Virtual Classroom Integration with Class

We are pleased to announce that Class is now fully integrated with Blackboard for all courses. Class for Microsoft Teams is a powerful video conferencing tool built on the framework of Microsoft Teams, providing a familiar and robust platform for synchronous class lectures, webinars, and office hours built directly into Blackboard.

Class will be fully replacing Class Collaborate on September 1st, after which you will no longer be able to create new sessions with Collaborate. You will, however, still have access to all your recordings for the remainder of the Fall semester.

Why Class?

In addition to the collaboration features we are all familiar with, Class provides tools and functionality designed specifically for online learning, including course templates, content integration, and advanced custom permissions. Instructors can leverage pre-loaded content and Blackboard integration to streamline their setup process, saving valuable time and energy.

Class also automatically syncs with your Blackboard course content every six hours, and can be synced manually with a button at the top right corner of the main page. This allows you to easily integrate new updates to your content however often you need.

The Instructor Toolkit is a great place to start exploring if you are interested in what cool new features Class has to offer.
A student working on a laptop using Class for Blackboard
an example of a Class Virtual Classroom session

Things to Know

Adjusting to new technology can be challenging, but we are here to help make that process easier. Here are some important details you should be aware of.

  • Class will hold a maximum of 350 people. If you need more seats, please contact blackboard@lamar.edu for other options.
  • At the time of this post, Class is not supported for Firefox. We recommend using Chrome for Class sessions at this time, but you can check the Browser and System Requirements going forward to see what browsers are supported.
  • Currently, closed captions are not available for saved recordings of live lectures. We recommend recordings be uploaded to Yuja to utilize their auto-caption feature before being re-uploaded to the course.
We are very excited to see all of the dynamic and interesting ways our faculty utilize this new tool integration. If you have any questions about particular features, you can view the Instructor Toolkit from Class, or email us at blackboard@lamar.edu for additional support.