Panopto

Panopto is used for classroom lecture capture but is also a powerful tool for sharing narrated presentations, mini-lectures, or lab demonstrations with multiple video angles and/or screen capture.

Panopto Use as a Video Recording Tool

Panopto is the video-sharing platform synced with Blackboard - the SMHS' LMS  or learning management system. Faculty can create, edit, and share video lectures using the application either:

  1. directly in a browser, especially if you don't know your GW login information: https://www.panopto.com/record 
  2. online within your Blackboard courses: http://smhsgwu.hosted.panopto.com  (your Panopto video library)
  3. via the downloaded and installed application on your Mac or PC.
  4. via the Panopto Mobile App

The application installed on your computer will provide the most features. However, even if you cannot install the application, the web version of Panopto would work for your needs. The installed version allows for offline recording, and the use of the keyboard to start, pause/stop, and stop a video recording.

Panopto Download

The Panopto Recorder application needs to be installed locally on your computer. It can be installed from the Software Center on GW-managed PC or Self-Service on GW-managed Macs. On other devices, such as personal ones, use the following links:

To record from Panopto in your course or to share pre-recorded videos with your course go to the Panopto page you added to the Blackboard Original view courses, as described above, and click on the Create button at the top of the page.

Use that to select “Panopto for Windows” or “Panopto for Mac.” Then click “Open Panopto.” Recordings made this way will be directly shared with the course.

Panopto Setup

There are options for accessing Panopto: 

Access Panopto via Blackboard 

This is the most common method for accessing Blackboard and makes it easy to share a video with a course. To do this you will need to have Panopto enabled in your course.

Blackboard Original Course View
  • Go to Customization in the Course Management menu and click Tool Availability
  • Scroll down the list and check all of the boxes related to SMHS/SPH Panopto, click “Submit” at the bottom right corner
  • At the top of the main blue menu for the course click on the circle in the plus sign
  • Select “Tool Link”
  • Name the menu item
  • Select “Panopto Videos” as the type
  • Submit
  • Click on the link to activate your Panopto course folder

You have successfully created a link to a Panopto folder for the course. From this page, you will see all the videos shared with the course and access the “Create” button to record new ones.

Blackboard Ultra Course View

Email bbadmin [at] gwu [dot] edu (bbadmin[at]gwu[dot]edu) to request Panopto be enabled in your course. Include the course CRN in the request. Then follow the instructions provided by the IMPACT Team: Panopto Instructions.

Sign in from the Panopto Recorder 

If you navigated to Panopto from within your Blackboard course, you are already signed in. If you first opened the Panopto Recorder software installed on your computer, you need to sign in to record. To sign in: 

  • Open the Panopto Recorder app
  • If a “server” is required, enter: smhsgwu.hosted.panopto.com  
  • Enter your GW username (the part of your email before @gwu.edu) and the password associated with your email if you are not already logged into Blackboard
  • Click Login

Access Panopto via Browser

Accessing Panopto via a web browser is most helpful when you need to make changes to the settings for a video or want to upload a video to be shared outside of a course.

Creating Recordings

1.No GW Login? Use Panopto Express - It lets you record in your browser, share screens and apps, and then download locally or upload to YouTube. 

Panopto Express lets you record your webcam or anything on your screen by going to https://www.panopto.com/record-now/?capture. This makes it a good option for guest lecturers or others who do not have GW logins or for those using a borrowed device.

To record a video using Panopto Express:

  • Go to https://www.panopto.com/record-now/?capture 
  • Click Audio to ensure the correct microphone is selected
  • Click Video to turn on or change your video camera
  • Click Screens and Apps if you wish to record your screen or any other app
    • Select the tab, window, or screen you’d like to record
    • Indicate if you would like audio from that tab, window, or your system to be included in the recording
  • Click the red record circle at the bottom middle of the screen to start recording
  • Click it again to stop the record
  • Preview your video if you wish
  • Under the Preview, name your recording

To share a recording from Panopto Express:

  • Click download to the right of the file name to download the video file
    • The video will download in the WebM format, which may not be playable by all video players
  • Click Send to YouTube if you have a personal YouTube account you wish to use

2. Have Panopto in your Blackboard course, but unable to install the Panopto App? 

Using Panopto Capture lets you record in your browser, share screens and apps, and share with your course or to another Panpto folder. 

Panopto Capture is very much like Panopto Express, but is accessed when you are already logged into Panopto, making it easier to share videos with a course when you access it from the Panopto folder of a course. This makes it ideal for instructors who need to record videos for their courses and are unable to install the Panopto Recorder app. 

3. Need/Want full control? Use the Panopto Recorder for Mac or PC.

Primary and Secondary Sources 

Panopto’s recorder allows you to indicate multiple input sources to be recorded simultaneously. Most commonly the primary source will be your webcam and the secondary source will be a slide deck or sharing a screen. However, you can change these and you could set additional sources, such as two different cameras or slides and your screen to both be recorded.

