Inserting files and links

This guide provides an overview of inserting files and links within Brightspace content areas to enhance your subject materials and make them more engaging for students. In most cases, you will do this within the master site if you are updating or creating core content for your subject.

For information about creating content pages, see Organise subject content.

You may only upload or insert material such as files, images and other content in the LMS when permitted under copyright law and Charles Sturt policy. See the Library guidelines for more information.

When you are in your Brightspace master or subject site access the content item you wish to edit. To do this:

Click on the Content menu in the subject navigation bar.
Click on the HTML page you want to edit.
Click on the options icon and click Edit.
This will open the Brightspace editing pane where you can edit and insert content.

This editor offers the standard options of text and paragraph formatting, as well as options for inserting content, and functionality around accessibility and access to the source code.
Text formatting: options for changing the style (bold, italic, underline, etc.), size, and colour of your text.
Paragraph formatting: This section allows you to set the alignment (left, centre, right) and indentation of your paragraphs. You can also create bulleted or numbered lists from here.
Content insertion: This section provides buttons for inserting various elements into your content, such as links, images, equations, and even HTML code.
Accessibility and review: This section offers functionalities like an accessibility and word count checker and source code view to ensure your content is formatted correctly and accessible to all users. You can also preview your content before publishing.

Content insertion options

In this guide we will be focusing on the content insertion options in Brightspace.

Inserting from the editor menu

Inserting images directly from the toolbar

Insert images from toolbar by clicking on the image icon

Choose the file location and follow the prompts to upload or link to the image you want to insert.

Inserting links directly into your text

If you click and drag your mouse to select text a “mini editor” will appear. You can use this to add in bold or italics, headings, or to add in a link.

It is best to have links open in a new window, in most cases.

Using Insert Stuff

The insert stuff tool allows you to insert various elements directly into your content. Select the insert stuff icon:

A list of options will appear:

Insert Stuff includes options for:

My Computer – This lets you upload files directly from your device, like images, documents, or presentations, and insert them in your subject page. Document files, such as word, pdf, and excel, will display as links. Multimedia files such as images, audio, or video files will be inserted into the page.
Panopto Deep link – for information about adding Panopto to your content
Pearson links & LT online
Subject offering files – allows you to insert any files already uploaded into the subject.
Video Note – This is a handy tool for recording a short video message directly within Brightspace. You can use it to explain concepts, provide personalised feedback, or introduce yourself to students. You can also upload a pre-recorded video here.
Brightspace learning repository and Media library – online libraries for storing and managing and sharing learning objects and media. This allows you to search for and insert these items.
YouTube & Flickr – If you've found a relevant video on YouTube, or images and media on Flickr, you can easily link it within your subject content using these options.
Link – This allows you to create a hyperlink to any external website you find valuable for your students.
Embed Code – For advanced users, this option lets you embed elements such as Padlet or H5P using HTML embed codes. This can be useful for embedding interactive content or specific widgets.

To insert a link, choose the option you wish to insert and then follow the prompts on the next screen to browse to, search for, or create your content.
Each option will have a slightly different process.

The Insert Stuff My Computer dialogue box allows you to browse to, or drop files, to upload and link, or insert your files depending on their file type.

Other options, like this example of Youtube, will require you to perform a search for media that you can then select and insert:

Some options will require you to create or upload media, like this example about inserting Video Notes:

Using Quicklinks

Quicklinks simplifies creating internal links to existing resources and tools within your Brightspace subject, ensuring students can easily navigate your materials. It makes it easy to create internal links that direct students to discussions, assignments, or other content you've already created.

Creating the links in this manner ensures that they remain properly linked and will not become broken when the master site is duplicated into the subject site.

To insert a Quicklink, select the Quicklinks icon

A list of options will appear. From here you can choose to link to subject materials or third-party tools.

Select the item you wish to link, and follow the prompts on the next screen.

Inserting using the + icon

The third menu item for inserting files into your subject is the + icon.

Select the item you wish to insert and follow the prompts on the next screen.

Here’s a brief overview of the different options available:

Σ Equation: This button allows you to insert mathematical or chemistry equations.
Table: This allows you to insert and edit tables.
Attributes: This allows you to set page attributes such as titles and text direction.
Divider: This allows you to insert a divider line to separate sections of your content.
Emoji: This allows you to insert emojis into your content.
Ω Symbols: This allows you to insert various symbols into your content, such as mathematical symbols, arrows, and more.
Insert Code: This allows you to insert code snippets into your content.
Insert Element: this allows you to insert an element onto the page to organise and present your content in different ways, such as accordions, image carousels, timelines and other interactive elements.
Insert Practice: This button allows you to insert practice exercises or quizzes into your content. These are not linked to assessment or the gradebook & are purely for student self-assessment and learning.
Layouts: This allows you to control the layout of your content, such as columns or grids.

For further reference on specific Brightspace features mentioned in this guide, refer to the following Brightspace community articles:

This page may be updated at any time. If you print it, you could miss future changes. Please check this page regularly for the latest updates.