In an effort to reduce expense to the university, the Class Collaborate web conferencing tool will not be renewed. It will no longer be available as of August 8, 2026.
Key points:
Class for Web (formerly Collaborate) is available for all faculty and staff at NIU! Class for Web is designed to make anytime synchronous collaboration simpler, more reliable, and more enjoyable with exciting features like:
Class for Web is a comprehensive online learning and collaboration tool designed specifically for education. It is integrated with Blackboard Courses and Organizations at NIU. Faculty and staff can create live sessions easily to facilitate engagement and interaction for teaching and learning.
Contact the Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning for additional information and training schedule.
Collaborate was purchased by Class in 2022. Class began rebranding Collaborate in late-2022 to change the name from Blackboard Collaborate to Class Collaborate. Collaborate will remain available to NIU faculty for the duration of our contract through August 8, 2026.
If you would like to explore other options, NIU currently supports Zoom and Microsoft Teams as alternative web conferencing tools.
Following the sale to Class, Collaborate no longer received updates to its functionality. In addition, it was no longer included in our Blackboard contract.
Yes, Class Collaborate is available in all NIU Blackboard courses and communities. In the Ultra Course View, Class Collaborate is in the left panel under Details & Actions. In the Original Course View, you can access Collaborate from the Control Panel by clicking "Organization Tools" and then "Blackboard Collaborate".
Note that Collaborate will only be available until the end of our contract on August 8, 2026.
No, departments should use Microsoft Teams or Zoom to hold virtual meetings.
Yes you can! You can easily invite a guest speaker when you are creating the session. To do so, edit the Settings for a particular session and ensure that the Guest Access setting is checked. Copy the Guest Link and send it to your guest speaker.
Note that Collaborate will only be available until the end of our contract on August 8, 2026.
Yes! Create the session within one course, and then post the Guest Link in the second course. Students from the first course will log in automatically with their name, and students from the second course will simply type their name when they join the session.
Note that Collaborate will only be available until the end of our contract on August 8, 2026.
Yes, you can participate in Collaborate sessions directly in the browser on your mobile device. Participants can join the session by clicking a guest link (such as in their email or on a website) or from a Blackboard course. Students can access the course from the Blackboard app for students or by logging into Blackboard in their mobile browser.
At this time, the options for presenting on a mobile device are limited. You cannot share content, such as PowerPoint slides, or application share from a mobile device.
Because Collaborate runs entirely in your browser, you need to give permission for your web browser to use your webcam and microphone. Usually, you will be prompted to grant permission the first time you access Collaborate on your computer. If you inadvertently blocked the request, you can clear your cache and launch the session again. Your browser should ask you for permission again.
According to the Recording Retention Guidelines, Collaborate recordings are retained for 6 months. After that time, most recordings are never viewed again.
For longer-term storage and use, we recommend moving your recordings to Microsoft OneDrive (for archival retention) or to Kaltura (for recordings that will be played frequently).
Note that Collaborate will only be available until the end of our contract on August 8, 2026. Recordings will be deleted at that time.
To access a recording:
Note that Collaborate will only be available until the end of our contract on August 8, 2026. Recordings will be deleted at that time.
To download a recording:
The recording will automatically download to your computer in an .mp4 format.
Note that Collaborate will only be available until the end of our contract on August 8, 2026. Recordings will be deleted at that time.
Note: These tutorials were developed by Blackboard prior to the sale to Class, so they refer to "Collaborate" instead of the new name "Class for Web". They may be out of date, but Class has not developed replacement materials.
815-753-8100
servicedesk@niu.edu