with animations in it, will they show when I share them? If you share your PowerPoint slides using “Share Files” the animations will not show. If you share them using “Share Application” the animations will show. The animations may appear slow or jerky. If you are using animated gifs, you can upload these as files and share them, this has a better effect. Which participants should I promote to the moderator role? You should only give the moderator role to people who are actually helping you moderate the session. The participant and presenter roles are sufficient for those participants who are not actively moderating the session. When I'm using the break out groups, can I move from group to group? Yes. As the moderator, you can easily move from group to group. You can also allow participants to move to different groups, if you wish to. Recording options with Blackboard Collaborate Ultra Can I record the sessions I hold in Collaborate Ultra? Yes, if you are a session moderator, you can record your session by opening the Session Menu in the upper left-hand corner of the interface and clicking on the Start Recording button. See our web page Recording your Blackboard Collaborate Session for more information. Please note: There is limited capacity to hold recordings for everyone. We recommend if you wish the whole cohort to see it, download it, upload to Panopto, and delete it from Collaborate. Can participants and presenters record Collaborate Ultra sessions? No, only moderators can record sessions. If a session has been recorded, participants and presenters can view the recordings after they are available. We have made a web page for students that explains how to watch Blackboard Collaborate Recordings. Can participants download a recording? It is only possible for anyone (staff or student) to download a recording if you enable it. Therefore it is important to enable video recording downloads when creating sessions. See our web page Recording your Blackboard Collaborate Session for more information. If I'm recording a session and then use the breakout groups, will it record what happens in the breakout groups? No. Actions and audio from within the breakout groups are not recorded. How soon can I review my recordings after my session? The time it takes for your recordings to appear varies based on the length of the recording and the traffic on the Blackboard Collaborate Ultra servers. Recordings usually appear within 48 hours or less. If your recording has not appeared after 72 hours, please raise a ticket with ServiceLine. Can I post a recording into my Blackboard course? Yes. Please download the recording, upload it to Panopto, and then delete it from Collaborate. See our web page Recording your Blackboard Collaborate Session for more information. What different formats can I choose when downloading a recording? Recordings only download in the MP4 format. If you need to have the recording in a different format, you will need to convert it after downloading. See our web page Recording your Blackboard Collaborate Session for more information. I can't find the download link for my recording you will need to enable downloads in the session settings, see https://elearn.southampton.ac.uk/collaborate/staff/recordings/#nodl The reason we are recommending downloading the videos and putting them on panopto is because 1) we have less space for videos on Collaborate than Panopto and getting more space on Collaborate is more expensive than getting more space on Panopto. 2) it makes it easier for students to have one place to view videos, e.g. recorded sessions. We hope to find a way to automate this if possible in the future. Dealing with technical issues and problems Connecting from outside the UK. If you are connecting to Collaborate from outside the UK, follow this link to How to get the best experience when attending a Blackboard Collaborate session from outside the UK Restart and re-join If you cannot connect, have a poor connection, or make any changes suggested below : Leave the Collaborate session. Close the browser you were using to connect to Collaborate (the entire browser and not just the browser tab). Wait a couple of minutes and re-open the browser and re-join Collaborate. Are you using the right web browser? We recommend using Google Chrome* in the first instance and then Firefox. Visit the Browser Checker to make sure your browser is supported A full list of supported browsers and operating systems is available here: Browser Support *If you are connecting from China see the section above on connecting from outside the UK. Make sure the browser is up to date. How to update Chrome: https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/95414 How to update Firefox: https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/update-firefox-latest-release Try the other browser If you experience problems with Collaborate whilst using Chrome, try Firefox. If you experience problems with Firefox, try Chrome. Enable third party cookies Ensure that your web browser is allowing third-party cookies, these guides explain how: Chrome: https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/95647 Firefox: https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/content-blocking#w_turn-content-blocking-off-on-individual-sites Try an incognito window The next step is to try using the session in a private or incognito window. This resets certain settings and can be an effective way to work around some configuration issues. How to open an incognito window in Chrome: https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/95464 How to open a private browsing window in