Blackboard Collaborate Ultra - Virtual Office Hours

This document describes how to use Blackboard Ultra for Virtual Office Hours

Blackboard Ultra integrates with the Canvas Learning Management System. You can create web conferences that are accessible to anyone enrolled in your course using this integration. Any recordings you make using Blackboard Ultra will also be available to those enrolled in the class.

Finally, Ultra integrates with your course roster, so students who join Ultra from your course will be automatically signed in as themselves. (Those who sign in via a guest link instead of through Canvas will be prompted to enter a name.)

For help finding Blackboard Ultra in Canvas, please go here. More more general information about Blackboard Ultra, please go here.

Create Breakout Rooms

1. Select the purple icon at the bottom right of the screen.
Purple icon at the bottom right of the screen once you are in BB Ultra

2. Select "Share Content"
Share Content button that appears after selecting purple icon at the bottom right of screen

3. Select "Breakout Groups" and delete the extra group (Note: If you have more than one instructor or TA holding office hours at the same time, create a separate group for each one)
Select Breakout Groups option under Share Content


4. Select "Start"
The Start button you click once you have created the breakout groups you want

5. Select the three little dots to the right of your name in the participants panel, then select "Move to Another Group" (Alternatively, you can just select "join group" in the group you want to move to). Make sure you hit "Update"
How to move a participant to a new group

6. As students join the session, they will be in the Main Room. You can select and drag one student at a time into the Breakout Group with you thus ensuring student privacy while letting you know if another student(s) is waiting to meet with you in the Main Room. (Note: Do not select "Allow Attendees to Switch Groups" as this will let students move themselves into the Breakout Group.
How to drag participants to a new breakout room

Join a BbCollaborate Session from the Canvas Student or Instructor App

  1. Open the Canvas Student or Instructor app on your device.
    Canvas Dashboard
  2. From the Canvas Dashboard, select the course that is hosting the Blackboard Collaborate Session.
  3. Select BBCollaborate Ultra from the course homepage 
    • You may need to scroll down to locate the BBCollaborate Option.
      Course Homepage
  4. The BbCollaborate Ultra webpage will load within the Canvas Student or Instructor app. 
    • Select the appropriate BbCollaborate session from the list of sessions for the course.
      BbCollaborate Webpage
  5. On the session page that appears, select Join Session.
    BbCollaborate Session webpage
  6. When prompted, select Allow to enable BbCollaborate to access the Microphone and Camera.
    Microphone and Camera access
  7.  The Microphone test will appear. 
    • Select the appropriate microphone from the drop-down menu, and 
    • Use the purple audio level bar to verify the microphone is detecting sound. 
    • Next, select Yes - It's working.
      Audio test
  8. You will see the session Welcome screen, indicating you have successfully joined the session.
    Session Welcome page



Keywords:Blackboard, Collaborate, Ultra, Canvas, instructor, Learn@UW, moderator, web conference, bb, bbc, bbcollaborate ultra, access, accessing, student, students, app, bbcollab, ios, android, videoconferencing, webconferencing, video, remote, skype, facetime, session, recording, office, office hours   Doc ID:99032
Owner:James M.Group:Learn@UW-Madison
Created:2020-03-17 21:17 CDTUpdated:2020-03-17 21:57 CDT
Sites:DoIT Help Desk, Learn@UW-Madison
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