Some institutions do not want to allow users to share publicly available links to video content. The Public Links and Embeddable player links toggles allow administrators to control the ability to generate and subsequently share public URLs to content in Echo360.
The Public Links toggles can be configured to allow Admins, Instructors, Teaching Assistants, and/or Students to generate public links to content. For Instructors and Students, this only applies to content they own (located in their Library page). For Teaching Assistants, it applies both to media they own, as well as to media published to sections where they are enrolled. Admins can create and manage public links to any captures visible in the Captures page.
Public Links and Embedding Content in the LMS: If you are using the "Echo360 Embed Button" to embed content into LMS content windows AND you have upgraded the Echo360 plugin/building block/app on your LMS to providing user authentication for viewing embedded videos, you no longer need to have public links enabled for Instructors and Students. These LMS embeds have been extricated from the Public Link feature. Note, however, that videos embedded prior to the upgrade still require the Main (Admin-level) public link toggle to remain on. Turning the main toggle off disables public links and embedded videos outside of the LMS and posted prior to the upgrade.
If you are not using the Embed button for videos in the LMS or you have not upgraded the Echo360 tool that provides it, you must leave the Instructor and Student Public Links toggles on for those users to embed media into LMS content windows.
Review Copy Content feature setting: If users are allowed to copy content from the Class List page, they are now the owners of the copy they generate, which therefore appears in their Library. This means that if both content copying and public links are enabled, users could generate a copy of published content, then generate a fully public link to that content. Just be sure to review your institution's policies and configure both of these toggle settings for Students and Instructors/Teaching Assistants as appropriate.
To enable/disable public links to Echo360 content
- Log in as an administrator.
- Click the Settings icon in the upper-right corner of the screen.
- From the Settings menu, select Institution Settings.
The Institution appears at the top of the list and is selected by default. - On the right side of the Institution Settings page, click Features.
- Scroll down to the Public Links and Embeddable player links section of the page. There are three toggles in this section, the main toggle, and two sub-toggles as shown in the below figure.
- Enable/disable the main toggle switch.
- If disabled, NO users can generate or manage any public links to content (including Admins). In addition, any existing public links are disabled; users cannot access content via any currently posted links.
- If disabled, the sub-toggles are not available.
- If enabled, Admins can create public links to any capture they have access to.
- If the main toggle is enabled, enable/disable the By Instructors and Teaching Assistants toggle. If enabled, all instructors and teaching assistants can create public links for media in their Library (media they own); and teaching assistants can generate links for media they have access to within the class list of sections where they are enrolled.
- If the main toggle is enabled, enable/disable the By Students toggle. If enabled, all students can create public links for media in their Library (media they own).
- As appropriate, review and click Yes on the confirmation message that appears.
The users for whom public links are enabled will see a Public Links area on the Sharing area of the content details page for video media.
IMPORTANT: As stated above, when the main feature toggle is disabled, any existing public links and embedded videos will no longer work; users clicking a posted public link returns an error, as disabling this feature deactivates the association between the public link and the media or section.