Firefox: https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/private-browsing-use-firefox-without-history Clear the browsers cache If that does not help the next step is to try clearing your browser cache. This guide explains how: http://www.wikihow.com/Clear-Your-Browser’s-Cache Try the WebRTC troubleshooter Collaborate uses a technology called WebRTC. The WebRTC Troubleshooter website tests that this is working for you and can pick up issues and help you to fix them. Best practice for a good connection Close all programs & browser tabs you are not using while in Collaborate. Use a hard-wired (Ethernet) connection, if available. If you are using Wifi , sit as close to the router as possible Use only supported up to date web browsers (see sections below) Use video during the session only when necessary. If your connection is poor, a connection status indicator appears over your Collaborate profile picture. Move your pointer over it for the connection details. See the Connection status guide. This publicly available knowledge base article discusses the most common issues when connecting from a domestic connection. Using an Apple Mac? The latest versions of OS X have extra security settings you need to make for devices to use the camera and microphone. If you use a Mac / OS X please read through this guide on how to set the correct permissions. Experiencing issues connecting from within an institution or business? Some corporate and institutional networks may block the HTML5 Web Socket traffic upon which Collaborate relies. Try on a domestic connection to see if you get the same issues. If you do not, it could be an issue with the network in the institution or business you are connecting from. Ask the network administrator to review the relevant information here. Give Permissions It is vital that you all Collaborate to use your microphone and camera. You are likely to ask to approve permissions that look like this: If you did not give permission We can be so used to clicking “no” that we may accidentally prevent Collaborate from having permission to use our microphone and web cam. If you find that people cannot hear you or see you, check that you have given permission for Collaborate to use your camera and microphone. How to review permissions in Chrome: Review the guide at https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/114662 Having reached the Site Settings page, choose “View permissions and data stored across sites” and search for bbcollab. Open all that appear one after the other and choose to allow Camera and Microphone. How to review permissions in Firefox: The process is fairly similar in Firefox, see: https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/firefox-page-info-window Sound output Blackboard Collaborate allows you to alter the microphone input and webcam settings, but not the audio output. Blackboard Collaborate will use the system default audio output / playback device, so ensure this is set correctly before opening Blackboard Collaborate. This is particularly important if you have multiple devices connected to your computer, such as speakers, headsets and external monitors. Change the default audio playback on Windows 10: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWX4WxMkDxk Change the default audio output on OSX: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Lf03JGcS00 No sound (you can’t hear other attendees) Ensure that the correct audio device (speakers) is selected. Windows 10 users, select your audio device by selecting the Speaker button near the clock as shown below: Mac users please refer to the following article: Change the sound output settings on Mac Ensure that sound volume on the computer is not muted or set really low. Ensure that sound volume on the desired audio output device (e.g., speakers or headset) is not muted or set really low. Some headsets have a mute or volume knob on them. Ensure that cables going to speakers or headset are all firmly plugged in. If the above do not work, try rebooting the computer and/or try another web browser. Try playing a YouTube video to see if there is sound. Collaborate will produce sound using the same audio device (e.g., speakers or headset) as other websites such as YouTube. Windows 10 Sound Windows 10 allows users to set audio preferences for individual apps. Some apps listen, others don’t. Because Collaborate runs entirely in your browser, you have to check settings for your browser. 1. Right-click the speaker icon in your system tray. This is usually at the lower right of your computer monitor. 2. Select Open Sound Settings. 3. Check your default Output device. Normally this will be the speakers or headphones you regularly use, but not always. You can use the dropdown menu to change your default for the system. But some apps will save their own preferences. So we will need to check those as well. 4. Scroll down until you see the Advanced sound options section. 