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Utilizing the Canvas and Webex Integration to Seamlessly Deliver and Record Virtual Lectures

Person looking at laptop that is displaying another person giving a lecture Person looking at laptop that is displaying another person giving a lecture
By:  Kelly Lovell  &  Ruowei Fischer     E-Campus Logo

Canvas and Webex Integration: What You Need to Know

Cisco Webex Education Connector is the “official” name for the integration and utilization of Webex within Canvas. Once you have enabled Webex within your Canvas course, you will gain all of the usability of Webex and Canvas in one place --no multiple logins or browser windows. Everything will be in one place and your class meetings will show up on the Canvas Calendar for you and your students!

If Webex is new to you, or if you’re looking to add to your Webex knowledge and experience, we have a series of Webex articles that will help you get started including Host, Record, and Share Lectures in Webex, Share Content & Annotate in Webex, and See All Participants in a Webex Meeting by Changing Your View.

If you are already an experienced Webex user, the good news is that once your Webex has been linked to your Canvas course, the functionality of Webex is exactly the same --with some additional time-saving and pedagogy enhancing features! The Cisco Webex Education Connector offers four different features to utilize Webex within Canvas: Classroom Collaborations and Virtual Meetings.




Canvas and Webex Integration Features

Classroom Collaborations

Classroom Collaboration integrates Webex Teams and Webex Meetings into Canvas. Overall, this is the one feature that is not recommended. Currently, Zoom offers Breakout Sessions in a way that this feature does not. However, Classroom Collaborations make it possible to add students into groups and can function to allow students to message over desktop, tablet, or phone, mediate discussions, and start their own Webex meetings within the group. Visit the Cisco Webex Help Center for more information and step by step instructions.

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Virtual Meetings

Virtual Meetings in Canvas enables you to instruct your students from anywhere using audio, video, and file sharing. Use the New Meeting button to schedule your next class and set up recurring meetings. Webex meetings that are scheduled using this feature will appear on your Canvas Course Calendar, making it easy for students to view their scheduled sessions and with one click, attend the meeting. It’s also possible to keep track of student attendance from the Past Meetings tab. These Virtual Meetings within Canvas are the recommended way to meet virtually with your students. It also offers the option to record meetings, and the recordings will automatically show up within Canvas. Visit the Cisco Webex Help Center for more information and step by step instructions.




Enabling Webex in Canvas: Initial Setup

Before you can access the above Webex Education Connector features and tools, Cisco Webex must first be enabled in Canvas.

First, change the left navigation option to make sure that your students can see and use the Webex:

  1. Click Settings in the course menu.
  2. Click the Navigation tab.
  3. Drag the Webex tool option from the list of hidden navigation links on the bottom to the list of enabled navigation links on the top -OR- Click the 3-dot icon to the right of the Webex navigation link and select + Enable.
  4. Click on the Save button. The Webex navigation link now appears in your course menu.

To set up Cisco Webex in Canvas:

  1. Click Cisco Webex in the course menu.
  2. Click Setup tab.
  3. Check the box for Virtual Meetings and Office Hours and click Apply.

Visit the Cisco Webex Education Connector for Teachers Cisco Webex Help Center article for step by step instructions for setting up and using each of the Webex in Canvas features Classroom Collaborations and Virtual Meetings.

Note: If you are teaching more than one course, Webex will need to be enabled (via the steps above) in each Canvas course, unless you have cross-listed your courses. If you have cross-listed multiple sections of your course, you will not be able to schedule individual meetings for each course.




Webex Canvas Integration Help for Your Students

The Webex Help Center has developed The Cisco Webex Education Connector for Students resource. This guide walks students through the steps and functions of utilizing the Classroom Collaborations, Virtual Meetings, and Office Hours features. We recommend using a Canvas Announcement to welcome students to your course and to let them know that you will be utilizing Webex within Canvas, how often you will meet, and how they can access the meetings. The following announcement can be copy/pasted into your own Canvas Announcement with some minor edits:

Example Canvas Announcement

Hello, everyone and welcome to ABC 123!

Together, we will explore fascinating and intriguing topics related to ABC, including spelling, pronunciation, and phonics! It won't take long for you to realize that ABC is all around you and an essential part of your everyday life. I hope you're looking forward to the experience as much as I am. We'll spend the term working together, learning from each other, and supporting one another's success. I'm so glad you're joining us.

This semester we will be meeting via Webex right here within our Canvas course. We will meet every Tuesday and Thursday from 2:00-3:30 pm EST. Our meetings will be recorded and saved within Canvas for you to view. However, there will be attendance requirements for each of my virtual lectures. More information can be found in our course syllabus.

Our scheduled meetings will appear within your Canvas Course calendar, and you will be able to join directly from there.

If you have any questions, I’m here to help. The Webex Help Center has also developed The Cisco Webex Education Connector for Students resource that will walk you through the steps and functions of utilizing the Classroom Collaborations and Virtual Meetings features we will be using this semester.

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If at any point you would like support or guidance while you are teaching a distance learning course, please connect with us!  We are here to help.