What's the difference between Collaborate and Teams?
For the purposes of this University, the main difference between the two tools is access.
• All students and most staff have access to Blackboard Collaborate.
• All staff and some student workers have access to Microsoft Teams.
Blackboard Collaborate has the added benefit of integrating with Blackboard Learn and Analytics, which helps with tracking attendance in compliance with student aid resources.
Microsoft Teams is great for employee meetings and office collaboration. Students do not have direct access to Teams unless they are invited to a meeting. Teams meetings can be used to meet with students one-on-one but shouldn't be used for classroom activity.
What's the easy answer?
Blackboard Collaborate: Student events or meetings, especially related to coursework.
Microsoft Teams: All other meetings involving staff, faculty, and/or external vendors.
Consider your audience.
You wouldn't conduct class in a small conference room. You also wouldn't have a performance review in an auditorium. The same things you would consider for an in-person meeting should also be considered for a virtual meeting.
Who is involved with this meeting?
• Students
• Faculty
• External Vendors
• Some combination
What tools are at their disposal?
• Microsoft Teams is available in a desktop app, web browser app, or a mobile app with audio and video in both directions
• Blackboard Collaborate is available by web browser app
What is the context of the meeting?
• Course lecture or supplement
• Discussion of a project, problem or process relating to the administration of the university
• Committee of staff members in a planning session
• Campus organization meeting
What happens if I choose the wrong format?
Much like choosing an inappropriately sized room for a meeting, there are a few consequences of choosing the wrong virtual meeting space.
If you choose Blackboard Collaborate for a staff meeting, the main difference will be that a recording of that meeting will be removed after the beginning of the next semester.
If you choose Microsoft Teams for a student facing meeting, items normally handled by Blackboard, such as attendance, won't be automatic. It also means that students won't have access to the recording (if one was made).
Can I dial-in to a meeting?
One current limitation of Teams (which will be fixed soon) is the inability for a user to "dial-in" to a conference by telephone only. This limitation will be addressed with some upcoming licensing changes which should be in place before by the end 2021.
The only workaround in place is to use the app on a smart phone, computer or web-browser as audio only.
Can I stream live events?
Microsoft Teams has the ability to stream live events and webinars. If you wish to explore some of the advanced webinar or live event features of Teams please reach out to our helpdesk team and we can help you understand and use these capabilities.