Panopto is a tool for streaming audio and video files on your Canvas course site. It's a third-party streaming tool that UChicago has integrated with Canvas. While Canvas has its own audio and video tools, Panopto offers a number of features that the Canvas media features do not.

Features include:

• Acceptance of large, high-resolution media files. Panopto is designed to handle large, high-resolution video files. In contrast, Canvas will not accept any media file larger than 500 MB.
• Media file editing capabilities. Panopto allows you to edit the media file, including trimming it, creating a new file that is a shorter clip of the original, creating a time-stamped table of contents for the video, inserting slides, and adding captions.
• Media file information capabilities. In addition to the title, you can enter a searchable description for each media file in Panopto.
• In-video quizzing. You can create quizzes within Panopto videos. Students' scores on in-video quizzes can be passed to the Canvas Gradebook.
• Student engagement tools. Panopto offers a number of tools to increase student engagement with your videos, such as adding bookmarks, creating discussion threads, and taking notes on videos.
• Automatic captioning capabilities. You can request automatic speech recognition captioning at the click of a button at no extra cost.  The machine-generated captioning can then be revised and edited easily if necessary.

To find out more about these tools, click on the topics below.

Recommended Browser

It is recommended that you use up-to-date versions of Chrome or Firefox. Panopto video player tends to freeze in Safari.

Video and Audio Formats Supported by Panopto

Panopto supports most video and audio formats, including AVI, MP4, MPG, WMV, MOV, QT, ASF, 3GP, WMA, MP3, and M4V files. For a complete list of the formats and specifications supported by Panopto, consult Panopto's list of supported formats.

Enable Panopto Video in a Course (Optional, Instructors Only)

Instructors must enable the course navigation link to Panopto Video before course members can access the Panopto Video page on the course site and take advantage of its capabilities.

Note: You can embed a media file directly into a Canvas content page without enabling the Panopto Video page. For details, see the Embed a Panopto Video or Audio File into a Content Area in Canvas section below.

1. Log into your course and go to Settings at the bottom of the course navigation menu.
   
2. Click the Navigation tab to edit the course navigation menu.
   
3. Scroll down until you see the Panopto Video tab. Drag the tab from the lower region entitled Drag items here to hide them from students to the upper region.
   
4. Arrange the tabs in the order you want them to appear on your course navigation menu.
   
5. Once you click Save at the bottom of the page, the link will be activated. You will now be able to use Panopto to upload and edit videos on your course site.
   

Manage Your Panopto Media Files

Use the Panopto Video tool to manage access on Canvas.

Access Panopto Video

To access your Panopto media, simply log into your Canvas course site and click on Panopto Video on the left-hand course navigation menu. If Panopto Video does not appear in the course navigation menu, then the instructor must enable this navigation tab under Settings > Navigation. For more detailed instructions on how to enable this tab, see Enable Panopto Video in a Course (Instructors only).

Add Content to a Panopto Folder

Panopto Folders

When you click on the Panopto Video tab, you will be taken to the default Panopto folder for your course. If you wish to create subfolders within this folder, there are two ways to do so:

1. Method 1: Click Add folder and enter the name of your new folder.
   
2. Method 2: From the Create drop-down menu, select New folder.
   
   This option will open a dialog box allowing you to enter a name and (if you wish) description for the folder, as well as controlling whether or not the new folder will inherit permissions from its parent folder.
   

Record a New Panopto Video

You can record a Panopto video file directly from your computer, using your webcam. Note: To use this option, you must have the Panopto app installed on your computer.

1. Navigate to the folder in which you wish to create the new video.
2. Click the maroon Create button at the top, and select Record a new session from the drop-down menu that appears.
   
3. You will be prompted to open Panopto. If you do not already have Panopto installed, you can download it at this time.
   
4. A dialog box will open and activate your webcam. Select Capture Main Screen to capture your screen; Capture PowerPoint to capture a PowerPoint presentation; and/or Capture Computer Audio to record your computer's audio.
5. When you are ready to begin, click the Record button. When you are finished, click it again to stop recording.
   
6. In the dialog box, enter a name for your video (the default name is the date and time of recording). You can also enter a description if you wish; descriptions are searchable, so you can enter keywords that will make it easy for you to find the video later. Click Upload when you are done to add the video to your chosen Panopto folder.
   

Upload an Existing Video to Panopto

To upload an existing video on your computer to Panopto:

1. Navigate to the Panopto folder in which you wish to record the new video.
2. Click the maroon Create button at the top, and select Upload media from the drop-down menu that appears.
   
3. Drag-and-drop your media file into the space that appears, or click in the space to find the file on your computer and click Open.
   
4. The file will be uploaded to your chosen Panopto folder. You will receive a notice when the upload is complete.

Organize Your Panopto Videos

By default, when you record or upload a video using the Panopto Video tab in Canvas, it will be uploaded to a folder named after your course under Default Folder. If you have multiple courses, it can be difficult to find the correct folder. One option is to choose My Folder when recording or uploading a video. You can then create subfolders within My Folder and organize your videos for ease of navigation.

Permanently Delete a File from Panopto

To permanently delete a file from Panopto, click the Delete (garbage can) icon next to the file and choose "OK" when prompted.

