When embedding external websites as part of a course, you might occasionally encounter a message stating the site "refused to connect". This is a common security feature used by many websites, but we have a simple setting to bypass it and ensure your learners can access the content.
What's the Situation?
You have created a course that uses an external URL as a lecture step. When users attempt to access this step, they see an error message indicating that the external website "refused to connect".
This refusal happens because many external websites have security features that prevent them from being displayed when they are embedded (using an iframe) in another site.
You may notice that the link works fine when accessed directly from the content library, but it doesn't work as a course step. This is because the course step attempts to embed the content, triggering the security block.
The Recommended Solution and Guidance
To successfully display external content that blocks embedding, you should use the "Open in New Tab" setting in the Lecture editor.
This standard approach bypasses the external site's security restrictions.
How to Enable "Open in New Tab"
- Go to the Lecture settings for the course step containing the external URL.
- Locate and select the "Open in New Tab" option.
- You simply need to enable this setting; no additional whitelisting by the platform is required.
Important Consideration for Tracking
While this setting successfully displays the content, please note the one limitation of this approach:
- Completion Tracking: When you select "Open in New Tab," the platform cannot track the time spent on the external page.
- Automatic Completion: Users will be marked complete upon opening the page.
If time tracking for that specific step is critical, the external site's administrator would need to adjust their security headers to allow embedding. Otherwise, "Open in New Tab" is the fastest and easiest way to ensure access to the external resource.