Step-By-Step
Configuring Collaboration Virtual Classroom
(Text version)

1. Each Blackboard course site has access to class-wide Collaboration tools. Blackboard contains two such collaboration tools called "Lightweight Chat" and "Virtual Classroom". To configure both types of collaboration tools:

• Log into Blackboard as usual.
• Click on Control Panel / Collaboration. This displays the course site's Collaboration Sessions page.

2. The Collaboration Sessions page contains two types of synchronous communication tools.

• First, is a simple chat room, called by default, "Lightweight Chat". This chat room operates similar to a common AOL Instant messenger chat function.
• Second, is a multi-featured chat room, called by default, "Virtual Classroom". This chat room allows users to present ideas on a virtual white board, display web pages or display Blackboard course content written to a text box.

3. One example of each type of the chat room is available to join by default. These two chat rooms are named, by default, "Office Hours", which is a Lightweight chat and "Lecture Hall", which is a Virtual Classroom chat. These two chat rooms are initially available to all course site users.

4.Instructors and TAs can create additional collaboration sessions. To create and schedule a new collaboration session:

• Click on the "Create Collaboration Session" button located on the top of the page. This will display the "Create collaboration session" form.
• Type in a new name for the session in the box marked "Session Name" under section #1.
• Set the Start, and if you want, end, dates and times for the new session under section #2. If you choose an end time make sure to checkmark the "end after" box.
• Use the dropdown list under section #3 to choose either Lightweight Chat or Virtual Classroom for the type of collaboration tool.
• Click on the "Submit" button on the bottom of the page. A receipt will be displayed telling you that the collaboration setting has been created. Click on "OK" to return to the Collaboration page.
• The session name is now listed on the Collaboration Sessions page. If the start time you set for the session is sometime in the future the "Join" button will not appear on this page until that date and time has arrived.

5. When many sessions are added to the site you may want to use the search options to locate a collaboration session.

6. To join a collaboration session just click on the "Join" button next to the name of the session. The first time you do this, you may have to download some software and install it on your local computer. This usually happens automatically. Answer any questions that may be asked of you during the download and install process. Once the software is installed on your local computer, the chat room should open in a new window. Note that Macintosh users running OS X and Netscape should run Netscape 7. On Macintosh computers, Netscape may put the Collaboration window in the background. If this happens, check under the Window menu for the chat room window. Blackboard does not support the Safari browser.

7. Each collaboration session listed on the Collaboration page has a "Manage" button, located to the right of the session name, which instructors and TAs can use to change the session's name, date,time and type. Each session also has a "Remove" button, which instructors and TAs can use to remove the session from the list. Students do not have either of these buttons on their version of the Collaboration Sessions page. Instructors and TAs can only access these buttons when viewing the Collaboration Sessions page from the Control Panel / Collaboration links. Instructors and TAs can also access the Collaboration Sessions page (as do students) via the Communication / Collaborations links however the "Manage" and "Remove" buttons will be missing.

8. To participate in a Virtual Classroom Chat Session:

• Log into the Blackboard course site as usual.
• Click on Control Panel / Collaboration. This will display the Collaboration Sessions page.
• Click on the "Join" button, located to the right of the Virtual Classroom session. Note that since there may be any number of chat sessions available you may have to inform your students by e-mail which chat session to use and what date and time to "Join" the session. After a few seconds the Virtual Classroom room will open in a new window.

9. The Virtual Classroom is divided into 6 sections. On the top of the window is a menu bar with a number of icons that control various aspects of the chat room. On the top left is a a set of Classroom tools that display different types of content in the content display window. Below that, on the middle left is a control panel that will change depending on the Classroom tool you have selected. Below that, on the bottom left is a user panel that will list the name of each person that has joined the chat room. This list will automatically update as new users join the chat. On the top right is the content display window and below that, on the right, is the message window and composition area.

• To participate in the chat session simply type in your comments in the composition area on the bottom right of the chat room window and click on the "Enter" key on your keyboard (or click on the "Send" button). This will display your comments in the message window and the message window of all those that have joined the session. There is a limit to 1000 characters per "send". As more comments are added to the message window the messages will begin to automatically scroll so that the latest message is always on the bottom.
  
