Embedding Echo360 Videos into Sakai

Prerequisites for using the Echo360 Embed button:
1) A Sakai Administrator must have installed and enabled the Echo360 Embed button for your Sakai instance.
​2) For Students to embed media, the Student Library MAY need to be turned on for your institution. OR Students can embed media from any Group where they have the Post permission. 

If a Sakai Admin has enabled it for your institution, Echo360 provides a content embed button (also called an "easy embed button") that appears in the toolbar of a content window, shown in the below figure. This embed button opens the Echo360 Embed media dialog box.

The Echo360 Embed Media dialog box provides the ability to:

• Embed media from your Echo360 directly into your Sakai course as described on this page
• Upload a media file then embed it as a single process
• Create new media with Universal Capture then embed it a single process
• Post a link to the media (instead of embedding it) into Sakai

You can access the Embed media dialog box from any content window where Sakai provides the Echo360 Embed button (e.g., Lessons, Assignments, etc).

LMS-Embedded media provide view data such as view counts and heatmap data, along with individual user viewing information, all of which is displayed in the Analytics tab of the media details page. 

The steps below are for selecting audio, video, or interactive media already resident in Echo360. The media selection list includes media you own OR media in any Collection where you have the Post permission. Administrators can embed any media they have access to.

If you need to upload or create the media first and need instructions, use the links above for more information.

The procedures below add Content into a Lesson for a course worksite in Sakai. You can add any element you like to hold the media, as long as the element contains a content window with the Echo360 Embed Media button as shown above. 

To embed existing Echo360 media into a content window

1. Log in to Sakai and enter the course where you want to embed your media.
2. Open the location in the course where you want to post the media.
   

   The below figure shows the Lessons page in a Sakai Site with the Add Content selection buttons circled, and the Add Text option identified.

   
   

   While it seems a little counter-intuitive to "embed content" without using the "Embed Content on the Page" option, using the Add Text option provides the content window with the rich text editor toolbar, which is where the Echo360 Embed media button lives.

3. Click Add Text as identified in the above figure.
4. In the new item screen enter a name or title for the thing you are posting.
5. Directly above the main portion of the content window, click the Echo360 icon, as identified in the above figure. 
   

   A dialog box appears with the Library tab active, listing the media you can embed (you own it, or it is in a Collection where you have Post permissions). If you need to upload media to embed, click the Upload Existing Media tab, and refer to the instructions in the link if necessary.

   
6. If necessary, use the Search text box and/or Filters options to find the media you want to embed into the window. 
7. Select the media you want to embed and click Next. 
   

   The dialog box changes to show the selected media as well as playback configuration options, all of which are described below the figure.
   If you want to post a link to the media instead of embedding it directly into the page, enable the Link toggle and if necessary see Posting a Link to Echo360 Media in your LMS/VLE Course.

   
8. From the Player Style drop-down list, select the style you want to be applied to the player.
   

   The Player Style drop-down only appears if your institution has created custom player styles to choose from. If you have selection options, pick the one for your department or organization (or the default) that you want applied to the playback of this media.
   Selecting a style may automatically select Size, Autoplay, and Automute options for you; these can still be changed.

9. From the Size drop-down list, select the size for the media playback. It is 640x420 by default.
   
10. If appropriate, enable the option to Autoplay the video (it will play as soon as a user opens the page you are embedding it into).
11. If you enable Autoplay, Automute is automatically enabled, to accommodate browsers that no longer allow autoplay with sound. You CAN enable Automute separately without Autoplay.
12. If appropriate, set a Start At time. If set, the video will begin playing at that timestamp, although viewers will be able to rewind/fast-forward the player to view any segment of the embedded video.
13. When finished, click INSERT. The content area will show an "IFRAME" notification to indicate there is an embedded item there.
14. Complete whatever remaining fields are on the Page you are adding, then click SAVE.

Once the item is added, students can open the page and view the embedded video. If you selected Autoplay or Start At configurations for the video, those are enacted for the user upon viewing.