BigBlueButton

BigBlueButton is an open-source virtual classroom software platform developed for virtual learning and education. It was created by the Technology Innovation Management program at Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada, and launched externally in 2007. It is purpose-built to empower teachers to teach and learners to learn through collaboration and engagement tools.

BigBlueButton is used by millions of educators and learners worldwide daily. It has been adopted by major learning management systems including Canvas, Moodle Cloud, Sakai, Jenzabar, D2L, and Schoology as their default virtual classroom. Together, these vendors comprise more than 75% of the worldwide market for LMS systems. Users access BigBlueButton in over 65 languages.

BigBlueButton provides educators with intuitive teaching tools including screen sharing, multi-user whiteboards, breakout rooms, easy group polling, document upload, video options, chat (public and private), shared notes, hand raise, emojis, and webcam video with custom backgrounds. It also includes a built-in Learning Analytics Dashboard that shows who is attending, participating, and learning based on poll responses.

Yes, BigBlueButton is completely open-source and was created by a community of dedicated developers passionate about improving online learning. It is constantly evolving and improving through a dedicated, growing international user and developer community. To date, there have been more than a dozen releases of the core product, with each new release bringing new features, testing, documentation, and improved community support.

BigBlueButton was created in a classroom rather than a boardroom, and is purpose-built for educators and learners. It features virtual classroom platform elements laid out for easy readability, such as a user list, chat, and presentation in a left-to-right format. Unlike generic conferencing systems, BigBlueButton includes pedagogically-designed teaching tools specifically developed to help teachers focus students on the lesson and maintain engagement in online learning environments.