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BigBlueButton for Moodle lets instructors create live virtual classrooms directly inside a Moodle course. You can use it to host lectures, office hours, group discussions, and recorded sessions without leaving the LMS.

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What you can do

  • Create a BigBlueButton activity inside a course
  • Configure room behaviour such as recording and waiting for moderators
  • Schedule sessions with open and close times
  • Upload presentations ahead of time
  • Manage recordings after the session ends
  • Control access with groups, roles, and guest settings

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Choose your path

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Key concepts

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Activity types

BigBlueButton activities can be configured in different ways depending on how recording is set up:
  • Room only — a live session with no recordings section
  • Room with recordings — the activity page hosts both a join button for the live session and a table of published recordings
  • Recordings only — displays past recordings without offering a live room
The most common setup is Room with recordings, which makes the activity page the central place for both attending and reviewing sessions.

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The activity page

When using the Room with recordings type, users land on the activity page to join the live session or open a recording. Here is what the page typically includes. Header and navigation The header shows the activity name, type label, scheduled dates, and course breadcrumb. Tabs such as BigBlueButton, Settings, and Validate completion appear based on the user’s role and site configuration. Some installations also show an AI features menu when AI providers are enabled. Session status and join button A status message reflects whether the room is open, scheduled, or waiting for a moderator. When the session is ready, a Join session button launches the virtual classroom in a new tab. Teachers typically join as moderators and students as viewers. Recordings table Published recordings appear in a table below the room area. Common columns include Playback, Name, Date, Duration, and a toolbar for managing each entry. Recordings may be available in multiple formats such as Presentation, Video, or Podcast, depending on server configuration. If the activity has many recordings, pagination controls help navigate the list. Depending on permissions, users can view, rename, edit the description, or delete a recording. Some sites also show an Import recording links button for linking external recordings. See Import recording links.
The exact tabs, buttons, and features visible on the activity page vary by Moodle version, installed theme, plugin version, and any active extensions or subplugins.
For the full recording workflow, see Manage recordings. For the step-by-step join flow, see Join your first session.

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Groups

When Moodle groups are enabled, BigBlueButton can create a separate room experience per group. That changes how the join flow works for both students and teachers.