Web conferencing at UW-Madison with Blackboard Collaborate

UW-Madison is in the process of implementing Blackboard Collaborate, an easy-to-use web conferencing tool that enables instructors, researchers, administrators and others to create virtual classrooms and meeting spaces.

Collaborate has been licensed for use across all UW-System campuses and will be available at UW-Madison through a campus subsidy at no cost to the user. UW System entered into a three-year contract, starting on July 1, 2011, which provides a license for anyone in the UW System and allows unlimited use of Collaborate through June 30, 2014. Collaborate is a vendor-hosted service.

Implementation schedule

Blackboard Collaborate will be made available at UW-Madison in phases. During that time, DoIT and campus partners will formalize a structure for administering and supporting Collaborate.

Beginning in November 2011, Collaborate will be closely integrated with Learn@UW, making it easy for instructors to employ web conferencing in their courses. DoIT will also be working with campus partners to explore Collaborate integration with their Moodle systems during the 2011-12 academic year. In late 2012 or early 2013, it is expected that Collaborate will be available through the campus authentication system.

How can I start using Collaborate?

Those interested in exploring Collaborate are welcome to access the Collaborate "sandbox".

Those interested in discussing the use of Collaborate within their groups or departments should contact the project team at Collaborate-info@lists.wisc.edu

Features

Web conferencing can expand the reach of the University to the boundaries of the Internet. With tools such as Blackboard Collaborate, you can share meetings, lectures, presentations, seminars, training sessions or other events in real time with other computer users connected to the Web. Users at remote locations can participate in the events as though they were attending in person.

User support and training

The DoIT Help Desk and DoIT’s Networked Media Services team provide centralized user support. Blackboard provides extensive self-help resources and premium support for urgent and major issues. Training and consultation are a coordinated effort provided by DoIT Academic Technology (Professional Technical Education, Learning Technology and Distance Education) and its partners in schools and colleges.