• Instructors and TAs have control over the use of an active Virtual Classroom Chat session. This is accomplished primarily through assigning an "active" and "passive" role to each participant. By default, when a student enters the Virtual Classroom Chat session, their role is "active". This is displayed by a "face" icon located to the right of the student's name under "Role". You can charge a student's role from "active" to "passive" by selecting the student's name then clicking on the "Deactivate selected user" button in the lower right of the left column of the chat window. This assigns a "passive" role to the student and is displayed by a "grayed-out face" icon.
• Instructors and TAs can control the usage rights for "active" and "passive" participants. Click on the "Controls" button at the top of the chat window. This displays the Session Controls. By default, only "active" participants can use the chat, private messaging, white board and group browser tools. By default, both "active" and "passive" participants can use the "ask question" tool and the question inbox is available to no one (except the instructor and TAs). You can check or un-check any of these role boxes, in effect, assigning access to various tools to various students. Instructor and TA access is not affected by any of these controls. Instructors and TA always have access to all of the Virtual Classroom functions.
• A typical configuration is to assign each student a "passive" role; Assign the chat, white board, and group browser to "active" users; Assign the private messaging, and ask questions to "passive" users; Leave the question inbox blank. With this configuration the instructor has control of what is displayed in the content display and what is displayed in the message display. Students can ask questions and send private messages. If you want to allow all of the students to chat, change the chat assignment from "active" to "passive".
  
• To activate the White Board function click on the "White Board" tool in the Classroom tool box on the upper left. This activates the White Board tools and options in the control box on the middle left on your chat window.
• Click on the Controls Tab in the White Board options panel. To display the default page 1 of the White Board click on the "Display" button. This will display Page 1 of the White Board to all participant's.
• Click on the Tools Tab. The white board tools panel contains pen, line, shape, equation and text tools. Choose a tool and draw or drag it on the content display window. The result will be displayed on your display and on the display of all participants. To use the Text tool, first choose the tool then click on the White Board. A dialogue box will open allowing you to type in text. Click on "Insert". To use the Equation tool, first choose the tool then click on the White Board. A dialogue box will open allowing you to select and combine equation symbols. Click on "Insert".
• You can adjust the line or shape color and thickness as well as the font and font size using the dropdown boxes in the White Board toolbox.
• Click on the Controls Tab of the White Board Control panel. You can add additional White Board pages by clicking on the "plus" icon. To display the new page to all participants, select the page and click on the "Display" button. You can delete a page by selecting the page and clicking on the "X" icon.
• To move items on a White Board, select the item with the arrow tool and drag it to a new position.
• To erase the current White Board click on the eraser tool at the top of the white board window.
• Note: If you allow students permission to access the White Board function via the passive/active user controls, they will also be able to use the whiteboard tools and controls. If you do not allow students permission to access the White Board function, they can view the White Board but cannot add or delete content.
  
• To activate the Group Browser function, click on the "Group Browser" tool in the Classroom tool box on the upper left.
• In the Group Browser control box on the middle left, type in any valid URL, then click on the "Go" button. This will display the web page in your content window and the content window of all the participants. As an alternative you can use the dropdown box in the Group Browser controls to preview the page in a separate window.
• Note that scrolling the web page on your content window will not make the web page scroll in any other participant's content window.
• All internal links within the web page are active, however clicking on an internal web page link in your content window will not affect the display in other participant's content window.
• If you allow students permission to access the Group Browser function via the passive/active user controls, they will also be able to add URLs to the participant's display. If you do not allow students permission to access the Group Browser function, they can view the web pages but cannot add additional web pages.
  
• To activate the Course Map function click on the "Course Map" tool in the Classroom tool box on the upper left.
• Use the Course Map in the middle left box to locate any piece of content currently on the Blackboard course site. Select the Course Map reference and click on the "GO" button. This will display the content as it is displayed in the button/folder structure on your display and the display of all participants.
• If the content uploaded to the course site is in the form of attached files, only the link to that attached file will be displayed in the content display area. Clicking on a course content link in your display window will not affect the display in any other participant's window.
• Content displayed on the course site via a Blackboard text box or content added in a Blackboard WYSIWYG editor is displayed on all participant's display window.
• Note that scrolling course content in your display window will not make the content scroll in any other participant's display window.
• Note: If you allow students permission to access the Control Map function via the passive/active user controls, they will also be able to display course content in all participant's content windows. If you do not allow students permission to access the Control Map function, they can view the displayed course content but cannot display new course content.
  
