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How do I use Virtual Classroom breakout room?

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A lecturer might decide to split the participants of a Virtual Classroom meeting into different groups. These groups will then each get their own meeting. This meeting is called a breakout room. In this breakout room the participants can talk to one another or present their work during a set time. The lecturer is not a participant, but they might pop in during the session.

When the lecturer has created breakout rooms you will receive an invitation to join during the main meeting. Click Join room to go to the room. This means you will temporarily leave the main meeting of the Virtual Classroom.

A new tab will be opened in your browser. The screen looks the same as in the main meeting, but the difference is that all participants can present. When you are the presenter in the breakout room, you will see the following buttons and can use the following functions:

  1. The name of the breakout room;
  2. How much time is left;
  3. Manage your microphone and camera and share your screen;
  4. The participants in this breakout room;
  5. Chat;
  6. Create a poll;
  7. Upload a presentation;
  8. Open annotation tools.

Participants of the breakout room

  1. Click Participants in the top left of the menu.
  2. Click Mute all to turn off the microphone of all participants.
  3. Click on the name of the participant to make them presenter.

Upload a presentation

You can add a file to your presentation, such as a pdf, Word, Powerpoint or Excel. Each page, slide or tab will become one slide in your presentation. 

  • Click Presentations.
  1. Select a file to upload from your computer.
  2. Select  a previously uploaded file to present.
  3. Switch to a blank presentation, to which you possibly added notes before.
  4. Delete a uploaded file.
  5. Click Start to present the selected file.

When you upload a Powerpoint file the animations in your file will not be saved. All elements in your slides will be shown simultaneously.
Graphs in Excel are not supported.
If you use special fonts then they might not be displayed correctly.

Share your screen

Click Share your screen at the bottom to share your screen.

A new window will open. You can choose which part of your screen you want to share:

  1. Your Full Screen (je volledige scherm): if you want to share your full screen, select which one you want to share (in case you are working with multiple screens).
  2. Application (App-venster): If you want to share an application (such as a Word or Excel file) choose the right window here.
  3. Chrome tab (Chrome-tabblad): when you want to share a tab from your browser, select which one here.
  4. Select the desired item and then click Delen (Share).

If you try to share your screen for the first time, you will receive an one-time notification stating you have to download the Bongo Screenshare Extension.

Chrome and Microsoft Edge (Chromium edition) are the only browsers that completely support screen sharing.

Firefox only lets you share a window.

Poll

You could present a poll during your presentation. You have to ask the question verbally, after which the participants can choose between different answer options that appear on screen. 

  1. Click Polling in the menu on the left.
  2. Choose between default answer possibilities, or create your own answer possiblities by clicking Custom Poll.
  • After you have set up the answer possiblities the poll will start automatically. Click Stop/Publish Polling results to share the results with the participants. Click Stop Polling to stop the poll without sharing the results.
Ask the lecturer for help

After you have been moved to the breakout room you can still ask your lecturer for help - even if they are in the main session. Click on the main session tab. The breakout room was opened in a new tab, it is important that you leave this open as well. Then ask your question on the main session chat. The lecturer can answer it there, or come to your breakout room.

Leave the breakout room

When the predetermined time has passed the breakout room will be closed automatically. You will then return to the main meeting. Do you want to leave the breakout room early? Click the three dot icon and choose Leave.

Once you voluntarily leave the breakout room you cannot return. You will have to ask your lecturer to readmit you.
Make sure you do not accidentaly close your browser tab - if you do, you will also leave the room.

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