From Class Collaborate to Zoom: Ensuring a smooth transition for instructors

Blackboard has sold the Collaborate product and related product support will end in June 2025. The 2024-25 Semester 2 will be the last semester using Class Collaborate (formerly Blackboard Collaborate) services.

In the upcoming Semester 2, instructors are encouraged to leverage Zoom and Microsoft Teams for class recordings and interactive class activities. You are invited to join one of the workshops in January 2025.

Teaching with lecture recordings and interactive learning tools

To assist with this transition, the following comparison table outlines the functions of both Zoom and Class Collaborate:

	Zoom	Class Blackboard Collaborate	Remarks
Record class session	Schedule the Class Session on Blackboard, start the meeting, and begin recording during the class.		In Zoom, instructors can prevent students from joining the class session for recording purposes by enabling the “Authenticated Users” option when scheduling the Zoom class session.
	User Manual	User Manual
Session capacity	500	500
Make Class recordings available to students	With one click in Zoom, the recording becomes available. User Manual – page 8 > section 4.2	Recordings will be available to students when they are ready.	In Zoom, instructors can use the trim function to edit recordings before releasing them to students. Zoom Trim function
Breakout room for class discussion	Breakout room / pre-assigned breakout room.	Breakout room for Blackboard course student groups.
Polls / Chat	Yes	Yes

If you need further information or assistance, please contact the IT HelpCentre (Tel: 2766 5900, WhatsApp / WeChat: 6577 9669) or reach out to us via the IT Online ServiceDesk.