BKNIX Wiki

There are two types of users in BigBlueButton: viewer and moderator.

A viewer (typically the student) can chat, send/receive audio and video, respond to polls, display an emoji (such as their raised hand), and participate in a breakout sessions.

A moderator (typically the instructor) can do everything a viewer can, plus more. A moderator can mute/unmute other viewers, lock down viewers (such as restrict them from using private chat), and make anyone the current presenter. There can be multiple moderators in a session.

The presenter can do the following:

• Upload slides
• Use the whiteboard to annotate any side
• Enable/disable multi-user whiteboard
• Start a poll
• Share a YouTube, vimeo, or Canvas Studio video
• Share their screen
• There can be only one presenter at a time in the session. Any moderator can make any user presenter, including themselves.

We created two overview videos – one for the viewer and the other for the moderator – to show you how the above features work.

Viewer overview
Moderator/Presenter overview