BigBlueButton Integration

A single well-provisioned server (16 cores, 32 GB RAM) typically handles 200–300 concurrent participants across multiple sessions. For larger institutions running hundreds of simultaneous sessions, a Scalelite load balancer distributes sessions across a cluster of BBB servers. OpenEduCat's integration works with both single-server and clustered deployments.

BigBlueButton records audio, video, whiteboard activity, shared notes, and chat as a single playback file. Recordings are processed and stored on the institution's own BBB server. Not on any third-party cloud. OpenEduCat links completed recordings to the corresponding course record so students and faculty access them through the course portal. Institutions control retention periods and can delete recordings according to their own data governance policies.

Because BigBlueButton runs on institution-owned infrastructure, student educational records (including recordings, participant logs, and session content) remain under the institution's direct control and are not disclosed to a third-party vendor. This is the key FERPA distinction: FERPA restricts disclosure of student educational records to third parties without consent. A self-hosted deployment eliminates the third-party disclosure concern that arises with cloud-hosted video conferencing platforms. Institutions should conduct their own FERPA review with legal counsel, but the self-hosted model removes the primary compliance risk that cloud platforms create.

Both integrations connect virtual classroom sessions to the timetable module and sync attendance data. The core difference is data custody and licensing model. With the Zoom integration, session recordings and participant data are stored on Zoom's cloud servers under Zoom's terms, and the institution pays per-host licensing fees. With the BigBlueButton integration, all data stays on institution-owned servers, and there are no per-user or per-host fees. Institutions subject to FERPA, GDPR, or national data localization requirements typically choose BigBlueButton for this reason.

No. BigBlueButton runs entirely in a modern web browser, Chrome, Firefox, Edge, or Safari. Students click the join link in the student portal and enter the session directly without installing any software, browser extension, or desktop application. Faculty and guest speakers have the same browser-only access. This removes a common friction point for students using institution-managed devices where they may not have permission to install software.