5. Click on the App volume and device preferences link. 6. Find your browser that you use for Collaborate in the list and check if you have options in the dropdown to select the sound source you expect to hear it from. Notice that there is also an Input option if you are having problems selecting the correct microphone. Go through Blackboard’s own browser support pages Read through and try everything suggested in Blackboard’s support page for Chrome: https://help.blackboard.com/Collaborate/Ultra/Participant/Support/Chrome_Support Firefox: https://help.blackboard.com/Collaborate/Ultra/Participant/Support/Firefox_WebRTC_Support Select the right audio and video device When you use Collaborate for the first time a wizard will guide you through the setup. It is important to pay attention to the device you choose to use with Collaborate if you have a choice. The recommendation is to use a headset with microphone. Run through the wizard again No luck? Please try going through the wizard again and double check that you have selected the right devices. Open the Collaborate Panel. Click on the Cog. Choose Set up Camera and Microphone. Go through Blackboard’s support page about audio and video set up Still not working? Read through the page linked below and check through everything it recommends. https://help.blackboard.com/Collaborate/Ultra/Participant/Participate_in_Sessions/Audio_and_Video Getting help Let your lecturer know if you are having issues with connecting or participating in a Collaborate session. Use the Chat Support in Collaborate to access Blackboard technical support. Contact the University IT help – ServiceLine Collect some useful information that will help us, and add it to the ticket you will raise. Within the Collaborate session you can capture some date which will be very useful for us to check. Open the session menu (the hamburger button at the top right). Click on Report an issue. The collaborate panel on the right will open, scroll down this section. At the bottom will be a box of diagnostic text, select this text, right click on it, and choose copy. Then raise a ticket via ServiceLine describing the problem you are experiencing and paste in this diagnostic text so we can take a look. 1st April 2020 Which tool is best for which purpose? (Scenarios) Matthew Deeprose Bb Communication, Blackboard, Collaborate Return to Blackboard Collaborate For Staff Main Page ↵ Blackboard Collaborate has a 250 attendee limit. If you wish to use Blackboard Collaborate with more than 250 attendees view our guide. An info-graphic on this topic is available on the CHEP SharePoint site. 1st April 2020 Recommended Technology and Equipment for Blackboard Collaborate Matthew Deeprose Bb Communication, Blackboard, Blackboard Collaborate, Collaborate Return to Blackboard Collaborate Main Page ↵ Blackboard Collaborate has a 250 attendee limit. If you wish to use Blackboard Collaborate with more than 250 attendees view our guide. Index Keeping it simple. Connection tips. Equipment you may not consider. Equipment suggestions from the community. Some technical detail about bandwidth requirements. Framerate. The technical bit if you are using Collaborate from an employer or institution that may have a stricter network. Trouble from home? What about in China? Keeping it simple To join a Collaborate session you will need the following A modern computer or laptop. You can also use a Android or iOS device. Access to your Blackboard course so you can get the link. Internet Access (Broadband connection highly recommended). Soundcard with microphone and headphones (A USB headset with microphone/headphones is highly recommended). If you have Bluetooth on your computer or device a set of Bluetooth headphones with a microphone should work as well. Webcam (optional). For the best experience, use the latest version of Google Chrome. The latest version of Firefox will work as well. The latest version of any browser that supports WebRTC should be ok, but Chrome is best. View the official browser support list. Using a headset is preferred, users without headsets should be sure to be in a quiet area to prevent background noise, and should turn off their microphone when not speaking. Be in a well lit area if transmitting video. Back to index. Connection tips Make sure Audio and Video are setup correctly. Go to Settings (Gear icon) > Audio and Video Settings > Setup your Camera and Microphone. Click here for a step by step guide to setting up Audio and Video. If using WiFi, try to be as close to the router as possible. Close streaming services such as YouTube, Netflix, P2P, Spotify, or Pandora before accessing the session. Back to index. Equipment you may not consider The following section is an extract from a blog post on the Blackboard Community site by Lloyd Stock. Since the site is not publicly visible useful extracts follow: If running a session on multiple campuses across timezones, e.g. Dalian, USMC, and Southampton, use Every Time Zone to pick a date for your session and see at a glance the best time to meet across timezones. For live timings on our campuses check http://mytime.southampton.ac.uk/ Before your session, print this Door Hanger out on card and hang it to let people know you’re not to be disturbed. We’ve all seen the viral video of the expert who had his video link news interview interrupted by his toddler. Though in fairness, you’ll need more than a door hanger with toddlers! Moderators could pre-load an Orientation slide like these ones. If you’re going to run an Audio Check, don’t do it without using an Audio Check Slide. Back to index. Equipment suggestions from the community Here are some recommendations from Amy Eyre who runs the Blackboard Mobile / Collaborate User Group For webinars: Logitech 960 Wired Headset: Excellent microphone, simple to set up, can feel a bit warm after an hour of use. For small meetings with attendees in the same (small) room and others online: Plantronics Calisto 610 USB Standard Version Speakerphone: While we only have experience with an earlier version that is no longer available the reviews of this update make it sounds just as good as the earlier model we have been using for years. For hybrids: Samson UB1 USB Omnidirectional Microphone – USB boundary microphone that picks up all audio from a decent sized seminar room with little