Canvas Conferences

Canvas Conferences student

Big Blue Button (BBB) Premium (formerly Conferences) is a online web conference tool that is accessed in Canvas's course navigation, the premium licensing will revert back to the free tier on 12/31/2021. This tool allows you to conduct real-time lectures and meetings, you can share audio, video, presentations, your screen, a multi-user whiteboard, chat, and create breakout rooms for students to work collaboratively, all within Canvas.

Features of the free tier DO NOT INCLUDE:

Downloading of your recordings

Inviting external guests

Usage analytics

Can I use Big Blue Button to record classes in Canvas?

Yes, the free tier of BigBlueButton does INCLUDE recording of your classes, videos are available for 7 days for students to watch; however they cannot be downloaded. Echo360 and Teams are recommended for recording your classes and especially if you plan to reuse content. ITS recommends using Echo360 or Microsoft Teams, both methods integrate in Canvas.

View our article tools you can use in your teaching and the workshops offered each semester for a complete overview of our supported tools, view comparison sheets of what tools to use for synchronous and asynchronous teaching, and more.

Instructor/Moderator Resources:

Creating and Starting a Conference:

Create a conference

Start a conference

Running a Conference:

Video: Moderator/Presenter Overview - This video covers all the basics of running a conference

Record a conference

Breakout Rooms Overview - video

Conference Analytics (premium feature until 12/31/2021)

Watch the video on this page to learn how to access and use the Conference Statistics page: Conference Statistics

Additional Instructor Resources:

Canvas Conference Guide pages

How many webcams can be shared at one time? All users will see all other user's webcams. Example: If you have 100+ people sharing webcams in a session, the usability of the session will be degraded. If you are running a large conference, we encourage you to Lock the viewer's ability to see other viewer's webcams as shown in the image below.