Getting Started

Pre-Class Equipment Confirmation

If you plan to originate your online course from your home or place of work (outside of WMU-Cooley's campus locations) you will need to schedule technical confirmation session before the start of the term.

You will need a computer with a webcam, and Internet connection, in order to originate your on-line course. An advantage of the Collaborate Ultra platform is that it runs within your browser and doesn't require additional software. To confirm your ability to access your on-line course, login to the LL.M FacultyTest Room. Within this room you can confirm that your webcam and audio are working, and gain familiarity with the on-line classroom in advance of your class.

Before Your First class

  • Confirm that you can access your on-line course. The best way to do this is to access your on-line classroom from the same computer and location where you will be participating each week.
  • Steps to access your on-line course
    • Login to the Cooley portal at http://portal.cooley.edu
    • From the MyWorld menu, select Blackboard Sign In.
    • Once Logged into Blackboard the courses you are enrolled in are listed on the right. Select the desired course. Please note that your course may not be available to your students until the start of the term.
    • From within your course page, select the link within the Online Classroom Access menu.

Before Each Class

  • Login to your on-line course in advance of your scheduled start time.
  • Run the audio / video setup wizard. This is important because it optimizes the audio and video (webcam) settings for your on-line session.
  • Load your PowerPoint slides and any other content you have, before your start your class. Loading your content in advance will reduce the time to make it available when you are ready to display it.

General Tips

  • Internet bandwidth conservation - Please be aware that any applications / services that run on your computer can impact your performance when using Blackboard Collaborate. iTunes, Facebook, Spotify, and Pandora are each examples of applications that can dramatically impact your Internet performance, even if they are running in the background. It is strongly suggested that you stop any running programs when participating in an online course.
  • Use a headset when participating in your on-line course. Using built-in, or external speakers may cause your microphone to pick up the sound from your speakers and result in feedback (or echo) that can disrupt the session.