trouble, used for all hybrid sessions at the University of York. Logitech 960 Wired Headset: Excellent microphone, simple to set up, can feel a bit warm after an hour of use. We really like the look of Catchbox microphones and have seen them used well at conferences in the past, but they are very expensive! Introductory video to catchbox mics here [YouTube]. The following have been mentioned by the user community: For Webinars: Jabra Headsets (nice and crisp sound, portable) Sennheiser Headsets – Reading Recommendation Summary Document inc. Audio/Visual Recommendations – Cardiff Gigaware USB Stereo Headset with Microphone – Cardiff Recommendation Plantronics USB Headsets – Cardiff Recommendation Any USB Headsets from Microsoft and Logitech (with noise-cancelling mics) – Cardiff Recommendation Sennheiser SC 60 USB Headset with Microphone – Cardiff Recommendation – Good clear microphone that doesn’t catch background noises Logitech C930e Webcams – Reading Recommendation – Used throughout campus For Hybrids: ClearOne Chat 150 USB Conference Mic – Good lack of feedback BOYA Dual-Channel Wireless Microphone System – Glasgow Caledonian Recommendation – Requires some AV knowledge to get going, but allows to wireless microphones to be used in the same room simultaneously Plantronics Calisto P620 Wireless Bluetooth UC Speakerphone – Edge Hill Recommendation – Good quality connection with Collab (no drop out) and is wireless, also has built in speaker Back to index. Some technical detail about bandwidth requirements Collaborate uses dynamic bandwidth adjusting for Chrome and Firefox users. This allows Collaborate to actively monitor a user’s network connection and adjust the download speeds before a user should experience issues. The primary factors in bandwidth consumption for Collaborate Ultra are sharing webcam videos and sharing applications. Webcam video bandwidth uses ranges from 360kbps down to 20kbps per camera, up to 4 cameras Audio always uses 48kbps Ability to receive application sharing and audio as low as 88kbps Application sharing bandwidth uses ranges from 500kbps down to 70kbps It can show 4 cameras with audio as low as 128kbps and with a max of 1488kbps. A small amount of overhead is also required for chat, and so on. If network conditions falter and can’t sustain the minimum bandwidth needed, Collaborate will turn off cameras and application sharing. For 1 camera and audio the trigger will be 68 kbps and for application sharing and audio 118 kbps. When network conditions improve, the cameras and application sharing will turn back on automatically for Chrome and Firefox users. For sessions where bandwidth is a concern, we recommend that no attendees share their webcam video unless required for the instruction. We also recommend that the moderator or presenter use file sharing and whiteboard for content instead of application sharing. Use application sharing when it is required for the instruction. With no video and application sharing, a user with 128kbps connection will be able to participate fully in the session. Back to index. Framerate Application sharing: The framerate when sharing an application depends on the bandwidth available to both the presenter and the recipient. With a reliable broadband network, and still content, attendees may see around 25 to 30 frames per second (fps). If the content is video, the frame rate is also dependent on how big the video frame is and what is happening in the video. Frame rates can fall sharply for big and busy videos on even a reliable network. Video: The framerate for video has a 40 fps cap. However, video framerate depends on user bandwidth and camera limitations. On a reliable network, 30 fps is realistic. Back to index. The technical bit if you are using Collaborate from an employer or institution that may have a stricter network By default Collaborate with the Ultra experience will be using UDP on the port range 49152 through 65535, if your organisation has a firewall in place that is not open to this range, we will next try UDP 50000 and if that fails we will allow traffic to connect via TCP on port 443. It should be noted that TCP is a slightly slower connection protocol than UDP, but the experience should still be acceptable. Additionally, Collaborate with the Ultra experience uses HTML5 Web Socket traffic to connect to session servers. Network traffic filters such as Cisco Firepower may have a filter added to prevent HTML5 and thus WebRTC from connecting. Furthermore, Proxy servers need to allow HTML5 Web Socket traffic in order for Collaborate to connect to the session servers through a proxy. Proxy servers may need to be specifically configured to handle this Web Socket traffic. Collaborate with the Ultra experience requires a HTML 5 Web Socket connection be allowed on browsers and networking appliances such as proxy servers. To test the Web Socket connection please use the same setup that is failing to connect to the Collaborate with the Ultra experience. For example if you are using a proxy server, please try this test from behind the proxy server. In a browser, go to the following link: https://www.websocket.org/echo.html Enter this text in the Location text box: wss://echo.websocket.org Click the Connect button. Once connected, press the Send button. The output will appear in the Log section. A successful Web Socket test will show a Response in the logs for “Rock it with HTML5 WebSocket”. Users trying to connect from networks that do not allow HTML 5 Web Socket connections will be unable to launch a Collaborate with the Ultra experience. Back to index. Trouble from home? This publicly available