Last updated: August 2020

University of the Arts London, 2020. Page 1 of 21

The Complete Guide to Collaborate Ultra

Collaborate ULTRA is a real time video conferencing tool that is ideal for online

classes and tutorials. It includes several interactive features that enable tutors to share

content, receive feedback, and run activities.

This guide will outline how to set-up your own Collaborate webinar room and provide

some tips on how to prepare for online teaching.

We recommend that live sessions should run no longer than 60 to 75 minutes and

pre-recorded videos should be no longer than 20 minutes.

If you would like additional support or have any questions about the content in this

guide, contact your college Digital Learning team or Digital Learning Support.

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Table of Contents Introduction......................................................................................................................1

UAL Core Practice Principles ........................................................................................4

Content and contact ................................................................................................4

Collaborate for content............................................................................................4

Collaborate for contact ............................................................................................4

Creating a Collaborate ULTRA Session .......................................................................5

Use the Chrome browser on a desktop or laptop ..................................................5

Choose your host area in Moodle for the Collaborate session ..............................5

Create a Collaborate ULTRA session activity ........................................................5

Configure the Collaborate ULTRA session settings ..............................................5

Enter and prepare the session ...............................................................................6

Configure your microphone and camera ................................................................6

Configure the session settings for attendees .........................................................7

Tools and Features .........................................................................................................8

Whiteboard ..............................................................................................................8

Share application or screen ....................................................................................8

Share camera ..........................................................................................................8

Share files ...............................................................................................................8

Polling ......................................................................................................................8

Breakout groups ......................................................................................................9

Live captioning ........................................................................................................9

Teaching with Collaborate ULTRA ..............................................................................10

Preparing your lesson ...........................................................................................10

Before the session ................................................................................................11

As the session begins ...........................................................................................11

During the session ................................................................................................11

Ending a session ...................................................................................................11

Tutorials in Collaborate ULTRA ..................................................................................12

Create a Collaborate tutorial room .......................................................................12

Upload a holding slide ...........................................................................................12

Configure session settings ....................................................................................12

Activate breakout groups ......................................................................................13

Moving between tutorial meetings ........................................................................13

Session Checklist for Moderators and Staff..............................................................14

One week prior ......................................................................................................14

One day prior.........................................................................................................14

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Fifteen minutes prior .............................................................................................14

Beginning of session .............................................................................................14

How to Record a Session .............................................................................................15

1. Access Collaborate Ultra ......................................................................................15

2. Start and stop recording........................................................................................15

3. Find and view a recording .....................................................................................15

4. Download a recording ...........................................................................................16

5. Share a recording..................................................................................................17

6. Accessible recordings with auto-captions ............................................................18

Using Recordings as a Learning Activity ..................................................................19

1. Forums ..................................................................................................................19

2. Wikis ......................................................................................................................19

3. Journals .................................................................................................................19

4. H5P Interactive Video ...........................................................................................20

Troubleshooting in Collaborate Ultra .........................................................................21

Checklist ................................................................................................................21

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UAL Core Practice Principles

Content and contact

UAL’s Core Practice Guide defines online teaching in terms of content and

contact. This means using Moodle tools and activities to share resources and

stay connected with your students through synchronous and asynchronous

communication.

One of these tools is Collaborate Ultra, a video conferencing platform that can

be used to record video content and host live sessions.

Collaborate for content

• Record live classes for students to re-watch later.

• Pre-record lectures for self-paced learning.

Collaborate for contact

• Live online lessons

• Guest lectures

• Live demonstrations

• Student presentations or debates

• Project planning and group work

• Degree shows and exhibitions

• Industry events

• Tutorial meetings and office hours

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Creating a Collaborate ULTRA Session

You can watch a five-minute video on setting up collaborate or follow the steps below.

Use the Chrome browser on a desktop or laptop

Browsers other than the Chrome web browser may not work correctly. A laptop

or desktop computer is recommended for setting up and facilitating the session.