How to Record with Panopto Capture

(PDF instructions are also provided) 

How to Record with Panopto Express

 (PDF instructions are provided)

  • Microphone and Camera Settings in the Panopto Application (PDF)
Additional help from Panopto online support: 

4. Want to record Panopto videos on the go? Install the Panopto app on your smartphone or tablet Available for iOS 16 and higher and Android 12 and higher. The Panopto mobile app is useful when you want to record a video “on location” and share it with a course.

  • Install the Panopto Mobile app from the App Store or Google Play
  • Enter your GW email address
  • Select “George Washington University”
  • Select Blackboard Ultra
  • Sign in using the Single Sign-on
  • Click on the plus sign in the lower right corner to record a video or upload an existing one.
     

To Share a Recording from the Mobile App
Recording a video in the app is straightforward. However, by default videos will upload to your main Panopto folder. To share them with a course you will need to copy or move the video into the folder for that course. This is most easily done in a web browser. See our instructions below for copying or moving videos into a course (see below).

Editing Recordings

Panopto provides very basic editing functions. You can change the name of the video and trim portions out of it. It is a non-destructive editor, so when you trim, the cut sections will continue to be visible in the editing timeline but they will not playback.

Additional help from Panopto online support: 

Viewing and Managing Recordings

Sharing Videos Outside of a Course

SMHS and SPH licenses Panopto to allow faculty to securely share videos with students in courses. But it can also be used to share videos with others for academic or programmatic purposes. To share a video outside of a course:

  • Click on the Share icon
  • Click Change under “who can access this video”
  • Select “Public (unlisted)”
    • This will make the video available to anyone who has the link
  • Click “Copy Link” to get the link to share
  • How to Share a Video
Copying or Moving Videos Between Courses

If you have a Panopto video shared with one course and want to move or copy it to a different course the easiest way to do this is to:

  • Login to Panopto in your browser at https://smhsgwu.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Home.aspx
  • Find the video you want to copy or move
  • Hover over the thumbnail for the video and check the select box that appears. A horizontal icon menu will appear at the top of the list.
  • Click the icon for Copy or Move
  • Search for the folder of the course you want to copy or move the video into. Generally, this will be the course name. 
  • Click the Copy or Move button at the top
  • How to Batch Copy and Move Videos
Deleting Local Recordings After Upload

Many SMHS programs use Panopto to record course lectures given at a classroom podium. These are often recorded on the local computer and then uploaded to Blackboard only after the recording has ended. Local recording can also be done on a personal computer. This is efficient but can lead to the computer becoming overly full of videos that have already been uploaded to Panopto. To save space locally you can delete past recordings from the local device after they are uploaded to the Panopto server. In the Panopto Recorder for Mac or PC click on “Manage Recordings” in the upper middle of the window and click on “Delete Local.” This will not affect the copy of the video that was uploaded, but it is permanent, so you want to make sure the video was indeed uploaded.

Other Panopto Features

Upload Existing Video Files to Panopto

If you have a video you shot on another app or device and want to share it in Panopto, click on +Create or just the + sign and select “Upload Media” Visit Panopto’s page on Supported File Types for details on what types of files are accepted.

YouTube Videos Within Panopto Recordings 

It is a best practice to use Panopto’s functionality to embed a YouTube video within a Panopto recording rather than playing the YouTube video while recording your lecture. When students view the recording with the embedded YouTube video, it will give them full control over the playback right within the timeline of your Panopto video. You can even specify specific start and stop times of the YouTube video if students only need to watch a portion of it or if you want to stop and discuss it at certain points

Quiz Questions in Panopto Videos

Panopto allows you to add true/false, multiple choice, and fill-in-the-blank quiz questions at any point during a video. This can help reinforce important concepts and help keep students engaged during a lecture. The quiz results can be viewed in Panopto or added to Blackboard so the results appear in the Blackboard grade book.

Lecture Capture

Panopto is installed on all podium computers in SMHS classrooms. It is set up to record whatever is displayed on the podium computer. It will not automatically capture video of the speaker, content projected from a laptop or other device connected to the projector, or the document camera.*

In all pre-clinical courses, there is a technology student worker who is responsible for setting up Panopto and starting/stopping the recording. If you would NOT like your session to be recorded, please let the Office of Medical Education know as soon as possible.

Note: in Ross 101 and 201, the document camera is routed through the podium computer, and will be included in a Panopto recording.

Where to Find Help

  • MD Program faculty/staff - Contact the cfe [at] gwu [dot] edu (Center for Faculty Excellence)
  • Health Sciences faculty/staff - Contact the IMPACT Team
  • Panopto Support is available 24x7 - 855-765-2341
  •  School of Public Health faculty/staff – Contact Andrew Wiss awiss [at] gwu [dot] edu (awiss[at]gwu[dot]edu)  or Isabelle Gholl isabelle [dot] gholl [at] gwu [dot] edu (isabelle[dot]gholl[at]gwu[dot]edu)