Blackboard Collaborate Reviews

Pros

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.

Cons

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.

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.

Pros

This program is used for all of our training, mentoring, Advisor meetings, and round tables; as such, I appreciate the versatility of the program in my organization.

Screensharing is easy to use, as are video and audio chats.

Creating a test in Blackboard is a very cool feature I learned about recently and I’ve been trying it out to make tests for my mentors.

Moderator tools, such as turning off chat, audio and video help prevent any possibility of cheating amongst Advisors.

I really like the whiteboard feature as well, and myself and my mentors and team mates alike enjoy making silly messages or posting clip art from the internet.

Cons

Blackboard has crashed on me quite a bit, as it has on many others in my organization.

Connections errors happen quite often.

Sometimes, the collaborate file we download gets randomly corrupted and we have to figure that out on our own and re-download a fresh copy.

There isn’t much troubleshooting on their website for the issues we face, and sometimes IT is as clueless as we are on how to fix it.

The interface for Collaborate is severely outdated, and needs a fine tuneup.

We were excited to learn of an iPhone application for Blackboard, and then we downloaded it and not only has it not been updated in years, it was extremely dated and lacked basic functionality like screen sharing, video, whiteboard and moderator tools.

Pros

The software is suited for online classes.

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

Cons

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

Alternatives Considered

Zoom Meetings

Reasons for Switching to Blackboard Collaborate

Functionality of the software is more suited than the other softwares

Pros

In a time when classrooms look like our living rooms and bedrooms, a service like Blackboard Collaborate rises to the occasion and delivers that bedroom class experience like few others can. Not only does it allow instructors and students to “collaborate” via traditional video, audio, and screen-share methods (how many services do that now?), but it also comes with multiple rooms, a place to list course directives, and a place for students to leave messages, including assignments. As a provider of supplemental instructions (as in, I’m not the instructor but the support member), I could join in the conversation and offer advice in a place where students would read it and even respond. It’s like group text messaging, but better. If I could narrow this down to one “pro,” it’s that Blackboard Collaborate considers all the communication angles and makes them available to all who are assigned to use it.

Cons

Other than the convoluted way some features are put together, the biggest issue I had was with the occasional connection problem. On one notoriously hilarious day, the instructor asked me to share some information about the department I work for (a student service), then interrupted me halfway into my speech with, “Well, I guess that’s our answer.” It seemed like she was getting impatient. But the reality was that she couldn’t hear me, and she thought I’d left the class. And she was the only one. All the students and her dean could hear me just fine. Things like that happened every so often. Not exactly great. Definitely not consistent.

Pros

The web platform is intuitive and well organized, the menus are well positioned, I like that you can add multiple files, formats, Doc, pdf, YouTube links among others, in addition to its system to detect plagiarism.

Cons

What I don't like about blackboard is that the app for iPhone does not have all the tools that the web version has, this makes it not fully functional, there are apps from other learning platforms that have a more detailed app, another negative point is that it does not have an internal version for streaming video, it is totally uncomfortable since it gives you a link that is only compatible with safari and cannot be used in other browsers such as Google Chrome, in conclusion the app has to have a better adaptation to provide a good user experience.

Pros

This app is for all the people who are studing or working in houses, is so easy to use and they have a lot of settings to had more control. You can upload any document for all your workers or for your students.

Cons

Honestly this app is a little outdated but it's a good app. I mean nowadays there are a lot of this type of page for students and for some industry, and this app has not more diference than the others.

Alternatives Considered

Google Classroom

Reasons for Choosing Blackboard Collaborate

Is more popular

Switched From

Google Classroom

Reasons for Switching to Blackboard Collaborate

I use more google

Pros

Blackboard Collaborate is a powerful tool for video and teleconferencing and information sharing. I like the ease with which information can be shared. The platform have a host of interactive features such as real time polls, group and private chats and break out groups. Participants can also be elevated to presenters at any time with a click of a button where they can share screen and other applications. The platform is also available as a mobile application for on the go access.

Cons

Mobile application have limited capability.

Pros

The ease of use, intuitive user interface and ability to see the entire picture of university life in one place is what makes it very versatile and powerful tool. The very best thing I love about it is that I can access it from my computer, iPad or the iPhone.

Cons

Not too many flaws to be honest. Just a bit more file storage space would work wonders.

