Using Collaborate for Recording: 3/12/2020 by Bob Lipe
A video covering these steps can be found at https://ensemble.sc.edu/Watch/recording_collaborate
First, have a good quality microphone and a solid internet connect with good speed. You might want to
test these on a short demo recording before actually doing a major recording.
Second, while you are recording content, Collaborate does not record the video of you. Thus, you do
not need a web cam.
Third, video shows how to set up a session called Recordings and then how to make a course recording.
1. In your course, click on COURSE TOOLS
2. Many options appear. Select BLACKBOARD COLLABORATE ULTRA
3. Click CREATE SESSION
4. In textbox top right of screen, enter name for the meeting. For example, Class Recordings.
5. You can select several settings (note, most of these can be changed later)
• Start date will default to current time. I would not change that.
• For a session you will use on a recurring basis, you should click NO END OPEN SESSION.
Otherwise, if you log onto Blackboard outside of the start – end time, you will not see the room.
6. Under SESSION SETTINGS, it is VITAL that you select ALLOW RECORDING DOWNLOADS. The other
settings are irrelevant if all you want to do is record.
7. Click SAVE to keep the options you just set.
8. To give you a feel for how to access recordings session, I am going back to my main landing page.
9. Click COURSE TOOLS, BLACKBOARD COLLABORATE ULTRA, NAME OF SESSION YOU CREATED.
10. On the far right, click JOIN SESSION
11. Note that if you do not have a camera plugged in, you will see a screen that seems to insist that you
hook up a camera. Click the little X in the top right of this pop up to close this screen.
12. Several key commands are accessed by purple chevrons (<<) at bottom right of the page.
13. The gear icon allows you to change settings. The one important piece here is the SET UP YOUR
CAMERA AND MICROPHONE. Double check that the microphone you want to use is functioning.
NOTE: once you perform this setting, you will have to re-click your mic to turn them back on.
The remaining settings are fairly irrelevant to recording.
14. Sharing with students
• Click the microphone icon to turn on your microphone
• To share powerpoint, word, excel, etc. pages with students go to the SHARE CONTENT icon on
lower right of screen. Under PRIMARY CONTENT, choose what you want to share. I will
demonstrate sharing entire screen.
15. Turning on the recording: Click on the bars in the upper left side of the screen. Select START
RECORDING
16. When done, click bars at top left and pick STOP RECORDING
17. Click the bars again and LEAVE SESSION (bottom left)
18. After a little while, go back to Collaborate Ultra. Click bars in upper left, and pick RECORDINGS
instead of sessions. Once the processing is complete your recording will appear; it will be labeled
<name of session in step 4> / recording #. # = 1 for your first recording using this session; the # will
increment for every additional recording.
At the opposite side of the screen from the label is a circle with 3 dots. Click this for a drop down
menu. Pick COPY LINK to get a URL for this recording. You can then post this link along with your
other content in Blackboard or email the link to students as well.
NOTE: a student can click TOOLS, select BACKBOARD COLLABORATE ULTRA, select RECORDINGS, and
access the recordings whether you post the link or not. Thus if you record something that you
ultimately do not want students to see, you need to download it (if you want to save a copy) then
delete it from Collaborate.
