Need to upgrade?
If you are already using the Echo360 video library building block but need to upgrade to the latest version, see Upgrading the Blackboard Building Block for Embedding Media. Note that the upgrade path involves removing the existing block and re-installing the newer one downloaded from Echo360. Version 1.0.13 is the current version of the building block as of this publishing.
Echo360 provides a Blackboard Building Block that can be downloaded from Echo360 and installed and configured on your Blackboard instance. Please note that Blackboard Ultra does not support the use of building blocks. For embedding media functionality in an Ultra instance or for use with Ultra views of courses, see Adding a Deep Link for Embedding Echo360 Media.
The functionality provided by the Echo360 Video Library building block includes:
- Allow users to embed video, audio, or interactive media into Blackboard content windows from their Echo360 library, or to upload media and embed it as a single process. By default this feature is only available to administrator, instructors, and teaching assistants, but can also be provided to Students. See Configuring Blackboard to allow Students to embed Echo360 media as well as Embedding Echo360 Media into Blackboard.
- Allow students to embed Echo360 media as assignment submissions. The difference between an "assignment" submission and a "normal" student embed, is that when students embed a video in an Assignment submission, Echo360 locks down the submitted video to ensure it cannot be edited or deleted by the student. The added step necessary for this is provided in Configuring Blackboard to allow Students to embed Echo360 media article. Have instructors also refer to Creating a Blackboard Assignment for Student Media Submission from Echo360.
The Building Block, once installed and configured, provides an Echo360 Video Library option in the Add content tool list for any content window in Blackboard.
The Echo360 Building Block is supported on Blackboard Learn 9.1.0 or later. Furthermore, these procedures are provided as a guide; your Blackboard interface may vary depending on the version you are using. Please refer to the Blackboard documentation for further assistance as necessary.
Embedded media provide view data such as view counts, view duration, and who did the viewing, as shown in the Analytics tab of the media details page. Embedded interactive media allow students to view the media and then respond to polling questions in the media before they can continue viewing.
The LMS Configuration information (Key, Secret, and URL) used for the Building Block can be the same as they are for the External Tool you may already have configured in Blackboard for Echo360.
To install the Echo360 Building Block for embedding media
- Log into Echo360 as an Administrator.
- Navigate to Settings then Downloads as shown in the below figure.
- Scroll down to the section where the Echo360 building block for Blackboard Learn is located, and click Download.
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EXTRACT the contents of the downloaded .zip file, and SAVE the enclosed .war file to a known location. This is the file you will install into Blackboard.
You can double-click the .zip file to SEE the contents, but attempting to move, copy, or otherwise use the files will result in an error. Extract the contents to a separate location first.
- Log into Blackboard as an Admin and navigate to the System Admin section of the interface.
- Select Building Blocks.
- Select Installed Tools.
- In the Installed Tools page, select Upload Building Blocks.
- Navigate to and select the WAR file you downloaded from the Downloads page of Echo360.
- Click Submit.
- On the Privileges page that appears, review the privileges being provided to the Echo360 building block and click Approve.
- Once the installation has finished, click Return to return to the list of Installed Tools.
- Find the Echo360 Video Library in the list, and click the chevron menu that appears on hover, shown in the below figure.
- Click Settings from the menu. A page appears that allows you to enter LMS configuration data.
If you are upgrading (uninstalling/reinstalling a new version) the building block, these fields may already be populated.
- Copy and paste the Consumer Key, Secret, and URL from the Echo360 LMS Configurations page (shown below) into the corresponding fields of the Building Block (shown above).
- Click Submit.
- Per the First time install? instructions on the LTI Configuration page, you must turn the newly installed Echo360 tool on for selection in courses.
Return to the Admin Panel, and select Course Settings.
- In the list of Tools shown, scroll or page forward until you find the Echo360 Video Library tool you just installed.
- Turn the new Echo360 Video Library ON for the courses in your Blackboard instance.
Once enabled for your courses, any content window for the course will contain the Echo360 Video Library option in the Mashups drop-down list, as shown at the top of this page. Students and Instructors can embed any videos they own (appear in their My Content library). Administrators can embed any video they have access to in the system.
In order to allow students to embed videos in Blackboard, you must also update the SafeHTML policy file with the Echo360 domains, and activate it. See Configuring Blackboard to Allow Students to Embed from Echo360 for instructions.