What is Collaborate?
Collaborate (now technically Class Collaborate, formerly Blackboard Collaborate) is a virtual classroom and video conferencing tool supported by the University of Edinburgh.
Recommended technology
Browser
Collaborate only supports the most recent releases of browsers. Below is a table of supprted platforms for each browser.
| Browser | Desktop | Mobile |
| Google Chrome™ | Windows®, macOS, Ubuntu | Android™ |
| Firefox® Firefox ESR is not supported | Windows, macOS | Not supported |
| Safari® | macOS 10.13+ | iOS® 14+, iPadOS |
| Microsoft Edge® (Chromium) | Windows, macOS | Android, iOS |
Blackboard can work on unsupported browsers but your experience may be negatively impacted.
Hardware
If you’re planning to use your microphone during the session, use headphones too. This avoids audio problems such as feedback or unwanted echo.
Collaborate works best with a solid internet connection. If your wifi connection is unreliable, consider connecting to the internet via an ethernet cable.
Mobile access
You can join a session using a mobile device or tablet as long as it has a supported operating system (see the table above)
When you join a session in this way, you won’t have access to all of the tools in Collaborate.
Check your technology setup
You can check that Collaborate works on your computer by accessing the Collaborate Test Room.
See the ‘Collaborate Test Room’ section of the University’s page:
Advice on planning or participating in a session (Opens in new tab)
Basic controls within the session
When you’re in a session, you can find these controls at the bottom of the screen:
The microphone icon turns your mic on and off.
The camera icon turns your webcam on and off.
The hand-raise icon alerts others in the session that you want to ask a question or contribute to the session.
The pink tab at the bottom right opens a panel where you can:
- access text chat
- see who’s in the session
- upload slides
- share your screen
- set up your audio and video
How to join a session
Participants
If you’re a participant, you’ll typically join a session in one of these ways:
- the Class Collaborate section in your learn course
- a link posted to one of your courses in Learn, or
- a link sent to your email
Moderators
How to join a Collaborate session as a Moderator