Webex | Graphic by Monica Brutto | The Wright State Guardian
Recently, Wright State University’s faculty governing body decided to switch to Webex as the sole remote teaching option, ending a relationship with Zoom and Blackboard Collaborate.
Replacement of Blackboard Collaborate Ultra
In March 2022, the Faculty Senate information technology subcommittee and Communicating and Telecommunication Services chose WebEx as the primary option for WSU moving forward. The committee phased out Zoom on May 27, 2022 and Blackboard Collaborate Ultra on Aug. 12, 2022.
According to a report published by the CaTS IT team, the decision was made to aid students and to provide a more efficient way for delivering assistance to faculty.
Faculty training
Faculty members were notified of the change on April 20, 2022. CaTS IT has since offered open labs that allow faculty to test out the service tool.
English professor Dr. David Seitz acknowledged the ease of using WeBex.
“It didn’t take long for me because, you know, they are so similar that it’s pretty intuitive,” Seitz said.
During the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown in 2020, Seitz used Collaborate Ultra to teach courses. While Seitz noted the similarities apparent between the two platforms, reflection on the open lab session prompted Seitz to identify their differences too.
According to Seitz, Blackboard Collaborate Ultra was incorporated within the Pilot system and the service tool was fully accessible; for WebEx, however, there is a distinction.
“The advice we’ve been given about WebEx is actually have it on your laptop, or you know, as an app,” Seitz said.
Further discussion
Dr. Hannah Chai, associate professor and co-director of the Reading Endorsement, Literacy and Middle Childhood Education Programs at WSU, is teaching fully online courses this semester and has taught online courses since 2012.
Technology is constantly changing, so going for a uniform system of online learning delivery is reasonable, according to Chai.
Chai recognized that broader discussions on these kinds of changes could be beneficial and proposed that surveys be presented to faculty and staff, which would allow for a more comprehensive voice on these decisions.
Some professors were also concerned with the amount of time given to acclimate to using WebEx.
“I think that there should have been a little bit more thoughtfulness with regards to timeline of the switch, one summer semester just wasn’t enough for being provided with support knowledge on what to do and how to do it,” Chai said. “I was told the switch was going to happen in the summer. Collaborate was going to be available and at the end of summer it was going to be gone.”
Chai addressed the fact that there were open sessions available but did not feel that these sessions conveyed enough clarity about WebEx and its usage in the classroom.
“Open sessions just means you come in and you ask questions. I don’t know that I know every single question to ask,” Chai said.
According to Chai, open communication is at the heart of the matter, and presenting opportunities to keep those channels of communication open is key.
Students weigh in
While the realignment of the university’s primary video conferencing tool is an adjustment for faculty, it is also a change for students.
According to English major Aisha Idrees, Blackboard Collaborate Ultra and WebEx are relatively interchangeable, even if the layouts are different.
“I do think that Collaborate Ultra does have a better layout than Webex in my opinion because I like the screen tool options, and the chat features, and being able to share documents in groups, but I do know that Webex has those same options as well,” Idrees said.
Idrees explained that WebEx provides easier access through shared links, whereas Blackboard Collaborate Ultra required that students be logged into Pilot in order to use it.
“I think that Webex is a better alternative due to convenience,” Idrees said.
English major Abi Bond feels that Collaborate Ultra was not the best option for online course delivery.
“Collaborate is awkward, to say the least. I personally don’t like to sit in the course room earlier than the professor or wait for the time to open up the link,” Bond said. “Additionally, it lags frequently, and the breakout rooms are so confusing. I used Collaborate for 6 classes over the pandemic and all of them had consistent issues.”
Bond feels that the switch will be a positive one because WebEx is less complicated to maneuver than Collaborate Ultra. Having a plethora of experience using Blackboard Collaborate Ultra, and not as much with WebEx, Bond acknowledged that this could affect perception.
“I did use this infrequently in comparison to Collaborate, so maybe my opinion would change if I had used it more frequently,” Bond said.
More information about the Resource Alignment and Retention project, training and other resources can be found here.