knowledge base article discusses the most common issues when connecting from a domestic connection. Back to index. Trouble from outside of the UK? The performance of Blackboard Collaborate will be affected by a number of factors including personal Internet connection, bandwidth, network connectivity and firewall settings. You may not have control over all of these factors, but the following guidance will help to improve your session experience: How to get the best experience when attending a Blackboard Collaborate session from outside the UK Back to index. What about in China? Blackboard Collaborate is not blocked by the Great Firewall (at least not at this time). However, using Collaborate between China and the EU has generally had results with varying degrees of success, ranging from a completely acceptable experience to calls dropping video and audio quality or frequently dropping and reconnecting, to not being able to connect at all. The biggest issue with regards to using Collaborate between China and the EU has been the historically poor / inconsistent quality (high latency & lack of bandwidth) internet connection in China. Please be sure students and instructors in China are using a hardwired Ethernet LAN connection. Using WiFi will only contribute to the latency/bandwidth issues. Generally, we always recommend a hardwired connection over WiFi just due to the nature of WiFi. For more information and suggestions about bandwidth read the some technical detail about bandwidth requirements section found above. Blackboard has tested using the top three telecommunication carriers in China, namely China Unicom, China Mobile and China Telecom. In their experience, both China Unicom and China Mobile performed well, with only some users occasionally being disconnected/reconnected from the session. China Telecom did not perform well, as multiple users encountered session connectivity issues throughout the session. Common issues we have heard of so far are that when changing from sharing a file to screen-sharing students in China may lose connection, or not see the video. Screen-sharing requires greater bandwidth which may be the cause for this. These testing results are not exhaustive and should not be interpreted as guaranteed compatibility of Collaborate Ultra in China. Experiences will vary depending on a number of factors, including personal Internet connection, bandwidth, network connectivity and firewall settings. Browsers may also be a factor, Chrome is not downloadable in China (at least not easily) and not all Chinese browsers support WebRTC nor is Bb testing any Chinese browsers with Collaborate Ultra at this time. Popular web browsers in China such as QQ, Sigou and 2345 do not support WebRTC (the technology that Collaborate and many other webinar platforms leverage to facilitate the video and audio elements of their sessions), and so they cannot be used with Collaborate currently. Firefox seems to be downloadable at this time and supports WebRTC. The main stable channel release of Firefox is tested and certified by Bb. Please see https://help.blackboard.com/Collaborate/Ultra/Participant/Get_Started/Browser_Support for more info. Due to the above, it is recommended that attendees in China use Mozilla Firefox web browser instead of any other. Large Class sizes are considered to be over 25 participants when using Collaborate within China. Blackboard states: Large sessions are generally not recommended when a high volume of users are located within China. We recommend that you have small sessions ( less than 25 users) with your students in China. For larger sessions, we recommend adopting the following strategies similar to large sessions Disable video for participants. Ensure the session is recorded as to provide any participants with connection issues the ability to review the content afterwards. Refer users to the Dial-in capability as applicable. Amy Eyre from the University of York has a very useful shared document with further information. Back to index. 1st April 2020 What is Blackboard Collaborate? What can I do with it? Matthew Deeprose Blackboard, Blackboard Collaborate, Collaborate Return to Blackboard Collaborate For Staff Main Page ↵ Blackboard Collaborate has a 250 attendee limit. If you wish to use Blackboard Collaborate with more than 250 attendees view our guide. Blackboard Collaborate is a real-time video conferencing tool integrated into every Blackboard course that lets you as a course instructor run online real-time synchronous sessions with other staff and students on your Blackboard course. There is video and audio participation as well as text chat, you may share files (PDF, PowerPoint, Images (including animated GIFs), share what you are doing on your screen, and use a virtual whiteboard to interact. Collaborate opens right in your Chrome or Firefox browser, so you don’t have to install any software to join a session. It will work on phones and tablets without needing an additional app. A Bb Collaborate menu item is added to Blackboard courses. Upon opening the menu, the session list appears. By default every course has a “Course room” which is open to all course members. Instructors may add any number of further sessions. Selecting a session will bring up options to edit the sessions settings (if you are an instructor), or to join the session if it is currently open. The “hamburger” icon allows the user to change to the recordings menu where she can locate any previously recorded sessions. In general we recommend that staff download recorded sessions from Collaborate and delete them, and then upload the session to Panopto. 