Setting up Canvas and Courseware Lite integration for instructors

This article is for instructors who want Visible Body Courseware to appear in their Canvas course.  There are two options for Canvas integration: Lite integration and Deep integration. This article covers the features of both.  Lite integration allows students who sign into the Canvas course to be automatically signed in to Visible Body Courseware, and Courseware will appear in the left-hand Canvas navigation bar.  Deep integration allows students to access a Courseware course from within a Canvas course with assignment, quiz, and gradebook integration. If you still have questions, check out our FAQ on Canvas integration.

Integrating Courseware into Canvas

Before you start the integration process you need a Courseware "secret and key" for Canvas from the Visible Body Team.  If you don’t have a secret and key from a Visible Body representative, please request one.

Once you have your secret and key you are ready to start the integration process. Watch the video above for a walkthrough or you can follow the steps below. You can also schedule a call with Visible Body to help you set up your integration.

1. Set up Courseware as an external tool in Canvas. Simply add Courseware as an app using a URL configuration file and the secret and key provided with your school's Visible Body Courseware group subscription. 
   • Log into Canvas
   • Go to Settings
   • Select the apps tab.
   • Next, check the list of apps for the Visible Body icon, and then select it. If the Visible Body icon is not on this page, follow the steps below:
     1. Go to View Configurations and select the blue+ App button.
     2. Select the configuration type to "By URL"
     3. Enter Courseware for the app name
     4. Enter the secret and key
     5. Enter the configuration URL you received from our support team in a separate email. If you are missing this URL email, please submit a support ticket. 
   • Finally, enter your secret and key.
     
2. Select the Canvas course you want to integrate with your Courseware course.
   
3. To make Courseware available on the left-hand bar in Canvas, you will need to make it visible. (By default, Courseware will be hidden.)
   • In the Settings menu, go to Navigation
   • You’ll see Visible Body Courseware in a list under items that will be hidden from students. Drag and drop it to the place you want it to show on the left-hand bar (course navigation section).
   • Select “Save”
   • Courseware will show on the left-hand bar.

Linking a Courseware course to a Canvas course

With Courseware integrated into Canvas, you will need to link the Canvas course to the Courseware course you wish to use. 

1. Select Courseware from the left-hand bar and sign in to link your Canvas and Courseware accounts. You won't be asked to log into Courseware again when accessing it through Canvas, just log into Canvas!
   
2. Next you'll be prompted to link a course from Courseware with your Canvas course. Just select your course from the dropdown, or if you want to create a new course, select "Create one" below.
   
   • Look for the green confirmation message at the top of the screen to make sure your course has been linked successfully.
3. Each time you visit Courseware through Canvas, it will bring you right to your course.

If you’ve linked the incorrect course and need to unlink your Courseware and Canvas courses, follow the instructions here.

Some items to note:

1. Import Courseware grades into Canvas more effectively with the CSV export function in the gradebook. Now you can use the populated SIS User ID column to match up students before you import the grades.
2. Canvas Courseware integration is available for schools that have a group license and for courses in which students purchase their own subscription.
3. You only need one secret and key for each instance of Canvas. Most instructors at one campus can use the same secret and key to set up their courses. If your school has multiple campuses using different instances of Canvas, you will need a secret and key for each. 
4. DO NOT use the "Invite People" link to invite students to your course. This feature does not work with the Canvas-Courseware integration.

Troubleshooting for Safari users

If you are using Safari and see an error message, follow these steps:

1. Select "Safari" from the top menu bar.
2. In the dropdown, select "Preferences".
3. In the settings window, select "Privacy" from the top bar.
4. Uncheck the box for "Prevent cross-site tracking"
5. Try linking your course to your Canvas course again.
6. If you still see an error message, please contact our support team.

Student Sign-on

Here is a video and instructions you can copy and paste to send to your students to get them set up with Courseware integration through Canvas. Or you can direct them to this article with these instructions.

As a student, you can access your Courseware course through Canvas with the use of single sign-on. Just follow these three steps to link your Courseware account with Canvas.

1. First, log into your Canvas account, and then navigate to your course which is using Courseware integration.
2. On the left-hand menu, select the Visible Body Courseware launcher.
3. In the Courseware window, you will be prompted to either create an account, or if you are an existing Courseware user (with an active or trial account), just log in with your credentials, or sign in with Google by entering in your Google account information. If your school currently has a group subscription you won't be prompted to purchase or use a code, it will bring you right to your course.

After logging in to Courseware, you won't be asked to do so again. Just log into Canvas! Selecting the Courseware launcher on the left menu will bring you right to your course page.

Unlinking your Courseware and Canvas courses

If you've accidentally linked the wrong Courseware course to your Canvas course or vice versa, you can follow these steps to unlink your courses.

1. On the LMS Integration page, navigate to the Canvas subsection. You will see the listing of courses that are linked. 
2. Check off the radio button next to the pairing you want to unlink. 
3. Select the “Unlink Course” button, and confirm you want to unlink these courses by selecting “OK” in the pop-up. You will see a green confirmation message at the top of the screen that these two courses are now unlinked. Note: you can only unlink one set of courses at a time.

Now that your courses are unlinked, you may link a new Courseware course to your Canvas course with the instructions here.