Skip to main content
Skip table of contents

Create links and embed content in myCourses

After you create at least one Module or Unit in your course, you can create links or embed media in it. You can create links to websites, existing activities (e.g., assignments, discussions, quizzes, lecture recordings) within your course, and files already uploaded to your course.

To include links and embedded content from a past course, see Add content from a past course in myCourses.

In this article: 

Create a link to a website

Current content experience

After creating a Module, you can create a Link inside it to take students to other websites.

  1. On the Course Home page, click Content on the Navigation Bar.

  2. Click the name of the Module in the sidebar (or create a new Module).

  3. Select Upload/Create.

  4. Select Create a Link.

  5. In the pop-up window that appears, enter:

    1. Title: the title that will appear in your Module.

    2. URL: the complete address of the web page. 

    3. Select whether you want the web content to open in a separate browser tab (Open as External Resource) (Recommended). If this checkbox is not selected, then the content will be embedded in your content Module.

      image-20240318-201518.png

6. Click Create. The new web link will appear within your Content tool, and you can move and reorder it as you would other files and activities.

Websites that begin with http:// will always Open in a new tab to prevent issues with mixed content blocking. Only websites that begin with https:// can be displayed directly in the myCourses Content tool.

New content experience

After creating a UnitLesson, or Folder, you can create a Link inside it to take students to other websites.

  1. On the Course Home page, click Content on the Navigation Bar.

  2. Click the name of a UnitLesson, or Folder in the sidebar (or create a new one). 

  3. Click Create New.

  4. Select WebLink.

image-20240318-201649.png
  1. In the pop-up window that appears, enter:

  • Link: the complete address of the web page.

  • Display Name: the title that will appear in your UnitLesson, or Folder.

  • Select whether you want the web content to be embedded within myCourses (Embed on the page [iframe]) or open in a separate browser tab (Open in a new tab). 

image-20240318-201720.png
  1. Click Save. The new web link will appear within your Content tool, and you can move and reorder it as you would other files and activities in the Table of Contents sidebar.
    When you click on the link, depending on how you chose to display the content, it will be embedded within myCourses or open in an external window.

image-20240318-201811.png

Websites that begin with http:// will always Open in a new tab to prevent issues with mixed content blocking. Only websites that begin with https:// can be displayed in the myCourses Content tool.

Back to top


Share a file from OneDrive

You can link your OneDrive account with myCourses and add files to the Content tab in a few steps.

This feature is only available in the New Content Experience

  1. On the Course Home page, click Content on your Navigation Bar.

  2. If you do not see Units listed under Table of Contents, create at least one UnitLesson, or Folder for your file(s).

  3. Create or select a UnitLesson, or Folder for your file to be uploaded to.

  4. Select Add Existing at the top-right of the page.

  5. Click OneDrive and follow the steps to link your OneDrive account with myCourses. This step is only done the first time you use OneDrive to upload files. Your credentials will be saved for future uploads.

  6. Select the file you want to share from your OneDrive folders.

  • Students will have view-only permissions by default. The permissions can be changed in OneDrive to grant editing access. 

  • To edit the Availability Dates and Display Options of the item in myCourses click on the three dots (...) at the top-right corner of the item in the Content tab and select Edit.

Back to top


Create a link to course material

Current content experience

After creating a Module, you can embed existing activities (e.g., quizzes, assignments, lecture recordings, discussions) within the Content tool. Embedding activities means that students can participate, for example, in discussions and submit a quiz without navigating away from the Content window. 

  1. On the main Content page, click the name of a Module in the sidebar.

  2. Click Add Existing Activities and then select the type of activity you want to add from the drop-down menu.

image-20240318-202012.png
  1. Select a specific activity (e.g., Quiz 1) in the pop-up window that appears. The activity that you select will be embedded in the Content tool. 

New content experience

After creating a UnitLesson, or Folder, you can make it easy for students to access existing activities within in your course, such as assignments, discussions, lecture recordings, and quizzes, by creating links to them.

  1. On the main Content page, click the name of a UnitLesson, or Folder in the sidebar.

  2. Click Add Existing and then select the type of activity you would like to add.

image-20240318-202128.png
  1. Select a specific activity (e.g., Quiz 1) in the pop-up window that appears.

  2. Unlike in the current Content Experience, activities are not directly embedded in the Content tool. Instead, students are prompted with links to existing activities around your myCourses page. These links will open in a new browser tab.

    image-20240318-202227.png

Back to top


Embed content from a file already uploaded to your course

This feature is only available in the new Content Experience. See here for instructions about how to switch between the current and new Content Experiences. 

You can display content from any uploaded file within your course, even if the file was not added through the Content tool.

  1. On the main Content page, click the name of a UnitLesson, or Folder in the sidebar.

  2. Click Add Existing and select More...

  3. Select Course File to locate a file that you have already uploaded.

  4. In the list of files that appears, you can search for a specific file by name or type.

  5. Click on the file that you'd like to add to the Content tool. It will be embedded within the UnitLesson, or Folder that you initially selected.

Back to top


Edit, move or delete content 

See Manage content in myCourses for instructions about how to edit, reorganize, and delete links and embedded content.

Back to top


While this resource is accessible worldwide, McGill University is on land which has served and continues to serve as a site of meeting and exchange amongst Indigenous peoples, including the Haudenosaunee and Anishinabeg nations. Teaching and Learning Services acknowledges and thanks the diverse Indigenous peoples whose footsteps mark this territory on which peoples of the world now gather. This land acknowledgment is shared as a starting point to provide context for further learning and action.

TLS-logo_rgb_horizontal_EN.png

McLennan Library Building 3415 McTavish Street Suite MS-12 (ground level), Montreal, Quebec H3A 0C8 | Tel.: 514-398-6648 | Fax: 514-398-8465 | Email: tls@mcgill.ca



JavaScript errors detected

Please note, these errors can depend on your browser setup.

If this problem persists, please contact our support.