Choose your host area in Moodle for the Collaborate session

Log into Moodle and select the course where you will host the session.

Create a Collaborate ULTRA session activity

To create the session, enable edit mode in the action menu (cog icon in the site

banner) and select ‘edit content’.

Figure 1 Select edit content from the action menu

Go to an appropriate Section or Topic Area and select ‘add an activity or

resource.’ Select “Collaborate ULTRA” and select “Add”.

Figure 2 Steps to add a new Collaborate activity

Configure the Collaborate ULTRA session settings

A page called “Adding a new Collaborate ULTRA” will open.

a) Give the session a name and description. Tick the box under the text

editor display your description on course page.

b) Specify the time and duration. Consider leaving it open indefinitely if you

plan to reuse the room.

c) Tick the option to ‘allow Collaborate ULTRA guest Access’ and set the

guest role to ‘Participant’.

d) Select ‘Save and return to course page.’

The session should now appear as an activity on your Moodle site.

Figure 3 Collaborate activities will appear with the date and time next to it.

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If you need to edit any of the settings again, select the ‘Edit’ button and select

‘Edit Settings’.

Enter and prepare the session

You can enter the session 15 minutes before the scheduled start by selecting

‘Join Session’.

Figure 4 Select the Collaborate activity and select join to access the session.

Configure your microphone and camera

The Collaborate ULTRA session will open in a new tab. If this is your first time

using Collaborate, give permission for your browser to access your microphone

and camera.

Figure 5 Allow Collaborate to access your microphone and camera

Open the Collaborate Panel, the purple tab, in the lower right corner.

Figure 6 Open the Collaborate panel

Select the ‘My Settings’ tab and select ‘Set up your camera and microphone.’

Figure 7 The Audio and Video Settings panel

Choose your microphone from the drop-down list. Test your microphone works

and confirm by selecting ‘Yes-It’s working.’

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Figure 8 Testing your microphone

Next, you will be prompted to test your camera is working. Confirm this by

selecting “Yes-It’s working.”

Figure 9 Testing your camera

Your microphone and webcam are not shared yet. Select the microphone and

camera icons when you are ready to share.

Figure 10 Activate your microphone and camera

Configure the session settings for attendees

Return to the ‘My Settings’ tab of the Collaborate panel.

Tick the options to allow participants to share audio and to post chat messages.

Figure 11 Change student permissions from Session Settings

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Tools and Features

Collaborate Ultra has many features that can enhance the learning and teaching

experience.

Whiteboard

The Whiteboard is a blank space for drawing or adding text and images. It has six editing tools: select, point, draw, shapes, write, and clear. Moderators can also give students access to these tools from the Session Settings menu.

Share application or screen

Share your desktop, an application, or a specific tab if you are using the Google Chrome browser. If you share your desktop or any applications while recording the session, they will also be included in the video. Hide any files on your desktop and close any windows or applications you do not want others to see. You can also share computer audio if you are presenting a video or audio recording to your students.

Share camera

Share camera allows you to share more than one camera limited only by the number of cameras you own and the number of USB ports in your computer. Students can see you and anything else you are showing.

Share files

Collaborate allows you to upload and share images (gif, jpeg, png), pdfs, and PowerPoint presentations up to 60 MBs per file and 125 MB total. Shared files are displayed through the Whiteboard and can be annotated or highlighted. Uploaded files are readable by screen readers and will remain in the Collaborate room until they are deleted.

Polling

Collaborate includes a simple polling tool for asking yes or no and multiple choice questions. It can be an efficient way to get instant feedback from your students, assess understanding as you go, or focus attention and engagement.

Figure 12 Whiteboard icon

Figure 13 Share App or Screen icon

Figure 14 Share Camera icon

Figure 15 Share Files icon

Figure 16 Polling icon

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Breakout groups

Breakout groups divide the class into several independent Collaborate rooms with their own private audio, video, whiteboard, and application sharing. They are ideal for small group discussions, presentations, and collaborative work. Groups can be assigned randomly or moderators can allocate students to specific groups. Collaborate allows up to 20 groups in sessions of 250 people or less.

