Mashups

Mashups allow Instructors to add content from an external Web site to a Course. This content is used in a variety of ways within a Course:

• A standalone piece of Course Content.
• Part of a test question.
• A topic on a Discussion Board.
• Part of an assignment.

The content displayed in a course will still reside on the external Web site.

Mashups are added as a Content Item in a folder or added through the Text Editor. Adding a Mashup as a Content Item makes it a part of the information that you present to users for them to view. Adding a Mashup using the Text Editor means that you can put Mashups in places where users can interact with the content, such as in Test Questions, Discussion Boards and Blogs.

Mashups are displayed in the following ways:

• Embed: The Mashup displays directly on the page when a student opens the item.
• Thumbnail: A small picture of the Mashup displays on the page with controls to launch it.
• Text Link with Player: A link to the Mashup is displayed on the page. Students click the link to launch the Mashup.

To encourage discussion about Hamlet, the instructor can create a Mashup that includes a video of a scene from a production of the play and a link to a newspaper review of that production.

UB Learns supports the following:

• Flickr: a site for viewing and sharing photographic images.
• Slideshare: a site for viewing and sharing PowerPoint presentations, Word documents, or Adobe PDF Portfolios.
• YouTube: a site for viewing and sharing online videos.

1. Navigate to the Content area of your Course.
2. Select Flickr Photo, Slideshare Presentation, or YouTube Video from the Build Content dropdown list.
3. Search for content.
4. Click Preview to examine the items.
5. Click Select for the appropriate item.
6. Change the Name of the item. This is a required field.
7. Type a Description of the Mashup.
8. Set the Mashup Options.
9. Attach additional content items to the Mashup by clicking Browse My Computer or Browse Course files.
10. Click Yes to Permit Users to View this Content.
11. Click Yes to Track Number of Views.
12. Use the Display After and Display Until date and time fields to restrict the availability of the Mashup. Click both the Display After and Display Until check boxes to enable the date and time settings.
13. Click Preview to examine the Mashup.
14. Click Submit.

When finished, the Mashup appears in the folder or Content Area where it was created. If necessary, use the action link for the Mashup item to set Adaptive Release rules, add metadata or track the number of views.

If the Mashup does not appear or displays an error after initially appearing, it is possible that the URL has changed or the item was deleted from Flickr, Slideshare or YouTube.