SPSCC Library: Open Education Guide: OER and Canvas

What's on this page?

I want to know... how to use OER in Canvas.

On this "OER and Canvas" page, learn:

How to use the "Open Attribution Builder" tool that's integrated into Canvas
How to attribute images in Canvas
How to attribute videos in Canvas
How to attribute/cite yourself as well as OER you use created by others
How to openly license your own courses in Canvas

How to use the Open Attribution Builder tool in Canvas

Find the Open Attribution builder tool in the Canvas toolbar

On all the rich content boxes in our Canvas courses, we have access to an "Open Attribution Builder" tool/app. This makes it really easy to:

Cite yourself by inserting a CC-license attribution for single pages or modules in Canvas
Plus it's a way to easily cite content from others, like YouTube videos or CC-licensed images from Flickr or Pixabay, that you have integrated into your course.

In the new Canvas toolbar:

The Open Attribution Builder tool is located in the plug icon's drop-down menu in the content box editor.

First, click the plug icon's drop-down menu to view the plug-in apps
If you do not see the OAB (Open Attribution Builder) shortcut already on your drop-down list, then click the blue "View All" button to scroll and select the OAB option

OAB tool in the plug icon menu in the Canvas toolbar

In the old Canvas toolbar:

The Open Attribution Builder tool is located in the drop-down menu beside the blue "V" icon along the content box editor.

Open Attribution Builder tool in Canvas

Basic form for the Open Attribution Builder

Watch this short video (3:42 mins) about how to attribute images in Canvas:

Watch this short video (4:44 mins) about how to attribute videos in Canvas:

Watch this short video (2:47 mins) about how to attribute YOURSELF in Canvas:

Video: OER attributions in Canvas

This video answers the questions:

How do I properly attribute openly licensed materials created by others?
How do I properly attribute myself for creating/revising this course?
How do I openly license the entire Canvas course?

Technical notes:

This video uses captions.
Click the ^ arrow at the bottom of the video to use the table of contents.

How to openly license your courses in Canvas

By default, the courses we create in Canvas retain traditional, private copyright. But you can change that default setting to make your courses in Canvas openly licensed. This way, you are also contributing your own OER!

Below are condensed instructions for how to set a Creative Commons license for your courses in Canvas. You can read more in this Canvas Guide about the types of available content licenses, and more instructions and screenshots about setting a CC license for a course in this Canvas Guide.

1. Open up your course and go to Settings. The "Course Details" tab should be the default Settings page.

2. Scroll down to the License drop-down menu and select a license option, as seen in the screenshot below:

3. Be sure to click the "Update Course Details" button at the bottom of this page, or your changes won't save!

4. Doublecheck your course's home page. Once you have updated your course details, go back to your course's home page. You should now see the relevant CC license statement automatically added to the bottom of the home page. Here's a sample below:

Text source: Adapted from "How to make your LS courses openly licensed" by Jennifer Snoek-Brown, Tacoma Community College Library, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0

Library Research Guides

Open Education Guide: OER and Canvas