Live captioning

Moderators can nominate other moderators or participants as captioners from the Attendees menu. The role of a captioner is to type what is being said in real-time. Captions provide an accessible learning experience for students who are deaf, hard-of-hearing, or do not speak English as a first language. Captions are included in recordings.

• Read about Live Captioning in Collaborate.

• Read about Accessibility factors in Collaborate

Figure 17 Breakout Groups icon

Figure 18 Closed Captions icon

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Teaching with Collaborate ULTRA

Preparing your lesson

Build your lesson around interactivity

Keeping participants engaged is one of the core challenges of teaching online.

The simplest solution is to ensure that content is always followed by some form

of contact, whether that is a discussion between students, a quick poll, or a

feedback question where students reply using the ‘Set Status’ tool.

Activity Purpose Tool

Quick Feedback

Check-in to see if students have questions or how well they are following along.

Figure 19 For quick feedback have students to raise their hand or change their status.

Comprehension Check

Formatively assess your students’ understanding or review previously covered material.

Figure 20 Comprehension Poll

Voting

Offer students the ability to make decisions about their learning during a lecture or live session.

Figure 21 Voting Poll

Small group discussions

Live group work or projects

Make discussions and group work more manageable in large classes.

Figure 22 Breakout Groups

Presentation materials should be clean and simple.

The way Collaborate ULTRA’s ‘Share Content’ feature works is by flattening all uploaded material into images. If you are uploading a PPT or PDF please use common fonts, a simple heading structure, and basic images. Avoid any animations, hidden text or objects, or long paragraphs and lists.

Figure 23 Example Slide

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Before the session

• Join early to review participant settings and test your audio and video.

• Upload your presentation files (PDF, PPT, Images).

• Open any webpages or applications you may need to share later.

• Grant moderator or presenter privileges to any guests or co-facilitators.

• Load a welcome slide for participants who arrive early.

Download the UAL Collaborate Ultra Welcome Slide (PDF, 83 KB).

As the session begins

• Greet participants through your camera and microphone first.

• Confirm audio and video is working for participants.

• Remove or assign privileges for participants and explain why.

• Set expectations for using chat, status, and raise hand.

• Provide a brief overview of the interface (menus, chat …).

During the session

• Speak clearly; do not rush.

• Visualize your participants.

• Observe the whole screen and watch Chat or the Attendee panel for

updates.

• Encourage ‘hand-raising’ from participants to ask questions or identify

problems.

• Seek feedback frequently in the form of status updates, ask questions

and repeat any questions you receive in chat, and provide a variety of

opportunities for interaction.

• Use the pointer tool during if you are sharing slides, images, or pdfs to

help students stay oriented to the page.

Ending a session

• Summarize the lesson and the results of any activities.

• Explain any follow-up activities in Moodle (forum discussions, wikis, and

projects).

• Remind participants of next session and how to prepare.

• Thank everyone and try to be the last person to leave.

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Tutorials in Collaborate ULTRA

Collaborate ULTRA can also be used to host tutorials. To ensure your tutorials remain

private and secure please follow the guidance below.

Create a Collaborate tutorial room

Create a new Collaborate room with a name that denoting its purpose (i.e.

‘Tutorial Meeting Room’).

Figure 24 Example of a Collaborate tutorial activity.

Upload a holding slide

Download the Tutorial Holding Slide from Teaching Online or create your own,

then enter the tutorial Collaborate room 10 minutes early to upload and activate

it.

Figure 25 Tutorial Holding Slide in a Collaborate Session.

Configure session settings

Choose whether to release access to audio, video, and chat from the Settings

Menu in the Collaborate Panel. We recommend all releasing all three for

tutorials.

Figure 26 Adjusting session settings

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Activate breakout groups

When a tutorial student arrives open the Collaborate Panel, select the Share

Content menu, select Breakout Groups and move yourself and the student

into Group 1 then select Start.