• If you allow students to access the Ask Question function via the passive/active user controls, they may use this function to send questions to the instructor or TA.
• To ask a question, students click on the Ask Question button, type in their question and click on the "Send" button.
• To view and answer a student's question, click on the "Question Inbox" button. This will list the names of all students that asked a question. To view a question, select the person's name and the question will be displayed in the box below the list of names. To answer the question, type in the answer in the composition box on the bottom right of the chat window and press "Enter" on your keyboard (or click on the "Send" button). Note that answering in this manner will allow all participants will see the answer. As an alternative, you can answer the question using Private Messaging"
• If you do not allow students access to the Ask Questions function via the passive/active user controls, they will not be able to ask questions of the Instructor or TA.
  
• If you allow students to access the Question Inbox function via the passive/active user controls, they will be able to view all of the questions sent to the instructors or TAs. If you do not allow students access to the Question Inbox function, they will not be able to view the questions.
  
• To send a Private Message to someone participating in the chat, select the person's name from the list on the left then click on the "Private Message" button on the bottom left. This will display a private message box. Type in your private message and click on the "Send" button in the bottom right-hand corner of the private message box. Your message will be displayed on your chat message display and on the display of the person you sent the message. It will not be displayed on any other participant's message display.
• It is possible to split your message display so that all private messages are displayed on one side of the display and all other comments are displayed on the other side of the display. To do this, click on the "View" button at the top of the chat window. Under Private Messaging, select "Show in separate frame" and click "OK". Your message display is now split into two sections. One side will display all of the general comments and the other will display any private messages sent to you or those you sendto others.
  
• To clear your message display or the message display of all of the participants, click on the "Clear" button located at the top of the chat window. This will display a "Clear Display" dialogue box. select either "Clear local display" or "Clear all user's display" and then click on "OK".
  
• Any Virtual Classroom participant (student or instructor/TA)can activate the Breakout function by clicking on the "Breakouts" tool located on the top of the chat window. Clicking on the Breakouts button displays a dialogue box with the names of all of the current chat room participants. Checkmark the participants you want to include in the Breakout and click on "OK". A message will then appear on the display of each selected participant telling them that they have been asked to join a breakout session. Answering "OK" to this message will open a new Virtual Classroom chat session window with those selected as the participants. All of the settings for "active" and "passive" users and assigned access to the Virtual Classroom tools are now re-set to the default settings in the Breakout session.
  
• Virtual Classroom sessions are, by default, not recorded or archived. Instructors and TAs can initiate a recording of the chat session. To begin recording a chat session click on the "Record" button located in the upper right of the chat window. A dialogue box will appear requesting a name for the archived recording. Type in a new name or accept the default and click on "OK". All messages (except private messages) will now be recorded. Instructors and TAs can pause the recording by clicking on the "Pause" button, stop the recording by clicking on the "Stop" button and insert a bookmark into the recording by clicking on the "Insert Bookmark" button. When the "Insert Bookmark" button is pressed a bookmark dialogue box appears. Type in a name for the bookmark and click on "OK".
  
• Instructors and TAs can end the chat session by clicking on the red "End" button located at the top of the chat window. Clicking on the "End" button displays an End Session dialogue box warning that this action will end the entire chat session for all of the participants. Clicking "OK" will display an information box on all participants displays telling them that the chat session has been closed.
• If you wish to leave a chat session without ending it for all of the other participants, simply close the window by clicking on the "X" in the upper right hand corner of the chat window.
  
• To view the archives of the chat session go to Control Panel / Collaboration. Any session that has been recorded will have a "Archives" button to the right of the session name. Click on the "Archives" button. This will display the Sessions Archive page.
• Click on the "Manage" button next to the archive name. This will display the "Archive Properties" for that session. By default, students have access to the archive files via their Collaboration Sessions page. You can change this by selecting the "no" radio button under "Availability to students", then click on "submit. A receipt will be displayed telling you that the archive setting has been updated. Click on "OK" to return to the Session's Archive page.
• Click on the name assigned to the archive. This will display the archive for that session.
  
• Instructors and TAs can access and manage all collaboration session archives, manage all collaboration settings and remove any collaboration setting by clicking on the appropriate button located to the right of the collaboration listing.

If you have any questions or comments regarding this Step-By-Step procedure contact the Tufts Blackboard Administrator at: nhirsig@tufts.edu