UConn instructors leverage our learning management system, HuskyCT, for a wide range of activities, from supplementing coursework to delivering online classes that extend the University’s reach beyond the campuses.  Collaborate is a Blackboard supported companion product that integrates tightly with HuskyCT and complements existing functionality.  This new web conferencing tool enables instructors to initiate, record, and archive sessions, which they can then incorporate into online course content.  It also includes capabilities that better simulate a face-to-face class experience, such as breakout rooms, an interactive whiteboard, application sharing, polling, and a hand-raising feature.  Additional details about these and other features are available on the Blackboard website.

Technology continues to play an increasingly important role in contemporary pedagogy.  Collaborate joins the other web conferencing options offered by ITS, which include WebEx and Skype for Business.  These alternatives are provided because each is well aligned to specific use cases or offers tighter integration with particular environments.  We encourage instructors to select whichever service best meets their individual needs.

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