BasicLTI

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Learning Tools Interoperability (LTI)

IMathAS supports LTI v1.1 (learning tools interoperability) as a tool, and v1.0 as a consumer. It also supports Common Cartridge v1.1 export.

Consumer

The following use-cases describe how to set up and make LTI placements of external tool providers with IMathAS acting as the tool consumer

Admin Creates Tool

A tool is set up for anyone to use

Admin

A user with Administrator or Group Administrator rights will:

  • Go to the Admin page
  • Click on External Tools
  • Click Add a Tool
  • Provide a name for the tool, then provide the URL, key, and secret supplied by the tool provider
  • Set any needed custom parameters, and select the desired privacy level
  • Set the scope: System-wide, or Group members only (Group Admins will not have this option)

The tool will then be available for all instructors within the scope

 

Instructor Creates Tool

A tool is set up for the instructor to use within a course

Teacher

A user with Teacher / Instructor rights will:

  • Add a Linked Text item to their course
  • Under Link Type select External Tool
  • Click Add or Edit an External tool
  • Click Add a Tool
  • Provide a name for the tool, then provide the URL, key, and secret supplied by the tool provider
  • Set any needed custom parameters, and select the desired privacy level

The tool will then be available for use within the scope of that course

Video demo - first part shows using a tool, second part shows adding a new tool

 

Instructor Creates Tool Placements (links)

A placement (instance) of the tool is made in the course

Teacher

A user with Teacher / Instructor rights will:

  • Add a Linked Text item to their course
  • Under Link Type select External Tool
  • Select the tool they wish to use from the pulldown
  • Specify any custom parameters, if needed

After creating the link, the instructor should follow the link to complete any tool-specific link configuration that might be needed

Tool

The following use-cases describe how to set up and make LTI placements of IMathAS as a tool in a TC = Tool consumer (the LMS)

Domain credentials

 Provides a generic IMathAS assessment tool in the TC which can be used with any course.

TC

TC sets up an external tool with a single key/secret that will get used for all instances/placements of that tool  (typically admin, but could also be by instructor)

Instructors create instances/placements of that tool

Placement on launch by the instructor will:

  • Prompt the instructor to link their account with an IMathAS account, if they haven’t already (will give option to create an account depending on rights – see below)
  • Prompt the instructor to link the TC course with an IMathAS course, or create a copy of a template course.
  • Prompt the instructor to link the Placement with an IMathAS assessment, or do a whole-course placement
    • Whole-course placement allows the instructor to make one placement with access to all assessments.  No outcomes reporting is available in this mode.
    • Assessment placement allows the instructor to make each tool placement link to a specific assessment.  Outcomes reporting is available, if supported by the TC
  • Provide the instructor access to preview the assessment, view and edit scores, etc.

Placement on launch by a student will:

  • Create an IMathAS account automatically if not already done
  • Launch the course page or assessment, depending on the placement type.

IMathAS

key/secret is created by system administrator through the Edit LTI Creds link on the Admin page.

Rights note:

If the LTI creds has "can create instructors" set to "no", instructors will not be able to create accounts through the LTI launch

If the LTI creds has "can create instructors" set to "yes", an LTI launch with role Instructor will have limited course creator rights (or other, configurable through $CFG[‘LTI’][‘instrrights’])

 

 

Course Credentials

 Provides an instructor-created IMathAS assessment tool in the TC, specific to one IMathAS course

TC

Instructor sets up an external tool in the TC with a single key/secret that will get used for all instances/placements of that tool.

Instructor creates instances/placements of that tool

Placement on launch by the instructor will:

  • Prompt the instructor to link their account with an IMathAS account, if they haven’t already
  • Prompt the instructor to link the Placement with an IMathAS assessment, or do a whole-course placement
    • Whole-course placement allows the instructor to make one placement with access to all assessments.  No outcomes reporting is available in this mode.
    • Assessment placement allows the instructor to make each tool placement link to a specific assessment.  Outcomes reporting is available, if supported by the TC
  • Provide the instructor access to preview the assessment, view and edit scores, etc.

Placement on launch by a student will:

  • Create an IMathAS account automatically if not already done, or ask the student to create an IMathAS account (depending on key - see below)
  • Launch the course page or assessment, depending on the placement type.

