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An administrator may give you a link to join a session or to sign into the Collaborate Scheduler. This link gives you moderator privileges.
More on session roles
Open the link in your browser.
For the best Blackboard Collaborate experience with your screen reader use Firefox® and JAWS on a Windows® system. On a Mac® use Safari® and VoiceOver.
After the page loads, join the session or log into the Scheduler.
When you first access Blackboard Collaborate you'll encounter an intuitive design for scheduling sessions in the Ultra experience and viewing recordings. We call this the Collaborate Scheduler.
Set the date for your session, the designated start and stop times, and then tell your student how to find it.
In the Scheduler, you'll find these things.
Filter and search for sessions
You can filter the list of sessions that appear by all upcoming sessions, all previous sessions, and sessions in a date range. Use the filter to help you find the session you are looking for.
If you know the name of the session you are looking for, select Search Sessions and type the session name.
In Blackboard Collaborate Ultra a unique session link is generated to help each session identify you. Each link is associated with an individual session and a specific user in that session. This means that the link only works for you in that moment. You are not able to use the link to join session again or share your link with another user. Session links expire after 5 minutes.
If offered by your institution, you can use the telephony feature to communicate with other users. To learn more, see Join by Collaborate Teleconference.
- From the Scheduler, select the session you want to join.
- Select Join session.
From the Sessions list, select Create Session. Give the session a name.
Not sure where to find the Sessions list? Jump to Join Sessions and select your experience.
Event Details
The event needs some basic details before creating.
If you expect over 250 attendees in your session, you must submit a large session request to the Collaborate support team on Behind the Blackboard. Submit the request BEFORE the session begins.
Decide who can do what in your sessions.
- Allow recording downloads from the Recordings page as well as on the recording play back page.
- Show the profile pictures of moderators only.
- Allow participants to use audio, video, chat, and the whiteboard editing tools.
- Allow users to join the session using a telephone for their audio.
More on Session Settings
Add sessions to your course content
Add a link to the session in your course. Copy the guest link and paste it in a place that's easy for your students to find.
Improve critical thinking, problem solving, adaptability, and communication with group sessions. There are different ways you can set up group sessions.
- Breakout groups: Use breakout groups during a session for in the moment group collaboration.
- Multiple sessions: Create multiple sessions. If you want to run multiple sessions at the same time for students to use as virtual study room, for example, you can create multiple sessions for the different groups to join.
- Course group tool: If it's for long term group work, create groups in your course and give access to a Collaborate session.
Select a session to open the session details. The information you need to join or share the session is immediately after the session name.
You can invite users two ways:
- Send a public guest link
- Send a personal invitation
You can't send invitations to sessions in a course. Everyone enrolled the course has access to the session. If you want to invite someone not in your course, send them a guest link.
The guest link is a public link that can be used and shared by anyone who has it.
Guest access is on by default. Clear the Guest access check box to turn it off. This only turns the guest link off. You can still invite individual attendees.
Copy and send the copy of the guest link to your students, or other guests.
Session links can be long and break when sent. Use a URL shortening service, such as TinyURLTM or Bitly, to create a short alias for your session.
Everyone who joins from this link joins with the same guest role. Decide if guests join as a participant, presenter, or moderator.
Not sure of which permissions to grant someone? Don't worry. Permissions can also be set during your meeting.
Make sure you understand the different roles before making guests moderators. All moderators have complete control over the session.
More on roles and permissions
If you want to invite extra moderators and leave guests as participants, send your moderators personal invitations.
You can't send invitations to sessions in a course. Send them a guest link instead.
If you invite someone as a moderator, they have complete control over the session. They also get the recording link emailed to them.
- Expand Invitations and select Invite attendee.
- Type the name and email of the attendee.
- Select the role you want to give them.
Collaborate emails the personal invitation with everything the attendee needs to join the session, including a unique session link only they can use.
You can resend invitations, if an attendee didn’t get or lost the invitation. You can also delete invited attendees. This stops them from joining from their unique link. They can still join using the guest link.
If you want to send an invitation to a registered user, someone who has a user account on Collaborate, select Search registered users.
Collaborate emails the personal invitation with everything the attendee needs to join the session.
- Session information
- Unique session link to join
- Guest link, if guest access is on
- Dial-in information, if available