In this video, you will learn how to use the Rich Content Editor in Canvas.
Last Updated: 2023-06-01
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Video overviews reflect current feature functionality in Canvas; they are updated based on workflow changes, not on minor or non-functional interface enhancements. Depending on your institution's Canvas theme, the Canvas interface may display differently than shown in this video, but the functionality is the same.
Rich Content Editor (All Users) Video Script
In this video, you will learn how to use the Rich Content Editor in Canvas. You can use the RCE to add and format text and other content in Announcements, Assignments, Discussions, Pages, Quizzes, and the Syllabus. In this video, we’ll use the RCE in Pages.
The RCE displays a menubar, a toolbar, and a content field. Add your content, including text, images, links, and other content in the content field. You can use the menubar and toolbar options to add, edit, and format content. To format text in the content field, select the block of text you want to format. Using the RCE toolbar, you can adjust font size and text blocks, add text emphasis, adjust text and background colors, and format subscript and superscript text. The toolbar displays arrows to indicate applied formatting. You can find these same options and additional formatting options in the menubar’s Format menu. You can also use the Edit menu to undo or redo changes, cut, copy, and paste content, and select all content. You can embed links, images, media, and documents in the content field. You can use the Insert menu to insert links, record new media, upload new files, or embed existing files in the content field. To quickly insert or upload media items from an external source, you can also use the toolbar icons. To insert a link, click the Link icon. To insert an image, media, or document, click the Image, Media, or Document icons.
To insert course, group, or user content, click the Options arrow next to the Link, Image, Media, or Document icons. If you select to add a link to your Canvas course or group content, a file search tray displays in the sidebar. In the file search tray, content items are grouped by content type. You can search for specific course or group content by typing at least three characters in the Search field. To view a list of course or group content items for a specific content type, click the arrow icon next to the content type. To add a link to a content item in the RCE, click the course or group item’s name. If you insert course, group, or user files previously uploaded to Canvas, the file search tray displays your files. You can filter the file search tray results by file type and by date or alphabetical order. To search for a specific course, group, or user file, type at least three characters in the Search field. Once you’ve located the file or link you want to add, click the item name. The item is inserted in the content field at the cursor position, or, if you selected text, a hyperlink displays.
You can also embed resources from external tools installed in your course using the Apps icon in the toolbar, or by clicking the Tools menu and navigating to the Apps option. Depending on the size of your browser window, the toolbar may display an Options icon. You can click it to view additional toolbar icons, including text alignment, listing, and indenting options, a clear text formatting option, table and mathematical equation formatting options, and an embed media option.
Below the content field, you can find additional tools and information. You can view the style of currently selected text, access keyboard shortcuts, verify content accessibility with the Accessibility checker, view the content word count, and resize the RCE window. You can also view a list of the RCE keyboard shortcuts by pressing ALT+F8 on a PC keyboard or ALT+Function+F8 on a Mac keyboard. To view the RCE in fullscreen, click the Fullscreen icon. To exit full screen, press the Escape key.
If you prefer, you can also use an HTML editor. To hide the RCE toolbar and edit your content in HTML, click the Switch to raw HTML Editor icon. To return to the RCE and view your HTML changes, click the Switch to RCE icon. To save your changes, click the Save button. You may also see a Save & Publish, an Update Syllabus, or a Post Reply button.
Thanks for watching this Rich Content Editor overview video. To learn more about Canvas, ask questions, or engage with other Canvas users, please visit community.canvaslms.com.
