How to embed or link to a Box Files and Folders in Canvas

Article Intended For

Faculty, instructional designers, or other individuals at UT Austin who use Box to store files and use Canvas to design or deliver courses.

Introduction

If you use Box to store and manage your files, you can embed your course files and folders from Box into your Canvas course pages rather than uploading files directly to your Canvas course. Alternatively, you can add an external URL to a file or folder as a module item in Canvas. Using Box's embed widget or sharing via link feature allows you to easily share, manage, and reuse files between courses while storing your course files in an encrypted and secure location that has no storage limits.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Embed a Box File or Folder in a Canvas Page

1. Navigate to the Box file or folder you wish to embed.
2. Use the drop-down to change the link access type to People with the link.
   
   
   Figure 1: Select the access type for this link from the drop-down.
   
   
3. Click the ellipses (...) on the folder or right-click the folder.
   
   
   Figure 2: Click the ellipses menu to the right.
   
   
4. Select More Actions.
5. Select Embed Widget.
6. In the Embed Widget box, click the Copy button to copy the embed code.
   
   
   Figure 3: Click the Copy button to copy the embed code.
   
   
7. Go to Canvas and navigate to your Canvas course.
8. Click the Embed icon in the Rich Content Editor.
   
   
   Figure 4: Click the Embed icon in the RCE.
   
   
9. In the Embed window, paste the code from Box into the Embed Code field.
   
   
   Figure 5: Paste the embed code from Box into Canvas.
   
   
10. Click Submit.
11. Save and publish the Canvas page.

Link to a Box File or Folder in a Canvas Module

In addition to embedding a Box file or folder, you can also create a link to a Box file or folder in a Canvas module. Linking allows students to see more of the window than the embed widget and could be more accessible to a student relying on a keyboard or screen reader.

1. Navigate to the Box file or folder you want to share.
2. Click the Share button on the folder.
3. Select Get Shared Link.
4. Use the drop-down to change the link access type to People with the link.
   
   
   Figure 6: Select the access type for this link from the drop-down.
   
   
5. Select Copy to copy the URL in the Shared Link field.
6. Navigate to your Canvas course.
7. In the Modules area, in the appropriate module, follow the instructions in the How do I add an external URL as a module item?article.
   
   NOTE: For maximum accessibility, select the Load in a new tab check box. This will force the link to open in a new window outside of Canvas.
   
   
8. Publish the module to make it viewable by students.