Recommended Campus Tools Grid for Law School
Comparison grid of top requested features
Which one do you recommend?
Recommended: BBCollaborate
Why? It’s campus top pick and integrated with the campus learning management system Canvas. It has the most features, and allows students to have a similar experience across classes. However, while a robust set of features, there are some places where MS Teams is a better choice. Please use this section to help determine the best fit for your instruction style.
Does it handle powerpoint, slides or other media?
Recommended: BOTH
Handled via screen share. MS Teams is more intuitive in its handling of showing instructor view and the slide show. BBCollaborate can also do this, but it isn’t as intuitive. Please try a dry run or two before hand to become familiar. Help@law.wisc.edu is happy to attend a dry run if you need bodies to practice with.
Does it automatically manage student enrollment? Does it track student participation? Has ABA compliant student identity verification?
Recommended: BBCollaborate
BBCollaborate is the only one that handles student enrollment changes automatically. MS Teams allows students to be manually managed. Both are ABA compliant.
Do you need to do polling or quizzing during class for immediate feedback?
Recommended: BBCollaborate
BBCollaborate has polling. MS Teams does not have polling, but it can approximate polling using live reactions or hand raises.
Do you need to see many of the students?
Recommended: MS Teams (see Zoom section below)
MS Teams supports up to 49 videos in planned August update with some interesting views like “Lecture Hall” where videos will be presented like they are sitting in a lecture hall; more coverage on the update. BBCollaborate currently supports 2 and has an upgrade planned for this fall that will show 12-24. Zoom also has 49 videos, but won't be available until the first or second week in September (see Zoom section below).
Do you need breakout rooms?
Recommended: BBCollaborate
BBCollaborate has support for either pre-determined (takes a bit of setup), random or self determined groups for students. MS Teams has a way to do breakout sessions, but it is somewhat complicated. MS Teams is adding breakout sessions in an upgrade this fall.
Many features are available in both. We recommend trying them out a couple times before your first class to be familiar with the way the features work in the selected tool. Help@law.wisc.edu is available to assist (even if you just need some more participants) and is one email away.
Some shared features:
- Campus and Law School IT supported Ability to add captioners if necessary for McBurney accommodations.
- Meeting record (required so that students who miss can see your session)
- Screen sharing (slides, powerpoint, media, etc)
- Chat feature (careful BBCollaborate doesn’t currently save, but will soon in a planned upgrade)
- Both run on laptops/desktops, and have apps for phones. It is recommended that MS Teams be accessed through a free to download application on Mac/Windows but it can be accessed through Chrome, same as BBCollaborate.
- FERPA Approved
Zoom:
Over the summer, campus made the decision to purchase zoom, and campus is currently in the process of negotiating with Zoom so that the campus license will include the appropriate FERPA safeguards. Zoom is projected to be available first or second week in September. If you need to see as many students as possible, Zoom is currently the only tool that supports up to 49 videos. MS Teams is slated to have up to 49 later in August. See the campus announcement.
Non-UW-Madison tools : Due to FERPA, HIPAA, and other data privacy considerations, campus policy prohibits the use of other, non-sanctioned web conferencing software such as Skype for any University academic or business purposes.
Features |
Blackboard Collaborate Ultra |
Microsoft Teams |
| Max. # simultaneous video | 2 (will be 12-24 this fall) | 49 (9 until an planned update in July) |
| Max. # participants | 250 |
10,000 (several live event settings must be configured first; see here for instructions) |
| Breakout rooms (group work) | Yes | No* (workaround create a team with channels) Create a Team, Create a Channel (video), Create meeting in Channel |
| Record meeting | Yes | Yes (if meeting has > 2 participants) |
| Screen sharing capabilities | Yes | Yes |
| Person sharing can see screen share in client |
Yes (see video) |
No (but recording is awesome) (see video) |
| Chat feature | Yes (doesn't save) (saving will be available in a fall update) |
Yes (saves by default) |
| Dial-in option | Yes | No (but an app is available for phones) |
| Indicate feedback via hand raising | Yes | Yes |
| Polls | Yes (results instructor only) (see video) |
No* (can use live reactions feature) |
| Quizzes | No* (can do one question at a time) | No |
| File sharing capabilities | Yes | Yes |
| Cost | Free to UW | Free to UW |
| Integrated with Canvas | Yes | No |
| Remembers content | Yes (some) | Yes |
| Browser based (no download required) | Yes | Yes (App recommended) |
| Live/closed captioning integration for captioners (e.g. CART) | Yes | Yes* (invite captioner normally, no formal role) |
| Students can create a session | No | Yes (recommended for group work outside of class) |
| Live streaming | N/A | Yes (Live Events) |
| Allow external participants (non UW-Madison) | Yes | Yes |
| Application integration | Canvas, My UW-Madison Portal | Microsoft Suite (Email, OneDrive, and more) |
| Platform | Web, Mobile (iOS and Android) | Web, Mobile (iOS and Android), Desktop/Laptop App |
| Blur background | N/A | Yes (Mac OS/Win desktop clients) |
| Captions | Yes | Yes |
| FERPA Data Allowed | Yes | Yes |
| HIPAA Data Allowed+ | No | Yes |
| Security Information | Blackboard | Teams |
| Training | Moderator Training | Video Training Guides |
See Also:
- Law Toolkit page
- UW-Madison G Suite - Create a Google+ account
- Blackboard Collaborate Ultra - Overview (UW-Madison)
- Webex Meetings: Getting Started
- Office 365 - Getting Started with Teams