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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 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 is also now an 1EdTech-certified platform for LTI 1.3 and LTI Advantage.
Buzz allows admins to integrate entire domains with LTI tools, so that teachers and other course authors can link to LTI activities. This article covers how to migrate both configurations from LTI 1.1 to LTI 1.3.
As of Dec 2020, 1EdTech no longer certifies LTI 1.1 products. Buzz's LTI 1.1 certification expires in Dec 2021.
Best practices for migrating from LTI 1.1 to LTI 1.3
- You can migrate a tool only if the tool provider supports LTI 1.3. Check with the provider to verify support before migrating a tool.
- You do not have to migrate all tools at once; you can upgrade tools that support 1.3 in any order you please.
- For domain-configured tools, practice migration in a sandbox to avoid disruption of service (instructions below).
- Buzz does not currently impose a deadline by which you must migrate. However, if a tool provider supports LTI 1.3, we recommend that you migrate as soon as possible.
Migrating from LTI 1.1 to LTI 1.3
Even though Buzz supports LTI 1.3, not all tools do. Fortunately, the migration process is flexible, so you can migrate some tools while leaving others alone. This section covers how to:
- Migrate domain-configured tools (Admin app)
- Migrate activity-defined tools (Teacher app)
Migrate domain-configured tools (Admin app)
When enabled, LTI 1.3 tools take effect on your domain immediately. If you enable a tool that is incorrectly configured, you can disrupt service for all end-users that use that tool.
We suggest that you first practice the migration on a sample sandbox course so that you can verify the migration without disrupting use.
Create a sandbox course and test the LTI 1.3 configuration
To create a sandbox course with LTI 1.3 tools:
- Copy an existing course that contains LTI 1.1 activities for the tool to migrate.
- Name your copy something like [Tool name] sandbox.
- Open Course Settings for the sandbox course.
- On the External tools (LTI 1.3) card, click Add and complete the form for the tool.
- Save.
To test the LTI 1.3 configuration:
- Open the Activities tool for the sandbox course.
- Launch one or more of the LTI activities and verify that they display correctly.
- Create a test student enrollment in the sandbox course.
- Sign in as that student, and open the Activities tool for the sandbox course and verify that they display correctly.
Finalize the migration
When you have successfully verified that your sandbox course configuration is correct, proceed to migrate the tool on the domain.
- Open Domain Settings and verify that the tool you want to migrate is listed on the LTI 1.1 tools card.
- Follow the instructions for configuring LTI 1.3 tools. (If you used a sandbox course, you can copy the configuration from that course.)
Note: Checking the Enabled box for an LTI 1.3 tool that uses the same hostname as an existing LTI 1.1 tool automatically overrides the 1.1 tool's configuration.
If the 1.3 configuration doesn't work, disable it while you resolve the issues; when 1.3 is disabled, the 1.1 configuration is automatically reenabled, so service is not disrupted.
- Verify the new configuration works:
- After saving your configuration, refresh your browser to activate the new Domain settings.
- Open the Activities tool for a course that contains LTI links to the tool.
- Launch one or more of the activities and verify that they display correctly.
- When you are confident that the new tool configuration works, you can delete the 1.1 credential by:
- Re-opening Domain settings.
- Deleting the 1.1 credential.
- Clicking Save.
Migrate activity-defined tools (Teacher app)
To migrate an LTI 1.1 activity to LTI 1.3:
- Open the Activity editor for the activity you want to migrate.
- In the Content card, make a note of the hostname in the Website URL field (such as api.turnitin.com) for that activity, and then close the Activity editor.

- Open Course settings.
- On the External tools (LTI 1.3) card, check for an existing tool that uses the hostname you verified in the activity above.
- If the tool exists, skip to step 7; otherwise, continue with step 5.
- Click Add on the External tools (LTI 1.3) card.

- Provide the information described in the instructions for configuring LTI 1.3 tools for domains, and Save the Course settings.
Note: Checking the Enabled box for an LTI 1.3 tool that uses the same hostname as an existing LTI 1.1 tool automatically overrides the 1.1 tool's configuration.
If the 1.3 configuration doesn't work, disable it while you resolve the issues; when 1.3 is disabled, the 1.1 configuration is automatically reenabled, so service is not disrupted.
- Verify the new configuration works:
- Open the Activities tool the course.
- Launch the activity and verify everything displays correctly.
- When you are confident that the new tool configuration works, you can delete the 1.1 credential by:
- Re-opening the Activity editor for the activity.
- Unchecking Supply LTI key/secret for this activity box.
- Clicking Save.
