Creating Videos: Kaltura Media

Important update: Kaltura integration update coming in May 2024

As we continue to improve our video tools at UAA, we will be updating Kaltura’s previous Blackboard integration tool. This will be happening May 9 - 12, 2024. If you use Kaltura (My Media) videos in your Blackboard course, this affects you.

Please do not copy or edit Blackboard courses with Kaltura videos between May 9 and May 12. During these dates, old Kaltura video links in courses from Spring 2023 on will be automatically updated to the new integration tool. You do not need to do anything for this update to happen.

After May 12, test your Kaltura videos and quizzes to be sure they are playing and connecting to the gradebook. If you encounter any issues with your videos, please consult the Kaltura Integration troubleshooting form for common issues and solutions.

If you need to copy a course with Kaltura content from 2022 or earlier, please use the Export and Import tools after May 9. Importing will automatically convert all Kaltura video links and embeds to the new integration tool.

Course copy and individual item copy will not work for Kaltura videos from 2022 or earlier. To reuse content from a previous Blackboard shell, use Export and Import (two steps). Follow these tips for a successful course export/import:

  1. Start by going to Packages and Utilities under Course Management in the "old" course and selecting Export/Archive
  2. Select All components and then uncheck any you don’t want (e.g., Announcements)
  3. For Discussions, include only the forums, with no starter posts
  4. Grade Center Columns and Settings must be checked on export and import for assignments, tests or anything connected to the grade center to import correctly
  5. Keep the default settings for File Attachments (links and copies of the files)
  6. Do not Include Enrollments in the Export
  7. Select the same settings for Import

When importing course materials, videos will not show as successfully converted until you receive the Blackboard message or email that indicates the import is complete. For Kaltura quizzes to connect properly to the gradebook, you will need to take a few small steps to re-embed your Kaltura quizzes with the new tool. If you use Kaltura’s Course Media Gallery tool, you will need to re-link that by selecting the plus sign in the left hand menu of your course, selecting Add Tool Link, and then selecting UAA Kaltura - Course Media Gallery.

Read more about how the new Kaltura integration works under the Sharing Videos tab below. If you run into any issues during this update, or need further help with Kaltura and other video tools, contact the Instructional Media Studio at uaa_instructionalmedia@alaska.edu or at 907-786-4850.

Kaltura Access

Kaltura can be accessed in two ways:

  • Kaltura My Media in Blackboard: For most purposes, access Kaltura from inside Blackboard using My Media. On the Blackboard global menu (green menu on the left side), click Tools and then select UAA Kaltura - My Media. (If you’re associated with KPC, you’ll select KPC Kaltura - My Media). You can also access Kaltura inside a Blackboard course; see the Sharing Videos tab below for instructions.
  • UAA MediaSpace: You can use Kaltura outside of Blackboard via UAA Kaltura MediaSpace to get a publicly sharable link.

These two access points include different tools, so check which the instructions below indicate. For best practices and information on UAA's other core tools for video, visit the Creating Videos main page.

Using Kaltura

Recording a video using Kaltura

There are two ways to capture video through the Kaltura My Media tool in Blackboard. To access the Kaltura My Media tool, on the Blackboard global menu (green menu on the left side) click Tools, then Kaltura My Media. Then select Add New and you’ll see several options. Express Capture and Kaltura Capture are the two tools for recording video using Kaltura.

Express Capture

Express Capture can only record your webcam and audio, not your screen, and there are no editing functions in this tool.

  1. In Tools > Kaltura My Media on Blackboard, select Add New > Express Capture.
  2. Clicking on that will take you to a new screen that says Record Media. There’s a simple view of your webcam, a few options of basic audio and video settings, and a large red record button.
  3. When you’re ready to record, hit record, wait for the countdown, and begin speaking.
  4. When you’re finished, hit done, and it’ll give you an option to playback the video, Record Again, Download a Copy, or Use This. If you’re happy with what you’ve recorded, click Use This, and it will automatically upload to your My Media space. You can then give it a name, a description, tags, and designate whether it’s Private or Published.

Kaltura Capture

Kaltura Capture is an app that will install on your computer. The recording and editing functions are more limited than ScreenPal, but it can upload directly to Kaltura once the recording is finished. You can use Kaltura Capture to record any combination of your webcam, screen, and audio.