Pros

I have used this a handful of times and it is good

Cons

I feel that it could be more user Friendly so People do not navigate to Teams Calls

Pros

Blackboard Collaborate is such a great option for online teachers. We use it to meet with students and present lessons live on the computer. I use it weekly. It is seamlessly integrated with PowerPoint.

The features are neat - you have lots of controls as a moderator. You can allow students to speak, use video cameras, type, draw, add pictures to the whiteboard, etc. You can set how many students can be speaking at once. You can mute them by taking away tools. You can create breakout rooms. You can play all sorts of media. You can remove students who are not behaving. You can lock the room or allow attendees in late. I've met with anywhere from 1 to 700 participants.

You can make permanent forcing slides and make sure that students can't do anything without a teacher being present, but there are downsides to those functionalities as well.

The app is really great. It is limited, and simple, but I've never had a problem with it.

Cons

The major thing I dislike is the "exception error" that I get CONSTANTLY. Basically, BBC can only handle so much data. Because it can't tell which participant needs what, it actually has to save and stream anything within a certain time period and send that out to everyone in the room. So, it really bogs the room down. It is just saving a TON of data at any given time. We've had to create separate rooms for back to back sessions instead of hosting them in the same room for this reason. It'll give an exception error if you try to do too much with too many people in too small a timeframe.

Don't try to host a session over a wireless hotspot unless you have unlimited data. One session cost me like 2 gigs of data.

Recording can only be done in the main room. If you need to record in a breakout session, you'll have to figure something else out. We use Snagit for breakout room recordings.

The administrator panel is very confusing. I'm really tech savvy and I have a hard time navigating. It is definitely not intuitive when it comes to setting up new rooms and adding moderators.

The permanent forcing slides are good. No issues there. However, what a pain to set up -- it just makes no sense. I wish it was easier to figure out how to do that.

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.

Pros

Blackboard Collaborate makes e-learning interactive and hassle-free. I am a university student and the administration decided, when the lockdown started in March, to use this platform to facilitate online learning. When I was introduced to the interface in the beginning, I found that it was very easy to navigate. It offers a tour of the interface which proved to be quite helpful. However, Blackboard is so simple and easy to use that you won't have difficulty using it without the tour/tutorial. The labels are accurate, and everything is easy to find and well organized. The e-classroom features include options to use video, audio and the chat, where everyone can type and interact throughout class time with the use of emoticons/emojis. Teachers can share their screens, record sessions, create polls, create break out groups for group work and more. Blackboard Collaborate can be used on tablets, laptops and phones. It is perfect for online learning.

Cons

There is really nothing to dislike about Blackboard Collaborate. It ticks all the boxes and really does take much of the dreariness out of the virtual learning platform. Although e-learning is definitely not comparable to face-to-face learning, Blackboard Collaborate makes it much easier to adapt.

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.

Pros

Blackboard Collaborate has video conference abilities. The program has a 'whiteboard' that can be shared on the screen and interacted with by both administrator and users. (teacher and students)
They make it so you can upload PDF into files, and share those with the users on the screen. This feature is nice as you only have to upload it once.
They allow share screen with any open tabs as well.

Cons

If there are more than 4users on the call, you cannot see more of them. It is impossible to see everyone at once, or to scroll through the other users. There are many connectivity issues with Blackboard Collaborate making it challenging to provide quality interaction with users. It has a lag in timing between what is shown or said and when the other users see it on their screen. The whiteboard feature is nice, but writing on it is challenging as well as when you erase, you have to erase the whole 'whiteboard' rather than controlling what pieces to erase and which to keep.

Pros

I enjoyed using Blackboard as a student of a local community college. I found that it was really easy to use and one of the best programs I had ever encountered! It was so important to me to be able to learn not only in class, but also at home. Being that I had not been in classes in some time it sometimes took me longer than my classmates to understand, and learn things. I was able to use Blackboard at home and they had many different activities that would help you get extra practice from flashcards, quizzes and labs that you could use to help you better understand the curriculum that was being taught that day!

Cons

Sometimes down for scheduled banner maintenance so was not able to access my grades or assignments when I needed to. Thankfully I was always informed of any maintenance beforehand so I was able to see the information needed before it was down! (Not usually very long at all though!)

