Adding PowerPoints to Canvas

A common question instructors ask is “How do I upload my PowerPoints to Canvas?” As with so many things, the answer is “it depends.” Since Canvas does not have a built-in PowerPoint viewer, how you go about getting your PowerPoint materials into Canvas will depend on how you want students to engage with the materials. Use the sections below to take a look at some of the different ways it can be done as well as  a few pros and cons for each.

Upload to Files
Convert to Video
Embed from Office 365
Uploading a PDF Version to Files
Convert Slides to Images (for Written Lectures)

You have the option to upload a PowerPoint file directly to the files area of Canvas. This means, students can preview it in a Canvas page (it will look like a document) or download a copy for themselves.

Pros

  • Little work for instructors
  • Links within the presentation usually still work

Cons

  • Updating the file means you'll have to update the Canvas file as well
  • Does not include notes or narrations within Canvas
  • Videos within presentations do not work within the preview
  • Not accessible unless downloaded
  • Students downloading the file will need to have a version of PowerPoint on their computer to open it
  • Connection speeds may limit some students if files are large

If you've recorded narrations and timings within PowerPoint, you can export your presentation as an MP4 file and upload it to Kaltura or YouTube in order to embed it in your Canvas site. 

Note: as an alternative to exporting a PowerPoint as a video, you could instead do a screen recording of your lecture using Kaltura Capture.

Example:

Pros

  • Easy to do from PowerPoint if you've recorded narrations
  • Captures drawing on the slide during recording
  • Kaltura and YouTube are adaptive to poor connection speeds
  • download option can be made available for those with inconsistent internet
  • Consistent experience from the student side
  • Analytics (number and duration of views) available in Kaltura
  • Machine captioning can be requested in Kaltura
  • Option available to add in-video quizzing /practice
  • Can be re-purposed easily across courses

Cons

  • Takes work up front to record narrations
  • Requires captions to be fully accessible
  • Need to update the video if you make changes to the PowerPoint
  • Does not include slide notes
  • Students need to search through the video for information

 

If you upload your PowerPoint to OneDrive, you can also get embed code to embed it in Canvas.

Example

Pros

  • Maintains slide formatting
  • Includes recorded audio
  • "Lives" on OneDrive, so you can update it in one place and it will be updated everywhere it is embedded
  • Allows students to download a copy if needed
  • Does not require a copy of PowerPoint to view (unless downloaded)

Cons

  • May require students to log in to Office 365/OneDrive/Sharepoint to access the embedded presentation
  • Does not include "notes" if added to slides
  • May still require students to download the file (in which case, they will need a version of PowerPoint installed to view it)
  • Not fully accessible (most screen readers do not recognize it)
  • Requires familiarity with OneDrive, embed code, and the HTML Editor in Canvas

If you provide a different lecture but would like students to have "the notes" for reference, you can "print" your PowerPoint as a PDF and include the slide notes. You can also "print" with a layout that has 3 slides per page and room for notes. If you do so, that file can be uploaded to Canvas and then linked to like any other.

Pros

  • Little work for instructors
  • Provides multiple forms of the same information

Cons

  • Not accessible unless downloaded
  • Works best only as a supplement to additional material
  • Changes to the PowerPoint means needing to update the document
  • Connection speeds may limit some students if files are large

In PowerPoint, there is an option under "Save As" that allows you to create a PNG (image file) of a slide (or every slide in your presentation) . You can then use these as you would any image in the Rich Text editor in Canvas.

Example (Screenshot)

A screenshot showing a lecture written out and using powerpoint slides as images embedded in the page

Pros

  • Highly accessible if alt text is used for images
  • Allows for quick editing of the lecture directly in Canvas
  • Easier for students to find the information they're looking for
  • Allows for embedding other images or materials as needed (outside video, tables and figures, links to other sites, etc.)
  • Can include Wiki-style links back and forth within the course (e.g. to other lectures, to the syllabus, etc.)

Cons

  • More work for the instructor if lectures are not already written out
  • Can become too much reading for students
  • Can be less personal without the addition of audio, video, etc.