Integrate CloudShare with Your LMS

Using a LTI Integration
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CloudShare supports the Learning Tools Interoperability (LTI) specification, a cross-platform protocol which provides a way for learning platforms (like your LMS) to securely communicate and share data with external platforms (like CloudShare) so that users (like students and Instructors) can navigate between them quickly and seamlessly.

LTI provides standard mechanisms to streamline key learning platform activities, such as single sign-on, role definition, contextual information, secure data handling, real-time interactions, and more. The prime advantage of using LTI with your LMS is that it provides all this functionality without the need to develop any custom program code or dedicated APIs.

By supporting LTI, CloudShare enables you to offer all of our advanced virtual training lab features to your students and Instructors directly from inside your LMS.

Note

Currently CloudShare supports LTI 1.1 by default. Should your LMS require LTI 1.3, please contact your support representative.

How CloudShare Works with LTI

When working with LTI, the learning platform (i.e., LMS) that is being used by your organization is called the LTI Consumer, and the connecting platform, tool or service (i.e., CloudShare) is called the LTI Provider.

Important:

  1. Ensure that, whenever a virtual lab is launched, your LMS sends the launching user's name and email address to CloudShare via the LTI request.

  2. When integrating with a LMS, a CloudShare virtual lab can not be hosted within an iFrame. Ensure that the host browser is opened in Full Screen mode.

CloudShare creates and uses the following standard LTI variables in integration:

  • Content URL - This is the URL of the CloudShare content (i.e., the virtual lab) that will be accessed from the LMS training module. CloudShare maps this to a field called LTI Launch URL.

  • LTI Client Key - This is the CloudShare's unique LTI Provider account ID. It enables an LTI Consumer (LMS)  to identify CloudShare as the owner of the virtual lab. CloudShare maps this to a field called LTI Key.

  • LTI Client Secret -This is the password that is used to authenticate CloudShare as the LTI Provider account. CloudShare maps this to a field called LTI Secret.

You'll generate values for these variables when you create your integration and then assign them to your LMS, as described below.

Creating a LTI Integration

You create a LTI integration for a virtual lab by editing its class.

  1. Edit the class you want for which you want to create the LTI integration.

  2. In the Access section on the left of the Class Details page, locate the LTI Access option and click the Edit Edit.png icon immediately to its right. The LTI Access Details dialog is displayed:

    LTI-AccessDetailsDialog-example_020621.png

    Note

    The values appearing in this dialog are generated specifically for the class you have created. To ensure the highest level of security, they should not be shared elsewhere.

  3. For each field in the dialog, click the Clipboard icon at the right to copy its value.

  4. In the relevant field of your LMS course, paste the copied value. Use your organization's LMS specification or internal procedures to determine which LMS fields to use.

    Tip

    You can find LTI-based integration settings for some example LMS platforms here.

  5. Perform the 2 steps above for: LTI Launch URL, LTI Key, and LTI Secret fields.

  6. Save the integration data in your LMS course as required. You may need to perform additional steps in order for these values to be made available for use in your training system.

The LTI integration for the specified class is complete. Your trainees can now launch their own virtual hands-on lab transparently by clicking the appropriate feature inside their LMS course.

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