This will ensure the conversation remains private while allowing you to see any

new students who enter the Main room and they will see the Holding Slide.

Figure 27 Organising Breakout Groups

Moving between tutorial meetings

First, inform the student when the tutorial meeting is over and give them the

choice to leave Collaborate altogether or return to the Main Room.

Next, return to the Breakout Groups tool in the Share Content menu. Drag-

and-drop the last student out of Group 1 before dragging-and-dropping the next

student into Group 1.

Repeat this process for each scheduled tutorial session.

Figure 28 Adding students to a breakout group

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Session Checklist for Moderators and Staff

One week prior

Inform students prior to the session using through a Moodle announcement.

Create a Collaborate space on your Moodle unit site. If you are recording your

classes consider creating a new collaborate room for each session.

One day prior

Post an announcement for all students on your unit page reminding them of the

upcoming session. Include details about where and how to access Collaborate

from your unit site.

Confirm that guest role is set to ‘participant’ in the activity settings on Moodle

and that the room will remain open for up to 30 minutes after the session ends.

Enter the Collaborate room and upload any lecture materials into the ‘Share

Content tab (Figure 1). This includes the UAL prepared ‘Welcome’ slide.

Figure 29 Visual guide illustrating the sequence of icons involved in uploading and sharing content on Collaborate

While in Collaborate, edit the session settings for participants. We advise

enabling chat, video, and audio access in order to catch any technical issues

before your session begins.

Fifteen minutes prior

Enter the session early to check your headphones, microphone, and video

settings.

Confirm the participant settings including audio, video, chat, and whiteboard

access have been configured correctly.

Activate the prepared ‘Welcome’ slide from the ‘share files’ tab to help students

get oriented to Collaborate.

Beginning of session

Greet participants with your camera and microphone enabled.

Confirm participants have working audio and video and can hear or see you.

Remove or enable privileges like chat, video, audio, and whiteboard as fits your

session

Set expectations for chat, status, and raise hand.

Provide a brief overview of the interface (menu, chats, etc.).

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How to Record a Session

This section outlines how to make a recording, where to find them, how to share them,

and how to use them as a teaching and learning activity.

For advice on producing effective educational videos, view this this article on the LCC

Teaching Hub.

1. Access Collaborate Ultra

Access your Collaborate room through the link in Moodle. This will be located on

the Moodle site where the room was created [Fig 1].

Figure 30 How to access a Collaborate session

2. Start and stop recording

‘Start recording’ is located in the Session Menu. Open the menu and select Start

Recording [Fig 2].

To stop your recording, return to the Session Menu and select Stop Recording

[Fig. 3].

Figure 31 Start or stop a recording from the session menu.

Live Class Recording: Notify your attendees first and explain that messages in

chat channels will also be recorded.

Video Lecture Recording: Collaborate allows you to stop recording at any time;

however, each time you stop and restart your recording creates a new video

file. We recommend limiting video lectures to 15 minutes and recording in one

go.

3. Find and view a recording

Video recordings can be found below the guest link on the ‘join session’ page. All

recorded sessions are listed numerically (Recording 1, Recording 2) with the date

of the recording. Recordings cannot be renamed.

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Students and staff can view a recording by selecting its title [Fig. 4]. This will open

a new tab in your browser where you can watch the session and review chat

messages.

Figure 32 Open the Collaborate activity to find the recording link.

Messages in chat are time stamped [Fig. 5] making it easy return to the precise

moment in the video when they were posted. This is particularly useful if you or your

students would like to revisit an answer to a question shared in chat.

Figure 33 Messages are time stamped in Collaborate recordings.

4. Download a recording

To download a recording, open the Session Menu and select Download

Recording.

Figure 34 Open the session settings menu to download a recording.

You can also download chat messages in a text file; however, the text downloads

as a single passage and may be difficult to read [Fig. 7].

