A REDUCED VERSION OF THIS PAGE IS PLANNED, WITH A LINK TO THIS PAGE FOR FULL DETAILS]Echo360 is a platform used at NIDA to hold video content used to teach courses.
This content is then linked to from Canvas (aka ‘NIDA Learn’), which is NIDA’s learning management system.
Echo360 replaces Canvas' built-in video app called Studio.
Some advantages of using Echo360 over Studio are that it provides more features than Studio, allows video to be centrally viewed and managed, and has a much more active development path.
Echo360 is commonly referred to within NIDA as just ‘Echo’.
Apart from videos, Echo can also hold audio files, pdfs and PowerPoint files to help collect together teaching content on a given topic. However, since video is the main format for content in Echo, almost all references in the descriptions and workflows below will refer to this Echo content as ‘video’.
METHODS OF ADDING CONTENT TO ECHO
Echo provides three methods to allow content to be uploaded and made available:
For content tied to a specific Canvas course
1. A ‘Course->Section->Class’ method involves using hierarchy is set up in Echo that mirrors a similar structure in Canvas. This hierarchy in Echo performs two main functions at NIDA:
Migration: Content from Canvas' built-in Studio video application was migrated into this hierarchy as part of decommissioning Studio at the end of 2022. This content could not be migrated into Echo in any other way.
Classroom capture: NIDA AV staff set up schedules for the recording of classroom activity (and also livestreamed content if needed) and this content is then automatically added into folders in this structure. Instructors can then link to this captured content from the relevant course in Canvas if desired
2. A ‘Collection’ method allows each student and instructor to optionally share videos from their own personal Echo video space. If a user decides to share their content, they can do this by sharing an individual video, or collecting videos together into a Collection and then sharing the Collection with others.
3. A ‘Student Submission’ method allows students upload video to Echo as part of their assessment submissions for a given Canvas course. This video can then be watched inside Canvas by instructors.
Because of limitations in the ‘Course->Section->Class’ method, most instructor use of Echo will be using the 'Collection' method. However it should be remembered that content related to a given course in Canvas could be distributed among any or all of the above methods.
Additionally, since the ‘Collection’ method involves contributions from the individual Echo video libraries of a number of users, content for a given Canvas course could be spread among multiple current or past instructors.
For content not tied to any specific Canvas course
3. The ‘Collection’ method can also be used to share Echo content informally. This can be for reasons not tied to the delivery of a specific course in Canvas.
The following diagram summarises how content is added to Canvas via Echo for the three methods (click diagram to zoom):
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OVERALL APPROACH TO USING ECHO WITH CANVAS
Given that there are multiple methods of adding content to Echo, there needs to be some standardisation of approach to ensure that Echo content can be found in a predictable way. The following guidelines have thus been developed to help guide use of Echo with Canvas.
...
This applies to any new Echo content added to Canvas during and after 2023. This is because Echo content prior to January 2023 has been migrated from Studio into Echo, and any Studio links in Canvas have been replaced with Echo links for this time period.
(Additionally, any videos that were in a user’s private Studio area in Canvas should now be in this user’s personal Echo library. Any collections of videos in a user’s private Studio area have not been reproduced in Echo. If you would like your Studio collections set up in the same way in Echo, please contact Andrew.)
A separate collection will be set up for each delivery of a Canvas course. This formal collection will have the same name as the related Canvas course. Instructors should then ensure that any video used in that delivery has been added both to this specific collection and linked to from the relevant Canvas course.
This has the following benefits
the collection stores most if not all the Echo content related to the Canvas course, regardless of the current status of the instructors teaching it; this content can be in active use in Canvas or not
the links in the Canvas course ensure that students are able to access and interact with the relevant Echo content.
Other collections can be created that are different to the formal collection used to represent the delivery of the specific Canvas course. These additional collections can be for casual sharing of content, and can be useful for example to collect together materials on a topic of interest or as part of planning for a future course.
