LTI specification establishes a way to integrate external learning applications, like Turnitin, TutorKit, and ALEKS, with Buzz.
Buzz allows administrators to integrate entire domains with LTI tools, so that teachers and other course authors can link to LTI activities.
This article covers how course authors can link to individual LTI activities within a course:
Create LTI 1.1 activities
Note: Buzz has actively supported 1EdTech (formerly IMS) Global's LTI specification since it was created in 2010. Buzz is an 1EdTech-certified LTI 1.1 learning platform, which allows you to access other LTI-certified tools from within Buzz.
In 2019, 1EdTech (formerly IMS) announced that its LTI 1.3 and LTI Advantage specifications, which provide additional functionality and security, would replace the soon-to-be deprecated LTI 1.1 specification. Buzz continues to support LTI 1.1, and Buzz is also now an 1EdTech-certified platform for LTI 1.3 and LTI Advantage.
In order to create activities with LTI 1.1, the LTI service must provide you with:
- The website to which you should point the activity (the hostname).
- An LTI Key and LTI Secret or an LTI Configuration XML. If the LTI is configured at the Domain, you don't need to use it here.
When you have this data, follow the steps below.
If you want to create a Turnitin activity using LTI 1.1: How do I create a Turnitin activity (LTI 1.1)?
1. Add the activity using LTI 1.1 Key and Secret
- Add an activity to the desired folder and choose the Custom Activity type.
- In the Custom Activity editor, select Website under the Content card of the Activity tab.
- In the Website URL field, enter the hostname URL provided by the LTI service you're using.
- Check the Digitally sign the request for LTI box.
- If your LTI is configured at the Domain, you can leave the Supply LTI Key/secret for this activity unchecked. If it isn't, check the box and:
- Enter the Key and Secret in the appropriate fields, or
- Click Load LTI configuration and paste the Configuration XML information into its field and click Parse XML to automatically populate the Key and Secret fields.
- Click Save when you finish making other edits to your activity.
If you check the Popup in a new window box for the activity, users are prompted in the Buzz window to navigate to the new window. If you link to this activity from another activity, users are not prompted and Buzz just opens the new window.
2. Configure the LTI 1.1 activity
Once you've created the assignment, click the Activities tool and open it. For some LTI services, like Turnitin, Buzz opens the LTI service's dashboard where you can configure your assignment. If not, you can build the activity using the service's website, and opening it here allows you to preview the activity.
Consult the LTI service's directions for activity creation.
Create LTI 1.3 activities
You can create LTI 1.3 activities in three ways:
- Create LTI 1.3 activities in the course Editor using the tool's hostname URL, as outlined below.
- Create LTI links in a course using the Add activity screen if the LTI 1.3 tool supports Deep Linking, as outlined below.
- Import LTI-link activities from a 1EdTech (formerly IMS) Common Cartridge file that a tool-provider provides.
1. Create LTI 1.3 activities with tool hostname
To create LTI 1.3 activities with the tool hostname, your administrator must configure the LTI1.3 integration at the Domain. Once that is set up, you can:
- Add an activity to the desired folder and choose the Custom Activity type.
- In the Custom Activity editor, select Website under the Content card of the Activity tab.
- In the Website URL field, enter the hostname URL provided by the LTI service you're using (such as https://api.turnitin.com if you are integrating with Turnitin).
- Check the Digitally sign the request for LTI box.
- Click Save when you finish making other edits to your activity.
If you check the Popup in a new window box for the activity, users are prompted in the Buzz window to navigate to the new window. If you link to this activity from another activity, users are not prompted and Buzz just opens the new window.
2. Configure the activity
Once you've created the assignment, click the Activities tool and open it. For some LTI services, like Turnitin, Buzz opens the LTI service's dashboard where you can configure your assignment. If not, you can build the activity using the service's website, and opening it here allows you to preview the activity.
Consult the LTI service's directions for activity creation.
Create LTI links in a course
In order to create LTI links using the Add activity screen, the tool has to support Deep Linking and be configured for LTI 1.3 either at the domain by an administrator, or at the course level by you, as outlined below.
1. Configure Course settings for LTI 1.3 tools
If the LTI 1.3 tool is configured at the domain, you can skip to the next step. If not, you must first configure the LTI 1.3 tool in Course settings:
- Click Add on the External tools (LTI 1.3) card.
- Provide the following:
- Tool Title as you want it to appear.
- A Description of the tool.
- A DNS Tool hostname (such as api.turnitin.com).
- The following fields are provided by the tool: ClientID, OpenID connect login URL, Tool key set URL, Tool redirect URL.
- In the User data sent at launch dropdown, check the boxes next to the user data you want included:
- Given name
- Family name
- Display name
- In the LTI services dropdown, check the boxes next to the services included in the tool:
- Assignment and grade
- Names and role provisioning
- Deep linking
- This section provides the values that the LTI provider needs; copy them with the Copy icon, and provide what is requested.
- Some tools require additional POST parameters. You can add those using Add custom parameter during setup. Click the button and add the Parameter name and Value for each.
- Click Enabled once everything is completed to activate the LTI tool.
- Click Done and Save the Course settings.
- If an LTI 1.3 tool supports Deep Linking, and is configured at the domain or at the course level, you can create LTI links in a course using the Add activity screen. Learn more.
2. Deep linking LTI 1.3 activities
If an LTI 1.3 tool supports Deep Linking, and is configured at the domain or at the course level, you can create LTI links in a course using the Add activity screen.
- Select the External tools tab that appears in the Add activity screen if an LTI tool that allows creating activities is configured in your domain.
- Click the tool (Tii sandbox in this example) to launch its activity creation screen from the tool vendor's site.
- Create your activity and add it to your Buzz course. Buzz creates the new LTI activities in Buzz, so you can customize them with gradebook, visibility, due-date, or any other settings in Buzz's Activity editor.
Note: Each vendor's activity creation tool is different; this example shows TurnItIn's tool.
Related articles
Teachers:
Admins:
- How do I integrate my domain with LTI 1.1 and 1.3 tools (like Turnitin) with Buzz?
- How do I migrate from LTI 1.1 to LTI 1.3?
Tips
- Some LTIs, like Turnitin, don't trigger a notification when a student submits an assignment. To make sure you know when your students have submitted an LTI activity, create a companion activity in Buzz that asks students to Mark this activity complete once they've submitted the LTI activity.