Links

Once you have completed your request the DCS will create a link that allows students to click and access the PDF. This link can be copied and pasted anywhere, for example onto the VLE, into an email or onto your HEI's reading list software. URLs generated by the DCS are linked to the course and to the HEI.

To find out more about how the DCS will take care of the weeding of links click here.

Where to find links once they are generated

The link will be generated once you have completed your content request, but if you close this page and need to find the link again it can be found by following these steps:

1.  On the DCS dashboard, click on Courses. This can be found on the left hand side navigation in the grey sidebar.

2.  You can find the course you assigned the link to by either scrolling down the list or using the search function on the right hand side. You can search by title, lecturer, department etc.

3.  Once you have found the course you are looking for, click on view content.

4.  A list of all the content that has been assigned to the course will appear; again you can find the piece of content you are searching for by either scrolling or using the search function on the right hand side.

5.  Once you have found the content you would like to find the link for, you will see a green box that says ‘View Link’, which can be used to see the URL and also the copy link icon which you can use to copy and share the link.

FAQ

Can the student only access the PDF via the link if they are enrolled on that particular course?

Students who are not on that course could access the link, because authentication is by institution rather than by course. If the link is clicked on, the DCS will know a student from that HEI has clicked on it but will not know what course they are enrolled in. This has been taken into account when planning our data analysis.

Why is there an expiry date field if the link stays active in perpetuity?

The expiry date is for content that you may upload where permission is cleared outside the CLA blanket licence and has a permission expiry date, for example through the Second Extract Permissions Service or directly with the publisher. By completing the field, users will have these items flagged to them when they are near expiry.

Can multiple users use the same article concurrently?

Yes, they can.

Can a single link for same extract be used by multiple modules in one HEI?

You should not use a single link across multiple modules as this would interfere with the reporting of students on a particular course. If it is the same item but for a different course it should have a separately generated link.  Generating a separate link can be done easily using the clone content tool. To find out more about using this function please click here.

The link is not working, what could be the problem?

It might be that the scan is password protected. By opening the document in a PDF reader, you can check the document's security. If it is password protected, you should remove the password. Alternatively you can upload a new scan, without password protection, in the DCS. To find out more about how to do this please click here. 

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