If you spend a lot of time editing course documents, say, Word documents, or teach multiple concurrent sections of the same course using a common set of documents, consider saving time by linking, rather than embedding, your content into Canvas.
The management of embedded documents takes more time than managing linked documents. Here is a comparison of the two processes that explains why:
Embedding works like this: Word documents are uploaded into the files area of Canvas and copied into the course module. When the document needs to be updated; the original is downloaded, opened in Word, edited and saved. Then the new doc must be re-uploaded to the files area and re-copied into the course. This process needs to be repeated for each instance of the document.
Linking works like this: the Word document resides in your OneDrive and is shared to your Canvas course using hyperlinks; students click on the link in your course to access the document. When the link to the document is clicked, the latest version of that document is sent from the web server. Linking allows the document to be changed in OneDrive without actually replacing the file in Canvas. Time saving is multiplied when that document is linked in multiple places.
If you are interested in using this method to manage your course content, please contact the Innovations in Learning Dept. for more instructions.
