Keeping you up to tech in teaching and learning. This blog is created by EdTech staff in Technology Services. EdTech & Media Services are a part of Technology Services.
Have you ever wanted to customize the links on the left side of your Canvas page? The Redirect App allows you to add links to external web resources and include those links in the navigation pane in your Canvas course. After installing the Redirect App you will control the name of the new link and specify where users go when they click on the link.
For example, you could create a Google form called “I need an extension” and create a direct link to the form.
To add the Redirect App go to Settings, then Apps.
Search for Redirect, then add the App.
Once you have added it enter what you want to link to be called followed by the url where you would like the link to point to.
Then, go to Navigation and drag the new link where you want it to go. Be sure to click Save and check the link to make sure it is redirecting correctly. Reach out to your Ed Tech if you need more help.
Canvas is rolling out an update to the current Quizzes feature. Starting now, you will have the option to use the new tool, called “New Quizzes,” or the current tool, called “Classic Quizzes” when building a Quiz.
New Quizzes is an assessment engine that integrates with Canvas as an LTI tool and will replace the Classic Quizzes functionality currently existing in Canvas.
You can use New Quizzes to create assessments using a variety of questions types. New Quizzes assessments display as assignments in the Assignments page and can be duplicated. Students can take New Quizzes assessments within their Canvas courses.
Canvas will eventually prevent the creation of new Classic Quizzes in July, 2022 June 2024 (December 2021 update). If you have existing Classic Quizzes that you would like to continue using, you can migrate them to New Quizzes.
For more information, please contact your Educational Technologist at edtech@pugetsound.edu.
Canvas also has a number of user guides for New Quizzes:
In summer of 2021, we implemented the Alexander Street Video LTI into Canvas. The LTI allows you to search and embed Alexander Street Videos into your Canvas courses directly within Canvas and without generating a separate embed code. Users watching content will be automatically authenticated to our library’s institutional account.
To embed existing content, click the Alexander Street Video icon in the toolbar of the Rich Content Editor of the page where you want the video to appear.
Location of Alexander Street icon in Rich Content Editor
Enter your search terms in the dialog that appears. Click “View Video” to confirm it’s the content you want.
Results for search term “blue planet”
Select either “Embed medium size” or “Embed large size.” The dialog will close and the video will be automatically embedding in the page. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click “Save.”
Embedded video and location of “save” button
Here’s a brief video that shows the same steps described above.
We are pleased to announce that MEDIAL, our digital video storage and distribution system, has been upgraded. Faculty can now browse a catalogue of digitized films, and easily embed these videos into their Canvas pages. For instructions on how to access this catalogue from within Canvas, please visit our Knowledge Base article entitled Using the MEDIAL Application or watch the brief video below.
As a part of the Summer of 2021 upgrade process, Media Services has conducted a one-time inventory of the content hosted on this server, adhering to the following policy:
We have archived content that was
a.) uploaded before August 1st, 2020
b.) never viewed by faculty or students
If we do not receive notice that archived media is still required, it will be deleted one year after being archived.
New Content Management Policies
Due to storage constraints, content cannot be hosted indefinitely. Media Services and the Library reserve the right to inventory, archive, and delete content hosted on this server, adhering to the following policies:
Starting in Spring of 2022, Media Services will conduct an annual review of the content hosted on our server.
As a part of that review, any media not viewed in the last four years will be archived, making it inaccessible.
Faculty who find that necessary media is inaccessible due to archiving should email media@pugetsound.edu or file a KACE ticket from Okta, asking for the media to be returned to the server.
If we do not receive notice that archived media is still required, it will be deleted one year after being archived.
We are excited to offer faculty the ability to browse through the library of previously digitizied films and add them to Canvas without needing to manage embed codes. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to call x3963, email media@pugetsound.edu, or file a KACE ticket from Okta.
