Starting from 19 October, George Mason University Korea has shifted to hybrid classes, bringing significant changes. Consequently, having a high-quality online platform is important to ensure a quality education during this difficult time. There has been a significant difference in this Fall 2020 semester, as many professors are making the transition from Blackboard Collaborate Ultra to Zoom.
In the Spring 2020 semester, all courses were through Blackboard Collaborate Ultra, a platform created and supported by the Blackboard system. However, while using Collaborate, several technical problems were reported, such as students unable to see class contents and connection issues. It was difficult for professors and students to have smooth and clear communication. Since George Mason University had a contract with Blackboard, it was difficult for the faculty to utilize Zoom for their classes as it was not integrated into the Blackboard mainframe at the time.
Dr. Eric W. Miller, a business management professor, has experienced using both Blackboard Collaborate Ultra and Zoom. He said “Zoom is more friendly to use and easy to work with” as giving information with course contents and the lectures. However, he indicated that for the students to do group projects, Collaborate seems like a better option. As students have been forced to swap back and forth between the two platforms, confusion has ensued.
In a survey conducted by The Voice, 37 students from George Mason University Korea revealed whether they preferred Blackboard Collaborate or Zoom. 51 percent of students had a preference for Collaborate and 49 percent of students preferred using Zoom. Some students felt that Collaborate was easier to have group work done during the lectures and students already adapted to the system through last semester. However, they consistently have to deal with systemic problems like glitching the screen or audio of the lectures. Since Zoom has intuitive settings to use and has fewer errors that students suffered from Collaborate, students prefer Zoom.
Mason Korea students are in the middle of the second semester of grappling with virtual classes. However, one aspect of online courses that have been often overlooked is the virtual class platform used: Blackboard Collaborate Ultra and Zoom. Regardless of which platform the university decides to go with, students and professors are at the center of the discussion to ensure their needs are met.
Written by Goeun Choi | Staff Writer
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