Request Automatic Closed Captioning for Videos

As a recipient of federal funding, the University of Chicago is required by Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act to provide effective auxiliary aids and services for qualified students with documented disabilities if such aids are needed to provide equitable access to the University's programs and services. This includes academic programs as well as extracurricular activities.

If you use videos in your courses, you can comply with the federal requirements by providing closed captioning to your videos. In Panopto, all videos are provisioned with automatic speech recognition (ASR) captioning at no extra cost. ASR captioning may take one day or more, depending on the length of the video, to become available. After which, instructors simply need to Edit the video, select Captions, and select Import captions, then Publish the changes to make captioning available.

Note: Panopto only supports ASR in English. Machine-generated captioning often need to be revised and edited before they are acceptably accurate. For step-by-step instructions on how to request and edit ASR captioning, see https://support.panopto.com/s/article/ASR-Generated-Captions.

Embed a Panopto Video or Audio File into a Content Area in Canvas (Instructors Only)

Embed a Panopto video or audio file directly in a Content Page or other content area on a Canvas course site. Students can only embed media files into a Content Page if the instructor has enabled student editing for that Content Page.

1. Log into your course site, then open the content area in which you want to embed your video. For example, if you will want to embed a video in an assignment, navigate to Assignments and either edit an existing Assignment or select +Assignment to embed the video in a new assignment.
   
2. From the Rich Content Editor toolbar, click the Panopto Video symbol.
   
3. A dialog box will appear with three options: Choose, Upload, and Record. To embed a video already in your Panopto folder, select the Choose tab. Select the video you wish to embed and click Insert. (If necessary, you can navigate to a different Panopto folder using the drop-down menu at the top.)
   
4. To upload a video to Panopto and then embed it, select the Upload tab. You can either drag-and-drop the file into the bubble provided or click on the bubble to search your computer for the file.
   
5. Once the video has finished uploading, click Insert to embed it.
   
6. To record a new video and embed it, select the Record tab. Enter a name for your video, then click Record. Note: To use this option, you must have the Panopto app installed on your computer.
   
7. You will be prompted to open Panopto. When you do, a recording dialog box will appear. Click Record to begin your recording. To stop the recording, click it again.
   
8. When the Recording Complete dialog box appears, enter a description for your video if you wish, then click Upload.
   
9. Click Insert to embed the video.
   
10. Remember to save your edits to the content area in which you have embedded the Panopto file.
    

Link Panopto Media in Canvas Modules (Instructors Only)

You can link specific Panopto media in Canvas Modules.

1. In your Canvas course site, go to the Modules page and click the plus sign (+) to add a Module Item.
   
2. In the popup window, select External Tool in the dropdown menu at the top.
   
3. You will see a list of options, find and select Panopto Video.
   
4. Next you will be presented with a list of Panopto media in your Panopto course folder. Complete these steps while on this screen:
   (1) You can select a different folder in the top dropdown menu.
   (2) Select the appropriate media by clicking on the radio button next to the media.
   (3) Click the Insert button at the bottom.
   
5. Complete the following steps while on this screen:
   (1) Scroll down or expand the popup window.
   (2) Edit the name of the item under Page Name.
   (3) Click the maroon Add Item button to add the media to your module.
   

Share Your Panopto Videos outside Your Course (Instructors Only)

If you have recorded or uploaded a Panopto video for a particular course and wish to make it available to people outside that course, we recommend the following method:

1. 1. Click on Panopto Video Pilot in your course navigation menu.
      
   2. If necessary, navigate to the folder in which the video is contained.
   3. Once you have found the video, mouse over it. When a menu appears, click Share.
      
   4. This will open a dialog box showing who has access to the video. The default option is Specific people.
      
   5. Open the drop-down menu. You will see four additional options:
      
      1. Anyone at your organization with the link: Anyone who has a UChicago Panopto account will be able to view the video if you give them a direct link.
      2. Anyone at your organization: Anyone who has a UChicago Panopto account will be able to find and view the video, even without a direct link.
      3. Anyone with the link: Anyone to whom you give a direct link to the video will be able to view it.
      4. Public on the web: Anyone at all can find and view your video.
         
   6. Choose your desired option, then click Save changes.
      
   7. If you have chosen Anyone at your organization with the link or Anyone with the link, follow these steps to get a direct link to your video:
      
      1. Make sure the Link tab at the top of the dialog box is selected.
      2. Copy the link provided.
         

Use Panopto Media in Canvas Assignments (Instructors Only)

You can include Panopto media as part of a creative assignment. For example, have students record an explanation of a concept with one prop, a short argumentative speech, or an interpretative close reading of a poem. See our articles, Panopto: Using Panopto to Collect Student Video Assignments in Canvas, and Panopto: Creating and Editing In-Video Quizzes for more information.

Edit Panopto Files

Panopto's editing function allows you to manipulate your media files in a number of ways. For example, you can add or change metadata such as the file's title and description; trim a video file or create a new file that is a shorter clip of the original; mark the file into chapters; insert slides; add captions; create in-video quizzes; and more.

To edit a Panopto video:

1. Navigate to the folder where the video is located.
   
2. Mouse over the video. Select Edit from the menu that will appear.
   

This will open the Panopto editing window. Use the menu at the left to edit your video.