Important Note: This page is still under development. We have provided the information here as a matter of convenience, but we are still actively building out the content. If you have any questions or concerns about what is posted here – or you would like to suggest additions to this article – please contact cirtlab@unf.edu.
About this Collection
Collections offer curated content for UNF professors on practices, platforms, or tools. CIRT collects information from our own Knowledge Base, from the Instructure Community, and from other reputable sources in order to bring you the best in a single location.
This collection is about Canvas External Apps, sometimes referred to as LTIs (Learning Tools Interoperability). External apps are third-party tools that add new features to Canvas courses. This collection discusses how external apps work at UNF and features some of our most popular integrations.
Technical Details
Canvas apps and integrations can be added to an individual course or to all the courses in an institution. Once an app is installed in Canvas, instructors can link to the app from course modules, use it to create assignments for assessment tools, or add it to a course’s navigation.
Some Examples of LTIs
Some apps and integrations have already been configured at the institutional level and are available to use by all UNF faculty. Examples of some popular apps at UNF include…
TurnItIn is a cloud-based service which identifies plagiarism by comparing submitted work against a database of sources. A submission made to an assignment will generate a Similarity Report, which is the result of the comparison between the text of the submission against the search targets selected for the assignment.
Top Hat is a UNF supported online teaching/engagement platform and student response sysyem that brings active learning into the classroom using tools that sit on top of Canvas.
VoiceThread is a collaborative, multimedia slideshow tool that holds images, documents, and videos and allows people to navigate slides and leave comments in three ways: text, audio or video files (via a webcam).
There are so many external applications for Canvas that we couldn’t possibly list them all here. However, we do list those that we have documented and tested. To learn more about any of these LTIs, simply click the LTI title in the sidebar.
Getting Started With LTIs
If you are just beginning to use external apps in your course, it’s probably best to start with apps that have already been whitelisted by the university. Not all whitelisted apps are accessed the same way and where and how you add/access them in your course will vary greatly.
Requesting a New Integration
Each request to add an external app is carefully evaluated to determine if the integration provides significant value and can improve the teaching and learning process, while maintaining security, reliability, and system performance.
The process for integrating a non-whitelisted External App in Canvas starts with a request to the LMS Team (via CIRT’s Assistant Director of Online Learning Support). All apps require an ITS security review and some may also involve a contractual agreement with a vendor. Please send requests to whitelist an app to cirtlab@unf.edu. In the request provide the following information:
- App Name
- When you would like to use it in your course
- Links to the Apps website, if possible
The time it takes to process the request will vary depending on such factors as contract requirement, data transfer, and in general, the deeper the integration the more time required for vetting. We suggest submitting requests a few months in advance of your needed use. You will be contacted once the app has been reviewed and we may ask for your assistance with testing new apps.
Frequently Asked Questions
Every app is different and the process for installing will vary; however, we do have a support document that covers the basic steps for most UNF whitelisted apps. For more complex installations, please contact cirtlab@unf.edu.
Instructors have the ability to install their own apps in their Canvas courses following instructions provided by Instructure (or the app’s publisher). However, CIRT, asks that if the app is new to our system, instructors contact us so that we can vet the program. (See “Requesting Non-Whitelisted Apps” above.)
The App Center is a gateway to powerful teaching tools that are easily integrated into a Canvas Course. It includes both whitelisted and non-whitelisted apps for use in Canvas courses. Click here for more information on the App Center.
Inside this Collection
Select LTIs
Below is a list of every app that has Canvas integration (LTI) tagged in this Knowledge Base. Click on an app’s title to learn more.
