Getting Help with Collaborate Ultra

This article provides students and instructors with where to go for help with Collaborate Ultra.

How do instructors learning to use Collaborate Ultra?

Instructors can also contact the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL) for pedagogical support and technical training for Collaborate Ultra.

Students should contact Blackboard provides 24/7 chat support for help with Collaborate Ultra. Students should not contact CETL for help with Collaborate Ultra.

How can I troubleshoot Collaborate Ultra?

Trouble turning on your camera, microphone, or sharing your screen

Your browser may be blocking the device. Use the following guides to allow your browser access to your camera, microphone, or screen recording tools:

Support for Chrome: https://help.blackboard.com/Collaborate/Ultra/Participant/Support/Chrome_Support
Support for Firefox: https://help.blackboard.com/Collaborate/Ultra/Participant/Support/Firefox_WebRTC_Support

In urgent situations, audio communication can occur by using your phone to connect to a Collaborate session: https://help.blackboard.com/Collaborate/Ultra/Participant/Join_Sessions/Collaborate_Teleconference

General recommendations for addressing technical issues

Close all programs on your computer except for the browser you are using for your Collaborate session.
Use a hard-wired (Ethernet) connection, if available. If not available, use a Wifi connection.
Only use up-to-date Internet browsers that are supported by Blackboard Collaborate.
Use video during the session only when necessary.

How does my class get 24/7 help with Collaborate Ultra?

Students and instructors can access the Collaborate Ultra documentation at any time. A troubleshooting guide is available, and Blackboard provides 24/7 chat support for Collaborate Ultra. For access details see the What if I can’t access a Collaborate Ultra session? section below.

Collaborate Support should be contacted when technical problems occur while:

Joining a session (e.g. after clicking into the meeting I don’t enter)
Using audio chat (e.g. I can’t hear the speaker, or the group cannot hear me)
Using video communication (e.g. participants can’t see me)
Sharing your screen sharing (including video), or sharing files (e.g. I can't see the PowerPoint)
Playing a recording (e.g. I don’t know where to find the recording)

Users can also review instructions for Joining a Collaborate Ultra Session to prevent connection issues.

What if I have issues while I'm in a Collaborate session?

Students and instructors can accessing 24/7 Collaborate support during a meeting through the Open Session menu tab in the upper-left corner of the window.

What if I can’t access a Collaborate Ultra session?

If students or instructors are having technical issues with Collaborate, contact the 24/7 Collaborate Support and click the Chat with Collaborate Support button under the Support heading.