Learning Tools for Topics

With Learning Tools, Faculty are able to drag and drop a learning tool content type when editing a topic. Add Learning Tool allows the faculty to create a placement for a tool. In addition, you will be allowed to set the following:

  • Pick the Tool Provider from a list of active providers like Microsoft OneNote or TedED.

  • Edit a Tool Title and Tool Description. Tool Title is a required field.

  • Edit the Launch URL for the Tool in some instances. When possible, the URL is required.

  • Edit the Consumer Key and Shared Secret if the provider has set the credential type to Per link.

Note: When editing an LTI tool, the user will no longer be able to modify the provider and URL. This is by design.

Within a topic, students and faculty can select the LTI Tool, which will launch the tool and display the content in a new browser window. In order for that to occur, the following conditions first need to be met:

  • The LTI Tool Status is set to Active.

  • Per link or By domain credentials are properly configured.

  • LTI Tool Available on setting has Topics enabled.

  • The tool does not require custom parameters or support outcomes.

Per link and By domain credentials both give the user options to open in a new window or simply act as a browser redirect. Additionally, a database audit log of launching and landing data is also tracked.

Note: Per link requires that the Customer Key and Shared Secret fields be filled in first in order for Redirect or New Browser to function.

Custom Parameters

Certain tools may ask for additional information that is not part of the standard LTI launch package. Custom parameters can be used to satisfy these requirements as faculty are able to add a list of custom parameters to an LTI tool placement as needed.

LTI specification also supports the idea of custom parameter substitution. Through this method, faculty are able to add special placeholder variables as custom parameters which are then replaced by the corresponding data value once the tool is launched. Custom parameters can also be set on the provider and gallery level as well.

For instance, if the faculty added a custom parameter as name=”groupemail” value= “$group.email”, Academics would replace “$group.email” with a group email address for the class or group, if there was one available.