Campus Migrating from Blackboard Collaborate to Zoom effective August 20, 2020
As the College looks to standardize on a synchronous video meeting solution that meets the pedagogical and business needs of the College, we will be migrating from Blackboard Collaborate to Zoom effective August 20, 2020.
While the campus had a number of Zoom licenses to use prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the quick response to remote and distance teaching and learning created a larger demand for this application. At this point, the campus has approximately 450 licenses in use, and we expect the number to increase when the campus returns in the Fall.
To accommodate and support the move to Zoom, the campus is going to retire Blackboard Collaborate after the summer semester. Blackboard Collaborate will continue to be available until August 20 at which point it will be decommissioned. Zoom incorporates many of the features of Blackboard Collaborate with a couple extra:
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Chat functionality for host and participants
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Screen sharing
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Whiteboard
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Breakout rooms
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Recording
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Automated transcripts of recordings
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Webinars for highly attended events
The College will be subscribing to a Zoom enterprise license over the summer that will allow employees and students to login using their SUNY Oswego credentials. Students will also have access to Zoom allowing them to create their own meetings such as study sessions and/or group work.
To assist faculty to transition to Zoom, training sessions will be offered during the College’s Spring Breakout. The schedule will be posted shortly on the CELT website.
To start using Zoom, you can request a SUNY Oswego Zoom account through the CTS Help Desk self service site. Then visit our getting started page. Some additional resources are listed below. If you have any questions requesting an account or using Zoom, please contact the CTS Help Desk at help@oswego.edu.
Additional Resources: