Video has become increasingly common in all Faculty of Agriculture courses, whose typical points of origin include:
- Videos linked and shared from another server, such as YouTube or Vimeo;
- Your own video upload (i.e. a lab demo you recorded, a PPT recording, etc.) via Panopto; and,
- Video recorded using the Panopto recorder.
For the first bullet point, linking a YouTube video is quite flexible, in terms of your choice to link or use the provided embed code. The latter two bullet points both should involve Panopto. Think of Panopto as our own, paid-for and password-protected YouTube streaming server. Although Panopto is not perfect, understanding its limitations and working with its strengths has resulted in an overall positive experience for students and instructors alike.
While it is possible to upload a video directly to Brightspace (thus circumventing Panopto) and then link that video in the Content area, we have received reports of serious issues in viewing these videos and it is a reality that linking video files in this manner will compromise many students’ ability to view the videos. Uploading videos directly to Brightspace is not considered best practise for several reasons:
- Low bandwidth users will experience difficulties viewing the videos;
- Some users may be using devices or browsers that will not allow viewing the videos; and,
- The videos will not be available for students using the Panopto app (that allows exclusively in-app video download for offline viewing).
Visit our blog post, “How to Link Panopto Videos in Your Course” for specific instructions on how to make your videos available for all students.
For assistance in linking or sharing videos from YouTube, or with uploading and linking Panopto videos, please contact etd@dal.ca.