Adding Content to a Course | How to share OneDrive files to Brightspace

You can store course material, files, folders, even data sets on your WUR OneDrive and then share it with your students.

In this manual you will find:

Differences between sharing a file from Brightspace Content and from OneDrive

There are two options how you can share OneDrive files in your Brightspace Course. In the table below you can find the comparison of these two options, sharing from Brightspace Content using button Upload/Create and from OneDrive page directly:

Sharing options Brightspace Content button Upload/Create OneDrive page
OneDrive file
OneDrive folder
sharing file for reading
sharing file for online editing
sharing file for downloading
Access to shared file Brightspace course Classlist People in Wageningen University & Research with the link
People with existing access
Specific people
Manual for instructions Sharing via Brightspace Content
Sharing via OneDrive

Sharing via Brightspace Content

Sharing OneDrive files or folders to your Brightspace course Content can be done directly from Brightspace, but you will have to have your file saved in OneDrive beforehand.

To access OneDrive through Brightspace follow the instructions in the manual Accessing OneDrive through Brightspace.

Once you have accessed OneDrive through Brightspace you will see the content of your OneDrive in the pop-up window in Brightspace.

  1. Click the folder to access the file you want to share
Pop-up window in Brightspace now shows the content of your OneDrive.
  1. Click on the file(s) in the folder that you want to share
  2. Then, click the button Add

In the same window but on the second tab in the view (Selected Documents) will now appear the selected file(s) you will be sharing in the Brightspace course Content page. This is because it is possible to share more than one file at the same time, by simply selecting the other file as well.

In the pop-up window in the selected folder you can choose your file to share by clicking on it. The window then offers a button to add the selected file to Brightspace content automatically.

The OneDrive file(s) will now appear in the selected (sub)module of the Brightspace Content at the bottom of the existing list of items.

Brightspace course content page now shows the added OneDrive file.

Your file now becomes an item in the Brightspace course content and you can further manage it: Move a topic within a module and Edit properties in Content, such as adding a Start Date, a Due Date, an End Date, adding a condition for releasing the file to the students (About Release Conditions), changing the visibility status of a topic, or just adding a description of the content.

Sharing via OneDrive

You have the possibility to share your OneDrive files also by directly going to your OneDrive content. There you have two options of how you can share the file or folder with your students:

For instructions on how to access your OneDrive directly please follow Accessing OneDrive through web browser.

In your OneDrive locate the file you would like to share. Then hover with your mouse over the file's name so the row turns gray. Now more icons appear to the left of the file's name.

  1. Click the vertical dots (Show actions)
Mouse over the file (or in the case of a folder, the folder) that needs to be shared, Three dots will appear at the end of the file name ('Show actions').

A drop-down menu with options appears.

  1. Click Copy link
Click the Show actions dots to show the available actions, 1. Share, 2.Copy link

A window will pop-up with the URL link to the file's location on the OneDrive. Before you copy the URL you will have to select to whom you will give access to the file.

  1. Click the icon with the text People with existing access can use the link >
Sharing a link , People with existing access can use the link

In the same pop-up window the system offers you options on who you can share the link with.

  1.  Click the option you need for sharing your OneDrive file/folder
Option: People with existing access

With this option you can share files and folders with people that already have been granted access to the file or folder.

Option: Specific people

It is possible to share the file with only the people you specify (although other people may have access, if the file was shared before from your OneDrive page). Only the recipients of the sharing invitation with the link to the OneDrive file/folder will gain access to it.

An additional option of Other settings appears where you can Allow editing of the file (selected by default) or restrict it (by unchecking the selectbox).

The feature of Allow editing of OneDrive files allows for the file to be edited online by different users who have access to it.

 

  1. Then, click the button Apply
In the pop-up window you have now options on sharing settings for your file.

This action will return you to the option to copy the URL of the OneDrive file to be shared with the selected sharing options.

  1. Click the button Copy
A link will be generated, which can be used to share. If needed, change the settings again

You have now saved the URL to the file you want to share into a memory. To use this link in Brightspace. follow the steps in the manual How to add a Weblink to a course.

Sharing via direct e-mail

In your OneDrive locate the file you would like to share. Then hover with your mouse over the file's name so the row turns gray. Now more icons appear to the left of the file's name.

  1. Click the vertical dots (Show actions)
Mouse over the file (or in the case of a folder, the folder) that needs to be shared, Three dots will appear at the end of the file name ('Show actions').

A drop-down menu with options appears.

  1. Click Share
Click the Show actions dots to show the available actions, 1. Share, 2.Copy link

A window pops out where you can edit the sharing options, the audience of the file before sending the file.

  1. Adjust editing rights (The default option People you specify can edit is subject to the information in the following step 4)
  2. Type the name(s) of the people that have to receive the link (the wur address book is connected)

Optional: Add a message

  1. Click the button Send
send a link pop up window

The system will show a confirmation window of the sending of the file.

When sharing the OneDrive file via email, it will not be added to the Brightspace course Content automatically. To add the link to the file/folder in your Brightspace course follow the instructions in the section Sharing via OneDrive file's URL link of this manual.

Now you know how to share a OneDrive file from Brightspace and from OneDrive!