This article applies to LTI 1.1 only
Learning Tools Interoperability (LTI) allows you to embed Talis Elevate easily within your Virtual Learning Environment. Talis Elevate has been tried and tested by the Talis team within Moodle, Canvas, and Blackboard, but any other VLE which supports LTI should also be expected to work.
Initially, Talis will need to set some configuration to allow your Talis Elevate tenancy to link into your VLE safely and securely. After this setup, you will be provided with credentials which will allow you to complete the configuration within your VLE itself.
Checklist
Before configuring your VLE, please make sure you have the following pieces of data:
- LTI Key & Secret
- LTI Launch URL
- Your tenancy shortcode
Configuration key points
Every VLE behaves differently, and and organises their LTI configuration in unique ways. A few key technical points to bear in mind if you run into any issues:
- Talis Elevate LTI uses LTI Deep Linking. This is a particular type of launch, and your LTI config needs to be configured to know that it should perform a Deep Link launch. Historically this used to be known as a "Content Item" launch.
- Role information must be sent with the LTI launch. Talis Elevate has a default set of roles it will use to identify which users can create a new LTI resource. More roles can be added (or roles removed) to suit the needs of your VLE - please raise a support ticket if you would like these changed. The default roles are:
- urn:lti:instrole:ims/lis/Administrator
- urn:lti:role:ims/lis/TeachingAssistant
- urn:lti:instrole:ims/lis/Instructor
- urn:lti:role:ims/lis/ContentDeveloper
Universal setup
Each VLE will have its own unique user interface where the LTI settings will be configured, but they will all consist of the same basic features.
The LTI Key & Secret will securely identify your particular tenancy, so that LTI data can only be exchanged between Talis Elevate and your VLE. If you have not received your Key & Secret yet, please contact Talis Support.
The LTI Launch URL is the entry point for an LTI Launch. This will always take the following format where <shortcode> is your tenancy shortcode:
https://hierarchy.talis.com/1/<shortcode>/integrations/lti1/2/assets/tp-content-item-tool/1
Custom Fields: This may be named differently within each VLE, but there will be a text area allowing you to input custom fields for the LTI integration. This must include the following custom field:
inst_short_code=<shortcode>
Your tenancy shortcode is a unique identifier representing your institution within Talis Elevate. If you are not sure what your shortcode is, please contact Talis Support.
Quickstart Setup
Some VLEs (currently Canvas and Moodle) will auto-configure much of your LTI setup for you via a URL which returns configuration data. This URL can always be found at the following address where <shortcode> is your tenancy shortcode:
https://app.talis.com/1/<shortcode>/lti/content-item-tool/config.xml
Canvas Setup - Step by Step
- Log in to Canvas
- Select the Canvas account you wish to manage
- Open the 'Settings'
- Select the 'Apps' tab at the top of the settings screen
- Click 'View App Configurations'
- Click 'Add App'
- Change the 'Configuration Type' to 'By URL'
- Enter the key and secret supplied to you by Talis
- Enter the URL where <shortcode> is replaced with your tenant code.
https://app.talis.com/1/<shortcode>/lti/content-item-tool/config.xml
- Once the App is configured you will need to open the settings for the app and add a custom parameter, again replacing <shortcode> with your actual shortcode.
inst_short_code=<shortcode>
Moodle - Things to watch
- Make sure that after using the XML url to configure the moodle tool, you also ensure that the content-item tool checkbox is selected on the tool provider setup page.
- This is of particular importance to users that have Google Chrome version 80 or above, and is likely to also be implemented in other browsers as they become more secure. It is important that any cookies that Moodle sets are secure cookies. There is an option in Moodle that is a checkbox and says it 'defaults to yes'. In our experience it is best to actually tick the box in order to force moodle to use secure cookies. Without secure cookies, users may not be able to complete the LTI content selection process.
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