Blackboard Collaborate with the Ultra Experience

Why integrate Collaborate with the Blackboard Learn LMS (Learning Management System)?

When Collaborate is integrated into Learn, your instructors and students can enjoy an experience that goes beyond simple Learning Tool Interoperability (LTI). Sessions are secure, convenient, and easy to use. And the experience is only going to get better as we continue to build a deeper integration.

Get the best of both worlds with seamless access to sessions that are both secure and open

Students join sessions securely when they join from their course. The students are authenticated through the LMS and provided with secure session links only they can use. At the same time, instructors can use guest links to invite anyone not enrolled in their course, such as a colleague or an external expert for a Q&A session. Access from these guest links can be turned off at any time.

Joining sessions and meeting as a class is made easier and convenient

Students can access Collaborate sessions from directly in a course. Instructors don’t need to send invites. A course room is available for use any time. Instructors don’t have to create new sessions unless they want to. Everyone enrolled in the course automatically has access to the session and with the right level of permissions in the room. They don’t need to sign in again. And instructors can automate attendance tracking.

With the integration, instructors can save time on administration with automated attendance tracking between Collaborate and the course

Instructors decide what makes a student present, late, or absent. Collaborate then does the attendance tracking for them and sends the information to the course Attendance page for review and grading.

Recordings are automatically available for secure access

Once the session’s recording is over, it’s automatically posted in the course. Recordings of the sessions are only available to those enrolled in the course by default. Instructors can choose to grant public access and share a recording link. They can tell at-a-glance who has access to the recordings and edit the permissions any time.

Create breakout groups based on your course groups

Groups created in your Blackboard Learn course are available in your course Collaborate sessions for breakouts. Instructors can use their existing course groups to create breakout groups in advance and save time. Build on existing student collaboration. With this integration, students can stay in the same group without extra work for the instructor. In the Collaborate session, the instructor can also enjoy some flexibility and adjust groups as needed without impacting the groups in Learn. For example, to balance groups among attendees.

The Collaborate and Blackboard Learn groups integration is available on the SaaS deployment. It applies to both experiences:

• Original course experience group sets (not standalone groups)
• Ultra course experience course level groups

Leverage the tool for group collaboration in your Learn course

Work groups inside your course can use Collaborate on their own too if you want it. Finally, give students in your courses their own private group space to meet in their group tools. These group sessions are self-organized and a great place for students to practice presenting online. Instructors don’t need to do anything except make the group space available.

• In Learn Original course experience, Collaborate can be a group tool providing each group with their own private room.
• In Learn Ultra course experience, activate Conversations on Group assignments so students can use discussions and a private Collaborate room. They’re even informed when somebody from their group is already in the room!

A unified data platform

Learn SaaS institutions can leverage Blackboard Data to make sense of the learning data across their tools including Learn and Collaborate. The unified canonical data model of Blackboard Data enables you to access and explore the underlying datasets and get insights that combine information from across your ecosystem.

With the Developer Tier you can create custom queries and analyses based on your institutional data.

With the Reporting Tier you’re provided a set of pre-built reports which show you the learning activity taking place in your Blackboard tools, and help you solve Usage and Adoption questions.

Ready to take the next step? Follow the steps on this page to to set up your integration.

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Get your credentials

To use Collaborate with the Ultra experience with your Learning Management System (LMS), start by contacting Blackboard to have it enabled on your instance and receive your integration credentials.

Submit a case on Behind the Blackboard (available in English only). Fill in all of the fields and make these selections:

1. From the What's New for... menu, select Collaborate.
   
2. Select Create a case.
3. From the Account menu, select your school's account.
4. From the Product Line menu, select Collaborate.
5. From the Environment menu, select your school's Collaborate license.
6. From the Issue Topic menu, select Ultra Experience.
7. From the Functional Area menu, select New LMS Integration credential requests.
8. From the Category menu, select your Learning Management System.
   
   • Blackboard Learn
   • LTI integration
   • Moodle plugin
   • Rest API integration
9. From the Instance menu, select your instance:
   • Production
   • Test
   • Development
10. In the Description area, specify Collaborate Ultra.

Configure the Blackboard Collaborate Ultra Building Block

The Blackboard Collaborate Ultra Building Block uses Learning Tools Interoperability^® (LTI) compliant credentials. You need to request new credentials after you install this building block. If you previously used the LTI integration to add Collaborate to your Blackboard Learn instance, you can reuse those credentials.

1. Go to Administrator Tools, Building Blocks, and Installed Tools.
2. Find Blackboard Collaborate Ultra and select Settings.
3. Select Web Conference Settings.
4. Fill in the Collaborate Services Configuration information with the information Blackboard gave you.
5. Select Submit.
6. After you configure the building block, turn it on.

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Turn on Collaborate

After you have configured Collaborate, turn it on.