Pros

Blackboard is the veteran of online course environments for universities. The platform is versatile and offers the integration of many services, such as file upload, grading, assignment submission and interface customization.

Cons

At the beginning, the platform's functionalities can be a bit overwhelming and navigation can be confusing.

Pros

The thing I like about blackboard is the ability to download app onto phone and easily navigate through messages, discussion post, new grades submitted.. the list goes on. Blackboard has taken in the evolving approach in technology implemented into this software. You can modify, add or dismiss what you don't want shown. Blackboard if your platform and can customise it as you wish to fit your need. It is very user friendly.

Cons

I don't think there's anything I dislike about this software. Perhaps the one thing I like least about this software is not being able to view attempted assessments via the phone application. It will direct you to use your desktop browser to view details.

Pros

I have found Collaborate to be very intuitive to use, all the more important in a fast-paced, online classroom setting. It is easy to modify student permissions and roles in the event things get of-track, and it is easy to review chat messages as well as ensure recordings saved, uploaded, and distributed. It is also easy for me to monitor classroom attendance at a glance and separate students into smaller breakout sessions.

Cons

I would like some sort of centralized view of the breakout sessions. As one classroom leader, it is difficult to monitor all chats at once, as I found some students would get off-track and it took me a few moments to visit each separate room. It is possible I missed some sort of easy-switch feature that would allow me to do this. Overall, my experience has been very good.

Pros

I like that blackboard works well with Microsoft Power Point slides and that allows users to collaborate with chat, microphone, and board tools. I also like that it allows recordings to be made.

Cons

This software is difficult to learn to use well and is NOT intuitive. It frequently crashes at our organization, which impacts student learning. You cannot record in breakout rooms which makes small group work a challenge. It does not load Google Slides well which limits the other software one can use to create the slides.

Pros

I've used Blackboard Collaborate for years as a higher-education student and appreciate how customizable and flexible the software is. From discussion board capabilities to automatic quiz grading, embeded videos, and easy-to-find tutorials on the way the software operates, using Collaborate has always enhanced my experience in higher education courses.

Cons

I would appreciate it if Blackboard would automatically save discussion board replies that were written, but not pposted, as a draft. Many students I've interacted with, along with myself, have written a lengthy discussion board reply in Blackboard only to lose internet access or be interrupted, and come back later to find that their reply was lost.

Pros

Lots of useful features for professors and students that makes online learning feel more personal. Instant messaging works well and the interactive whiteboard is indispensable. It's a nice touch that it's browser-based, so there's no need for students to download a desktop version as it can be accessed anywhere. Students seems to benefit from the instant interaction with the teacher with the two-way webcam capabilities. Uploading files, slides, and videos is smooth and useful.

Cons

All features are hard to realise if you don't have a lot of IT resources or experience. Students should be able to record private sessions/breakout rooms. Sometimes students find that the more people in attendance, the more instance of freezing and errors. Some students have also mentioned issues interacting with the MacBooks. Tablet/mobile capability could also be tweaked as the interactive whiteboard seems to have issues on these platforms.

Pros

the features are very user-friendly and it is very easy to navigate for beginners. The most favorite part of it is the ability to offer remote sessions such as online course room, online join room, and online discussion between the professor and the students. Blackboard Collaborate is absolutely the best option for schools, businesses, or even government meetings during this pandemic when social distancing must be kept.

Cons

Well, I have to say that the connection is quite bad if you are using a cellphone in remote sessions because you would be sometimes cut off in the middle of the lecture with your professor and online classmates. Therefore, I would highly recommend using your desktop computer or laptops for a strong connection. After all, Blackboard is still the best option for delivering online courses.

Pros

I like how easy it is to upload my Powerpoints to use to teach with. The Blackboard tools are engaging for the students. The chat is easy to see while I teach.

Cons

I wish that chat could be on for the whole class, but private chat from student to student would be off. It's hard to keep track of private chats with students while class is going on and I need the chat on. BBC as a whole looks a bit dated too. Sometimes my powerpoints mess up or some slides get deleted during my presentations. Not often, but a few times in the past two years.

Pros

It is simple to use. I can easily view my grades and assignments whenever I need to. If I ever need to get in contact with my professors, blackboard makes it convenient and easy to find their information.

Cons

The iOS app often crashes or logs you out automatically very frequently