29th March 2020 Blackboard Collaborate for Students Matthew Deeprose Blackboard, Blackboard Collaborate, Collaborate Introduction to Blackboard Collaborate What is Blackboard Collaborate? What can I do with it? Blackboard Collaborate is a real-time video conferencing tool integrated into every Blackboard course that lets you add files, share applications, and use a virtual whiteboard to interact. Collaborate opens right in your Chrome or Firefox browser, so you don’t have to install any software to join a session. It will work on phones and tablets without needing an additional app. Find out more in this guide. Accessibility Information Blackboard Collaborate was designed with accessibility in mind. Follow this link to review the vendor’s latest guidance on using tools such as screen-readers with Collaborate. Video blog introduction This video blog was created a few days before Collaborate was made live and was notified to members of the Blackboard-users mailing list. The video description on YouTube has shortcuts to parts of the video that cover different features and aspects of Blackboard Collaborate. Getting Started Using Blackboard Collaborate These support pages are to help you get up and running using the various features that Blackboard Collaborate has to offer. Accessing videos of sessions that have been recorded At the moment it is your lecturers discretion as to whether your Blackboard Collaborate sessions may be recorded. While we expect recording to mostly be held in Panopto via Recorded Sessions in your Blackboard course menu, you may find that you can also access session recordings directly from Blackboard Collaborate. Frequently Asked Questions We have collated the questions most frequently asked by UoS colleagues about Blackboard Collaborate and have compiled this useful list. If you already have a question or technical issue, you may find the answer here. 29th March 2020 Blackboard Collaborate for Staff Matthew Deeprose Blackboard Collaborate, Collaborate Blackboard Collaborate has a 250 attendee limit. If you wish to use Blackboard Collaborate with more than 250 attendees view our guide. Introduction to Blackboard Collaborate What is Blackboard Collaborate? What can I do with it? Blackboard Collaborate is a real-time video conferencing tool integrated into every Blackboard course that lets you add files, share applications, and use a virtual whiteboard to interact. Collaborate opens right in your Chrome or Firefox browser, so you don’t have to install any software to join a session. It will work on phones and tablets without needing an additional app. Find out more in this guide. Accessibility Information Blackboard Collaborate was designed with accessibility in mind. Follow this link to review the vendor’s latest guidance on using tools such as screen-readers with Collaborate. Video blog introduction This video blog was created a few days before Collaborate was made live and was notified to members of the Blackboard-users mailing list. The video description on YouTube has shortcuts to parts of the video that cover different features and aspects of Blackboard Collaborate. When Matthew Deeprose presents his webinar overview of Collaborate, the slide deck that he used may be useful. Which tool should I use? (Scenarios) The university has a number of tools for online communication and collaboration such as Panopto, Blackboard Collaborate, and Microsoft Teams. An info-graphic on this topic is available on the CHEP SharePoint site. Getting Started Using Blackboard Collaborate These support pages are to help you get up and running using the various features that Blackboard Collaborate has to offer. Best Practices We have prepared guidance on best practices for running Blackboard Collaborate sessions based on feedback from other institutions and experts. As colleagues build their own experiences at UoS we will continue to update this area with all the lessons we learn as an institution. Collaborate Lesson Recipes Based on staff experiences and pedagogic good practice we are building a selection of “Lesson Recipes” to help to facilitate learning activities with your students. Frequently Asked Questions We have collated the questions most frequently asked by UoS colleagues about Blackboard Collaborate and have compiled this useful list. If you already have a question or technical issue, you may find the answer here. 29th March 2020 Blackboard Collaborate Matthew Deeprose Blackboard, Blackboard Collaborate Blackboard Collaborate is a real-time video conferencing tool integrated into every Blackboard course that lets you share applications, files, and use a virtual whiteboard to interact. Collaborate opens right in your Chrome or Firefox browser, so you don’t have to install any software to join a session. It will work on phones and tablets without needing an additional app. Blackboard Collaborate for Staff Within these pages staff will find out how to create and run online sessions using Blackboard Collaborate within their Blackboard courses. We will guide you through the interface and offer help and advice with the equipment you should use, and which University of Southampton online tool is best suited for various scenarios you may encounter. Blackboard Collaborate for Students These guides for students cover such topics as joining a session, how to raise your (virtual) hand, and share your contentment and engagement within an online session. Guidance is also available on how to set notifications, access recordings, share messages, and use Collaborate if it has been enabled in a Blackboard group. 