Virtual classrooms in Moodle: BigBlueButton and alternatives

What are the options?

No option is best in absolute terms. The choice depends on budget, what teachers and students are used to, whether you need to stay inside the platform, and your data privacy policy.

• BigBlueButton

  An open-source virtual classroom system designed for education. It integrates with Moodle through an activity added to the course, so students join from inside the course without a separate account.

• Zoom, Microsoft Teams, or Google Meet

  Tools everyone knows, which integrate with Moodle through plugins or links. Ask about the available plugin, its compatibility with your version, and licensing.

BigBlueButton inside Moodle

The activity usually provides classroom tools such as screen sharing, presentations, a whiteboard, chat, breakout rooms, and polls, and it allows recording the session. What you actually see depends on the server version and platform settings, so test the features that matter to you before relying on them. Most importantly, Moodle doesn't host the classroom itself. You need a BigBlueButton server, either one you run yourself or a hosted service from a provider. Either way, ask for the confirmed capacity in participants and cameras, because load grows sharply with the number of open cameras, not just the number of viewers.

Quality starts with setup

• Capacity

  Test with numbers close to a real session, not five users

• Cameras

  In large classes, ask only the teacher and the current speaker to turn cameras on

• Audio

  A good headset or microphone for the teacher matters more than the camera

• Connection

  Advise teachers to use a network cable instead of Wi-Fi when possible

• Mobile

  Test joining from a phone, since many students join that way

• Backup

  A backup link and a known contact channel in case the server fails

Recording

Recording helps absent students and those revising, but it uses storage and processing power and raises privacy questions: who appears in the recording and how long it is kept. Tell students the session is being recorded, set a retention period, and decide who may watch.

How to make the session educational

• Shorter sessions with an activity every 10 to 15 minutes

  A question, a poll, or a breakout room.

• Send the material before the session, freeing time for discussion

• Start with a few minutes to check audio and video

• Assign an assistant to follow the chat and questions

• Share the recording and a written summary after the session

Pre-session checklist

• The session is scheduled in the course and students are enrolled

• Audio, video, and screen sharing are tested from the teacher's device

• Joining is tested from a phone and a computer

• The recording decision is announced and set up

• Learning materials are uploaded

• A fallback plan if the connection fails

• A technical support person during the session

Frequently asked questions

• Do we need a separate server?

  Yes, BigBlueButton needs a server or a hosted service. Hosting options are discussed in the hosting article.

• How many students can a session handle?

  There is no general number; it depends on server resources, the number of cameras, and recording. Ask the provider for a confirmed figure, then test it.

• Is it suitable for exams?

  Exams have other tools. See the online exams article.

Sources

• Moodle documentation

  BigBlueButton.