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Using LTI integrations with Blackboard

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In this article, you'll learn how to set up and use LTI 1.1 and LTI 1.3 integrations with Blackboard.

Note that you must be an admin on both Blackboard and ThingLink.

 

What's the difference between LTI 1.1 and LTI 1.3? 

LTI 1.1 allows your users to sign into their ThingLink accounts by simply clicking a button in your LMS. See this article for more information on what data the integration uses. 

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

How to set up the LTI 1.1 tool in Blackboard

Log into Blackboard with an admin account. Go to System Admin - Integrations - LTI Tool Providers, click 'Register LTI 1.1 Tool Provider', and fill out the form.

  • Provider domain: www.thinglink.com
  • Provider domain status: Approved
  • Secondary Hostnames: leave blank
  • Default configuration: Set globally 
  • Tool Provider Key: copy and paste OAuth Consumer Key from ThingLink
  • Tool Provider Secret: copy and paste OAuth Secret from ThingLink
  • Tool Provider Custom Parameters: leave blank 
  • Send user data: Send user data over any connection
  • User Fields to Send: Role in Course, Name, Email Address. This information will be used to set up user accounts on ThingLink.
  • Allow Membership Service Access: No
  • Show User Acknowledgment Message: up to you. The recommended setting is No.

Click 'Submit' and you'll be taken to the LTI Tool Providers. Hover over the www.thinglink.com domain, click the expand button and select Manage placements. Click 'Create placement' and fill out the form:

  • Label: enter anything, e.g. Go to ThingLink or ThingLink login.
  • Description: enter anything, e.g. Click here to log in to ThingLink.
  • Handle: any unique value, e.g. thinglink11.
  • Availability: Yes
  • Type: Course tool. Check the 'Allow student access' box if you'd like students to be able to use the integration.
  • Check the 'Launch in new window' box.
  • Tool provider URL: https://www.thinglink.com/auth/lti/
  • Tool Provider Key and Tool Provider Secret should be populated automatically.
  • Tool Provider Custom Parameters: leave blank.

Once you've set up the tool, instructors should be able to enable it for their courses. Once enabled, it should appear on the 'Tools' page:

mceclip2.pngIf it does not appear or you get an error when trying to use it, please make sure that you've approved the tool:

  •  Go to System Admin > Integrations: LTI Tool Providers and check if the 'www.thinglink.com provider domain's status is "Approved". 
  • Go to System Admin > Tools and Utilities: Tools and make sure that you've enabled 'LTI', 'LTI link' tools. Find the ThingLink placement you've created and make sure that it is available, too.
  • Ask the instructor(s) to check if they've enabled LTI, LTI link and the ThingLink placement for their course. This can be done by opening the course and going to Course Management > Control panel > Customization > Tool availability.

How to set up the LTI 1.3 tool in Blackboard

Once you are ready to set up the integration, follow the instructions below. 

  1. Log in to your ThingLink account, go to Organization - Integrations - LTI 1.3 connection and click 'Add new'. Enter anything, e.g. 'Blackboard test' in the 'Connection name' field and click the blue 'Add' button.
  2. Log in to your Blackboard account. Note that you must have admin rights to set up a new LTI tool.
  3. In Blackboard, go to Administrator panel - Integrations - LTI Tool Providers.
  4. Click 'Register LTI 1.3/Advantage Tool' and enter the following Client ID: 381f9d8c-dc82-4172-b8df-36534e60e6ee and click Submit.
  5. All fields in Tool Status should be populated automatically:
    blackboard_lti13_tool_status_blurred.png
    Feel free to change the name or description but do not change other fields. You do not need to provide any custom parameters.
  6. Scroll down to Institution Policies. Under user fields, check all boxes (Role in Course, Name, Email Address). This information will be used to set up user accounts and log them in to ThingLink. Do not allow grade service access, Membership Service access and do not Show User Acknowledgment Message.mceclip0.png
  7.  Copy the Deployment ID and click submit.
  8. Go back to ThingLink and find the connection you've set up in step 1. Click 'View details', scroll down to 'Platform specific parameters' and fill out the form:
    • Issuer / PlatformID: https://blackboard.com
    • Client ID: 381f9d8c-dc82-4172-b8df-36534e60e6ee
    • Deployment ID: paste the Deployment ID from the 'Tool status' page (see step 5)
    • Platform keyset URL: https://developer.blackboard.com/api/v1/management/applications/381f9d8c-dc82-4172-b8df-36534e60e6ee/jwks.json
    • Authentication request URL: https://developer.blackboard.com/api/v1/gateway/oidcauth 
    • Access token URL: https://developer.blackboard.com/api/v1/gateway/oauth2/jwttoken
  9. Click Save.
  10. Go back to Blackboard Administrator panel - Integrations - LTI Tool Providers. Select the menu option that appears next toThingLink. Go to Manage Placements.
  11. There should be 2 automatically created placements called 'ThingLink content selector' and 'ThingLink course tool'. If there are no placements, click 'Create placement' and follow steps 12-13.
  12. (Optional) Create a Deep Linking content tool placement  
    •  Label: enter the name for the ThingLink app, e.g. 'ThingLink'. This will be shown to your teachers/faculty and students.
    • Description: enter anything or leave it empty. The description will be shown to the students if they have access to the tool.
    • Handle: this is a unique identifier for the placement. Enter any alphanumeric characters.
    • Availability: select 'Yes'.
    • Type: select 'Deep linking content tool'. Check the 'Allow student access box' if you'd like students to be able to add their own ThingLinks via this tool.
    • Do not check the 'Launch in New Window' box.
    • Target Link URI: https://www.thinglink.com/lti1p3/launch
    • Tool Provider Custom Parameters: leave empty
    • Click Submit to add the placement.
  13. (Optional) Create a course tool placement
    •  Label: enter the name for the ThingLink app, e.g. 'ThingLink'.
    • Description: enter anything or leave it empty. The description will be shown to the students if they have access to the tool.
    • Handle: this is a unique identifier for the placement. Enter any alphanumeric characters.
    • Availability: select 'Yes'.
    • Type: select 'Deep linking content tool'. Check the 'Allow student access' box if you'd like students to be able to add their own ThingLinks via this tool.
    • Type: select 'Course tool'. Check 'Allow student access' box if you'd like students to have an easy way to get a ThingLink account.
    • Check the 'Launch in New Window' box. 
    • Target Link URI: https://www.thinglink.com/lti1p3/launch?t=landing
    • Tool Provider Custom Parameters: leave empty
    • Click Submit to add the placement.

How to use the LTI 1.3 tool

Inserting content from ThingLink

You should now be able to use the tool. Go to any course module and turn on Edit Mode. Select 'Build content'. ThingLink content selector should appear in the drop-down menu:

thinglink_placement.png

Click it and you'll see all content from your ThingLink account. Simply hover over any scene and click 'Send' to embed the scene to Blackboard:

gif.gif

If you are using Blackboard Ultra: while editing a course, click the '+' button -> select Content Market -> select 'ThingLink content selector' in Institution Tools -> pick the content from your ThingLink account and click 'Send'.

Signing in to ThingLink using the course tool

If you enabled the course tool placement, you will be able to add a link that opens ThingLink in a new tab and automatically authenticates the user. If the user does not have a ThingLink account yet, it will be created and added to your license automatically.

To add such a link in Blackboard Ultra, do the following:

  1. Open your course and click 'View course & institution tools' under 'Books & Tools'
  2. Pick 'ThingLink course tool' from Available tools

If you are not using Blackboard Ultra or you are using the Original Course View, the ThingLink course tool should appear in the Tools tab.

 

 

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