20th March 2020 How to join MS Teams group from Blackboard or email code Louis Pliskin Bb with Teams, Teams When asked to join a Microsoft Teams group from an email or a Blackboard area, these are the quick steps you need to take to join in. First load up Teams on your device. Once it has loaded choose the Teams icon from the left-hand toolbar. You should see on the Teams overview in the top right a button for ‘Join or create team’ click on this. On some views the same button might show in the bottom left. On the join and create page locate the area the space called ‘Join a team with a code’. In this area either paste or type in the code you have been provided with, then click the ‘Join team’ button. You will then be transported into the new team group and ready to use. 19th March 2020 Creating a MS Teams group to use with Blackboard – Staff setup Louis Pliskin Bb with Teams, Teams Using Microsoft (MS) Teams in conjunction with your Blackboard course will allow you to set up interactive video conference sessions with your students. The following guide will show you how to create a Teams group and get your students enrolled ready to use the meeting functions of Teams. Quick links: Add via a link Add individuals Setting up You can request a Team is set up for a group of students ServiceLine ticket. The Office 365 support team will set up a Class Team and add students via module or programme codes. You can also set up a Team yourself following the instructions below: In order to set up an MS Teams group to work alongside your Blackboard course, ideally have the MS Teams application installed on your computer as the application has more functionalities than the browser version. The following page will help you how to install Teams and other help, if there is an issue please contact ServiceLine@soton.ac.uk. The following steps have been based on the downloadable Teams application. First load up Teams on your device. Once it has loaded choose the Teams icon from the left-hand toolbar. This will show you an overview of all of your Teams. In the top right corner of this area click on the button that says ‘Join or create team’. If you cannot see this in the top right of your view it will be at the bottom left under the same name. It will now show you a grid view of different Teams you have permission to join. The first choice will look different and say ‘Join or create a team’, from here click on the ‘Create team’ button. It will ask you to select the type of team you wish to make. Please ignore all other choices and only select the ‘Other’ team option. If will then ask you to enter some details to create your team. For ‘Team name’ use your course’s full module code and the academic year. The description is optional, but will be something all students will be able to see and can be used to help further identify it. All other options can be left alone as default. When you are happy click on the ‘Next’ button. It will then give you the option at this stage to ‘Add members’, it may be best to click ‘Skip’ this part and read further on to add specific people. But you may wish to add any colleagues who need access at this stage by typing out their name and clicking on ‘Add’. Your team will now be created and ready for use. Adding Staff and Students The final stage of setting up is to add staff and students to be able to access the Teams group. Add via a link For adding students it is best to set up an access code for the Teams group, staff can also be added this way if needs be. To set up an access code click on one the ‘…’ menu button option next to the team name or in the top right. From the menu select ‘Manage team’. It will show a new menu area on the rows of menu options click on ‘Settings’. On settings page click on the menu choice of ‘Team code’. It will now show another button where you need to click the button on ‘Generate’. It will now show you a short randomised code, click on the ‘Copy’ button to then be able to post it elsewhere. Please note: You may see some potential homoglyphs generated such as o0O, to avoid confusion may need to click the ‘Reset’ button to generate a new code that may be easier to use. The code can now be either emailed out to staff and students or added to your Blackboard course as an announcement or content item. The following page allows you to copy the above text so you can use it in your own course. This guide can be used to send to your students on how to join. Add specific people To specifically add people such as Staff this can be done by one again going to the … menu and selecting ‘Add member’. On the window select the text box field start typing the name or username of the people you wish to add. A list will show of the people with a matching name, click on the appropriate name. When happy you have all of the names you wish to add click on the ‘Add’ button. After clicking add the names will show in a list. At this point you can do the following: Pressing the X will remove the person from being added. Clicking on the down arrow will allow access rights to be changed. Students should be left as ‘Member’, but you may wish to change staff to be ‘Owner’ giving them the same admin rights as you. (This can be changed later). Once happy click on the ‘Close’ button to close the window, access will automatically be granted and an email will be sent out to the invited people. Everything is now set up and ready to be used, the link to the team that was used to allow students to join in can also be used as a quick access link. Clicking on the link will cause the teams application to load and open directly into the teams group. 