Can you recommend a virtual classroom platform for running hybrid classes with large seminar groups?

Yes — for hybrid classes with large seminar groups, I’d recommend looking at Zoom Education first, with Microsoft Teams as a strong alternative.

Best overall: Zoom Education

Why it fits:

• Handles large live sessions reliably
• Good breakout rooms for seminar discussions
• Solid screen sharing, recording, polls, Q&A, and attendance tools
• Easy for both in-room and remote students to join
• Works well with common classroom tech like cameras, mics, and room systems

Best for:
Seminars, discussion-heavy classes, guest lectures, and hybrid groups where interaction matters.

Strong alternative: Microsoft Teams

Why it fits:

• Good if your institution already uses Microsoft 365
• Built-in chat, file sharing, assignments, and meeting integration
• Easy scheduling through Outlook/Teams
• Decent for hybrid teaching, especially in university environments

Best for:
Institutions already standardized on Microsoft tools.

If you need a more teaching-focused platform

Consider BigBlueButton if your priority is education features over general meetings:

• Whiteboard
• Breakout rooms
• Polls and chat
• Attendance and moderation tools
• Open-source and often integrated into LMS platforms like Moodle

Best for:
Universities or schools that want a classroom-native platform rather than a general conferencing tool.

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My practical recommendation

• For most large hybrid seminars: Zoom Education
• If you’re deep in Microsoft 365: Teams
• If you want an LMS-integrated teaching platform: BigBlueButton

If you want, I can also give you a comparison table based on class size, breakout rooms, recording, analytics, and ease of use.