Class for Web (formerly Blackboard Collaborate)

Your Blacboard virtual classroom integration

Comments: The overall experience of Blackboard Collaborate is compliant and straightforward because as I said it does not have many features or differentiators against its market competition, it is simply the blackboard addon to take online classes or virtual meetings, its stability also characterizes it but from there on out, it is a pretty normal platform, and very easy to use.

Pros:

What makes collaborate stand out is its stability when it comes to virtual meetings, of course depending on your network is what determines your experience during the meeting of course. Another thing is that in my case, being still a student, the collaborate is already integrated into the class in a section where either the teacher creates the icon on the left bar, or you simply go to the blackboard tools and you can find there the meeting you want to enter the entire course you have. The platform is designed for you to join immediately so if you are in a hurry, the software will take care of that and help you with that.

Cons:

I didn't see many disadvantages of blackboard collaborate when it comes to taking classes or having meetings with my team when planning projects, since it is a virtual meeting software that complies but is quite simple, which does not have many differentiators out of the market. It is quite reliable, but for some reason, my teachers prefer to take better classes in Microsoft Teams because they feel it has better and more features than blacboard collaborate.

Blackboard Collaborate Review

Comments: Blackboard collaborate is a straightforward tool that is very effective for educational purposes.

Pros:

As a university student in the COVID-19 pandemic, blackboard collaborate was a complete necessity. I used this app everyday for at least 2 years while navigating through classes, webinars and even exams. It is a great app that is geared toward hosting larger groups. This software is easy to use and the interface is very interactive. It allows for screen sharing and even fantastic features that allow the host to give attendees impromptu multiple choice quizzes. The break out room feature is also beneficial in managing larger groups. One of my favorite features is the promotion of asynchronous learning by providing recordings of meetings and classes. The icons are also very easy to use, even for first time users.

Cons:

Blackboard collaborate needs an extremely strong internet connection to run smoothly. Other than that, the app is quite reliable.

There are better softwares

Pros:

Chat and private chat are useful, hand raising tool is useful

Cons:

It takes forever to connect, audio is delayed. Mics randomly come on.

A Necessary Platform in the Face of the Decline of Face to Face Classes

Comments: I love blackboard collaborate. It saved my education during the pandemic. The most useful feature for me is the ease of access to recordings. Unlike other platforms, the recordings are stored directly on the platform and do not require the host or lecturer to directly send the recording to participants. The platform is so easy to use and mimics the structure of a real classroom.

Pros:

Ease of Navigation User friendly Multiple avenues of communication (video, audio and live chat) Break out rooms options for group collaboration during classes Ability to schedule and create multiple classes that can be conducted simultaneously without disrupting each other Hands up feature Polls Recordings available

Cons:

Initial learning curve as the platform is not similar to others that’s i’ve used before.

Classroom Video conferring

Comments: my overall experience of Blackboard Collaborate is good

Pros:

As opposed to web casting and video conferencing software, Blackboard Collaborate has interrogations and features that are specifically designed for engagement with the learners/audience

Cons:

I am a new user of the Blackboard Collaborate's license so far nothing to complain about. Although the budget for this product is more expensive than our previous option

Buggy and Difficult for Students to Use

Comments: I really wanted to like Blackboard Collaborate, but there are just too many problems and it gets in the way of the actual learning for my students.

Pros:

The software does a good job with video, audio and screen sharing. I'm able to easily must students and see when someone has a question. I like that when I record a session, it makes the recording automatically available for the students.

Cons:

I teach at a community college and recently switched to Collaborate for my class. I teach adults who are able to handle most technical issues, but collaborate has been very frustrating to deal with. Several of my students simply quit coming because they kept getting kicked out. I also like to join on both my phone and laptop so I can demonstrate mobile apps, but Collaborate only allows me to log in once. The help section and knowledge base have a lot of content, but I can never find the answers I'm looking for.

Solid collaboration and communication platform

Comments: The general experience is that Blackboard Collaborate is a solid tool for collaboration, team and file management, and communication in video conferences.

Pros:

Blackboard Collaborate has a broad range of features and comes along with high customizability. The video conferencing is very good, also in comparison with competitors, such as "ZOOM" and "Microsoft Teams".

