# BigBlueButton for students *BigBlueButton (BBB) is a freely available open source software for video conferencing, which you can use directly via the TeachCenter.* *Published: 27 October 2021 · Updated: 3 September 2025* If a recording is made, you can watch it later in the TUbe series of your course. ## Before, during and after a video conference ## Access to the BigBlueButton activity - Your teacher(s) will inform you if a meeting is held in BigBlueButton. - Go to the TeachCenter course of the respective course and **open the BigBlueButton activity.**  - You can access the meeting via the **Join session** button as soon as the meeting is open or moderators have joined. Outside this period, there is no button to join the meeting.  *Join a meeting*  *Waiting for a moderator* You can also join the conference later. You may be taken to a waiting room first. ## Participating in the meeting and overview You will be asked if you want to join **with microphone** or just **listen**. If you join with a microphone, there will be an echo test at the beginning. If you change your microphone (e.g. from a headset to the laptop microphone), you will have to do another echo test. ### BigBlueButton is structured as follows: Centre: Presentations and videos of other participants Bottom: Audio and video settings, muting, sharing, reactions and raising hands. Left: Menus and features, e.g. see other participants, breakout rooms menu, shared notes, chat Right centre: Editing tools to make annotations directly on the presentation (must be allowed by teachers) Additional information may be displayed, such as surveys. These are activated by teachers.  *Overview of a BigBlueButton meeting* ## Accessing recordings If the meeting was recorded, you will find the video later **in the TUbe series of the TeachCenter course.** The TUbe series with the videos can be found either linked in the course or directly on [TUbe](https://tube.tugraz.at/). ## Help & contact For technical issues with video conferencing: [videokonferenz@tugraz.at](mailto:videokonferenz@tugraz.at) For questions on TeachCenter: [tc@tugraz.at](mailto:tc@tugraz.at)