Setting up Information & Media components in EP Studio
Information & Media components can be used to enhance lessons and increase student engagement. With the option to add, embed and upload, the options are endless!
In this article, we’ll show you how to set up media components in lessons or exams, using EP Studio.
Information & Media components can be created within Smart Lessons and Pre-Built Exams. See our separate articles for Short Answer and Extended Response components.
Information & Media components are unmarked. They can be inserted into question slides, or added to Information slides as standalone information.
These components are available to use in all questions and sections for Smart Lessons and Pre-built Exams.
In this article
Getting started
In order to use these components, start by creating or editing content in EP Studio. If you haven’t already, check out our guides to get acquainted with creating content on EP:
Once you’ve opened your content in EP Studio, pick the section of the lesson or exam to which you wish to add media. If you wish to add media to an existing slide, simply click the relevant slide and select 'Edit'. Otherwise, start with a blank
You can use Information & Media components in any section of the three section options available (Information, Quiz, Extended Response).
Click and drag your chosen component from the sidebar to the blank slide. You’ll immediately be prompted to set it up.
Once added to a slide, you can click on a component to configure it at any time.
EP Studio enables you to move components around and lay them out however you’d like. For information on formatting the layout of components, see our article.
Setting up Information & Media components
This section covers each individual Information & Media component, and the available settings for each. Some are more complex than others!
Note: Click the corresponding component tile in the image below to access the relevant video tutorial.
Text
The most basic but versatile of all EP components! The text component is a rich text editor, allowing you to create headers, paragraphs and snippets of text stylised however you wish. You can also:
- Insert a table to lay your text out clearly.
- Insert an Image (or Audio) directly into the textbox itself.
- Include mathematical or chemical formulas using LaTex.
If you insert a Text component into a slide within a Quiz or Short Answer section of a Smart Lesson or Pre-Built Exam, you will notice some additional options.
Check out our Short Answer Component article for information on using these options.
Image, Video & Audio
These components operate similarly to one another. You’ll be prompted to either Upload or Pick from Media Gallery for all three options.
In our Audio component, you'll also have the option to record voice directly into the platform.
- Media Gallery: If you’ve chosen to Pick from Media Gallery, simply enter your keyword and browse the available assets. You can also enable a subject filter to help narrow your search.
- Once you’ve found a suitable image, select it and click Done.
- Upload: If you have chosen Upload, you'll be able to drag and drop your chosen image, or you can select Choose a file... to browse for the file on your device.
- Once you've selected your file, click Upload.
Video
For videos, you’ll be able to choose whether students can see video controls (volume, fullscreen, playback speed) and whether the video automatically auto-plays or loops. You can also choose whether to enable automatically generated captions.
Once you’ve made your selections, click Done, and your video is now inserted into your slide.
Audio
For Audio, you’ll be given the option to limit how many plays a student can have, and whether or not they’re able to pause the clip.
Students are automatically given access to the snail icon, which slows down the audio clip. At this time, this feature cannot be switched off.
Accepted file types
| Media type | File type | Maximum size |
| Image | .jpeg, .gif, .png, .svg | 5MB |
| Video | .mp4 | 400MB |
| Audio | .mp3, .m4a and .wav. | 10MB |
This component allows you to import an existing PDF for students to access. Choose to upload your own, or Pick from Media Gallery.
Annotated Text
This component helps you highlight ideas and give definitions of phrases and words. It's similar to the Quiz component equivalent, but is used to highlight information for students rather than ask for answers!
- Enter the text that you will be editing.
- Highlight different parts of the text that you wish to annotate by clicking and dragging, then select the plus icon to create the annotated section.
- Once you've selected something it'll be colour-coded and a box of the corresponding colour will appear to the right. There, you will be able to input your annotation for each section.
Embed
Another incredibly versatile tool; you can use the Embed tool to insert just about anything into your EP content.
Copy an embed link from your chosen resource, then paste it into the component when prompted. Click Done, and that's it!
Use this component to embed Google Slides or Documents, or resources from ThingLink, Vimeo and Desmos. See our full Embed tool article here.
YouTube
Similar to the Embed component, you can use this tool to embed a YouTube video directly into your lesson.
We know that some schools block access to Youtube, which may limit the use of this component. See our article here for more information on using YouTube with Education Perfect.
Copyright
When including media, ensure you are using content that is not protected by copyright. See our copyright guidelines here.
Importing PDFs or Slide Decks
If you'd like to include an existing external resource, there are a couple of options available. You may wish to use an existing Powerpoint or Google Slide deck, or insert a document that you've previously created.
Option 1: Upload the resource as a PDF
- If you don't have a file ready, most digital resources can be downloaded as a PDF file.
- Google Slides or Google Docs: Click File > Download > PDF to download the presentation as a PDF.
- Microsoft Office: You'll need to click File > Export and select the PDF option.
- Other providers: Check out their help resources to learn how to obtain a PDF copy.
Tip: When downloading your file, only include the pages or slides that you wish to include in your lesson.
- Now you have your file, you can use the PDF component in EP Studio to import it.
- Once imported, you can adjust the component and click Preview Slide to check how it will look for students.
Click here to see our video tutorial on using the PDF component.
Option 2: Embed directly from Google Drive
Many digital resources allow you to obtain an embed code, which can be embedded in EP Studio. Your resource is then available directly within the lesson, saving you the need to download and import it.
In this example, we'll show Google Drive, but if you can get an embed code from a resource - it's likely you can embed it in EP! See our full guide on embedding resources.
First, locate the file in your Google Drive.
If your file is an image, video or PDF:
- Double click to Preview the item.
- Click the three dots in the top right-hand corner, and click Open in a new window.
- In the window that opens, click the three dots again, and select the Embed option that's now available.
- Highlight and CTRL +C to copy the text that's shown in the popup.
- You'll need to paste this text into the Embed component in EP.
If your file is Google Doc, Google Sheets, or Google Slides:
- Double click the file to open it up.
- Click File > Publish to Web. This will open up a popup window. Toggle to Embed, if given the option.
- Click Publish, and you'll be presented with the Embed code. Highlight and CTRL + C to copy the text.
- You'll need to paste this text into the Embed component in EP.