BigBlueButton is a free, open-source video conferencing platform, and Full Fabric now integrates it seamlessly so you can run and join live sessions right from your courses without switching to another system. Whether you're an instructor setting up a live class or a student joining from the calendar, it all happens in one place 🎥
How do institutional admins enable BigBlueButton?
Before instructors can use BigBlueButton, your institution's administrator needs to set it up. Here's what they'll do:
Navigate to Settings → Integrations → BigBlueButton.
Enter the BigBlueButton server details:
- Base URL — the address of your BigBlueButton server (e.g. https://bbb.your-institution.org)
- Shared Secret — the API key provided by your BigBlueButton hosting provider
Click Test Connection to verify that Full Fabric can communicate with your server.
Once the connection is confirmed, the configuration will be automatically saved.
For lecturers: How do I enable BigBlueButton for a session?
When you create or edit a session, you'll see an option to use BigBlueButton. To enable it:
Open the session you'd like to set up (or create a new one).
Look for the Video conferencing area .
Select BigBlueButton.
Save your changes.
That's it — Full Fabric will handle creating and managing the meeting for you.
For students and staff: How do I join a live session?
When a session is set up to use BigBlueButton and it's scheduled to begin, you'll see a Join session button on the session detail page. Here's how to join:
Navigate to the session (from your course, calendar, or session list).
Look for the Join session button.
Click it, and you'll be taken directly into the live BigBlueButton room.
You don't need a password — your role is set automatically based on whether you're staff or a student, so you'll have the right permissions from the moment you join.
What about attendance?
After the session ends, Full Fabric automatically collects attendance data from BigBlueButton and syncs it back to your session record. This means instructors and administrators can see who participated without any manual tracking 📊
Troubleshooting
The "Join session" button isn't showing: Check that the session has been enabled for BigBlueButton and that it's within the scheduled time window. If BigBlueButton still isn't available, contact your institution's administrator.
I clicked join but nothing happened: This usually means your browser's pop-up blocker is preventing BigBlueButton from opening. Try temporarily disabling it, or check if a new tab opened in the background.
BigBlueButton isn't available at all: Your institution's administrator needs to configure it. Reach out to your administration team and let them know you'd like to use it for live sessions.