Host a conference

Create a conference

If you are the course or group admin, you can create a new conference after installing Conferences:

1. Click the Conferences app in a course or group in which it is installed.

2. Click + Create New Conference.

3. Name the conference and set its start time. You can also include an optional end time.

4. Click the gear icon for a specific conference to edit the title, start, and end times or to delete the conference.

Create as many conferences as you like. Upcoming conferences will be displayed in the Active tab. A list of past conferences will be displayed in the Completed tab. Recordings of completed conferences will remain available for 7 days after the end of the conference.

Conduct a conference

As the admin for your course or group, you must click the Start Conference button within the app to begin the video conference. Even if the Start Time has passed, your conference will not begin until you start the session.

After you launch or join a conference, BigBlueButton opens in a new tab. Follow the prompts to test your audio and microphone.

Participants can join a conference through Schoology using a computer or mobile browser. Members may also join by phone. Dial-in information is displayed in the Public Chat area for course and group admins, who can share the phone number and access code with participants as needed.

As a moderator (teacher), you can moderate the session.  You can:

• Make anyone a presenter (you are a presenter by default).

• Lock features to prevent students from using public chat, private chat, shared notes, sharing a webcam, displaying other students’ annotations, or displaying other students' cursors on the whiteboard.

• Start or stop recording.

• Start and manage breakout rooms (for example, assigning students to specific breakout rooms).

• Change a user’s role (for example, moderator to attendee).

• End a session.

• Display the Learning Analytics Dashboard to monitor student engagement.

By default, instructors can view all student webcams during a conference. Students can view the instructor's webcam and share their own webcam but cannot view other students' webcams. To enable students to view each other's webcams, instructors can create breakout rooms.

Conference features

Conference features include:

• Share webcam.

• Share microphone.

• Display other attendees' webcams.

• Send Public Chat messages.

• Send Private Chat messages.

• Edit Shared Notes.

• Display the names of other attendees in the Users list.

• Follow other attendees' cursors.

• Review other attendees' annotations.

Lock attendee settings

During a conference, Admins may lock some conference features to disable members from using them.

1. From the Users panel, click the gear icon.

2. Select Lock viewers.

3. Click the Status toggle bar for each feature you want to lock or unlock for members. Private chat messages and Shared Notes are locked by default.