A significant component of education stems from discussions with colleagues on particular topic.
To engage in even a simple question and answer activity, on Blackboard, creates significant interference for all participants if any person is using only their computer microphone.
As a courtesy to all our facilitators, we do expect all participants to respond verbally when questions are asked. It is difficult as a facilitator to know if all the participants have gone to sleep; left the ‘computer’, or are listening intently!
So the short answer is, as a courtesy to facilitators we ask that you please use a headset with a microphone, when using the live classroom.