Kaltura Media is the video management solution at UIS. Kaltura is accessed through the My Media link in Canvas courses. Faculty and students may upload videos created on devices (camcorders, phones, etc.) or record webcam or screen capture videos through Kaltura.  

Captioning Requirements

Machine-created captions are automatically created and visible after you publish videos (October 2023 and later). Video creators must correct captions to 99% accuracy, as is required by law. Learn how to caption your videos in Kaltura Media. Contact the Office of Digital Accessibility for captioning assistance.

Learn to use Kaltura

Get help with videos for your classes, including editing, lightboard lectures, green screen, on-location shoots, and more! Contact Scott, our multimedia specialist, for a project consultation.

Scott Moomaw, COLRS multimedia Specialist

Embed Kaltura Videos

You and your students can embed a Kaltura video in any rich textbox editor in Canvas -- pages, discussion posts, quizzes, assignments, announcements, and more. Learn about the May 2025 updates to the Kaltura (My Media) video player.

A fantastic feature of Kaltura is the statistics for video in Canvas courses. When you used the "no download" embed option below, Kaltura will collect data on the percentage of your video that each student watched, how many times it was accessed, and the average view time. Across UIS, the average view time for a video is 7 minutes and 35 seconds, which is on the longer side of the recommended 5-7 minute length for video lectures.

Add a Video to Kaltura Media

There are three options for adding a video to Kaltura (My Media): Upload, YouTube, and Kaltura Capture. Learn more about these options in the accordion below:

Upload

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You can view step-by-step instructions in the Knowledge Base:
How to add a video to Kaltura Media.

Capture

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You can view step-by-step instructions in the Knowledge Base:
How to add a video to Kaltura Media.

YouTube

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You can view step-by-step instructions in the Knowledge Base:
How to add a video to Kaltura Media.

Embed Kaltura Media into Canvas

Add your Kaltura videos to your Canvas assignments, pages, quizzes, and/or discussions. The first option uses a player that does not have a button for students to download the video file to their computers. The second option uses a video player that has a button for students to download the video file.

Embed video (no download option)

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You can view step-by-step instructions in the Knowledge Base:
How to embed Kaltura media into Canvas.

Embed video (download option)

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You can view step-by-step instructions in the Knowledge Base:
How to embed Kaltura media into Canvas.

Student-Created Video Presentations

Assignments that ask students to create video presentations can be excellent methods to assess synthesis of course materials or to present original research. Below you will find best practices for setting up student video presentation assignments in Canvas, including some instructions that you can copy and paste to include in your assignment instructions.

But, first, a word about what NOT to do.

do no use the media recordings upload option for canvas assignment online submissions.
When students submit video files directly to Canvas, the course storage limit will be quickly exceeded.

Please do not create a Canvas assignment with a submission type of “online” and “Media Recordings” upload. This type of assignment will have the students upload video files directly to Canvas, which will quickly cause your course size to reach its storage limit. After your course meets its storage limit, you will not be able to upload any additional files to your course.

Instead, use Kaltura (My Media) through Canvas and have students embed or link to their presentations.

Canvas Assignments

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You can view step-by-step instructions in the Knowledge Base:
How students can submit video presentations in Canvas.

Canvas Discussions

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You can view step-by-step instructions in the Knowledge Base:
How students can submit video presentations in Canvas.

Instructions to copy/paste for students

If you are developing Canvas assignments that require your students to create and post videos, the following copy and paste resources may be helpful.

Before copying and pasting these resources, first ensure that you have My Media enabled in your course menu (under Settings > Navigation) so that students can record and/or upload their videos. Then, decide how you'd like students to submit their video and expand the corresponding accordion panel to copy and paste instructions into Canvas.

How to record a video in Kaltura Media

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Follow the instructions for recording a video with Kaltura Media from UIS ITS (pdf). You can also watch this video demonstrating how to record a video in Kaltura.

How to upload a video in Kaltura Media

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  1. Go to UIS Canvas.
  2. Go to a Canvas course and click on My Media.
  3. Click on Create and then select Upload.
  4. Click Choose a file to upload and select your file.
  5. Your video will upload automatically. Depending on the size, this may take awhile.
  6. After your video uploads, edit the name, description, tags (keywords), and privacy settings.
  7. Click Save to complete the process.

How to submit a video link to a Canvas Assignment

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  1. Click on My Media.
  2. Click on the title of the video you want to share.
  3. Under the video, click on the three dots > Edit.
  4. Click the play button on the video. You can pause it right away, or you can let it play.
  5. In the upper right corner of the video, click on the kebab menu (three dots).
  6. From the list, choose Share.
  7. Copy the link by clicking on the icon next to the first textbox (looks like two pieces of paper).

How to embed a video in a Canvas Assignment

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  1. Navigate to the assignment on UIS Canvas (usually in Assignments or Modules).
  2. Click on the assignment name.
  3. Click on Submit Assignment.
  4. Click on the Text Entry tab.
  5. Click on the Embed Kaltura Media button (looks like a rainbow star burst). You may need to click on the kebab menu (three dots) to expand your toolbar to see this button.
  6. Click the Embed button next to the video you want to add to your assignment.
  7. Enter any comments.
  8. Click Submit Assignment

How to submit a video link to a Canvas Discussion post

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  1. Find the link to your Kaltura Media video:
    1. Click on My Media.
    2. Click on the title of the video you want to share.
    3. Under the video, click on the three dots > Edit.
    4. Click the play button on the video. You can pause it right away, or you can let it play.
    5. In the upper right corner of the video, click on the kebab menu (three dots).
    6. From the list, choose Share.
    7. Copy the link by clicking on the icon next to the first textbox (looks like two pieces of paper).
  2. Navigate to the discussion on UIS Canvas (usually in Assignments or Modules).
  3. Click on the discussion name.
  4. Click on Reply to add your post.
  5. Type the title of your video, highlight the text, and then click on the Link button in the Canvas rich content editor.
  6. Paste the video URL into the Link textbox and click Done.
  7. Click Post Reply.

How to embed a video in a Canvas Discussion post

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  1. Navigate to the discussion on UIS Canvas (usually in Assignments or Modules).
  2. Click on the discussion name.
  3. Click on Reply to add your post.
  4. Click on the Embed Kaltura Media button (looks like a rainbow star burst). You may need to click on the kebab menu (three dots) to expand your toolbar to see this button.
  5. Click the Embed button next to the video you want to add to your post.
  6. Click Post Reply.

You can also watch this video demonstrating how to embed a video in a Canvas discussion post.

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