Weekly Canvas Tip #9: Using Microsoft OneDrive in Canvas

How to Use Microsoft OneDrive in Canvas

Microsoft OneDrive is Ithaca College’s online file storage service, comparable to Dropbox, Box, and Google Drive, that allows you to upload, backup, create, view, edit, and share files. All Ithaca College faculty, students, and staff have access to 1 TB of storage in their Microsoft OneDrive account (Links to an external site.), accessible through apps.ithaca.eduLinks to an external site..

As of January 1, 2022, a new Microsoft OneDrive integration is available within Canvas and includes new and improved features! This week’s Weekly Canvas Tip will cover how to access and incorporate your Microsoft OneDrive files into a Canvas course in a variety of ways.

There are four primary methods to leverage the Canvas and OneDrive integration for instructors, including:  

1. View and Edit OneDrive Files in Course Navigation: Files stored in OneDrive can be viewed and edited through the Microsoft OneDrive link in the Course Navigation.  
2. Access OneDrive Files within the Rich Content Editor: You can embed or link to a OneDrive document anywhere you can use the Rich Content Editor, or upload files from OneDrive into your Canvas course anywhere you can use the Rich Content Editor. 
3. Create Cloud Assignments from OneDrive: You can create an online assignment that embeds a Word, PowerPoint, or Excel file directly from your OneDrive, and use SpeedGrader to grade each student’s unique copy of the assignment. 
4. Create Collaborations from OneDrive: You can create collaborations with an existing Word, Excel, or PowerPoint file so learners can work together on shared documents in real-time. This is great for group projects! 

1. View and Edit Your OneDrive Files in Course Navigation 

Files stored in OneDrive can be viewed through the Microsoft OneDrive link in the Course Navigation. With the recent update to OneDrive's LTI in Canvas, you can add new folders, upload files, sort files and folders, and edit documents directly in OneDrive from within Canvas. Files in Microsoft OneDrive are your personal files and only visible to you, unless shared through other methods such as linked documents in an announcement, module, or assignment.

1. Click Microsoft OneDrive in your course navigation.  
2. Open a file and edit the document directly in your browser as desired.

2. Access Your OneDrive Files within the Rich Content Editor 

You can embed or link to a OneDrive document anywhere you can use the Rich Content Editor, or upload files from OneDrive into your Canvas course anywhere you can use the Rich Content Editor. 

Upload Your OneDrive Files 

You can upload files from OneDrive into your Canvas course anywhere where you can use the Rich Content Editor within the Announcements, Assignments, Discussions, Pages, Quizzes, and Syllabus feature. This creates a copy of your document and stores it in your Files in Canvas. 

1. Within the Rich Content Editor within an Announcement, Assignment, Discussion, Page, Quiz, or Syllabus, click the down arrow next to the Documents icon (paper).
    
2. Click Upload Document. 
3. Select the file from your OneDrive account or computer that you wish to upload into your Canvas course. 

Embed or Link Your OneDrive Files 

You can create a Word, PowerPoint, or Excel file in your OneDrive and then create an embed or link to that document anywhere you can use the Rich Content Editor within the Announcements, Assignments, Discussions, Pages, Quizzes, and Syllabus feature.  

Note: Embedding or linking a file from OneDrive creates a one-time copy of that document in the location it is embedded or linked (Announcements, Assignments etc.) and is accessible from that location only, while the original file is still located in OneDrive. If changes need to be made to the embedded or linked document, you must re-link or re-embed the file. 

1. Within the Rich Content Editor within an Announcement, Assignment, Discussion, Page, Quiz, or Syllabus, click the Apps icon (plug).
   
2. Click Microsoft OneDrive. 
3. Select the file from your OneDrive account that you wish to embed or link.

3. Create Cloud Assignments from Your OneDrive

Instructors can create an online assignment that embeds a Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, or Excel file directly from their OneDrive. Cloud assignments are created using the External Tool submission type. When students open the assignment, a unique copy of the document is created and added to the student’s OneDrive folder. Instructors can view the final submission for each student’s edited copy of the assignment in SpeedGrader for grading.

1. Click Assignments in your course navigation.  
2. Click the +Assignment button to add a new assignment.  
3. Enter in your assignment details.  
4. Under Submission Type, select External Tool.  
5. Click the Find button.  
6. Select Microsoft OneDrive.
    
7. Select the file from your OneDrive account that you wish to embed and click Attach. 
8. After the window closes, and the file has successfully uploaded, you will need to click Select under the Configure External Tool window to finish embedding the file.
    
9. When you are finished adding in your assignment details, click Save & Publish to publish the assignment. 
   Important: After a Microsoft OneDrive cloud assignment is published, it should not be edited. If you edit it, a new document will be created and shared with students. If the students have attempted the previous assignment and you share a new assignment, the previous work of the students will be lost.  
10. Use SpeedGrader to view, grade and provide feedback on student submissions.

4. Create Collaborations from Your OneDrive

You can create collaborations with an existing Microsoft Word, Excel, or PowerPoint file so learners can work together on shared documents in real-time. This is great for group project collaborations. To learn more about Collaborations in Canvas visit the Canvas support article, How do I create a Microsoft Office 365 collaboration as an instructor (Links to an external site.)? For additional instructions on this feature see the IT knowledge base article listed below, Using OneDrive in Canvas as an Instructor. 

For additional information or help:

• Refer to the Knowledge Base articles, Using OneDrive in Canvas as an Instructor (Links to an external site.) and Using OneDrive in Canvas as a Student (Links to an external site.) for step-by-step instructions on Office 365 integrations in Canvas. 

• Additional information can be found on the Microsoft support site: Use Microsoft OneDrive with your LMS (Links to an external site.) 
• Reach out to the Business Productivity team (Links to an external site.) with any questions about Microsoft Office 365 integrations in Canvas including OneDrive, Microsoft Teams, and Microsoft Teams Meetings.

Weekly tips are Announcements from the Canvas site ‘IC Resources for Faculty.’  You can customize your email notifications for this site by viewing the article: https://community.canvaslms.com/t5/Student-Guide/How-do-I-manage-notifications-for-a-single-course-as-a-student/ta-p/430