1. From the Administrator Panel select Tools.
2. Find Blackboard Collaborate or Blackboard Collaborate Ultra.
3. Turn on the course and organization tools as needed.

After the room is turned on for their course, an instructor or someone with a higher role makes the room available to other course users when they first access it. The room stays open for the life of the course.

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Närvarorapportering

Närvarorapporteringen är endast tillgänglig under sessioner med ett slutdatum och en sluttid. Närvaron spåras inte i kursrum.

Låt Collaborate ta närvaron åt dig. Dina Blackboard Learn-lärare kan sköta en Collaborate-session utan att spåra närvaron manuellt.

Baserat på de kriterier du och dina lärare kan ställa in spårar Collaborate om en deltagare är närvarande, sen eller frånvarande från en session. Collaborate skickar sedan den informationen direkt till sidan Närvaro i rätt Blackboard Learn-kurs.

Närvaron från Collaborate-sessionen kan räknas in i varje deltagares genomsnittliga närvaro för kursen, som även kan användas för att beräkna deltagares resultat.

Mer information om närvaro i Blackboard Learn

Konfigurera närvarorapportering

Byggblocken i Blackboard Collaborate Ultra måste vara aktiverade och konfigurerade på ditt system innan du kan använda närvarorapportering. Varje Learn-instans måste ha ett unikt Collaborate-kundkonto. Om du delar ett Collaborate-kundkonto mellan dina uppsättnings- och produktionsmiljöer måste du begära ett extra Collaborate-kundkonto.

Du måste registrera ditt Cloud Site ID och aktivera funktionen för närvarorapportering för att använda denna.

1. Från Administratörsverktyg ska du välja Byggblock och Installerade verktyg.
2. Hitta Blackboard Collaborate Ultra och välj Inställningar.
3. Välj Registrering av Cloud Site ID.
4. Välj Registrera och Skicka in.
5. Välj Närvaroinställningar.
6. Markera kryssrutan Rapportera närvaro.

   Detta gör det möjligt för lärare att välja att använda funktionen för närvarorapportering i sina sessioner. Lärarna måste ändå välja att använda denna funktion för varje session som de vill spåra närvaron för. För att lära dig mer, se lärarhjälp för närvarorapportering.

7. Alternativt kan du redigera närvarotrösklarna. Dessa trösklar är inte låsta. Lärarna kan ändra dem i sina sessioner.
   • Sen efter: Närvarande som ansluter till sessionen efter det antal minuter som du har ställt in markeras som sena. Som standard är deltagare sena om de ansluter till sessionen senare än 5 minuter och upp till 20 minuter efter den schemalagda starttiden. Om den närvarande ansluter en sekund efter 5 minuter markeras denne som sen.
   • Frånvarande efter: Närvarande som ansluter till sessionen efter det antal minuter som du har ställt in markeras som sena. Som standard är deltagare frånvarande om de ansluter till sessionen senare än 20 minuter efter den schemalagda starttiden. Om den närvarande ansluter en sekund efter 20 minuter markeras denne som frånvarande.
   • Tid som krävs i session: Deltagarna måste vara med på session i den procentandel av tiden som valts, eller längre, för att markeras som närvarande. Som standard måste deltagarna vara med på sessionen minst halva tiden för att markeras som närvarande.
8. Klicka på Skicka.

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Frequently asked questions

Can I reuse my existing Blackboard Collaborate Building Block credentials in the new Blackboard Collaborate Ultra Building Block?

No. You need new credentials.

I use the LTI with Collaborate Ultra in Blackboard Learn, can I use my LTI credentials in the new Blackboard Collaborate Ultra Building Block?

Yes. You can use your LTI credentials in the new Blackboard Collaborate Ultra Building Block.

Can I use the Blackboard Collaborate and the Blackboard Collaborate Ultra Building Block at the same time?

Yes. They are independent of each other.

Will my Ultra sessions and recordings migrate from the Blackboard Collaborate Building Block to the Blackboard Collaborate Ultra Building Block?

No, but the Blackboard Collaborate Building Block can be used at the same time so you can still locate the recordings there.

Change the Blackboard Collaborate Building Block to recordings only, if you don't want instructors to host sessions using the Blackboard Collaborate Building Block but still have access to their recordings. 

More on enabling recordings

Will my Ultra sessions and recordings migrate from the Ultra LTI to the Blackboard Collaborate Ultra Building Block?

Yes. You will see your Ultra LTI sessions and recordings in the new Blackboard Collaborate Ultra Building Block.

Will the new Blackboard Collaborate Ultra Building Block have my rooms?

No. You have a new Course Room and can create new sessions.

Where do I find more information on scheduling sessions in the Blackboard Collaborate Ultra Building Block?

Information on scheduling sessions for moderators