Cons:

Ease of use and ease of development is lacking. Moreover, the then even more necessary customer support is not always as available as needed and responses solving an issue can take a while. A clearer and simplified design of the overlays could tremendously benefit these issues.

Blackboard, the ideal platform for higher education

Comments: After more than 2 years of use, the platform seems to me to be the best in the market to guarantee a good online education and teaching, however, it has aspects to improve such as the search for material.

Pros:

Easy to useUser friendly interfaceAllows full collaboration between students and teachersDynamic material managementVideo call rooms availableAllows constant communication

Cons:

The search for the material is time-consumingGroups are often not closed correctly

Blackboard Collaborate

Pros:

The integration of collaborate within the Blackboard LMS means that a third-party program, such as Zoom, is not required.

Cons:

It can, at times, require more resources than what older systems might be able to handle.

Amazing platform for online instruction.

Pros:

1. User friendly application. 2. Easy to access and navigate. 3. Accommodates students learning needs. 4. Video and audio clarity. 5. Easy sharing of files and documents. 6. Best communication channel. 7. Fast updates. 8. Sharing presentations, using a whiteboard, notifications, announcements, and instant chatting are all interesting features. 9. All in one platform for distance education. 10. Easy to organize conference and manage participants.

Cons:

1. Strong internet connection is required. 2. It is not possible to trace student participation.

Bring your classroom with you

Comments: Overall, we had a glitch free, interactive virtual class room experience using Blackboard collaborate.

Pros:

We are a small local language school and we really loved how Blackboard Collaborate brought us together in a virtual classroom. I find the live chat features along with the ability to share screens and easily exchange files in the classroom to be really helpful.

Cons:

Since we are a small group of learners, the paid plans felt overpriced for our needs . I wish there is a plan catering to small learning groups at a lower price point than the ones currently available.

Blackboard College Student Perspective

Comments: I was neither buyer nor administrator so I can't speak to that end of it or its cost value. However, I can say, if you're looking for a software that allows students to learn and collaborate with an interactive platforms built for learning and collaborating, this is one of the best options out there. I say this as someone who has used Canvas, Teams, and interactive text software built for collaboration. I've never used Google Classroom but I have used Jamboards and similar collaborative "white board" and commenting software. This is the best product I've used next to Canvas in the higher education setting among other students/peers long-term. Teams really does work best for "small professional teams" in my opinion, and the classroom is not a small professional team. Jamboard, Padlet and collaborative whiteboard software just always felt underdeveloped, messy, crowded and too lacking in structure. They're really glorified shared sticky notes, which only work in very small doses. I don't have much to say in comparing Canvas and Blackboard. They're similar on the student user end with subtle stylistic differences. However, at this time, if the choice is between the two, I can't think of anything specific that would tip me one way or the other.

Pros:

I loved its collaboration tools. We also used it in combination with Zoom during the pandemic, which was cool as a concept. In practice, it was overwhelming because of hybrid classes and older professors who struggle with technology. At times, it could be frustrating to work with so much depending on online material but there was a security in Blackboard, that when we figured it out, solved small technical issues, the end result was reliable and optimized in some way or another for any kind of educational activity. Zoom is arguably faster paced, more live, but working with the two together, offered really unique and creative new collaborative experiences. I appreciated the versatility and accessibility of Blackboard greatly.

Cons:

I disliked the inconsistent technical demands and the lack of transparency about the differences between what professors view and what students view. Some of this could be fixed with our own research but some of this could have been helped with a little more technical support on the user side. I also found the inconsistent email notifications annoying. It might seem redundant to other users but for all email notifications and correspondence, I would have preferred matching formatting and styles of notification. It would have helped me find things more quickly and it would have made skimming fifty or so emails every morning for important communications more fruitful.

Higher education at its best

Pros:

One of the best ways to conduct lectures/tutorials, all students were able to easily interact with the facilitator and the learning materials, the white board is an amazing feature that makes the entire experience the best

Cons:

Optimisation of bandwidth, anyone with weak internet connection has a hard time catching up with the sessions

Blackboard Collaborate is Good for Online Classes and Assignments

Comments: Overall I enjoyed my experience with Blackboard. I liked the simplicity of responding to scenarios my professors posted and the option to reply to threads and individual posts from my peers with whom I had to interact with. I think Blackboard is very convenient for professors and for students alike, but that it can improve on some of its user friendliness and provide a neater and more efficient messaging platform and visual layout especially because not all students or instructors are necessarily computer savvy.

