Using LTI 1.3 integration with Schoology

In this article, you'll learn how to set up and use the LTI 1.3 tool in Schoology LMS. 

• What does the LTI 1.3 app do?
• How to set up the LTI 1.3 app in Schoology
• Adding content from ThingLink to Schoology
• Accessing ThingLink from Schoology

What does the LTI 1.3 app do?

The LTI 1.3 app allows you to pick a piece of content from your account and embed it into your LMS materials without having to use the embed code. However, note that it will automatically create a ThingLink account for any viewer to ensure that they can access the content. See this article for more info on the integration.

In addition to the easy content embedding via deep linking, the LTI 1.3 app also optionally allows your users to access ThingLink from Schoology without having to go through the registration process - the account will be created automatically based on the Schoology account data.

How to set up the LTI 1.3 app in Schoology

Note that you need an admin account on both ThingLink and Schoology before you can configure the integration. If you do not have admin rights for your organization's ThingLink license, contact the person responsible for managing your organization's ThingLink account or submit a request here.

Part 1: prepare a connection on ThingLink

1. Log in to your ThingLink account and go to the Organization page, then open the Integrations tab and scroll down to LTI 1.3 connections.
2. Click the blue 'Add new' button to create a new connection.
3. This will bring up a new form. Enter anything in the 'Connection name' field, then click the blue 'Add' button. You'll need to fill in the rest of the form later.
4. Click the 'View details' button next to the connection you've created. This will show different credentials that you need to connect ThingLink to your LMS:
   

Part 2: initial app setup in Schoology

1. Log in to Schoology as an administrator.
2. Open the App Center by clicking the 4 squares button and selecting 'App Center'
   
3. Select 'My Developer Apps' then click '+ Add App'
4. Fill out the app registration form:
   • App Name: up to you, but note that this will be visible to your users. Recommended name: ThingLink.
   • Description: up to you.
   • Category: up to you. The selected options do not affect any functionality by default.
   • Available for: Only people in my school.
   • This app uses cookies: no.
   • App logo: you can download the logo here or from the 'Attachments' section at the end of this article.
   • Type of App: select 'LTI 1.3 App' and check the 'Launch app in Schoology' box.
   • Can be installed for: select Left Navigation (so users can sign in to ThingLink via Schoology), Course Materials Selection and Rich Text Editor. For Left Navigation, click 'Overwrite Domain/URL' and enter the following URL: https://www.thinglink.com/lti1p3/launch?t=landing
     
     
   • Configuration Type: Manual
   • Privacy: Send Name and Email/Username of user who launches the tool
   • LTI Advantage Extensions: select 'Deep Linking' and 'Names and Roles Services'
   • Tool Public Key: leave empty.
   • JWKS URL: https://www.thinglink.com/lti1p3/.well-known/jwks.json
   • Domain/URL: https://www.thinglink.com
   • Custom parameters: leave empty.
   • OIDC Login Init URL: go back to ThingLink, find the 'Initiate login URL' for the connection you set up in Part 1 Step 4, copy it, and paste it into the OIDC Login Init URL field on Schoology. This URL is unique for each connection.
   • Redirect URLs: https://www.thinglink.com/lti1p3/launch
   • Accept the terms of service and click Save at the end

Part 3: get connection details from Schoology

Once you save the app, you should be redirected to the app inside the "App Center". You will need to copy some data from this page:

1. Select 'Options' 
2. Select 'API info' from the drop-down menu.
3. Save the Client ID from the popup window or keep this tab open - you will need it later.
   
   
4. Go back to App Center  -> My Developer Apps
5. Click 'Install LTI 1.3 App' next to the ThingLink app you configured.
6. Agree to install the app when prompted
7. Select the "Add to Organization" option when prompted 
8. Click the 'Configure' button next to the app
9. Copy or save the Deployment ID

Part 4: fill out the connection details on ThingLink

Go back to ThingLink and fill out the connection form:

• Issuer / PlatformID: https://schoology.schoology.com
• Client ID: enter your Client ID from Part 3 Step 3
• Deployment ID: enter your Deployment ID from Part 3 Step 9
• Platform keyset URL: https://lti-service.svc.schoology.com/lti-service/.well-known/jwks
• Access token URL: https://lti-service.svc.schoology.com/lti-service/access-token
• Authentication request URL: https://lti-service.svc.schoology.com/lti-service/authorize-redirect

Click 'Save' once you've added all the required information. 

Part 5: Install the app to your courses and test it

1. Install the app to your test course or to all courses
2. Navigate to the course where you've installed the app
3. Select 'Add materials', then select the ThingLink app 
4. You should see a popup window with all content from your ThingLink account. Hover over the content you wish to add and click 'Send' 

If the LTI app was set up correctly & the content you've selected is not private, you will be able to interact with it directly from Schoology.

Adding content from ThingLink to Schoology

Once the app has been configured and installed to your course, you can embed your ThingLink content using the 'Add Materials button.

1. Open your course
2. Select 'Add materials', then select the ThingLink app
3. A new popup window with your ThingLink content will appear. Hover over the content you wish to add to Schoology and click 'Send'
4. A new material will be created. If the content you've selected is set to 'Public' or 'Unlisted' visibility setting, it will be displayed directly within Schoology. If it's set to 'Private' or 'My organization' setting, you and your students will see a button prompting them to open the material on ThingLink. Users will be authenticated automatically to ensure they can view the content.

You can also add your ThingLink content to a Page, a Discussion, or an Assignment. To do this, use the 'Insert Content' button when editing the material and select 'ThingLink', then select the content you would like to add. Note that content added this way will always be displayed as a link.

Accessing ThingLink from Schoology

You can also use the LTI app to allow your users easy access to ThingLink. If you have created a course navigation placement, your users will see ThingLink in courses' left navigation menu. They can simply open the tool and then open ThingLink in a new tab:

This will automatically create a user account based on the user's Schoology profile information and connect the account to your ThingLink license. If the user already has an account, they will be signed in.