When the Echo360 App was created in Canvas, it should have automatically created a link in the left-navigation for all Canvas courses. If you DO NOT intend to export Echo360 student analytic data into the Canvas Gradebook, you can stop reading this article now. Click the Echo360 link in the left navigation and follow the instructions located in Linking an Echo360 section to your LMS course. 

If, however, you want Echo360 analytics to be exportable to your gradebook, you must create one or more Assignments links that uses the Echo360 external LTI tool. In Canvas, Assignment = Gradebook column. Each Assignment-type link into Echo360 generates a column for receiving the analytic data that can be exported from Echo360 directly to Canvas.

Once created, Assignment links can be placed anywhere Canvas allows you to place them (on the Modules page, the Home page, etc.). But the link into Echo360 needs to be an Assignments-type link for Gradebook exports to work. Furthermore, each student MUST access Echo360 through each assignment-type link at least once for their data to be returned to that gradebook column from Echo360. 

NOTE: If you plan to link to individual classes in Echo360, you must create an assignment link for each class you want to link directly to. Otherwise create a single assignments link to the Echo Section home. Linking to individual Echo360 classes within a section can provide a seamless workflow for Canvas modules within a course.

Who can do this? A Canvas Admin can do this for all courses, or an Instructor or non-managing Teacher can do this for their own courses. 

Since students need to access Echo360 through the Assignment link(s) in order to get Echo360 data exported into that column, you may want to remove the Echo360 link from the left navigation in your courses  (and possibly the Assignments page, if you post these links elsewhere in the course). Removing left navigation should ensure that students only access Echo360 through the workflow you configure for them. See Removing items from Canvas left-navigation located at the bottom of this article.

To create an Assignment link to Echo360 in the Canvas course

1. Log in to Canvas as an instructor OR an administrator.
2. Open the Course page in Canvas.
3. Click Assignments on the left. It may be gray if no assignments have been created yet.
4. Click + Assignment to add an assignment, as shown in the below figure.
   
    
5. Enter a name for your assignment in the Assignment Name field. In the Description field, enter a description or assignment details. Name is required; Description is optional. The NAME will be what is listed when selecting Assignment links to post in other locations (such as Modules) in Canvas.
6. For Points and Display Grade as, you can enter anything you like as Echo360 sends the same data regardless. However since Echo360 metrics are sent as percentages, we recommend using 100 and Percentage for these fields respectively, as shown in the below figure.
7. For Assignment Group, retain the default selection of Assignments.
   
    
8. Under Submission Type, select External Tool from the drop-down list.
9. Enable the Load The Tool In A New Tab checkbox This is optional but ensures users can have a maximized browser view experience of the Echo360 section materials.
10. When you click in the External Tool URL field, a list box pops up, listing the available External Tools to select. There should be one clearly labeled for Echo360.
    
     
11. Click the Echo360 tool (added by your Administrator) then click Select.
12. When finished, click Save or Save & Publish as appropriate.

The Echo360 link now appears in the Assignments page. Students may also receive a notification of a new assignment. Once again, as stated above, Students MUST use assignment links in order to get Echo360 section analytic data exported to the Canvas Gradebook for each link. If you plan to post assignment links to different locations, the link you just created will be selectable from the Assignments link list.

If you already know you will have multiple assignment links to Echo360 in your Canvas course, you may create them now (though you do not need to publish them until you are ready for students to view them). Once created, each link must be configured to point to an Echo360 section home page (class list) or to individual classes within the section as appropriate. This directs students to those target locations in Echo360 when they click each link.

Quick instructions for configuring the assignments link into Echo360

1. Click the link to Echo360 you just created.
2. Use the drop-down list(s) to select the Echo360 section you want to link to.
3. Select Link to the Section Home to link students directly to the section class list.
   OR
   Select Link to a Classroom to link students directly into a Class in the section, then select which class.
   
    
4. Click LINK CONTENT to complete the configuration.

Once you link through, you are automatically enrolled as an instructor in the target section.

If appropriate, use the instructions below to remove any left-navigation links to Echo360 from your course, and any pages (such as the Assignments page if you are using Modules or the Home page or other location in Canvas for your assignment-type links) you want to remove.

Removing items from Canvas left-navigation

As stated above, in order for Echo360 grades to be exported for a student, each student must enter Echo through each assignment link at least once. To ensure that students are viewing Echo360 content the through the Assignment links (regardless of where they're posted), you may want to remove the Echo360 link (and/or other pages) from the left navigation in your courses. Removing the link from the left navigation should ensure that students are only accessing Echo360 through your configured assignment links, in the workflow you have set up for them. 

To and remove items from the left navigation

1. Navigate to the course page in Canvas.
2. Click Settings from the bottom of the left navigation.
3. In the course Settings page, click the Navigation tab.
4. In the list of navigation options, find the Echo link, then click the Settings icon and select Disable.
   ALTERNATELY, you can drag-and-drop the Echo360 link from the main list to the Disabled list on the page.
   
    
5. If you are creating Assignment links but posting them in Modules or on the Home page or in some other location in Canvas, you may also want to disable the Assignments page as well. This allows instructors to have access to the page, but makes it unavailable for students.
6. When finished, scroll down and click Save.