7.18. LTI Component

You might have discovered or developed an external learning application that you want to add to your online course. Or you might have a digital copy of your textbook that uses a format other than PDF. You can add external learning applications or textbooks in Studio by using a learning tools interoperability (LTI) component. The LTI component is based on the IMS Global Learning Tools Interoperability version 1.1.1 specifications.

You can use an LTI component in several ways.

  • You can add external LTI content that is only displayed and does not require a student response, such as textbook content.
  • You can add external LTI content that requires a student response. An external provider will grade student responses.
  • You can use the component as a placeholder for syncing with an external grading system.

For example, the following LTI component incorporates a Cerego tool that students interact with.

Cerego LTI component example

7.18.1. Obtain LTI Information

Before you create an LTI component from an external LTI provider in a unit, you need the following information.

  • The launch URL (if the LTI component requires a student response that will be graded). You obtain the launch URL from the LTI provider. The launch URL is the URL that Studio sends to the external LTI provider so that the provider can send back students’ grades.

  • The LTI Passports policy key. This policy key has three parts: an LTI ID, a client key, and a client secret.

    • The LTI ID. This is a value that you create to refer to the external LTI provider. You should create an LTI ID that you can remember easily.

      The LTI ID can contain uppercase and lowercase alphanumeric characters, as well as underscore characters (_). It can be any length. For example, you can create an LTI ID that is as simple as test_lti_id, or your LTI ID can be a string of numbers and letters such as id_21441 or book_lti_provider_from_new_york.

    • The client key. This value is a sequence of characters that you obtain from the LTI provider. The client key is used for authentication and can contain any number of characters. For example, your client key may be b289378-f88d-2929-ctools.school.edu.

    • The client secret. This value is a sequence of characters that you obtain from the LTI provider. The client secret is used for authentication and can contain any number of characters. For example, your client secret can be something as simple as secret, or it may be a string of numbers and letters such as 23746387264 or yt4984yr8.

    To create the LTI Passports policy key, combine the LTI ID, client key, and client secret in the following format (make sure to include the colons).

    lti_id:client_key:client_secret

    For example, an LTI Passports policy key can resemble any of the following.

    test_lti_id:b289378-f88d-2929-ctools.school.edu:secret

    id_21441:b289378-f88d-2929-ctools.school.edu:23746387264

    book_lti_provider_from_new_york:b289378-f88d-2929-ctools.company.com:yt4984yr8

7.18.2. Create an LTI Component

Creating an LTI component in your course has three steps.

  1. Add LTI to the Advanced Module List policy key.
  2. Register the LTI provider.
  3. Create the LTI component in an individual unit.

7.18.2.1. Step 1. Add LTI to the Advanced Module List Policy Key

  1. On the Settings menu, click Advanced Settings.

  2. In the field for the Advanced Module List policy key, place your cursor between the brackets.

  3. Enter "lti". Make sure to include the quotation marks, but not the period.

    Image of the advanced_modules key in the Advanced Settings page, with the LTI value added

Note

If the Advanced Module List field already contains text, place your cursor directly after the closing quotation mark for the final item, and then enter a comma followed by "lti" (make sure that you include the quotation marks).

  1. At the bottom of the page, click Save Changes.

The page refreshes automatically. At the top of the page, you see a notification that your changes have been saved.

7.18.2.2. Step 2. Register the External LTI Provider

To register the external LTI provider, you’ll add the LTI Passports policy key to the course’s advanced settings.

  1. On the Advanced Settings page, locate the LTI Passports policy key.

  2. Place your cursor between the brackets.

  3. Enter the LTI Passports policy key surrounded by quotation marks.

    For example, the text in the LTI Passports field can resemble the following.

    "test_lti_id:b289378-f88d-2929-ctools.umich.edu:secret"

    If you have multiple LTI providers, separate the values for each LTI Passports policy key with a comma. Make sure to surround each entry with quotation marks.

    "test_lti_id:b289378-f88d-2929-ctools.umich.edu:secret",
    "id_21441:b289378-f88d-2929-ctools.school.edu:23746387264",
    "book_lti_provider_from_new_york:b289378-f88d-2929-ctools.company.com:yt4984yr8"
    
  1. At the bottom of the page, click Save Changes.

The page refreshes automatically. At the top of the page, you see a notification that your changes have been saved, and you can see your entries for the LTI Passports policy key.

7.18.2.3. Step 3. Add the LTI Component to a Unit

  1. In the unit where you want to create the problem, click Advanced under Add New Component, and then click LTI.
  2. In the component that appears, click Edit.
  3. In the component editor, specify the settings that you want. See LTI Component Settings for a description of each setting.
  4. Click Save.

Note

You cannot test the LTI component from within Studio. You must test the LTI component in Preview mode or in the live course. For more information, see Testing Your Course Content.

7.18.3. LTI Component Settings

Setting Description
Accept grades past deadline Specifies whether third party systems are allowed to post grades past the deadline. By default, this value is set to True.
Button Text Enter a custom label for the button that launches the third-party LTI application.
Custom Parameters

Enables you to add one or more custom parameters. For example, if you added an e-book, you can set a custom parameter that opens the e-book to a specific page. You could also use a custom parameter to set the background color of the LTI component.

Every custom parameter has a key and a value. You must add the key and value in the following format.

key=value

For example, a custom parameter may resemble the following.

bgcolor=red

page=144

To add a custom parameter, click Add.

Display Name Specifies the name of the component. This name appears as a heading above the problem and as a tooltip in the learning sequence at the top of the Courseware page. Unique, descriptive display names help you identify problems quickly and accurately for analysis.
Hide External Tool Indicates whether you want to launch an external tool or to use this component as a placeholder for syncing with an external grading system. If you set the value to True, Studio hides the Launch button and any IFrames for this component. By default, this value is set to False.
LTI Application Information The description of the third party application. If the application requires a username or email address, use this field to inform learners why their information will be forwarded to a third party application.
LTI ID Specifies the LTI ID for the external LTI provider. This value must be the same LTI ID that you entered on the Advanced Settings page.
LTI URL Specifies the URL of the external tool that this component launches.This setting is applicable when Hide External Tool is set to False.
Open in New Page Specify whether the problem opens in a new page. If you set this value to True, the student clicks a link that opens the LTI content in a new window. If you set this value to False, the LTI content opens in an IFrame in the current page. This setting is applicable when Hide External Tool is set to False.
Request user’s email If Open in New Page is set to True, you can also request user information. Set this value to True to request the user’s email address.
Request user’s username If Open in New Page is set to True, you can also request user information. Set this value to True to request the user’s username.
Scored Indicates whether the LTI component receives a numerical score from the external LTI system. By default, this value is set to False.
Weight

Specifies the number of points possible for the problem. By default, if an external LTI provider grades the problem, the problem is worth 1 point, and a student’s score can be any value between 0 and 1. This setting is applicable when Scored is set to True.

For more information about problem weights and computing point scores, see Problem Weight.