Class for Web (formerly Blackboard Collaborate) Reviews

I really like the virtual classroom and the various tools it has to manage the sessions and interact with the participants, and know the internet connection that each participant has.

It is not a very easy platform to use, you have to understand it first or practice to master it. There are some tools that can be improved, such as screen sharing, permissions to record and manage the session (which others can't easily do), and fast connection to sessions.

The software is suited for online classes.

The software has what is described as two factors authentication prior to sharing sound and video

The bandwidth needed to participate on this platform is high therefore a strong network connection is needed to actively participate.

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

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

Great for large groups, has enough features to keep up with the competition including: breakout rooms which work great, screen sharing, whiteboard for demonstrations, moderating for a smooth meeting flow. It's somewhat easy to use, so that's always a plus.

My biggest problem is reliability and stability. The software has crashed on me quite often, even with a robust and very capable laptop. For a software that's supposed to make collaboration easy, these issues are big drawbacks for me, and it's why we switched back to our original software.

Easy to use, worked everytime we used it

it cost much more than our other webinar software

I like that you can create folders to resemble modules for different assignment sequences during the semester.

I don't like the interface of Blackboard because it looks old and and very Web 1.0. To complete a function, you need to go through many clicks. It is also not intuitive to figure out how to build content.

Blackboard Collaborate is a simple and powerful tool. Features like creating groups and file sharing allow users to improve their user experience while using the software. I appreciate that the video quality would be stable despite of the difficulties in connectivity we could experience. What I like the most is the fact that you do not need to download any additional app to use this software on your phone.

I have not had any problems while using the app however I think that some additional functions can be implemented such as a button to control the level of audio, annotations and a video speed controller.

Features like private chat, breakout rooms, screen sharing, polling, and file transfer are critical to maximizing learning and engagement in a virtual classroom. The capacity to monitor student work and communication is also vital.

The inability to see all students at the same time is a distinct disadvantage for teachers and students. The degree of resources required for screen sharing makes this an inaccessible feature for many students.

One of the things that I like most about Blackboard Collaborate is that it is a great tool for teaching a course online. It has made it easier to teacher an online course compared to other services

One of the things I like the least about Blackboard Collaborate is the video feed. The video feed is unstable along with video audio when screen sharing a video during class

As background information, this was used for online classes - so my experiences is limited and based only on that. With that said, though, I was pleased with my interactions with Blackboard Collaborate. Here are the pros:
- It has an Interactive Whiteboard feature that is quite helpful. Teachers can add their slide deck or presentation here. The students can then "interact" with the presentation using some nice features (type words, underline texts, even highlight).
- Similar to other programs, you can share your device's screen with the class or you can allow other students to share their screen if they need to show a presentation or something. This comes in very handy if used well.
- If you've never used Blackboard before, I think it's pretty easy to get the hang of. It's well organized and has a nice user interface.
- Without Blackboard, managing the workflow in an online class would be extremely difficult. However, Blackboard does a phenomenal job of allowing information, assignments, quizzes, etc. to be assigned and returned/collected in an organized fashion.
- If a student is unable to attend a live session, Blackboard includes a record option so they can go back and watch the lesson whenever possible. This can also be used for remediation and review.
- They have some nice little features that often go overlooked, like the quick response or thumbs up/thumbs down features. It's helpful when quickly checking for understanding.
- Breakout/small group feature.

Here are some concerns:
- While it works well with Chrome, this platform does not seem to work with Safari or Edge. (This could be user error, though.)
- This may be user error, too, but I found the audio to be a little off. It seems like they could do some updates here to help it sound a little more smooth and less choppy. Sometimes you don't always hear everything.
- Even though the record feature is awesome - it can be annoying because the video and the audio are sometimes off.
- I guess this could be based on the WiFi connectivity, but video quality is inconsistent.

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.

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.

Blackboard has been around for a long time and they certainly have a handle on online educational resources. I used Blackbaord as a student and then as an educator. Customization of courses and assignments is clean looking. There are a few different way to organize lessons, modules and the like to fit your teaching and training preferences, or virtual conferences. Assessing assignments and the built-in grading is a really fluid and offers a few different modes for categorizing activities. I usually use weighted system with some extra credit and compared to other platforms I've used like D2L or Canvas, Blackboard is much easier to work with. I Personally prefer Canvas, but Blackboard is really solid.

*My institution recently switched from Blackboard to D2L.

Blackboard comes with themes and font styles, but the over all look is kinda of boring, despite the various backgrounds it offers.
Blackboard also offers some embedded applications like Wikis, and other educational resources from publishers like Pearson, and while most of them seem to function, I've had many issues with these connected resources being broken.
Hyper links seemed to constantly break in my announcements after some time, this could be me or an issue with one of my student's browser though, but I thought I'd put it here for people new to this software.

It's somewhat intuitive, and if you use it with Blackboard it integrates marvelously. The recording process is easy and it uploads automatically, a breeze.

It uses a ton of resources and it doesn't play well with computers with low RAM or bad internet connection, which makes collaboration difficult.

This made class tracking and professor collaboration a breeze all through my undergraduate and beyond.

The screen sharing could use some improvement

I used this platform while in college. All of our classes were accessible in one place and we had access to teachers/classmates at all times. Could ask questions and get immediate responses. Could submit papers/assignments so you never had to worry about your dog eating it (😁). Calendar kept you organized on due dates and class material. Grades on classwork/tests were easily accessible at all times.

From a student perspective it was a great program. There were only a couple of things that I found difficult but I think it had more to do with the teacher who set up the class on Blackboard. Some material was hard to find. Too many options to put assignments. They should all go in one place. Didn't like the fact that I had to open up 5 folders to find reading assignment or questions to be answered. Discussion board could get overwhelming and looked very disorganized

Great platform for student/instructors to have all the information necessary in one place. Many features to allow seamless learning experience for students.

Sometimes screensharing will throttle speeds it seems and sometimes audio is not clear.

I like the BBC teaching tools and features (drawing tools, image captures, breakout rooms, etc.). This is a great tool for the classroom setting and virtual training events. I also like the teleconference bridge feature.

There are many frequent technical issues, often making it impossible to access. Audio can be tricky at times as well. It's not great for use as a marketing tool, especially due to the fact that it requires downloads to access. The other major issue is the lack of attendee data or ability to easily capture or store participant engagement data.