Online exams using BigBlueButton or Webex - student guide

It is best to test a few days before the exam if you can get into BigBlueButton (BBB) or Webex and if your equipment is suitable for the exam.

If you do not have the technical equipment to be supervised during the exam with BigBlueButton or Webex, let your teacher now and they will arrange a different form of examination for you.

Recordings and screenshots of the online exam are explicitly forbidden.

Open/Close

Access

to BigBlueButton (BBB)

BBB can only be accessed via a TeachCenter course (TC course).

Log into the TeachCenter or TeachCenter Exam with your TUGRAZonline access data. In the dashboard, find the appropriate course and enter it.

On the course page, click on the BBB activity and then on Join session.

BBB activity in the TeachCenter — BBB activity

BBB room in the TeachCenter is ready; Join session button is available — Join a meeting

Select join the audio with microphone. You will be asked to complete an echo test and confirm that the microphone is working. Also turn on your camera.

Pop-up window where you can choose to join with the microphone or "listen only" — Join the conference with microphone

I cannot click on "Join session". What can I do?

You may not be able to join until a moderator is present. Before that, the field is grayed out.

I do not see any BBB activity. What can I do?

Teachers may not make the BBB activity visible until just before the exam.

to Webex

Webex can be used in the browser or in the desktop app. We strongly recommend using the desktop app.

Follow the link to the Webex meeting or room communicated by your teachers and enter the password for the meeting if necessary.

I did not receive a link. What can I do?

Contact your teachers with a request to send the link (again). The link might also have been posted in the exam TeachCenter course or in TUGRAZonline.

The meeting may be held in a faculty member's Webex Personal Room. You can join this virtual space by entering the username of the teacher (the front part of the TUGRAZ email address) as meeting information. (e.g. max.muster@tugraz.at -> https://tugraz.webex.com/meet/max.muster)

Enter the meeting information to join a meeting — Join a meeting in Webex

Before the exam

Prepare your workspace, access BBB or Webex

Your teacher should have given you all the relevant information on exams with proctoring. This information might deviate from our suggestions below.

Note: If the exam is held in TeachCenter or TeachCenter Exam, ask your teacher if you should use a second device (such as a smartphone) for the video conference.

A few days before the online exam: Test your setup as described below.
At least 30 minutes before the exam or at the time specified by your teacher: Join the BBB or Webex meeting on your computer or secondary device (smartphone, tablet, laptop). Select the "join with microphone" option in BBB and take the echo test.
If the video conference is only for proctoring: place the secondary device behind or next to you so that your workplace (desk + screen of the main device on which the test is written) is clearly visible.
Do not cover the workplace with your body.
Make sure that the workplace is well lit so that the video can be seen well.
Clear everything off your desk that does not serve the purpose of the examination, especially notes or books.
Keep your student ID handy for identity verification before the exam.
Make sure all monitors are in view or do not use additional monitors.
If necessary, use a cell phone stand or place your cell phone on a shelf.
Be sure to plug in the cell phone or tablet running the videoconference so the battery does not die during the exam.

I do not have the necessary requirements to take the exam. For example, my computer does not have a camera. What can I do?

For the proctoring with BBB or Webex you can also join the videoconference via a second device, e.g. your smartphone or a tablet. If you still do not have the necessary equipment, contact your teachers in advance. They will try to find a solution, or there is always the possibility of an alternative form of examination.

Check of workspace and identity

The teachers will now explain the procedure of the exam to you.
You will then be called on one at a time to check workspaces and IDs.
Film your desk with the secondary device to show that there are no unauthorized aids there, then yourself and the student ID, and finally a 360-degree overview of the workspace with your desk and the PC screen.
Then place the secondary device back in the space next to/behind you so that the workspace and screen are visible.

Good camera configurations: sufficient resolution, students, workspace and screen well visible.

Two pictures of a workplace with good camera configurations: Both people have screens that are well visible, the lighting is decent, and you can also see part of their desk with a dictionary or notebook open — Good camera configuration

Poor camera configurations: poor lighting conditions, screen not clearly visible or resolution too weak, focus only on the screen instead of on students and workspace.

Two pictures of a workplace with bad camera configurations: the pictures are blurry, the screens are not well visible because of bright backlight from a window, and in one picture you see mainly a kitchen and barely the screen — Bad camera configuration

Join breakout room and mute

During and after the exam

During the exam

To ask a question, unmute yourself and ask it out loud. However, you will be heard by everyone in the BR when you do this.
Every so often, check the secondary device to make sure you have not been disconnected.

My device disconnected from the videoconference. What should I do?

Get back into the conference as soon as possible. Inform the teachers if there is an extended interruption and you are unable to continue the exam.

My camera resolution is very poor, making proctoring almost impossible. What should I do?

Teachers may ask you to point the camera only at the screen with the exam and to stop filming the workspace. This way they can at least see that no other browser windows or applications are open.

After the exam

Help & Contact

In case of technical problems: videokonferenz@tugraz.at

For questions on TeachCenter / TeachCenter Exam: tc@tugraz.at

Be sure to test the access and your connection before the exam to anticipate problems.

If you encounter any technical problems during the exam, try the tips and hints in the guide Troubleshooting for Video Conferences.

If the problems persist, please report them to the teachers immediately. Describe the problem as accurately as possible and take screenshots of error messages if possible.

Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution CC BY 4.0 International

TU Graz Educational Technology, screenshots from exams with permission by Carlo Boano