Collaboration Tools
The following collaboration tools are supported by IT Services and are available to faculty, staff and students.
Create/edit/collaborate/share files and folders. You can share files between individuals, or create a shared drive to allow multiple participants to add and edit files. The university’s Google Drive environment does not have a file storage limit. Additional information can be found on Google’s official support site.
Set up online meetings using audio, video and screen sharing. This tool is great for one-on-one meetings and group meetings for faculty, staff and students.
It is integrated with your Google calendar. You can add online meetings to any calendar event. Click on “Add Conference,” “Add Guests,” “Save” and send. The link will automatically appear in your calendar invite. Google Meet supports up to 250 participants through July 1.
Use text-based chat to communicate with your co-workers. Your co-worker must accept your invitation to chat before you can begin a conversation.
A full suite of tools for online synchronous class meetings is built into Scholar. Video, audio, presentation and screen-sharing are available and are integrated into a Scholar class. Students should have access to Collaborate if a faculty makes the tools available.
Instructions on how to enable/access Blackboard Collaborate for your course can be found here.
Non-Scholar users must request an account.
- An IT Helpdesk ticket is the only method to request Scholar access.
- Requests are typically granted within two business days.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here is a high-level overview of the two products:
Google Hangouts/Meet
- Part of the G Suite for Education set of tools; accessible when logged in to a Google app like Gmail or Drive via your cnu.edu credentials
- Screen-sharing function
- Quick creation of meeting spaces
- Native, easy-to-use auto-captioning tool
Blackboard Collaborate
- Tool built right into Scholar
- Easier to create persistent meeting rooms/rooms in advance
- More moderation controls (ex. Being able to control who can present)
- Screen-sharing, file sharing and whiteboard functions
See the chart below for a detailed feature comparison
| Feature | Blackboard Collaborate | Google Hangouts/Meet |
|---|---|---|
| Audience | Faculty, staff (on request), Students | Faculty, staff, students |
| Security | Requires CNU Connect login | Requires CNU Connect login |
| Guest access | Yes, enabled by default, but requires the guest to have the specific login link. Guest access information. | Yes. For more information, see the Hangout support article. |
| Course roster pre-loaded | Yes | No |
| Integration | Blackboard Learn | Google G Suite |
| Moderation Tools | ||
| Control who presents | Yes | No |
| Mute individuals | Yes but can be reversed | Yes but can be reversed |
| Mute all attendees | Yes but can be reversed by individuals | No |
| Tools | ||
| Chat | Yes | Yes |
| Screen sharing | Yes | Yes |
| Session recording | Yes | Yes, until July 31, 2020 |
| File sharing | Yes | No |
| Whiteboard | Yes | No |
| Compatibility and Accessibility | ||
| Browser | Google Chrome, Firefox | Google Chrome |
| Mobile app | None needed; runs in browser on mobile devices | Mobile app available on iOS and Android |
| Dial-in conferencing | Yes | Yes |
| Native auto-captioning | No | Yes |
You can take the following steps to ensure your online meeting is secure:
- Do not post meeting/invite URLs in public spaces like social media, but instead share only with your intended meeting attendees. If you must host an open meeting, we highly recommend you or a co-host plan to actively manage the meeting.
- For class meetings, consider using the Blackboard Collaborate tool because it can be restricted to the individuals within your class.
- Disable screen-sharing whenever possible.
Note: The university does not support Zoom meetings. If you need to use Zoom as a meeting tool, please review and follow the security options: How to Keep your Zoom Meeting Safe