LTI is short for Learning Tools Interoperability and is a standard to run courses, that have been created in another tool or LMS (Learning Management System), externally.

In this article you will find information about how aNewSpring can be used as an LTI Tool to run your learning journeys in another LMS via LTI 1.3.

If you would like to read more about running aNewSpring in an external system by using LTI 1.1, read the following article: Playing aNewSpring in another system using LTI 1.1 (Provider). Here you can also read more about the (dis)advantages of using LTI.

Short introduction about LTI 1.3

LTI 1.3 is an extension of previous versions of LTI, aiming to provide a more secure and reliable way to integrate platforms with other Learning Management Systems. LTI 1.3 includes new features such as improved security, support of more tools and improved user privacy.

In order to implement LTI 1.3, the external platform you are connecting to should also support LTI 1.3.


Create the LTI 1.3 configuration

Read below which steps you need to take to create the LTI 1.3 configuration.


1) Make a connection with the external platform

In order to run your aNewSpring courses on external LTI platforms via version 1.3, so being the Tool, you first need to make connection with the external platform.

As a Tool side (aNewSpring) you will deliver the following information to the Platform side:

  • Public Keyset URL
  • Initiate Login URL
  • Redirect URL

These URLs are automatically generated in the settings of your subenvironment.

Registration with external LTI platforms is always done per subenvironment.

Where can you find this information?

Tenants of the learning environment can find this information on the Settings page under under LTI 1.3 configurations. Be sure the correct subenvironment is selected under Environment settings on the Settings page.

Click to view this information. Under LTI tool settings you will find these URLs for the subenvironment:

This information can be shared with the external platform.

Some platforms that support LTI 1.3 require a custom parameter in the Redirection URL . You can find this on the Implementation Institutions page.


2) Create a registration in the external platform

The external platform in which aNewSpring will be played should also create a registration with the aNewSpring learning environment.

To do this, the required URLs must be entered on the side of the external platform, as stated in the previous step. By entering this information in the external platform, the following information will be rendered on the side of the external platform:

  • ClientID
  • DeploymentID
  • Issuer
  • Access Token URL
  • Authentication Request URL
  • Public Keyset URL

3) Enter the data in the LTI registration in aNewSpring

The data from Step 2 should now be added to the registration in aNewSpring. You should also give the configuration a name. You can decide the name yourself.

This is what a tenant of the learning environment can do. Go to the Settings page and click the Manage LTI 1.3 configurations button. Then click the blue button.

Enter all the information you received from the external platform here. You can also choose whether the reset option should be enabled. This allows that the achieved results on a course can be reset via a resource link ID . This setting is optional.

Click to create the configuration.

LMS ID

The LMS ID can be used optionally. A learner who gets access through LTI, will get an account in aNewSpring. To recognise the learner in both systems, they will need an external ID. The LMS ID will be placed before this code to make sure that the user is always unique.


4) The LTI configuration is now ready to be used

After both registrations (in both platforms) have been created with the correct data, a secure connection has now been created between both platforms.
From now on you can run aNewSpring courses in an external system.


The next steps

Now that the LTI 1.3 configuration has been created, further setup can be done, such as setting up the activity that sends the end result to the external system and sharing the correct LTI data.

This almost works the same as for the LTI 1.1 connection.

1) Select an activity that sends the end result to the other LMS

To send a result when the learning journey has been finished, you can select an activity that will send the LTI result to the other LMS.

To do this, go to the Templates tab and click Edit at the template. Go to the Template settings tab and expand Advanced settings.

Then select an activity at Base course grade on.

It has been defined in the LTI specification that a grade from 0 to 1 can be sent upon completion. It depends on the activity type what score will be send to the LTI platform.

Assessment
When 80% of the questions has been answered correctly in an assessment, the score that will be sent is 0.8. It's up to the LMS to interpret this the right way.

If you create an assessment that allows for multiple attempts, the score will be send to the other LMS after each attempt.

Lesson
If you create a lesson without questions, you will always receive a score of 0.0 because lessons do not have scores. If you want a lesson to send a score of 1.0 to the LTI Platform, you can use the following solution:
Add an assessment to the end of your learning journey, and set 'Measure score by' to 'None' in the activity settings. Add a multiple choice question in which the learner can only select one correct answer:


Do you want the whole journey to be completed before they can start this activity? You can use conditions.

Activity with assessments of instructors
The score will only be sent to the LTI platform during an active session. So when you set up an activity which needs to be assessed by an instructor, the result would not be sent to the LTI platform immediately after assessing when there is no active session. The learner has to reopen the learning journey via LTI again to send the result to the LTI platform.

You can also set the activity for Base course grade on when learners already started the learning journey. For those who have already completed this activity, there will be no score send to the LTI platform.

The 'Score publishing service' has also been added to the Tool side. This means that a learners most recent score is published in the external platform.


2) Get the LTI information from aNewSpring

The LTI Platform side will need the following information:

  • Public Keyset URL
  • Initiate Login URL
  • Redirect URL

Learners that will take part through LTI, will be subscribed to the course. Before you can get your LTI information form aNewSpring, the templates should be published and you should have created a course.

Go to the Settings of the course.

You will find the necessary LTI information under Export.You can find the information under LTI 1.3 configurations. Select the correct configuration to see that correct LTI data.

LTI information with custom parameters
If the other system supports custom parameters, you can use this link. You will need to send the custom parameter course to give learners direct access.

LTI information without custom parameters
This variety of the information works without a custom parameter. Instead, the external ID is appended to the the LTI link.

The course is identified by the LTI ID. This is a code that is taken over in the link or custom parameter. If you want to add a recognizable name or title in this, you can change the LTI ID in the Advanced settings.


LTI Learners in aNewSpring

When a learner gets subscribed to the course through LTI, a user account will be created in aNewSpring.
The first name, last name and email address will be stored and the account will have an external ID. This external ID is used to recognise the learner in both systems and this way they can continue their learning journey later. Once the learner has finished the activity that the course grade is based on, aNewSpring can send the results.

Learner subscriptions through LTI also cost a licence.