LON-CAPA Help

A domain coordinator determines whether External Tools which support the LTI (Learning Tool Interoperability) standard should be available in each course type, or in specific course(s), and also whether definition and configuration of such tools are permitted within your course.

External Tools may have been defined at a domain level for use in your course, and if so, the options which can be set when including one of the available tools within a course or community, will also have been set in the domain.

The full range of options which may be available to the Coordinator in the course or community are:

• Display target
  • iframe - the tool will be launched within the standard interface, (i.e., inline menu including navigation controls, and links/icons)

  • tab - a page containing a link to launch the tool will be displayed in a separate web browser tab.

  • window - a page containing a link to launch the tool will be displayed in a separate web browser window.

• Display options - if display is tab or window, additional options may be available:
  • Link Text - the text used in the link which launches the tool

  • Explanation - optional text block (HTML mark-up can be used) displayed below the link

  • Width/Height - if display is window, width and height of the new window can be set by specifying the number of pixels to use for each.

• Course label - e.g., institutional course code (sent on launch of tool)

• Course title - Course Title

• Append to URL - you can specify text to append to the default URL (shown) which will be requested on launch.

• Gradable - if a tool is used in Main Content, you can choose whether to accept scores passed back by the tool, if the domain configuration specified availability of a passback service.

• Title - title to use for tool instance on the Course Contents page.

If External Tools can be used in the course's domain, you will choose either "Defined in domain" or "Defined in course" to populate the "Select" drop-down list with a list of available tools. Choose the name of the tool you wish to use from the drop-down list. Doing so will cause the options for the tool to be displayed. If display is in an iframe, by default, but you are permitted to choose one of the other types, then click tab or window will cause additional elements to be displayed.

For tools defined in the domain, your domain coordinator can tell you what data are sent to the external tool when it is displayed. Typically, though, this will include the username of the user, as well as the user's current "LTI" role. For tools defined in the course, you can see what data are sent ny using Settings > Course Settings > Display ("External Tools" checked).

LTI uses a more restricted set of roles - Instructor, Content Developer, Teaching Assistant or Learner - than are available in LON-CAPA. For tools defined in the domain, your domain coordinator will have decided on the mapping to an LTI role to be used for each standard LON-CAPA role. At a minimum you can expect that Course Coordinator (LON-CAPA) will map to Instructor (LTI), Student (LON-CAPA) will map to Learner (LTI).

Under the LTI protocol, the user's identity, as well as the course context, will be sent to the external tool in an encrypted form, and the tool (the LTI Provider) will trust the user's identity and role sent from LON-CAPA (the LTI Consumer), and then assign appropriate privileges to the user within the tool.