These additional collections should only be used for content that if lost would not affect the delivery of the Canvas course.
2. the ‘Course-Section-Class’ method is used as
the means to access content migrated from Studio (ie prior to the start of 2023)
a backup store of classroom capture and livestream content only. The principal method of accessing these captures is via the copy of each capture which will automatically be available in the Echo library of one staff member involved with the delivery of the relevant Canvas course. This staff member can then share the capture / link to the capture in Canvas as needed..
Any link created in Canvas to classes in the Course-Section-Class hierarchy is likely to break when the Canvas course the link is in is rolled over for the next delivery. For this reason, links in Canvas to classroom capture and livestream content should be created from the copies of these captures which were added to the personal Echo library of the staff member mentioned above. In addition, each of these copies should be added by this person to the relevant Canvas course’s formal collection.
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To help find content in the ‘Course-Section-Class’ hierarchy, the following diagram illustrates the levels in Echo’s ‘Course-Section-Class’ method and how they match equivalent levels in Canvas (click diagram to zoom):
...
3. The student submission method can be used whenever instructors would like students to upload assessment submissions in the form of video. Assessments can be set up to make video just one of the formats that the submission can be made in.
The student submission method allows video submissions to Echo to be tied to the Canvas course for which the submission was made, again allowing related video content to be kept together.
A NOTE ABOUT INTERACTION WITH ECHO CONTENT
Echo allows for more than just consuming content - staff and students can interact with this content to help learning and teaching. Interaction with Echo content can happen both in Canvas and in Echo. Here are a couple of examples of how interaction can happen in each platform:
Students can contribute Echo content to a Canvas course which can then be used as a conversation starting point. This is possible in Canvas by uploading an Echo video within a Discussion post.
Instructors can contribute Echo content to a Canvas course. Students then view this content and can interact with it in Echo, for example by typing in questions, comments or personal notes, answering prepared polls, or bookmarking sections they found problematic or would like to revisit.)
A NOTE FOR INSTRUCTORS ABOUT HOW STUDENT VIEW WORKS WITH ECHO
Echo videos will not display properly when instructors turned on Student View in Canvas. Instead the following message is shown:
'Invalid ‘lis_person_contact_email_primary' in LTI request: Value was not provided or was empty’
This happens because Echo needs have an account in its system for each person accessing its videos.
However when Student View is used, there’s no corresponding account in Echo to go with it.
FURTHER INFORMATION ON ECHO
Information on Echo for instructors can be found at this Echo support landing page: https://learn.echo360.com/hc/en-us/
General introductory videos for instructors can be found here: https://help.echo360.com/hc/en-us/articles/360039828532-Getting-Instructors-Started
Information on Echo for students can be found at this Echo support landing page: https://help.echo360.com/hc/en-us/articles/360039793831-Getting-Students-Started
STANDARD WORKFLOWS FOR USING ECHO WITH CANVAS
A number of standard workflows have been devised to ensure that video content at NIDA is stored and presented in a predictable way in both Echo and Canvas.
WORKFLOW GROUPS
These workflows fall into five Groups. The Groups holding the most used workflows are bolded:
...
GROUP
...
GOAL
...
USED BY
...
IMPORTANT NOTES
...
A
...
Staff need to upload video content to Echo
...
Staff
...
...
B
...
Staff need to set up Canvas so that students can submit video to Echo for their assignments
...
Staff and students
...
...
C
...
Staff need to link to Echo video content from Canvas
...
Staff
...
...
D
...
Managing content, and sharing videos individually or via collection
...
Staff and students
...
...
E
...
Deleting Echo content
...
Staff and students
...
More detail on the workflows in these Groups is provided in the sequence diagram and the four link tables below. Use the links in the tables to access the individual workflows.
The workflows expected to be most used are highlighted in the diagram and shown in red in the link tables. Each workflow is given a code, e.g. A.2. is the second workflow in Group A.
2. SEQUENCE DIAGRAM (click diagram to zoom)
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3. LINK TABLES
[THE LINK TABLES HAVE BEEN REMOVED FROM THIS VERSION OF THE ECHO INTRO][A REDUCED VERSION OF THIS PAGE IS PLANNED, WITH A LINK TO THIS PAGE FOR FULL DETAILS]
Echo360 is a platform used at NIDA to hold video content used to teach courses.
This content is then linked to from Canvas (aka ‘NIDA Learn’), which is NIDA’s learning management system.
Echo360 replaces Canvas' built-in video app called Studio.
Some advantages of using Echo360 over Studio are that it provides more features than Studio, allows video to be centrally viewed and managed, and has a much more active development path.
Echo360 is commonly referred to within NIDA as just ‘Echo’.
Apart from videos, Echo can also hold audio files, pdfs and PowerPoint files to help collect together teaching content on a given topic. However, since video is the main format for content in Echo, almost all references in the descriptions and workflows below will refer to this Echo content as ‘video’.
...
METHODS OF ADDING CONTENT TO ECHO
Echo provides three methods to allow content to be uploaded and made available:
For content tied to a specific Canvas course
1. A ‘Course->Section->Class’ method involves using hierarchy is set up in Echo that mirrors a similar structure in Canvas. This hierarchy in Echo performs two main functions at NIDA:
Migration: Content from Canvas' built-in Studio video application was migrated into this hierarchy as part of decommissioning Studio at the end of 2022. This content could not be migrated into Echo in any other way.
Classroom capture: NIDA AV staff set up schedules for the recording of classroom activity (and also livestreamed content if needed) and this content is then automatically added into folders in this structure. Instructors can then link to this captured content from the relevant course in Canvas if desired
2. A ‘Collection’ method allows each student and instructor to optionally share videos from their own personal Echo video space. If a user decides to share their content, they can do this by sharing an individual video, or collecting videos together into a Collection and then sharing the Collection with others.
3. A ‘Student Submission’ method allows students upload video to Echo as part of their assessment submissions for a given Canvas course. This video can then be watched inside Canvas by instructors.
Because of limitations in the ‘Course->Section->Class’ method, most instructor use of Echo will be using the 'Collection' method. However it should be remembered that content related to a given course in Canvas could be distributed among any or all of the above methods.
Additionally, since the ‘Collection’ method involves contributions from the individual Echo video libraries of a number of users, content for a given Canvas course could be spread among multiple current or past instructors.
For content not tied to any specific Canvas course
3. The ‘Collection’ method can also be used to share Echo content informally. This can be for reasons not tied to the delivery of a specific course in Canvas.
The following diagram summarises how content is added to Canvas via Echo for the three methods (click diagram to zoom):
...
OVERALL APPROACH TO USING ECHO WITH CANVAS
Given that there are multiple methods of adding content to Echo, there needs to be some standardisation of approach to ensure that Echo content can be found in a predictable way. The following guidelines have thus been developed to help guide use of Echo with Canvas.
1. Due to the limitations of the Course-Section-Class method, staff should use the ‘Collection’ method for any Echo content that needs to remain linked to the delivery of a particular NIDA course.
This applies to any new Echo content added to Canvas during and after 2023. This is because Echo content prior to January 2023 has been migrated from Studio into Echo, and any Studio links in Canvas have been replaced with Echo links for this time period.
(Additionally, any videos that were in a user’s private Studio area in Canvas should now be in this user’s personal Echo library. Any collections of videos in a user’s private Studio area have not been reproduced in Echo. If you would like your Studio collections set up in the same way in Echo, please contact Andrew.)
A separate collection will be set up for each delivery of a Canvas course. This formal collection will have the same name as the related Canvas course. Instructors should then ensure that any video used in that delivery has been added both to this specific collection and linked to from the relevant Canvas course.
