Panopto updates and next steps

Faculty and staff can log in to Panopto using their Virginia Tech username and passphrase at virginiatech.hosted.panopto.com. Note that only a user’s “owned” videos will be visible in their “Kaltura migrations” or “Archive” (look for the file box icon) folders. Canvas users can also access their videos by selecting the Panopto Video icon in the Canvas global navigation menu.

Student users will access Panopto through Canvas by selecting the Panopto Video icon in the Canvas global navigation menu.

While every effort was made to relink all videos embedded in Canvas courses, some key issues have been identified that require action. Here are steps faculty members should take. 

• Sign in to Panopto using your Virginia Tech username and passphrase at virginiatech.hosted.panopto.com. This step establishes your Panopto account with the appropriate permissions to access all of Panopto’s features in your Canvas courses.
• Turn on “Panopto Course Folder” in your course.
• Review any embedded/linked course videos.
  • Panopto videos display “Powered by Panopto” in the lower left hand corner of the player.
  • Relink videos that aren’t working using the Panopto Video tool in Pages or Modules.
• If videos are missing, first look in your archive (look for the file box icon) and restore them. (Videos that were created on or before June 30, 2022, were moved to the archive as part of the storage management process.) Restoring archived videos may take up to 72 hours.
• If missing videos are not in the archive, they may be owned by a colleague. If you know the video owner, you can contact them to share the video in Panopto. Otherwise, submit the Locate Missing Kaltura Videos form.
• If desired, re-create the “course gallery” using a course folder (note: videos owned by other people cannot be moved/copied to your course folder until they add you as a Creator).
• Re-link any playlists and make sure to share the videos in the playlist as well.
• Confirm all the videos play as expected.
  • Even if videos play for you, it doesn’t mean that students can view them. Do not use ‘Student View’ in Canvas because it does not work with many external tools.
  • If students cannot view videos, make sure that you are using the authorized linking method from Panopto in Canvas via Pages or Modules.
• Verify the course’s Zoom tool scheduled recording settings.
  • Faculty & Staff: For Zoom course recordings to be copied to Panopto, users must have signed in to Panopto using their Virginia Tech username and passphrase at virginiatech.hosted.panopto.com to obtain the appropriate permissions to set up the Zoom-Panopto integration in Canvas.
  • Graduate Students: Because you cannot log into virginiatech.hosted.panopto.com directly, for each course site where you want to use this feature, select “Panopto Course Folder” in the course navigation menu to open the Panopto course folder. Select the three dots on the course folder, then select Settings to go to the Overview tab. Select the Settings tab. Locate “Meeting Import” and select the first option, “Import all meetings, regardless of the meeting host’s setting.”

For help with the above steps, see Using Panopto at Virginia Tech or submit a 4Help incident.

Video assets that belong to colleges, departments, or offices, such as those used on web pages or social media, and those used in multiple course sections taught by different faculty members, can be organized in shared Panopto folders. Videos placed in a shared folder adopt the folder’s permission settings, making it easier to manage who can view and access the files. 

Only videos owned by users were moved to their Panopto “My Folder” during the migration. If a missing video was shared as a co-editor, co-publisher, or co-viewer, the users will need to contact the video owner to regain access to the video. If the missing video was not shared or was shared by a user who no longer works at Virginia Tech, submit the Locate Missing Kaltura Videos form.

Videos created on or before June 30, 2022, have been moved to their owner’s archive folder. These videos can be found through search but will need to be moved to an active status to play. Restoring archived videos may take up to 72 hours.

Only videos owned by users were moved to their Panopto “My Folder” during the migration. Videos with users designated as a co-editor, co-publisher, or co-viewer were migrated to their owner’s account. Users will need to contact the video owner to regain access to these videos. If the video was shared by a user who no longer works at Virginia Tech, submit the Locate Missing Kaltura Videos form.

Since the YouTube videos were linked versus being stored in the Virginia Tech Kaltura system, they were not included in the migration to Panopto. Users can relink to these videos by embedding the YouTube video into a Panopto session or embedding the YouTube video directly into Canvas.

If the missing video was created and stored in Kaltura or a Canvas My Media space by May 18, 2026, or was shared by a user who no longer works at Virginia Tech, submit the Locate Missing Kaltura Videos form.

Kaltura videos embedded or linked in Canvas courses have been replaced by the migrated Panopto video. Please note that in places such as Canvas Pages, where videos are relinked, instructors may notice that the page reflects edits have been made by the “Panopto Linking Tool.”

A similar process to relink videos embedded in the Ensemble web content management system has been completed.

Users who manage other digital content that embeds or links to Kaltura videos will need to update links to new Panopto versions of those videos on websites, digital documents, or other content management systems. That work should be happening now.

The previously shared plan to delete unwatched videos created from June 30, 2019, or older beginning in July 2027 is under review. More details will be shared as decisions are made.

Panopto is committed to providing an accessible learning experience. 

• All videos in Panopto receive automated captions with an average of 95% accuracy. Users can edit the automated captions.

• In addition to captions, users can also add audio descriptions to their videos that provide narration of visual elements.
  

• The Panopto platform supports alt text for images and interactive elements.

No, Panopto is not approved for storing high-risk data. Panopto is approved for low- and medium-risk data storage. 

Note: A small number of users may have high-risk videos among their migrated files, since Kaltura was acquired before the current risk classification review process was adopted. These videos containing high-risk data must be removed. It is the video owner’s responsibility to determine the risk classification of their files and how they can be securely stored. Users should consult the Risk Classification Standard, the IT Security Office (ITSO), their designated data steward/principal investigator, or IT team members for clarification on the risk classification of their files and how to securely store high-risk videos.

To meet the evolving needs of faculty, staff, and students, Virginia Tech selected Panopto as the university’s new video content management system (VCMS). Panopto has replaced Kaltura and will provide interactive video, lecture capture, streaming media, mobile compatibility, video storage, and integration with other Virginia Tech tools like Canvas and Zoom. Enhanced features include audio descriptions, a video analytics dashboard, and customizable system settings.

Learn more about Panopto:

• Sign up for Panopto workshops.
• Review the Panopto TLOS Tool Finder pages.

Have questions or concerns regarding Panopto?

• For technical assistance, submit a 4Help incident or call 4Help at 540-231-4357.
• For non-technical assistance, email tlos@vt.edu or request a consultation.

As with all transitions to new tools, some workflows will change now that the move to Panopto is complete. Users should reference the Panopto VCMS Transition page and the Using Panopto at Virginia Tech article as they begin using Panopto for courses and administrative projects.