Pros:

I used Blackboard Collaborate for several years in graduate school. What I liked most about this software was the simplicity of utilizing the conversation threads. There was nothing too "fancy" and the layout provided simple 'reply' and 'reply all' buttons. Each week we were required to answer questions about a scenario, and reply to other students' remarks as well. It was easy to see which posts did not have replies yet so that we each student got a change to have a reply. I think if this information wasn't provided on the main screen many posts would be overlooked, and I liked that the layout was clear on who posted and who replied, especially when professors emphasized replying to posts that had fewer or no replies already. I also liked that there was a messaging system built in, so we could communicate with our fellow students and professor within the website while working on assignments.

Cons:

What I liked least about Blackboard Collaborate was that if I wanted to message my entire class, I would have to individually click every student's name, and then click the "To" button in order to add them as recipients. It was honestly time consuming and extremely frustrating as a graduate student because it wasted so many minutes every time, especially because I would often forget to actually click "To" after I manually clicked a student's name, so I wouldn't realize they weren't added into the message and would have to start over. This was unfriendly for users, especially for graduate students who need to focus on their assignments and communicating to their peers rather than trying to remember if they did the two-step clicking process for every single student rather than having a simple "select all" option! I don't know why there was no select all option to add the entire class when this is a platform universities often use for online classes and assignments. One more thing I did not like about Blackboard was that the layout was a bit confusing and not user friendly. It took me a while to get used to the flow of the website which felt unorganized and a bit scattered. I could see this being more of a problem for older graduate students who aren't used to adapting to various website layouts with many links to each class and each assignment stacked upon each other in an overwhelming way.

BB as an Administrator & a Student

Comments: I like Blackboard as a learning platform. I do think, like all software, a few bugs need to be worked out for better administration. Maybe a face-lift would be nice as well.

Pros:

As a student the software is easy to use and has an easy to use dashboard. It is nice to be able to email other students or teachers, especially when you get to the university level. I like how there are different options to view your grades and when you submit your assignments there is a confirmation code that is generated. There is also a variety of tools besides email in which communication can take place, like discussion boards, videos, or links to other websites. I also found it handy to keep track of important announcements from campus organizations and professors. As an Administrator I like how the software can keep me organized and track the progress of the students.

Cons:

I did not have many issues as a student, but as an administrator I found a few places with room for improvement. At times it was difficult to upload assignments, I would always get an error message. I know I am completing the correct steps because I have uploaded many assignments. Another issue I had was that this software always seemed to go down at the most in opportune times, like right before finals and then an extension had to be given to the students to be fair. I can't say if it was the fault of the school or the software, all I know is it is frustrating.

Collaborate and More thru Bb

Pros:

Build your course page easily, upload the needed documents, scheduling, conduct your sessions, attendance report, assignments, quizzes..etc

Cons:

Special prices for STARTups should be taken into consideration to be used as a training tool not only for universities...

all-in-one alternative for elearning.

Comments: Using blackboard as an elearning platform for several years, I found its potential to facilitate homework assignments, grading, reporting, and more. Over the years, the platform has kept going and is an important benchmark for this type of solution.

Pros:

The creation of work groups is very satisfactory, it allows the creation of blogs and forums that are qualified in a fluid way. After understanding the dynamics of the course and the location of buttons and features, it is easy for students to interact and take different courses.

Cons:

Integration with other platforms could be simplified. For taste or for ease of use, sometimes it is preferable to use applications such as those belonging to the Google suite. An integration with the google suite would be amazing.

A great starter program but with a lot of issues for long term users

Comments: Since spending 5+ years with Blackboard and Collaborate, we have since switched to Canvas. I am not seeing any issues here, albeit it has only been a year and counting since the switch. I have not had any error messages, and I've conducted live chats and webinars with students without issues. Crossing my fingers that it is the program we've been waiting for and it will keep performing for many years!