11th March 2020 Blackboard: Supporting Continuity of Education Matthew Deeprose Bb Getting Started, Blackboard We have compiled this guide that may help staff who are new to Blackboard or would like a quick reminder of what to consider when ensuring the educational experience continues over the next months. Do you have access to your modules? To use Blackboard to support your module you will first need to be able to access it. Access to Blackboard modules is controlled using information in the central “Banner” database maintained by Student Services. Faculties list in Banner who is teaching a module. Blackboard then uses that data to place instructors onto their modules in Blackboard. If you believe you should have access to a course but cannot see it in your My Courses list, it is likely that your faculty has not listed you as having a role on that module in the Banner student record system. To remedy this, complete this online form. Set your course up for use with Panopto All lectures which can be captured using Panopto, the University’s lecture capture system, must be recorded, retained and made available for students. We have extensive and detailed information about using Panopto available on our website. Add content to your course Populate your course with your learning materials and other content. You can use folders to organise content. Use the Review Status feature to allow students to show they have reviewed materials, and use Adaptive Release to selectively make content available when students meet certain criteria that you set. There are many more features available and they are all listed within our overview of adding content to Blackboard. Use Blackboard to facilitate assessment. You can set up assignment hand-in using Blackboard or e-assignment. To decide which method is best for you, first use our Which eSubmission service should I use? flowchart. Find our more about Blackboard eSubmission features. You can also use Blackboard to run formative online tests. Our web pages take you through the options. Make your Blackboard course available to students When courses are created on Blackboard they are set to be unavailable to students. This is so that you may prepare the course and then make it available when it is ready. You can easily tell if a course is unavailable to students, because the word “unavailable” appears beside it in your My Courses list. Remember to make your course available to students before you tell them to use it. There are a variety of simple ways to make your course available and with the most recent upgrade we have added another. While your course is unavailable a message will display within your course, it offers a button to click upon which will show you how to make your course available to students: To find out how to make your Blackboard course available check this web page: How to Make Your Blackboard Course Available To Students Use Blackboard’s Communication tools You can use Blackboard to facilitate module related communications with your students. Announcements are great for sharing news and updates. You can use the Send Email tool to quickly email other instructors or students. The Instructor Quick Tools allow you to send the same email or announcement to multiple courses at once. The discussion board is a tool for facilitating asynchronous communication among your students and yourself. Blogs and journals are useful for reflection. Find out more in our Blackboard Communications Tools guide. Remember that you can use Office 365 through a web browser or download Office to use on your home computer Office 365 is a fantastic service. You can use most of the Office applications through a web browser. You can also download Office applications to run on your computer. Remember that there is also our software download service and the Southampton Virtual Environment to access further tools and utilities. Access the Office 365 Support Centre. Get inspiration for developing your Blackboard course The University of Southampton Excellence in VLE Awards give students the opportunity to nominate exemplary Blackboard modules and highlight what it is that makes these courses stand out. Find out more about the awards and explore examples of good practice from previous award winners. Let students know where to find help Students can contact ServiceLine for help with Blackboard, but it’s worth letting your students know that there is a lot of online help available to them too. Our web pages answer all common student questions, in particular how to print and download information from Blackboard. Blackboard “How To” Guides For Students Blackboard Student FAQ Remember that there are lots of helpful resources for staff too: Blackboard Support for Staff Check the iSolutions Remote Working Pages The iSolutions web site has separate guides for staff and students with help and advice for working whilst away from campus. Remote Working Guidance for Staff Remote Working for Students «< 5 6 7 8 9 >» Blackboard (392) TurnItIn (78) Panopto (78) Bb Assessment (75) Bb Content (46) Blackboard Collaborate (38) How to… Bb Guides for students (38) Bb Communication (37) Collaborate (36) Bb Tests and Surveys (36) Bb assignments (29) Bb User admin (21) Your Bb course (21) My Southampton (20) Office 365 (20) Bb Groups (19) Bb Question Types (19) Bb Grade Centre (15) Bb Grade Centre (14) Teams (13) Bb Course Design (12) TurnItIn Assignment Handling (11) Bb Blogs (11) GradeMark for Computer (11) Bb Content tools (11) ↑ Found a mistake? Have a question? Need some help? Email serviceline@soton.ac.uk or beat the email queue through http://www.southampton.ac.uk/ithelp's self service page. 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