Recording and Upload Limits for Video and Audio in Discussions

Overview

For discussions that encourage students to record or upload video or audio clips, it can be helpful to put limits on how long those videos can be.  Some discussions may focus on shorter durations while others may value longer media.  Harmonize can easily support both scenarios, giving instructors controls that can be adjusted per topic.  These limits also allow students to record and upload video in any quality without encountering any file size limits.

Please note: the settings described below are specific to students.  Instructors always have the ability to record or upload video and audio up to 60 minutes, regardless of the limits put in place on the topic.  Likewise, instructors' recordings and uploads will always be played back in higher quality.

Topic Settings

By default, every topic allows a maximum of 5 minutes of recorded and/or uploaded video and 15 minutes to screen capture recording per post or comment. To adjust those defaults:

• Click Edit on your topic:

• In Topic Settings, switch to the Post Settings tab:

• Scroll down the list of settings and look for video settings:

1. Default CC Language: this setting allows you to select which language to produce closed captions for video and audio in.  This default setting is English, but you can adjust it to any of the supported languages listed.  This setting is especially helpful in foreign language courses.
2. Video & Audio Duration Limit: this setting allows you to set a maximum duration for video and audio, either recorded or uploaded, in each student post and comment.  The default is 5 minutes, but instructors can adjust this setting to as low as 1 minute or as high as 60 minutes
3. Screen Capture Duration Limit: this setting allows you to set a separate maximum duration, specifically for screen capture recordings, in student posts and comments.  The default is 15 minutes, but instructors can adjust the limit to as low as 1 minute or as high as 60 minutes.
4. Video Playback Quality: this setting controls whether to playback students' videos in higher quality.  The default is off, which plays back student videos in standard quality.  If students are recording or uploading videos that include a lot of displayed text (if they are presenting a slide desk, for example), it may be helpful to turn this setting on.

• Once you have adjusted the settings to your liking, be sure to click Publish.

Please note: with all of these settings, they will only apply to video and audio recorded or uploaded after the settings are published.  They will not apply to any previously published media.

Student Experience

• When students go to record video or audio in a discussion, the time limit in the recorder will initially match the limit set for the topic:

• If students make multiple recordings in the same post or upload video and/or audio recorded outside of Harmonize, the duration of those media items will reduce the amount of time available on additional recordings:

• If a student uploads media that's beyond the limits set for the topic, they will receive an error message and media will not be attached to the post or comment: