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Fulton Library Guide for UVU Faculty

How to Add a Streaming Video to Canvas

Before You Start

You will need the URL for the video you'd like to add to Canvas. This URL can be found either alongside the video in its streaming database or by clicking on a share button. Scroll down to the bottom of this page see a full list of all databases you can use to embed videos into your Canvas course or use OneSearch to search for videos in our collection. 

Note: If you cannot locate the URL for the video you want, contact Alan Stephens by email at stepheal@uvu.edu.

Screenshot from Kanopy showing the page for the film Metropolis. The share and copy link buttons are highlighted.

There are two ways to add a streaming video link to your course:

  • Add an external link to a module
  • Add a link to an existing module page

Note: Using an embed code is possible, however, due to technical restrictions, these embedded videos will not be accessible to students off campus. We strongly recommend using a link instead of embedding. If you choose to embed a video, please include a link with the embedded video so that students off campus can still watch the video. 

Request a Video

If the Fulton Library does not have access to a streaming copy of the film(s) you need for your class, please contact your subject librarian. Your subject librarian may be able to purchase a license. 

Adding a Streaming Video Link to a Canvas Page

  1. Open the page where the video will be hosted by clicking on the Edit button. 
  2. Place your cursor on the page where you would like the video's URL  to appear. 
  3. Click the Links button and select External Link: 

Screenshot from Canvas showing the page editing tool menu. The link tool is highlighted and shows the external link option selected.

  1. When the external link tool appears, add the text you want to appear on the page and then paste in the URL for your video into the box. Click Submit.

Screenshot of Canvas insert link tool. The link text is the title of the video (Metropolis, 1927) and a URL is pasted into the link box. The submit button is in the lower right corner.

  1. Save your page.

Recommendation: Because the link text will be the same size and color as any other link on the page, we recommend making the text bigger/different color/bolded to make it more easily viewable to students. 

Adding a Streaming Video Link to a Module

If you don't want to add a link to an existing page, you can also add video URLs to a module. 

  1. Open the Modules page in Canvas and scroll to the module you'd like to add the video to. Click the Add Item button.

Screenshot of Canvas module page showing the section with the Add Item button.

  1. Select External URL on the Add menu. Add the video's URL and title to the appropriate boxes, then click Add Item.

Screenshot from Canvas showing the item creation window. External URL is selected and the URL and page name boxes have been filled in. Load in a new tab is selected. The add item button is in the lower right.

  1. The new module item will be added to the bottom of the list of existing module pages and content (if any). To move the new video item, use the eight dots to the left of the video's name to drag and drop the item in its new location. 

Screenshot from Canvas showing the new video item at the bottom of module. The eight dots to relocate the item and the publish item icon are highlighted.

  1. When you're ready, click the publish button to the right of the video's name to make the video visible to students.

Contact Alan Stephens

Once you have added a streaming video from the Fulton Library's collection, contact Alan Stephens by email at stepheal@uvu.edu. We request that you contact Alan because videos from some of our collections are only available for limited periods of time due to licensing. If we know that videos are being used in current UVU courses, we can proactively renew licenses. 

Streaming Video Collections

The Fulton Library offers several collections of streaming videos that can be added to your Canvas courses for your students to view. These include: 

Subjects: Faculty Resources