Arc

What is Arc?

Arc is a new platform built for teaching and learning with video that allows meaningful video interactions in Canvas courses wherever you use the Rich Content Editor (assignments, pages, discussion boards, etc.). Arc offers the standard set of features you would expect from a video platform like YouTube: uploading, transcoding, tagging, searching, and embedding. But it also includes interactive in-video commenting or discussions tied to the video timeline. This means comments are pinned to specific minute-and-second moments within a video clip.

Arc gives you a private video channel for use in your courses, so we hope instructors and students will feel inspired to experiment within the evolving feature set of Arc. That said, there are two clear course uses for Arc: Video-as-Content and Video-as-Assignment.

Examples of Arc Videos

To see an example of Arc in action, visit the demonstration in Canvas. If you want to try it out for yourself, request access to the Canvas site by contacting distanceeducation@northwestern.edu or request to have the Arc tool added to your Canvas course site by contacting matthew.aron@northwestern.edu

When should I use Arc?

Video-as-Content: Arc makes it easy to add, organize, and share videos among instructors and students. Videos can be placed virtually anywhere inside a Canvas course, and if you so chose, the video can be discussed and analyzed in place.

Video-as-Assignment: It’s simple for your students to upload videos, and you can provide specific feedback right inside the timeline of the video, so there’s no confusion. You may also want to consider having students use the One Button Studio in the Northwestern Library for video assignments.

How do I use Arc?

Guides

The following guide points to a thorough explanation of How to Add Video to Your Canvas Course with Arc.

You can submit this sign-up form to pilot Arc in your Canvas course or sandbox. Complete the form to show your interest in the tool, and an Academic Research and Technology specialist will help get you started.

Accessibility

The Arc video player supports captions. A caption file needs to be added to the video after upload.