Linking to Kaltura Audio and Video from a Canvas Course

Kaltura is a media management suite that helps users to make and edit their own recordings, and provides access to shared media created by others. Kaltura's Shared Repository is the means by which we allow streaming of library-owned films, under the terms of fair use and the TEACH Act. For more information about Kaltura media in your course, go to this guide. 

The Kaltura Shared Repository is a collection of video and audio recordings that are available to instructors for use in Canvas courses. Most of these media originate from DVDs owned by the Monroe Library. This replaces the older Onstream video management system that was in use at Loyola until the summer of 2021. 

An instructor wishing to stream the contents of a library-owned DVD or CD in their Canvas course should search first in the Kaltura Shared Repository, following the steps outlined below. If the desired item is found, the instructor can create a link to that item in their Canvas course. If a film owned by the Monroe Library cannot be found in the Shared Repository, the instructor should fill out this form to request streaming. Note that this may require renewal of streaming rights, so please allow time for processing of requests. If new materials are needed, please complete this request for purchase DVDs for streaming form.

The Rich Content Editor or RCE is the general text editor that is built into Canvas. An ability to link to audio or video files on Kaltura is built into the RCE. Thus a link to Kaltura can be added to any type of Canvas content that is built with the RCE, including Announcements, Assignments, Discussions, Pages, and Quizzes. The icon for the Kaltura link tool looks like a multi-colored star or asterisk:

                                  

 It is included in the tool ribbon at the top of the RCE box, indicated here by a red arrow:

Click on the icon to begin adding a link. A link can be mixed with plain text or the output of any of the other tools on the ribbon, although in many instances it is simpler if a single Canvas content item consists of nothing other than a single Kaltura link.

One of the simplest ways to link to Kaltura media is to add new page to an existing Module within the content of a Canvas course. Start by clicking the "plus sign" icon found to the right of the name of the desired module:

A window for adding content to the module will appear. If a type of content other than "Page" appears in the "Add" box, click on the down-arrow inside the box:

Then click on the word "Page" on the menu of options that appears:

Click on "Create Page" to tell Canvas you are creating a new Page:

Type a name in the Page Name box. This should be the media title as you want it to appear in your course:

Then click the Add Item button:

You'll see the Page you just created listed in the Module. Click on the name you just added to begin editing it:

Then click the Edit button:

Then click the Kaltura icon at the top of the Rich Content Editor box:

On the "Embed Kaltura Media" screen that appears, a set of potential sources will be listed. To select a source, click on its name, making sure the name is underlined. The available sources are:

• My Media - Your private collection of media, visible from the My Media page in a Canvas course, and also by logging into your own Media Space from Loyola's Single Sign On page.
• Media Galleries - the items that are listed in the Media Gallery section of any course in which you are an instructor (visible to all users enrolled in the course).
• Shared Repository - a Shared Repository made available to Canvas instructors. The Shared Repository mostly contains video and audio files from DVDs and CDs owned by the Monroe Library.
• Media Gallery Playlists - Playlists that you've built in the Media Gallery area of any of the courses in which you are an instructor.

In this example, the Shared Repository is the selected source:

A list of available media items from the selected source automatically appears. You will probably have to scroll up and down to see the whole list:

To narrow the items listed, type keywords in the search box marked with the "spyglass" icon. Keywords can come from the title of an episode or track, the title of a DVD, Album, or program series, or a library call number:

The list can be narrowed further by adjusting filters, the fields in which to search, or the sort order (but changing these settings is often not needed):

Once the desired media file has been identified, click the "Embed" button that appears to its right:

You will see the Canvas Rich Content Editor box filled in with a link to the item on Kaltura (you might have to scroll up and down to see it all):

Just click on the save button at the lower right:

Remember that both the Page you just created and the Module containing the page have to marked as Published if you want students to be able to see their contents.

In a Canvas course, the Media Gallery is a folder containing links to media on Kaltura. By default, entries in the Media Gallery are visible to all users enrolled in the course. 

You have the option of adding media directly to the Media Gallery of a course, instead of creating links in course content as described above. This can be quicker and easier, but there are two disadvantages to be aware of:

• Students have to be told to search the Media Gallery for media, rather than clicking on a specific item in a course module. This could become confusing if there are many media entries in the Media Gallery.
• If you copy the content of one course into another course, links that are created directly in the Media Gallery are NOT copied along with everything else. If you want to be able to copy a course with all of its media links, you need to create those links in course modules as described above.

If those disadvantages present no difficulties, you can add media links directly to the Media Gallery of a course, as described below.

To add a link in the Media Gallery, click on Media Gallery in the Canvas Course Menu:

You will see the Media Gallery and any links that already exist in it. To add a link, click on the +Add Media button:

On the screen that appears, click on "My Media" to select items in your private media collection, or click on the down-arrow to the right of "Shared Repository" to select items from the Shared Repository. Items available from the selected source will be listed on the screen below. You might have to scroll up or down to see them all:

To narrow the list of items displayed, type one or more keywords into the search box, immediately to the right of the "spyglass" icon. You can also adjust the "Filters," "Search In," and "Sort By" options, although this is rarely necessary.

Locate the desired media item on the list, then click the check-box to its immediate left:

Locate and click on the "Publish" button near the upper right of the screen (you might need to scroll up to see it):

A link to the selected item now exists in the Media Gallery of the Canvas course.