Kaltura & Brightspace
This page covers using Kaltura inside a Brightspace course. These resources are applicable to all faculty.
Please see the Kaltura Video Platform page for information about general usage of the Kaltura platform.
Content is broken up into sections and listed below. Go through the sections in order or click on a number to jump to that specific section. Simple explanations and tutorials are given for each topic. If you have any questions, please contact the IDAT team for assistance.
1. Get Started
This Get Started section is for general resources and overview trainings. For more specific topics, browse through the other sections of this page.
This video was presented at the Faculty and Staff Planning Week 2021. It is an overview of the very basics of creating and embedding content with Kaltura in Brightspace.
You will need to be logged into MediaSpace to access this video.
There is a Kaltura option on the main navigation of Brightspace.
You can access Kaltura My Media from any course. The Media Gallery link in each course is unique for that course and term.
When you access Kaltura for the first time, you will have to grant permission to use it.
You can click the checkbox next to “Do not ask me again for this application” to hide this message in the future.
Click Continue to go to My Media.
2. Embedding Videos
You can directly embed Kaltura videos into the Content and other areas of Brightspace for students to see.
To add a grade for a video, you have to add at least 1 quiz question to the video or use the video analytics to manually add a grade for the student.
One way to embed videos in the Content area is to use the Existing Activities dropdown.
Click the Existing Activities button and choose Add Kaltura Media from the dropdown menu.
Now you will get a popup box to choose your media. Use the search box at the top or scroll to the video you want to embed.
Click the blue Embed button next to the video to add it to your Content area.
This method inserts the video as a link in the Content area.
A new method to use videos is through the Insert Stuff button in text editors. This is the 2nd way you can add videos to the Content area but it works in many other areas of Brightspace.
The Insert Stuff method of embedding videos works anywhere on Brightspace that has a text editor.
- Announcements
- Assignments
- Content
- Discussions
- Module/topic descriptions
- etc
A text editor is the text box that looks like this.
This example is for a Module description but it will work anywhere with a text editor.
Click the Add description under the Module header to bring up the text area.
Now in the text editor you need to use the Insert Stuff button. It will look different in different areas of Brightspace as they update the look of the text editor.
After you click the Insert Stuff button, you will get a popup of options. Scroll down to Add Kaltura Media.
Now use the search box at the top or scroll to the video you want to embed.
Click the blue Embed button next to the video.
After you have previewed the video, click Insert to insert it into your text editor.
To finish, click the Update button under the text editor to save your edits. The video is now embedded in this text area.
Some text editor spaces such as the announcement area or homepage widgets are smaller so the videos do not fit well. If your video is too large or small for a space, use this method to choose a different video size when embedding.
Before you click the blue button to embed the video, click the cog button next to it for embed settings.
In the next options window, change the Max Embed Size to the size you wish to use. You can always delete and try again if the size doesn’t work.
Click the blue Embed button to finish the video embed.
Originally we had a setting that required you to unpublish media before you could edit it. Now you do not have to unpublish videos to edit them.
You can change collaborators, add tags, edit data, and even completely replace the media without unpublishing.
Embedded Kaltura videos will transfer over nicely during a whole course copy.
When transferring a portion of a course that includes Kaltura video links, there is one extra step to take in the course copy.
On the Copy Course Components screen, check the box for External Learning Tool Links and select Copy all items under that option.
Choose Content items and proceed normally with the course copy from here.
If this External Learning Tool Links box is left unchecked, your Kaltura links will be broken in the course copy.
**Note: The Media Gallery cannot be copies via course copy. See the Media Gallery section for instructions on copying a Media Gallery.
3. Media Gallery
Media Gallery is another space in your course to display video content to students. Students can also submit their own videos to the Media Gallery.
The Brightspace navigation has two Kaltura items: Kaltura My Media and Kaltura Media Gallery. This video explains how these two Kaltura pieces are different.
This 5 minute video from Kaltura will detail how to set up your Media Gallery.
Student videos added to the media gallery are perfect for a class showcase and to collect feedback.
*NOTE: All student videos added to the Media Gallery are viewable by anyone with access to the course. Private videos should be collected from students using an Assignment. Please see the Assignment section of this training page for how to set one up.
Students can submit videos to the course Media Gallery by going to Kaltura Media Gallery. Make sure the Media tab is selected and click the blue Add Media button to choose which media to add to the Media Gallery.
By default, any student submitted media is held in moderation until approved by the instructor.
All student videos are held in moderation until reviewed and approved by the course instructor.
Videos held for moderation are found in Kaltura Media Gallery in the Pending tab. The tab will show how many media items are pending.
After clicking the Pending tab, you will see a list of all pending media with a Approve and Reject button next to them. You can watch the videos to preview them.
When you are ready to Approve or Reject a video, you can click the button next to each video individually. Or bulk Approve or Reject by checking the boxes to the right of the videos and clicking the Approve or Reject button at the top of the Media Gallery page.
Once student media has been approved, it is added to the Kaltura Media Gallery individually and shown in the Media tab.
You can manually add student submitted videos into playlists.
- Go to Kaltura Media Gallery and click the hamburger icon in the upper right corner.
- Choose Create Channel Playlist from the menu
- Add your title and other information and click Save
- On the playlist page where you choose the playlist videos, click the dropdown that says My Media.
