Class Collaborate Renamed Class for Web
The Blackboard Collaborate web conferencing tool was purchased by Class in 2022. It will remain available to NIU faculty through the end of our contract in August 2026. In the meantime, it has been renamed from Collaborate to Class for Web. You may see both names used for awhile as the branding is fully changed.
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 2026.
If you would like to explore other options, NIU currently supports Zoom and Microsoft Teams as alternative web conferencing tools.
At this time, we do not foresee many updates or changes being made to Collaborate as a result of the sale to Class. In addition, Class has committed to maintaining Collaborate through the duration of existing contracts (our contract ends in August 2026).
In the meantime, the name has already changed from Blackboard Collaborate to Class Collaborate. We also expect the integration between Blackboard and other web conferencing tools, like Zoom, to be improved.
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.
You can also change the permissions in your browser without clearing your cache. Here are the steps to do so in each browser:
In addition you may need to allow permission in your operating system to use the webcam and microphone
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).
To access a recording:
To download a recording:
The recording will automatically download to your computer in an .mp4 format.
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.
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