This has the following benefits
the collection stores most if not all the Echo content related to the Canvas course, regardless of the current status of the instructors teaching it; this content can be in active use in Canvas or not
the links in the Canvas course ensure that students are able to access and interact with the relevant Echo content.
Other collections can be created that are different to the formal collection used to represent the delivery of the specific Canvas course. These additional collections can be for casual sharing of content, and can be useful for example to collect together materials on a topic of interest or as part of planning for a future course.
These additional collections should only be used for content that if lost would not affect the delivery of the Canvas course.
2. the ‘Course-Section-Class’ method is used as
the means to access content migrated from Studio (ie prior to the start of 2023)
a backup store of classroom capture and livestream content only. The principal method of accessing these captures is via the copy of each capture which will automatically be available in the Echo library of one staff member involved with the delivery of the relevant Canvas course. This staff member can then share the capture / link to the capture in Canvas as needed..
Any link created in Canvas to classes in the Course-Section-Class hierarchy is likely to break when the Canvas course the link is in is rolled over for the next delivery. For this reason, links in Canvas to classroom capture and livestream content should be created from the copies of these captures which were added to the personal Echo library of the staff member mentioned above. In addition, each of these copies should be added by this person to the relevant Canvas course’s formal collection.
| Anchor | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
To help find content in the ‘Course-Section-Class’ hierarchy, the following diagram illustrates the levels in Echo’s ‘Course-Section-Class’ method and how they match equivalent levels in Canvas (click diagram to zoom):
...
3. The student submission method can be used whenever instructors would like students to upload assessment submissions in the form of video. Assessments can be set up to make video just one of the formats that the submission can be made in.
The student submission method allows video submissions to Echo to be tied to the Canvas course for which the submission was made, again allowing related video content to be kept together.
A NOTE ABOUT INTERACTION WITH ECHO CONTENT
Echo allows for more than just consuming content - staff and students can interact with this content to help learning and teaching. Interaction with Echo content can happen both in Canvas and in Echo. Here are a couple of examples of how interaction can happen in each platform:
Students can contribute Echo content to a Canvas course which can then be used as a conversation starting point. This is possible in Canvas by uploading an Echo video within a Discussion post.
Instructors can contribute Echo content to a Canvas course. Students then view this content and can interact with it in Echo, for example by typing in questions, comments or personal notes, answering prepared polls, or bookmarking sections they found problematic or would like to revisit.)
A NOTE FOR INSTRUCTORS ABOUT HOW STUDENT VIEW WORKS WITH ECHO
Echo videos will not display properly when instructors turned on Student View in Canvas. Instead the following message is shown:
'Invalid ‘lis_person_contact_email_primary' in LTI request: Value was not provided or was empty’
This happens because Echo needs have an account in its system for each person accessing its videos.
However when Student View is used, there’s no corresponding account in Echo to go with it.
FURTHER INFORMATION ON ECHO
Information on Echo for instructors can be found at this Echo support landing page: https://learn.echo360.com/hc/en-us/
General introductory videos for instructors can be found here: https://help.echo360.com/hc/en-us/articles/360039828532-Getting-Instructors-Started
Information on Echo for students can be found at this Echo support landing page: https://help.echo360.com/hc/en-us/articles/360039793831-Getting-Students-Started
...
STANDARD WORKFLOWS FOR USING ECHO WITH CANVAS
A number of standard workflows have been devised to ensure that video content at NIDA is stored and presented in a predictable way in both Echo and Canvas.
WORKFLOW GROUPS
These workflows fall into five Groups. The Groups holding the most used workflows are bolded:
GROUP | GOAL | USED BY | IMPORTANT NOTES |
|---|---|---|---|
A | Staff need to upload video content to Echo | Staff | |
B | Staff need to set up Canvas so that students can submit video to Echo for their assignments | Staff and students | |
C | Staff need to link to Echo video content from Canvas | Staff | |
D | Managing content, and sharing videos individually or via collection | Staff and students | |
E | Deleting Echo content | Staff and students |
More detail on the workflows in these Groups is provided in the sequence diagram and the four link tables below. Use the links in the tables to access the individual workflows.