- Choose Media Gallery from the menu.
You should now see a list of only the videos from the media gallery. Now you can add any videos from the gallery into a playlist even if they are student videos that you do not own.
You can easily remove any student submitted videos from the Media Gallery.
Go to Kaltura Media Gallery and click on the Media tab. This will allow you to see the individual videos in the Media Gallery.
Find the video you would like to delete. When you hover over the video, a three dot (…) icon will appear. Click that to view video settings.
New icons will now appear in the bottom left of the video. Click the X icon to delete the video from the Media Gallery.
Media Galleries are NOT included when using the Brightspace course copy tool. If you would like to transfer your Media Gallery to a new course, you can do it separately.
Go to your empty Media Gallery in the new course shell. There is a bar that says "To import content from another media gallery you manage, click here".
Click the click here link.
You will now see a list of Media Galleries you can choose to import. The list will ONLY include Media Galleries
- for courses where you are set as an instructor AND
- that have at least 1 video published
The list also includes the "Shared Repository". This is a shared library of student help videos. We do not recommend that you import this. The videos will not all be applicable to your course.
Select the radio button next to the Media Gallery you would like to import. Then click Import.
This now adds a copy of all videos and playlists to this course Media Gallery.
*NOTE*: In future, you may see duplicate course titles (ex: Chemistry I) without any indication of a year or semester. This is a known issue.
4. Quizzing
Learn how to use Quizzing within Brightspace. Video quizzing is the only way to automatically give students credit for watching videos.
Create video quizzes with 4 different question types. You can also add multiple quizzes to the same video. Video quizzes can be used inside or outside of Brightspace.
Kaltura is a little picky about how it handles Multiple Choice answers. Using the tip below will help you be successful with these questions.
When creating a MC question, you should ALWAYS put the correct answer in the first answer box. The green check next to it indicates it is the right answer.
After you have typed in your answers, click Save below the question. DO NOT shuffle or move your answer choices yet.
When you click Save, the question will close. Click the cube icon along the video timeline to open the question again to edit.
You can now move the order of your answers. You can do this 2 ways:
- press the Shuffle button at the top or
- manually move a question by clicking the left edge of the answer box and dragging it to the location you choose.
After your questions are shuffled, press Save again.
*Note: The final order of your answers is the order the students will see. The answers will not be shuffled for each student viewing.
A video quiz can be embedded exactly like a video but we strongly recommend that you only embed the video using the Existing Activites method.
See the Embedding Videos section of this page for more information about embedding using the Existing Activities menu.
Quizzes will technically still work if embedded using the Insert Stuff method but that method has a few quirks. If you really see a need to embed a video quiz through the Insert Stuff tool, please contact the IDAT team so we can discuss how this will work with your gradebook.
There are 4 question types but only 2 are graded.
True/False (T/F) and Multiple Choice (MC) questions are graded. Each is worth a percentage based on how many questions are on the quiz.
Example: if you have a mix of 3 T/F or MC questions, each is worth 33%.
When you connect the quiz to the Brightspace gradebook, you can choose any points total for the Grade Item. The students percent score for the video quiz will transfer over to whatever points total you have chosen.
Ex: If you set a 60 point total for the quiz, a student with a 33% will receive 20 points.
Reflection point questions are just a pause in the video and are just used as a pass/fail indicator.
Open ended questions can be reviewed but they are also are just used as a pass/fail indicator. You can see the question answers in the Quiz analytics.
If a video quiz contains either of these question types, the quiz will give full credit for passing through both questions.
Ex: A quiz has 2 reflection point questions and is worth 10 points.
If a student moves through both questions to the end of the quiz, they receive 10 points.
If a student does not complete the quiz, they receive 0 points.
Once you have embedded the video quiz, in the bottom right corner you can connect a grade item.
Click on Add a grade item... to set your grade item.
- Choose a grade item from the list if you have already created one or click the + button to create a new grade item. You can give it any name or points total you choose.
- Choose No Grade to leave the quiz embedded but not connect it to the gradebook.
- If you do not assign a grade item or choose No Grade, a grade item with be automatically created for you when the 1st student takes the quiz. It will have the same name as the quiz. It will not be in a specific category and will default to a 10 point value.
5. Assignments
Since students also have access to managing and creating videos with Kaltura, it is perfect for use with student projects.
You can easily set up a Brightspace Assignment to collect student Kaltura videos to view. No video download needed.
Go to Activities -> Assignments and set up a New Assignment like you usually would.
To easily collect video submissions, in the Submission & Completion menu on on the right choose Text Submission as the Submission Type.
This will give the students a text editor and allow them to insert a video.
After a student has submitted their video, you will be able to watch the video embedded on the submission view page and give feedback as usual.
When you have set up the assignment, students will see a text box. They will be able to use the Insert Stuff button to embed the video within this text box.
Then they just hit submit and it is embedded and ready for you to view.
If you would like students to be able to see and comment on each others videos, the Media Gallery is the perfect place for that!
Students can submit videos to the course Media Gallery by going to Kaltura Media Gallery. Make sure the Media tab is selected and click the blue Add Media button to choose which media to add to the Media Gallery.
By default, any student submitted media is held in moderation until approved by the instructor.
To learn more about approving/rejecting media, adding to playlists, or removing student media, please see the Media Gallery section of this training page.