Video demo showing this use case in Canvas

IMathAS

Secret is set by the instructor in the course settings page.

Instructor uses one of these keys, where ### is the course id:

placein_###_0:   Prompts student to link the TC account with an IMathAS account, or create a new account on IMathAS, complete with username and password.

placein_###_1:  Automatically creates an IMathAS account with no offer to link for students.  Student never knows how to log directly into IMathAS

 

 

Common Cartridge Placements

Provides for placement of IMathAS assessments as LTI items in a common catridge file.

TC

Instructor imports a common catridge file containing IMathAS BasicLTI links.

If the TC has domain credentials, those should be used for the key/secret

If no domain credentials, TC prompts the instructor for a key/secret. Instructor uses one of these keys:

placein_###_0:  Where ### is the course id for a course that the importing instructor is a teacher of.   Prompts user to link the TC account with an IMathAS account, or create a new account on IMathAS, complete with username and password.

placein_###_1:  Where ### is the course id for a course that the importing instructor is a teacher of.    Automatically creates an IMathAS account with no offer to link for students.  User never knows how to log directly into IMathAS

Note: An instructor can create a common cartridge export of their IMathAS course by:

  • Clicking Course Items: Export
  • Scrolling to the bottom and selecting Common Cartridge Export
  • Clicking the Create CC Export (using custom fields recommended)

Video demo, importing into BlackBoard, or Video demo, importing into Canvas.

IMathAS

For placein_### type key, secret is set by the instructor in the course settings. For domain credentials, see that use case above.

If an instructor has exported their course and is distributing the common cartridge export, they should not distribute their course placein_### key and secret. If there are not domain credentials established, then the importing instructor should instead create a new course in IMathAS and use that course's placein_### key and secret. Assessments linked to in the CC will automatically be copied into the importing instructor's course.

 

 

 

Special case Tool

The following are less commonly used cases for IMathAS as an LTI Tool.

Instructor links

Provides for the instructor to create an LTI link to a specific resource.

TC

Instructor creates a new BasicLTI placement, and provides key/secret/URL

Instructor uses one of these keys:

cid_###_0:  Course level placement.  Prompts user to link the TC account with an IMathAS account, or create a new account on IMathAS, complete with username and password.

cid_###_1:  Course level placement.   Automatically creates an IMathAS account with no offer to link for students.  User never knows how to log directly into IMathAS

aid_###_0:  Assessment level placement.  Prompts user to link the TC account with an IMathAS account, or create a new account on IMathAS, complete with username and password.

aid_###_1:  Assessment level placement.   Automatically creates an IMathAS account with no offer to link for students.  User never knows how to log directly into IMathAS

 

If a launch is made with ‘Instructor’ role, and is not linked with an account that is an instructor of the course, user will be marked as a “tutor” for the course, and will have access to view and edit grades for students from the same context_id.

Outcomes reporting is available in aid_### type placements

IMathAS

key is as described above, where ### is the course id or assessment id for the desired item.   Secret is set by the instructor in the course settings.

 

 

 

Single Sign-on

Provides single sign-on into IMathAS from the TC

TC

TC uses one of these keys:

sso_username_0:  prompts user to link the TC account with an IMathAS account, or create a new account on IMathAS, complete with username and password (see rights note below)

sso_username_1:  For students, automatically creates an IMathAS account with no offer to link.  User never knows how to log directly into IMathAS.  Instructors are prompted to link the TC account or create a new account.  (see rights note below)

IMathAS

key/secret is created by system administrator through the Edit LTI Creds link on the Admin page.

Rights note:

If the LTI creds has "can create instructors" set to "no", instructors will not be able to create accounts through the LTI launch

If the LTI creds has "can create instructors" set to "yes", an LTI launch with role Instructor will have limited course creator rights (or other, configurable through $CFG[‘LTI’][‘instrrights’])

See BasicLTI in action by viewing a Moodle demo, selecting my test course, logging in as a guest user, and viewing the LTI test placements. If you use a BasicLTI-compliant LMS or portal, you can test out IMathAS by pointing your LMS to http://www.imathas.com/cur/bltilaunch.php with key cid_1_1 or aid_1_1 and secret secret. Access as a student; instructors will be asked for a login.