The workflows expected to be most used are highlighted in the diagram and shown in red in the link tables. Each workflow is given a code, e.g. A.2. is the second workflow in Group A.
2. SEQUENCE DIAGRAM (click diagram to zoom)
...
LINK TABLES
COMMON WORKFLOWS FOR ‘COURSE-SECTION-CLASS’ AND ‘COLLECTION’ METHODS |
|---|
A.1. Uploading an Echo video |
A.2. Recording and uploading a webcam session |
A.3./C.1. Adding a video to Echo while linking to it from Canvas |
D.4. Editing videos in Echo |
D.6. Giving a video to another user 🎞️ [This workflow is performed by NIDA Echo admin staff. Provide them with a list of videos you would like to give to another user] |
WORKFLOWS FOR THE COURSE-SECTION-CLASS METHOD |
|---|
C.3. Finding a video in an Echo class |
D.5. Finding out linked Canvas course details |
WORKFLOWS FOR THE COLLECTION METHOD |
|---|
C.2. Linking to an existing Echo video |
D.1. Creating an Echo collection |
D.2. Adding an Echo video to a collection |
D.3. Sharing a video or collection |
E.1. Deleting content from a personal Echo library |
WORKFLOWS FOR THE STUDENT SUBMISSION METHOD |
|---|
B.1. Setting up a Canvas assessment to allow for student video submissions Option 1: ✍️ B.1.OPT1. Echo-preferred setup (Online + Website URL) 🎞️ B.1.OPT1. Echo-preferred setup (Online + Website URL) Option 2: ✍️ B.1.OPT2 Alternative setup (Online + File Upload) L 🎞️ B.1.OPT2 Alternative setup (Online + File Upload) |
B.2. Students make their video submissions via Canvas 🎞️ B.2.OPT1 Echo-preferred submission Option 2: ✍️ B.2.OPT2 Alternative submission (Online + File Upload) |
B.3. Instructors view and optionally grade/provide feedback on student video submissions |
...
4. WORKFLOW NOTES
The following notes should be read in conjunction with the workflows. Each workflow links to these notes where necessary.
...
Ownership of video collections
Currently all users - including students - are allowed to create collections and each collection remains private to the user who created it until that user chooses to share the collection with others.
You are thus able to access Echo360 content in any collection that you have created or to which you have been made a member
As the owner (or ‘manager’) of a collection you control who has access to your collection and what they can do with it. You can make someone else a manager of your collection but once you do, you can’t undo this by yourself since managers can not remove or demote other managers. If you want to remove a collection manager, ask one of NIDA’s Echo360 admins for help
Collections have an option that allows whoever clicks on a link to be made a member of that collection
The following practice is recommended for managing course-based Echo collections: A single person is designated as the manager for all course-based Echo collections for a given degree/school. This person would likely be the course coordinator or similar. This person creates all course-based Echo collections for the degree/school so that by default they are given the role of Collection Manager.
All staff who are then added as members of this collection are added in an Editor role only in order to prevent them accidentally deleting videos from this collection. If a video really needs to be deleted from the collection, then staff ask the Collection Manager to do this for them. Or the Collection Manager does this as a standard part of managing these course-based collections.
the standard role for all students should be Reviewer.
D. Ownership of individual videos
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What they are then allowed to do depends on their role.
Note that for students, who have minimal rights over videos that have been shared with them, the actions they are able to take with the video are viewing it, downloading it and removing it from their library.
If you thus want to prevent students from downloading content you have shared with them, instead of sharing the video with them, create a collection, add the video to the collection then add students to this collection in the role of Reviewer.
Equally, if someone owns a video and has shared it with you, you may not be able to share it with someone else.
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