Video Content Management - Getting Started with Panopto as a Viewer


Introduction

Panopto is Virginia Tech’s chosen video content management system and video creation tool that allows users to create, share, and manage video content easily. 

Panopto is integrated into Virginia Tech’s Canvas platform, allowing instructors to record, upload, and share videos directly within Canvas. Panopto also provides tools for organizing videos, tracking engagement, and enabling students to review content.

This guide covers how to get started with Panopto for viewers. For additional Panopto topics, please see: Virginia Tech Panopto Resources.

Contents

Instructions

Getting Started

As a Viewer, you can:

  • Watch videos shared with you (through a Canvas site you are enrolled in or when someone adds you as a viewer to a folder of videos)
  • Search within videos (including spoken words)
  • View captions and transcripts
  • Take private notes
  • Participate in video discussions (if enabled)
  • Download videos or slides (if permitted by the instructor)

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Accessing Panopto

From Canvas

  1. Log into Canvas with your Virginia Tech PID and PID passphrase.
  2. Click on a Canvas site.
  3. On the Course Navigation Menu, click Panopto Video to view videos published to the Panopto course folder for your course.
    • If Panopto Video is not enabled in the course navigation menu, check with your instructor; they may not have enabled it yet or have chosen not to use it. 

When you access Panopto from Canvas: 

  • You are accessing the course folder created for the Canvas site.
  • The course folder contains videos shared with the Canvas site.
  • Instructors are assigned the Creator role
  • Students are assigned the Viewer role

Viewers cannot log in directly at https://virginiatech.hosted.panopto.com or via the Panopto Mobile app. However, if you log into Canvas on your mobile browser or the Canvas Student app, then launch Panopto within Canvas, you can use the Panopto site within Canvas on your mobile device.

Outside of Canvas

When videos are shared with you for viewing, you can access them in the following ways:

  • Through email - Creators have the option to send an email to you when they enable viewing access for your account or they can copy/paste the video link and share it outside of email.
    • If you receive a Forbidden error, make sure you log into Canvas first and launch Panopto from Canvas in the same browser.
  • In Panopto, click Shared with Me in the left hand menu to see videos that have been shared with you.
  • In Panopto, click Browse in the left hand menu to search through folders that you have access to.

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Adding Videos

You can upload videos to Panopto if your instructor has assigned you a Canvas assignment with text entry submission. Upload or create your video through your Canvas assignment, not the Panopto Video tool on the course navigation menu. For more information on submitting videos to Canvas assignments, see Submitting Video Assignments.

Potential Issue: Uploading to the Wrong Course

If you have TA or Teacher roles in other Canvas courses, Panopto may upload your video to the wrong course if you're not following the correct procedures to submit your video assignment. This is because if you have TA or Teacher roles in other courses in Canvas or PDN Canvas, Panopto will:

  • Always show you the Create button, even if you are a student in the Canvas site.
    Image of the above instructions
  • Direct your upload to the last course that you uploaded to in your TA/Teacher role.
    Image of the above instructions

When going to Panopto Video -> Create button, ALWAYS confirm the upload location before you upload or create a video, otherwise you may share your video with another class.

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Finding Videos

Navigation

When accessing Panopto in a Canvas course site, you’ll be taken directly to the course folder. The course folder contains videos that instructors have shared with the course site. From here, you can explore any sub-folders that may be available to you and view these videos or click the Open in Panopto icon in the upper right hand corner to launch Panopto externally.

Image of the above instructions

Once you open Panopto externally, you can also navigate to:

  • Home - Shows three feeds: Shared with Me, What’s New, and Recently Viewed
  • My Folder - Any folders/videos that you own.
  • Subscriptions - People, folders, or tags you have subscribed to
  • Shared with Me - Videos that have been shared with you
  • Everything - A list of videos that you have access to view
  • Browse - Allows you to navigate to different course folders easily

Searching
Image of the below instructions

Use the search bar at the top of the Panopto site to search for videos by:

  • Video title
  • Folder name
  • Tags
  • Words spoken in a video
  • Words displayed on slides (if available)

The search will return a list of videos. Within each video result, you'll see timestamps where the keywords were displayed or mentioned in the video. Click on the search result to go to the timestamp in the video.

For detailed instructions, see: How to Navigate the Video Library.

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Getting Help

If you need help with Panopto in general:

  • Check Panopto System Status.
  • Review Panopto documentation.
  • Contact Panopto Support.
    • Click Login and sign in with your VT email address to access 24/7 support options:
      • Choose Live Chat to chat with an agent.
      • Choose More Ways to Contact Support to access support phone numbers for your region.

If you still have questions:

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