    1. In Tools > Kaltura My Media on Blackboard, select Add New > Kaltura Capture.
    2. Open Kaltura Capture. If you have never downloaded the Kaltura Capture Desktop Recorder, you will be prompted to do so. When done, you may need to refresh the page, or return to the Kaltura My Media tool and again select Add New > Kaltura Capture.
    3. When Kaltura Capture opens, a menu bar with the following buttons appears: Start Recording (red icon), Camera, Screen, and Audio. For each of the input settings, you can click the down arrow to select different options, or click on the icon itself to turn it off or on.
    4. When you’re ready to record, click the red Start Recording button, then begin presenting after the countdown. You can pause and resume, stop, and cancel recording, as well as annotate the screen via the pencil icon. Note that while you can preview your camera before recording, you will not be able to view it while you’re recording if you’ve chosen to record both the screen and the camera. Also, note the timer as you’re recording.
    5. When finished, click the stop icon. In the pop-up window that appears, complete the entries for title, description, and tags. Choose Save and Upload to ensure the video is saved to your My Media space. Note: Saving from this tool automatically saves your recording to your computer as well. You can see where these recordings are located on your computer by opening the Kaltura Capture Desktop Recorder app, clicking the gear icon on the left side of the window, and looking at the setting for Current recording directory.

Uploading videos into Kaltura Media

You can upload video files from your computer or phone to My Media via Blackboard or through MediaSpace. Follow the basic steps below or refer to the more detailed uploading videos into Kaltura Media document. Zoom recordings done with your UA login are automatically uploaded and saved to your Kaltura account.

Uploading with Kaltura My Media in Blackboard

  1. Under Tools > Kaltura My Media in Blackboard, select Add New button > Media Upload.
  2. Select +Choose a file to upload. (All common video, audio and image formats in all resolutions are accepted.)
  3. Navigate to where your video file is located, choose file and select OPEN.
  4. Fill in the name and description, then give the file “tags” to assist in locating this later. Please tag your videos with UAA, your department/course prefix, and your name.
  5. Select Save.

Uploading with UAA Kaltura MediaSpace

  1. Navigate to UAA Kaltura MediaSpace
  2. Select the guest icon in the top right and log in with your UA credentials.
  3. Select + ADD NEW and choose Media Upload.
  4. Select Choose a file to upload and navigate to where your videos are stored to select the video.
  5. Fill in the name, description and tags and click Save.

Editing videos in Kaltura

Using any of the methods above will add videos to your My Media in Blackboard. From there, you can use the edit and delete buttons on the right or click the title of the video for more actions. To edit a video in Kaltura, click the title of the video in My Media, then Actions > Edit. Then click the Launch Editor button. This video shows how to chop and splice.

Adding and editing captions

Your video will be machine-captioned automatically (check back in an hour; the wait depends on the length of your video). Edit captions when they have completed the automated process. To edit the automated captions, navigate to UAA Kaltura MediaSpace. Follow the basic steps below or refer to the more detailed adding and editing captions document.

  1. In the UAA Kaltura MediaSpace, navigate to your My Media list.
  2. Click on the title of the video whose captions you want to edit to open the details screen.
  3. Select the ACTIONS pull-down menu.
  4. Choose Edit
  5. Select the Captions tab
  6. Kaltura will show the list of caption files. Click the Edit Captions button, which will take you to the Closed Captions Editor page. Here you can edit the text of the captions, and playback the video as needed for reference.
  7. When you’ve finished editing the captions, click Save, confirm your changes, and click Back.
  8. To confirm the captions are displaying as you intended, play your video with CC English to see the edited version.

Adding a Kaltura captions frame for a public YouTube video

If you want to share a public YouTube video with your course, you can use Kaltura to add automatic captions. (You cannot request professional captions this way.) To add a YouTube video to Kaltura, you can use either Kaltura My Media inside a Blackboard course (Build Content > Kaltura Mashups, not via the Tools area) or UAA Kaltura Mediaspace. This only works for public YouTube videos, not unlisted ones. 

  1. Add New > YouTube.
  2. Paste in the URL/link to the video and click Preview.
  3. Fill in or edit the name, description, and tags and save.
  4. When the video has processed, click the title and select the ACTIONS pull-down menu > Caption & Enrich > Submit.
  5. Follow the editing instructions in the next section when those captions are ready.

Sharing videos in Blackboard

To embed video from My Media to your Blackboard Course 

  1. Navigate to your Blackboard course.
  2. Open the content area where you want to post the video (videos can be added in any content area/folder and learning module).
  3. Select Build Content, then select UAA Kaltura - Browse, Search, and Embed. (If you’re associated with KPC, you’ll select KPC Kaltura - Browse, Search, and Embed).
  4. Your My Media Gallery will open.
  5. Select the video you want by clicking </>Embed (if necessary, select “Media I Can Publish” under Filters).

Alternatively, create an Item in Blackboard, then use the Mashups button on the toolbar to find “UAA Kaltura - Browse, Search and Embed” and embed your video. (If you’re associated with KPC, you’ll select KPC Kaltura - Browse, Search, and Embed). See embedding Kaltura Videos in Blackboard for detailed instructions.

Note: You can embed a video before the captions process. Updated captions will show everywhere your video is embedded.

Faculty Development & Instructional Support 
Center for Advancing Faculty Excellence, Academic Innovations & eLearning, and Center for Community Engagement and Learning 
Library 213 • 907-786-4496 • uaa_cafe@alaska.edu • Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.