NDSU faculty and staff who use Wimba should plan to switch over to Blackboard Collaborate before the start of fall 2013, when Wimba will no longer be available at NDSU.
Last May, NDSU Instructional Services announced Wimba would be phased out and replaced with Blackboard Collaborate, a more robust tool for online instruction and virtual meetings. This change stems from Blackboard’s purchase of Wimba and Elluminate, both industry leaders in virtual classroom technology. Blackboard Collaborate combines the capabilities of these two tools, providing a more effective learning experience through online, blended and mobile learning environments.
Going forward, Blackboard will not deploy any updates to Wimba, and Instructional Services will support use of Wimba only through summer 2013. After summer sessions end in August, the Wimba tool will be removed from NDSU’s Blackboard learning management system, and personal Wimba meeting rooms outside of Blackboard also will be removed.
Wimba archives are not compatible with the Blackboard Collaborate system, so faculty and staff who wish to retain their Wimba recordings should download and save their archives before the tool is removed.
If you have questions or need assistance, please contact Instructional Services at ndsu.blackboard.support@ndsu.edu, or contact the IT Help Desk at 231-8685 or ndsu.helpdesk@ndsu.edu.
For more information about Blackboard Collaborate, go to: www.ndsu.edu/its/blackboard-collaborate.
