Important Information about Blackboard Collaborate

1. All chats in Collaborate are supervised. Your instructor sees all comments you make to other students through the Private Message feature.
2. You must use the latest update of Java version 6. If you’ve upgraded to version 7, Blackboard Collaborate will not load on your computer.
3. Do NOT use Google Chrome to access a Blackboard Collaborate session or recording; the session will not load.

First-Time Users: Getting Started

Getting Ready

Start by following Steps 1-4 to set up your computer and yourself to use Blackboard Collaborate. You will be walked through:

1. Check system requirements
2. Configure your system
3. Learn how to use Blackboard Collaborate
4. View the Support Portal for additional information

Go to the First-Time Users Guide!

Ask Your Instructor

• Ask your instructor if you will need to install any other software to read documents or to access other multi-media components during your Elluminate session. 
  For instance, you might need:
• Adobe Acrobat Reader to read PDFs
• Adobe Flash Player and to view video and audio

Joining a Blackboard Collaborate Session

1. Before joining a Blackboard Collaborate session, have your microphone headset plugged in. It is recommended to use a microphone headset (or at least headphones/earphones or an echo canceling microphone) rather than speakers. This will eliminate potential echoing and feedback and improve your audio experience.
    
2. To log into your Blackboard Collaborate session, click on (or copy and paste) the link to the Elluminate Session provided to you.
    
3. Type in your name and click Log In.
   
    
4. When the “Opening meeting.jnlp” window appears, click to “Open with Java…” and click OK. Wait for Java to load.  (This may take a few minutes so please be patient.)
   
    
5. When the security message comes up, checkmark “Always trust content from this publisher” and click Run.
   
    
6. The Blackboard Collaborate loading window will appear. If this is your first time logging into Blackboard Collaborate, you may encounter a connection speed window. Select your current connection speed and click OK.
    
7. Blackboard Collaborate will load and you will be signed in.
    
8. Upon entering your Blackboard Collaborate session, run the Audio Setup Wizard to configure your speakers and/or microphone through either option below:
   • You can click on the Audio Setup Wizard button and follow the steps on screen to configure your speakers and/or microphone.
   • Or, go to the Tools menu and choose Audio > Audio Setup Wizard and follow the steps on screen to configure your speakers and/or microphone.

Recorded Sessions

If your instructor has recorded Elluminate sessions for student viewing, (s)he will provide a link to the recordings.

Training Materials for Particpants

View the Blackboard Collaborate website.

• Blackboard Collaborate Web Conferencing Essentials for Participants (HTML)
• Blackboard Collaborate Web Conferencing Participant’s Guide (HTML)
• Blackboard Collaborate Getting Started for Participants Quick Reference Guide (PDF)
• Blackboard Collaborate Web Conferencing Participant Orientation (recording)