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Requesting Integration of External Apps (LTI's) in ISU Canvas

Summary

Learning Tools Interoperability (LTI) is a standard created by the IMS Global Learning Consortium. An LTI shares content, resources, and/or other information from a third-party website with a learning management system (LMS). Its primary purpose is to connect learning systems with external services. Canvas calls these integrated platforms “external apps”.

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Description

This article provides instructions on how to request an LMS Integration of External Apps in ISU Canvas at Idaho State University (ISU).

Learning Tools Interoperability (LTI) is a standard created by the IMS Global Learning Consortium (external link) . An LTI shares content, resources, and/or other information from a third-party website with a learning management system (LMS). Its primary purpose is to connect learning systems with external services. Canvas calls these integrated platforms "external apps".

Guide Navigation

LTI Integration Requirements
Support levels for external applications
Requesting installation of a new external app
Vendor Risk Review
Accessibility Review
Customer Support Review
ISU Systems Impact Review
Approved Integrations
Integrations under review
Additional Information

LTI Integration Requirements

All external applications must complete institutional review before being added to ISU Canvas.

Required review areas

Vendor Risk Review
Accessibility Review
Customer Support Review
ISU Systems Impact Review

Required LTI Standard

New LTI integrations must comply with the LTI version 1.3 standard.

Not permitted

Integrations requiring unrestricted access tokens or using previous, deprecated versions of the LTI standard are not allowed. Please see the Security Update and Deprecation Schedule for Early Versions of LTI (external link) .
Existing LTI integrations that use deprecated versions of the LTI standard may temporarily remain in use while ISU works with the vendor to upgrade to LTI 1.3.

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Support levels for external applications

Site-Supported Apps

Site-supported apps are:

Paid for by ISU
Supported by ISU
Available institution-wide

Faculty support is typically provided through the ITRC.

Course or Department-Level Apps

Course and department-level apps are:

Paid for by individual departments
Supported by the requesting department or vendor

Warning: Faculty are not permitted to independently install course-level LTI integrations in ISU Canvas.

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Requesting installation of a new external app

Request Form

LMS Integrations of External Apps Request Form (external link)

Review Timeline

Each department/course-level integration request will be reviewed based on risk, accessibility, support, and impact on ISU systems. If an integration does not meet ISU expectations in any one of these areas, the request will be rejected.
Integration reviews take at least 4 weeks from the time the request is submitted but may be extended due to vendor delays or peak academic periods (start of term, midterms, finals, etc.)

Required vendor documentation

HECVAT or SOC 2 report
Security policy
Privacy policy
VPAT
Accessibility policy (if available)
Support documentation
Vendor contact information
System status page (if available)

Required institutional details

Estimated users (faculty, students, courses)
Functionality description
Implementation time line
Costs
Responsible department

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Vendor Risk Review

Requirements

Requestors must obtain one of the following from the vendor:
- HECVAT
- SOC2 from the vendor.
Note: If neither document is available, the request will be rejected.

What these evaluate

Information security
Cybersecurity controls
Data privacy
Protection of personally identifiable information (PII)
System availability and integrity

Optional Documents

In addition to the required documentation, vendors are encouraged to provide:

Privacy Policy or Statement: Relays any rights users have on the platform to control their personal information.
Security Policy or Statement: A public information page that relays the vendor’s ability to protect sensitive data and other information during interactions on their platform.

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Accessibility Review

Vendors must provide a VPAT. Note: If a VPAT is not provided, the request will be rejected.

Optional: Accessibility Policy or Statement: A public information page that relays the vendor’s internal organizational policies, accessibility goals, and past successes when it comes to serving and working with people who have disabilities.

Accessibility Compliance

ISU’s Electronic and Information Technology Accessibility Policy (external link)
Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

More Information

The Vendor Product Accessibility Template (external link) (VPAT) is a document that explains how information and communication technology (ICT) products such as software, hardware, electronic content, and support documentation meet (conform to) the Revised 508 Standards (external link) for IT accessibility.

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Customer Support Review

Required vendor information:

Support documentation or help site that includes step-by-step guides or knowledge base articles.
Customer Service Contact information
Vendor representative contact
[Optional] A Status page is a communication platform where users can subscribe to receive notifications about incidents or outages, eliminating the need to contact support for updates.

Optional Documentation

Vendors are encouraged to provide:

System status page
Outage notification services

Warning: While ISU enables many integrations of 3rd-party tools with the Learning Management System (LMS), ISU does not assume the support role for all external tools. Refer to the approved integrations table for support responsibilities.

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ISU Systems Impact Review

Requestors must provide:

Expected number of faculty users
Expected number of student users
Expected number of courses to use the app
Desired implementation date
Costs to students or ISU

Evaluation considerations

ISU staff will assess:

Integration type (LTI 1.3 preferred)
Compatibility with ISU Canvas features (assignments, navigation, deep linking, etc.)
Duplication of existing tools or functionality