Figure 35 How chat messages appear when downloaded as a text file.

WEBVTT 00:00:58.000 --> 00:00:58.900 <v Student 1>Thanks Teacher! 00:01:23.000 --

> 00:01:23.900 <v Teacher>😎

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6. Share a recording

Recordings can be accessed and shared in two ways:

A. By returning to the ‘join session’ page of the Collaborate activity where the

recording was made and selecting the relevant recording number [see Fig. 4].

B. By selecting the recording, opening the video, and *copying the URL from the

search bar in your browser BEFORE the video finishes loading [Fig. 8]. The

URL should include

*Copy the URL by selecting then right-selecting it and choosing COPY, or by

selecting the URL and pressing ‘CRTL’ and ‘C’ on your keyboard at the same

time.

Figure 36 Quickly copy a Collaborate recording URL before the video loads.

To share the recording, consider posting the URL in an announcement [Fig. 9] or

adding it as a link to that week’s topic area [Fig. 10].

Figure 37 Share recording as an announcement.

Figure 38 Share recording as a URL Moodle resource.

Alternatively, you can keep an index of each recording in the description of your

Collaborate room.

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Figure 39 Create an index of the recordings in the activity description

7. Accessible recordings with auto-captions

You can save a lot of time and make your lecture recordings more accessible by

uploading them to Microsoft Stream and sharing the link through Moodle. Stream is

Microsoft’s video sharing service available online through Office 365. Using natural

language processing, Stream is able to auto-generate captions with impressive

accuracy.

We recommend reviewing the captions to ensure nothing is missing or misspelled.

1. Download the recorded session.

2. Open Office 365 in your browser and select Stream.

3. Select Create then select Upload video.

4. Select your video from your files and select Open.

5. Once the upload reaches 100% select Share to publish.

6. Captions may take an hour to generate, but once the video is ready you can

Copy and share a link with your students.

Figure 40 The steps to upload a Collaborate recording on Microsoft Stream.

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Using Recordings as a Learning Activity

Activities fall into three categories – Core, Intermediate, and Advanced. The categories

are distinguished by the complexity of their settings or the amount of moderation they

require.

Core

1. Forums

Create a Forum Activity as a follow-up to a lecture recording. Ask students to

support a position on a provocative, open-ended question related to that week’s

subject then comment on a peer’s post.

Figure 41 Moodle forum activity.

Intermediate

2. Wikis

Create a collaborative Wiki Activity. Ask students to research and write about an

idea of concept shared in this week’s lecture video then contribute to a peer’s wiki

entry. Wikis are like forums but students are able to edit and contribute to each

other’s work.

Figure 42 Moodle Wiki activity.

3. Journals

Create a journal activity where students can add a new entry each week in

response to the subjects covered in that week’s lecture recording.

Figure 43 Moodle journal activity.

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Advanced

4. H5P Interactive Video

Add a new activity or resource and select H5P. Next, select interactive video and

upload the recording of the current week’s lecture. After the video is uploaded you

will be able to embed questions, images, and text into different portions of the

video making it a more active learning experience.

Figure 44 Example of an H5P Interactive Video activity with questions embedded in the recording.

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Troubleshooting in Collaborate Ultra

Use the following checklist if you have difficulty accessing a session, activating your

microphone or camera, hearing or seeing other participants, or viewing materials.

Checklist

Are you using Google Chrome?

Figure 45 Google Chrome

Is Chrome up-to-date?

Figure 46 Steps to identify your browser version

Is the correct microphone and camera output selected in Collaborate?

Figure 47 Reconfigure your camera and microphone from My Settings

Are camera and microphone enabled in Chrome?

Figure 48 Ensure camera and microphone are enabled within Chrome

Are you hearing an echo?

Figure 49 Close other tabs that may be using audio and use headphones or

earbuds

Still not connecting?

Figure 50 Clear your browser’s cookies and refresh the page

That didn’t work?

Figure 51 Try another browser (ex. Firefox)