Summary
This guide shows instructors how to create and insert Video Notes using the Brightspace Editor. It explains how to record or upload short videos to enhance course content, provide feedback, and increase instructor presence across your course.
Body
Introduction:
Video Notes allow instructors to quickly record or upload short videos directly within Brightspace using the Insert Stuff tool in the Brightspace Editor. You can include both video and audio, or choose to record audio only. This is a great way to personalize your course by adding instructor presence—whether you're giving assignment instructions, weekly overviews, or providing feedback—wherever the Brightspace Editor is available.
In this step-by-step guide, we will see the steps on how to add video notes to your courses.
Step-by-Step Instructions:
Note: The ability to add video notes is controlled by a permission set by your administrator. If you do not see the
Add Video Note option in the
Insert Stuff dialog, you do not have the required permission. Refer to
Media Platform permissions for more information.
- 1. Log into Brightspace and access your course.
- In the [a] Content area, [b] select a module folder for your video note and [c] Create New (Page/Quiz/Assignment/Discussion)
- Alternatively, you can edit an existing item and also add a video note.
- 2. In the HTML editor, anywhere in the mentioned above applications, locate the Insert Stuff tool in the middle of the toolbar.
- 3. Click on the Insert Stuff icon, and a new window will pop up. Locate the Add Video Note option and click on it.
- 4. After you start the Video Note tool, you should be able to see your computer’s webcam video on the screen. You may need to give your browser permission to access your webcam and microphone. You can start New Recording.
- On this screen, you can choose the option for Audio only to record some audio instructions or an announcement.
- Click on New Recording to start the recording.
- Click Stop Recording to finish.
- 5. Additionally, you can upload a video from your local computer by selecting Upload File.
- Select the file you want to upload from your computer. File format must be .mp4, .webm, .mov, .flv, .f4v, .mp3, .m4a, .ogg, or .wav.
- 6. Click on the Next button at the bottom of this screen to proceed to the next step.
- 7. On the next screen, provide Title and Description (Descriptions are optional) for your recording.
- Choose Audio Language for captions and select Automatically generate captions from Audio.
- Select Next to confirm.
- 8. The next screen will inform you that the Media is being processed. You can click on Refresh Preview to review the recording again.
- 9. You don’t have to wait for D2L to transform the video. Click the Insert button, which will place your video on the page. The video will appear when it is ready.
- 10. Finish your post and close HTML editing by clicking on Save or Save and Close button:
- 11. Now you and your students should be able to see the video post. The video player will have controls for adjusting the audio volume, to pause/play the video, and play video on the full screen.
- Playback speed can be varied from 0.25 to 2 times the original speed.
- You and find this control and the Download option under the “gear” icon on the bottom right corner of the player.
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Troubleshooting Tips:
- •Instructors can use Video Note to do the following:
- Create a new topic in the Content area
- Add a Description to a Module or a topic in the Content area
- Create an Announcement on the course Homepage
- Provide Instructions when creating instructions for Assignments in D2L
- Provide feedback on students’ Assignments
- Give a description of a new topic in Discussions or make a post on a Discussion topic
- Give students feedback in the Gradebook
- Compose an email within D2L
- and any other place where the D2L HTML editor is available
- •Video Note is also available for students in these areas:
- When adding comments to uploaded assignments in a Submission folder
- When posting a new thread or replying to someone’s thread in the Discussion topic
- Composing an email within D2L
- • The recordings with Video Note are limited to 30 minutes. It might be just enough for a basic announcement or feedback. If you are looking to create longer videos, please consider using Kaltura. Files uploaded on Kaltura can be embedded by instructors in all the applications mentioned above, but this tool is not available to students.
- • Recordings posted in Content, Assignments, and Discussion topic details can be copied from course to course. But since they have a limited storage time it’s a better idea to have longer-term videos created and uploaded on Kaltura.
- You can download the files created by Video Note and upload them to the MyMedia area in D2L for permanent use later in other courses.
Additional Resources: