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Create and Manage Breakout Rooms

How to Use Breakout Rooms in BigBlueButton

Breakout Rooms allow you to split participants into smaller groups for focused discussions or group activities.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Start the Room

  • Log in to your vCR Room and click Start to enter the session.

2. Open Breakout Room Settings

  • In the Users panel (left side), click the gear icon (⚙️) [1] next to the word “Users”.
  • Select “Create Breakout Rooms” [2] from the dropdown menu.

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3. Configure Breakout Room Options

A configuration window will appear with the following options:

a. Number of Rooms

  • Choose how many rooms you want to create [3] (e.g., 2, 3, 4…).

⏱ b. Duration

  • Set how long the breakout session will last [4] (e.g., 5, 10, 15 minutes).
  • You can also choose to end the breakout rooms manually.

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c. Assign Participants

You can:

  • Auto-assign [5] participants evenly across rooms.
  • Manually assign users by dragging and dropping them into the desired room.

4. Create the Breakout Rooms [6]

  • Once configuration is done, click the “Create” button.

5. Participant Notification

  • Participants will receive a prompt to join their assigned breakout room.
  • They must click Join to enter their small group session.

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6. Monitor Breakout Rooms

As a moderator:

  • You can see which users are in each breakout room.
  • You can join any room [1] by clicking “Join” next to that room.
  • You can **send a message [2] ** to all breakout rooms.
  • You can end all rooms manually before time runs out.

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7. End Breakout Rooms

  • Rooms will automatically close when the timer expires.
  • Or you can click vertical dots (⋮) icon , Next select “End Breakout Rooms” [2] to bring everyone back early.

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Best Practices

  • Use breakout rooms for:

  • Group discussions

  • Brainstorming
  • Peer review
  • Give clear instructions before sending participants into rooms.