Likelihood to Recommend I would say it is very useful for group collaborations online, as well as virtual classrooms where you wish your students/guests to collaborate in an adaptable environment; however I would advise against using the shared screen to display audio or video, nor would I encourage the use of the shared board with a group of people with disciplinary issues (as there is no accountability for who wrote/drew what).
Read full review With the help of Webex Webinars, creating interactive sessions has become very simple. One great thing about Webex Webinars is the option to engage the audience. We can create polls, create some NPS-related surveys, introduce live polling, create emoji reactions, etc. within the webinar platform, which helps us understand the pulse of the user.
Read full review Pros The Whiteboard feature is perfect for tutoring. We use it to write out formulas, draw diagrams, etc while in video chat to enhance explanations. The file attachment feature is also very handy. This means we don't have to do a follow-up with a student using their email to send files of handouts, etc. It's great that we only have to share a classroom access link for a student to enter a session. With other products, they had to set up a username and log-in with an account. Link access means 1 less hassle. We are currently beginning to use the "record session" feature video sessions to use as training for new employees. Read full review Cisco Webex Events is very straightforward and easy to use. Setting up an event within the platform is quite simple - anyone can do it. Webex Events is a great add-on feature to the Webex conferencing platform to allow a one-way broadcast of information, rather than worrying about attendees being able to interrupt the presentation. Recording a session is fairly simple and accessing the recordings post-event is quite reliable. I believe you can also upload .mp4 files into the Webex Events platform to serve as a host. Read full review Cons Some of the newest computer high resolution screens are not as compatible with the interface. The font and windows are much smaller and the user is not able to increase the size of the windows to make it easier to read/navigate. The audio can sometimes be inconsistent and tune in and out when someone is speaking. This is not every time though and many times the audio is clear. The login process takes a bit longer to get into the program. You have to go through a few step process and loading time to get into the application. Read full review There always seems to be room for video quality improvement (not a necessity, but would be nice) Mobile screensharing from iOS/Android (and other mobile) devices would be a great feature The mobile app should be able to track meetings a user has been invited to, but does not do so (yet) Read full review Likelihood to Renew It is a tool that faculty likes to use. It has so much flexibility to allow students to see a class even if they happen to not be available in the classroom.
Read full review Webex Webinars continues to provide exceptional value as a community engagement and professional education platform. As long as there are a multitude of event offerings and the product continues to be supported with periodic software and security updates, I can anticipate using Webex Webinars for the foreseeable future. Overall a great product!
Read full review Usability Blackboard Collaborate is reliable and feature-rich. It's a great web conferencing tool for teaching & learning, offering polls, chat, video and audio, whiteboard, content sharing, and breakout rooms. Blackboard Collaborate can be used for virtual office hours, lectures, guest speakers, training, professional development, conferences, technical support, academic advising, and so much more. Blackboard Collaborate can be used separately from the learning management system or it can be integrated for a single sign-on experience. It supports recordings, playbacks, private sharing, and MP4 downloads. Overall, it's a solid tool and very reliable.
Read full review My experience with this software is fantastic; it's so satisfying that it only took me a week to go through an internal training program to use this software, actually, I don't think this training program was necessary. Usability is one of the most fantastic features to guarantee the increase of members in remote events.
Read full review Reliability and Availability The availability of the software is quite impressive. You can access it at any time that you want and from anywhere that you want, but that depends on how the software is set up by the University. There might be sudden outages due to not having enough space on your database, which we had that very issue happen recently here at our University. During that time, you could not access their blackboard at all until it was brought up online again.
Read full review WebEx is available 24/7, as long as the user has a reliable internet connection and the WebEx servers are up (they are typically up when we need it).
Read full review Performance The performance of the software is remarkable. The loading speed of the pages is more than satisfying, it all depends on the users internet package. So far, there wasn't any issue of Blackboard slowing down other software or systems when integrated with them
Read full review Fast, reliable, and consistent performance
Read full review Support Rating Sometimes they do planned maintenance. Depending on the time zone you’re in, this may be in the middle of the night. That’s great. Sometimes this maintenance isn’t completed overnight however, and you need to use the platform and it is down. I’ve never been able to successfully contact them to report an outage or get assistance when it is down. I just have to wait until it comes back up to go to class, review sessions, etc.
Read full review I love the control that this product gives to those running the meetings. It allows you to assign presenter roles to people and everyone else that is an attendee can be totally controlled, like whether they can unmute, use video or just sit there and watch. It really gives control of the meeting to those who are running it. And we love that ability for those meetings that we are trying to make sure people are listening in on instead of trying to participate.
Read full review Implementation Rating The implementation process was fairly simple and straightforward
Read full review Alternatives Considered Nearpod does not allow for the same type of synchronous environment that Blackboard collaborate does. Further,
Nearpod , as the name suggests is best suited for a face-to-face classroom that is, preferably, one-to-one. While it has some of the same functions as
Nearpod , Blackboard collaborate is best suited for remote transmission rather than face-to-face
Read full review We actually prefer MS teams as its now easier to chat; manage virtual backgrounds, better audio, and overall more features and tools. Given we actually use MS teams for daily meetings now, it led to us also using MS Events. As a result, we began to consolidate to only using MS teams for both daily meetings and MS events for larger meetings - in lieu of Webex Events
Read full review Scalability The reason for this rating is that the software is a pretty good tool that can be utilized for use in all of the Universities around the world. It has the capability to fulfill the needs of various different education systems. Although, there are slight improvements that are needed, therefore the rating is at 8.
Read full review The scalability is really easy
Read full review Return on Investment Because faculty can schedule sessions on-the-fly without IT involvement, they are able to accomplish goals that they plan for weeks in advance as well as impromptu goals that come up at a moments notice. Integration with the campus Learning Management Systems provides quick and easy scheduling of sessions that can be joined easily by students in those courses. Scheduling of meetings can also be done through the web interface directly which enables administrative departments not associated with courses in the learning management system to also schedule meetings not affiliated with courses. On-campus users can schedule meetings without outside participants by sending an open "guest link" URL that allows users to participate despite not having an account within the system iteself. Read full review Allowed us to keep our product development moving forward during the pandemic. Reduced our travel costs by hosting virtual events. Allows us to host more events because of reduced cost over in-person events. Helps us with faster time to market on features as we can quickly set up and host a focus group. Read full review ScreenShots