Pros:

Collaborate is easy to set up initially, and it allows online collaboration - hence the title - between students and both their peers in the virtual classroom and their professor.

Cons:

For short-term use, the program excels. For long-term users, there are too many bugs in the program for it to be viable for higher education use. We expect our students to be tech savvy, and it is embarrassing when our software does not hold up to this same standard. I frequently got "unavailable" or "error: contact your program administrator" messages, costing me valuable time with my students. There were also times when the whiteboard would freeze, and I'd have to reboot my entire computer while my students waited.

Blackboard Collaborate Review

Comments: My overall experience with Blackboard Collaborate is always amazing. My grades have improved so much with this and I have been so much more organized because it comes with a calendar and reminder of when assignments are due and I never miss an assignment.

Pros:

A feature that I absolutely love about this software is the breakout rooms for group projects. I love that professors can break us into groups and it is not difficult to see in Blackboard. I love how easy it is to use this software. I also love that I get to see my professors feedback on any assignments that have been graded. I love seeing the exact percentage as well instead of it saying "B+". I absolutely love Blackboard!

Cons:

One feature that I hope that this software improves is sharing the computer audio. It would be really helpful to get audio instead of text because I feel like it is easier to communicate faster and a lot more easier than text. Either way I highly recommend this software because It has helped me be more organized. There are no features that are difficult.

Blackboard Collaborate; academic learning tool that supports online learning

Pros:

Overall Blackboard Collaborate is a multifunctional software that allows bigger businesses and corporations, particularly higher education communities to engage with each other in a variety of ways, including web conferences for courses and meetings, virtual office hours, and training. The user board is pretty user-friendly and is not difficult to pick up.

Cons:

there were some difficulties with professors trying to do the poll options, and not being able to load them up prior to the instruction. In addition, I would recommend some additional features to be added that may increase the functionality of the software. Specifically being user friendly with apple pencil.

Not complicated and good for students

Pros:

Menu layouts are designed well. Student have never complained about that they couldn’t locate anything.

Cons:

The interface looks very old and archaic.

An institutional option that requires more training

Pros:

The software works well and has some nice features. Unfortunately users require more training to take advantage of these products. The roll out of the product worked very well for a large organization and may be a reliable option for large organizations seeking a central solution.

Cons:

Product features / integration with third party products reduced usability compared to products that offer these options out of box.

An Instructor's Needed Resource!

Comments: I access Blackboard on a daily basis in order to post assignments and grades. I am an adjunct instructor at several institutions of higher learning. I am elated that a lot of institutions use this software for their students as it offers so much versatility. For example, you can use Blackboard to engage in remote learning sessions with students. I use this software to course copy if there aren't any major changes in my courses.

Pros:

I love the overall functionality of this software as you can post grades, assignments, video tutorials, and various educational-based resources. The ease of usage with this software is comfortable as it is easy to comprehend.

Cons:

I honestly don't have any cons from usage associated with this product. The overall learning curve and navigation of this product are easy to comprehend.

Blackboard Collaborate for online learning

Comments: Blackboard was my first online learning experience and it was a good one. The course I followed was a twice weekly live event with lectures in a virtual course room, and the rest of the week material was uploaded for us to study in the module section, this could be more lectures via uploaded videos or uploaded reading material.

Pros:

The way our Blackboard Collaborate was set up meant that the layout was well organised and it was very clear how to navigate all the different menus. It did help that I only had 2 courses per trimester, but still the layout is very good. Module content was easy to find. I liked how you could leave questions in the discussion group and either the lecturer or other students would answer and it felt like you were not completely studying on your own. I think the way the class tests were set up is very good, also the questions are randomly allocated to every student to try and prevent cheating, which I think is a very clever thing to do.

Cons:

The uploading of documents was not always straightforward and sometimes I wouldn't be sure if the work was submitted. Joining a course room to join a live lecture would not always work. Also I tried joining a course room on my phone a few times, but not very successful, audio would be there, but the visual (slides usually) could not be seen.

A good tool with plenty of room for improvements

Pros:

It is reliable and hardly ever crashes. Once the material has been uploaded it a very dependable piece of software.

Cons:

The interface and the naming of the different features are confusing. There should be examples given and maybe a mouse over info given