Videos for Courses
A guide to making films and videos available for courses.
Options
There are three options to make film and video available for courses. Faculty can choose whichever option serves their students best. You can search the libraries’ collections of physical and streaming videos at Find Films.
DVDs
The libraries have a collection of several thousand DVDs, most of which are housed at the ODY Service Desk. Almost all classrooms are equipped for DVD play. If you plan to show a DVD in class, we recommend that you check it out a week ahead to be sure it will be available when you need it.
You can also put DVDs on reserve for your courses, but note that reserves can only be used in the library, and most students do not have a device that plays DVDs. (The libraries also have a legacy collection of VHS tapes, but most classrooms do not have VHS players.)
If you would like for the libraries to purchase a DVD, you can use the Item Request Form or contact Renee Dominie.
Panopto
Panopto is the campus video platform, maintained by the IT department.
Library-owned DVDs and VHS tapes can be loaded onto Panopto, accessed by faculty, and delivered as streaming videos for instructional purposes through Canvas. Students can access course videos on any computer connected to the network.
Go to the Panopto Broadcast page for more information and to request that a film be uploaded. Please allow at least two weeks for videos to be added to the library.
If you have questions about Panopto, contact Educational Technologies
Kanopy
Kanopy is a streaming film service that includes documentaries, lectures, and other educational films.
When you search Kanopy, the first films that come up are the ones that are currently available through the library. At the bottom of the screen you can find a section called "Videos you can request for your library." If you see a film in that section you would like to assign for your class, contact Renee Dominie to place a request that the library purchase access to that film. It takes 3-5 days for Kanopy to "unlock" a film. (Note that the library cannot add new films to Kanopy; we can only purchase access to films that are already available through the service.)
If the library has a film available on Kanopy, you can add a link from Canvas. Search for the film in Kanopy, click on the film, and look for the "Share" link, which you can then copy and paste into Canvas. Students will be prompted to login to Kanopy using their SLU credentials.
If you have any questions about Kanopy, contact Michelle Gillie.
