LTI Approval Process
There is an LTI approval process for all tool requests for addition to Canvas. The approval process for each tool will include reviews for Functionality, Accessibility, Security, FERPA, Legal, and Cost. If you have any questions or concerns, please let us know. (teaching@rice.edu)
What is LTI?
Learning Tools Interoperability (LTI) is a standard set of specifications for allowing third-party learning applications to integrate with educational platforms.
Learning Tools Interoperability (LTI) is a technical standard that makes it possible to integrate third-party vendor tools with your Canvas course. According to IMS, the consortium that maintains the standard, “LTI supports a high level of security for passing data about the users, their institutional enrollment, and roles.”
LTI integrations, or “LTIs” for short, must be installed within the LMS in order to be available to instructors and students. Integrations can be installed at the “root” level – which makes them available to all courses in the LMS – at the “subaccount” level, where only courses provisioned in that subaccount (typically associated with a specific school or program) will have access - or at the course level, which means the tool must be added each semester in every course where it is used.
What is the reviewing process?
- A Rice employee must request the integration. Integrations cannot be initiated by an offer from external vendors without being supported by a request from a Rice faculty or staff member. Integrations cannot be requested by students.
- The requester must have a means to purchase or acquire access to the integration, if a purchase is required. Rice IT usually does not assist with purchasing LTIs for individual or departmental implementation.
- The third-party vendor of the LTI must sign a FERPA agreement. If they want to make any changes to our document, those must be agreed to by the Rice General Council's office.
- Each LTI will also be reviewed for Functionality, Accessibility, Security, and Legal. This requires any contract or term-of-service to be approved by the Rice General Council's office. It also requires both the Accessibility and Security offices to sign off on it.
Common challenges:
- Requests are made without awareness of the length of the process. Many faculty reach out in the week or two before a semester, thinking that turnaround for an LTI integration is short. Even requests made in advance may take months if a vendor redlines the agreements. In order to mitigate frustration, you should submit your requests as soon as possible, as it could take 2-3 months to vet each tool. No tool will be added until it has been fully vetted, so there is no guarantee that it will be available for a certain semester. You should request a tool as early as possible to give Teaching and Learning Technologies (TLT) time to have it vetted. We will take requests year-round, but tools will only be added prior to the start of the fall (July) and spring semesters (Dec).
- It can be difficult to connect with the right contact at a third-party vendor. Sometimes a request for integration comes from a Rice employee who has already been in contact with a vendor. If not, the requester might expect that TLT is responsible for creating a relationship. Even when a relationship is in place, vendor contacts from sales or support might not have the technical expertise in the LTI to answer questions or help with integration. Relationship management can become the most resource-intensive part of the approval process.
- FERPA agreements, contracts, and the need for legal expertise on both sides of the vendor relationship. Review, redlines, and negotiation call for legal expertise that not all vendors have easily available, and is also not resourced within TLT. We must collaborate with the General Council's office, which is often backlogged.
- Limited capacity to track use, audit tools, update tools, and update agreements. Because there isn’t a Rice IT purchase associated with these LTI integrations and no service manager for these specific tools, there is a lack of resources to maintain and update the tools and contracts.
Process Improvement
- TLT is currently updating our process for gathering requests and tracking the approval process.
Curation of tools
- Reviewing and removing integrations on a cycle.
- Improved dashboarding to evaluate usage patterns.
- Regular review of existing integrations to remove those that are unused or non-compliant.
- Leveraging reporting tools and dashboards.
- Instructure is expanding their tools for selecting, installing, and reporting on integrations.
FAQ:
How do I request an LTI?
Fill in the required information about the LTI and yourself on the LTI Request Form (https://riceuniversity.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bfj8sQyVYrWbKyV)
When will faculty be notified of approval?
As soon as a tool passes the vetting process, you will be notified if it has been approved.
What happens if my LTI is not approved?
If your LTI is not approved, you will be notified of the reasons that the LTI failed approval, and alternate options will be offered (if applicable).
Who pays for an LTI?
If an LTI has a cost associated with it, the cost is the responsibility of the user or department making the request. Some tools that have campus-wide usage and impact will be considered for central funding.
Will an approved LTI stay available?
LTIs will be reviewed every 2 years. Any LTIs found with no to minimal usage during the review will be slated for removal from the approved list.
Who supports an LTI?
TLT will only support campus-wide approved tools. For all other LTI support, the vendor would need to be contacted.