leveraging sakai and lti to standardize integrations

Pearson Copyright 2009

Leveraging Sakai and IMS LTI

to Standardize Integrations

Presented By

Gary Gilbert, Unicon

Fred Tibbitts, Pearson Education

July 9, 2009


Overview

• The Challenge

• Pearson Education’s Solution

• Leveraging LTI

• Sakai as Reference Implementation

• Demo

• Q & A


The Challenge


The Challenge

• Custom integration solutions

– Usability

– Reinvented for each LMS / learning application

– Brittle

– Minimal reuse

– High cost of ownership

– Lack of content portability


What is TPI?

• “Third-Party Interoperability”

• TPI is a gateway that allows external applications to integrate seamlessly with Pearson applications

• External LMS embeds links to TPI in course content

• TPI mediates the request before redirecting to the Pearson learning application


• Handle tool launch (i.e. application linking) requests

• Orchestrate enterprise data exchange

– Users, courses, enrollments

• Seamless SSO

TPI’s Main Responsibilities


TPI Design Principles

• Be flexible – enable partner and Pearson application integrations with minimal effort

• Lightweight – don't include or develop components we don't need

• Support/leverage industry standards when appropriate

• Highly scalable and fault tolerant


TPI Server

• Java-based web application

• Red Hat Enterprise servers

• Oracle RAC

• TPI is based largely on open source software


What is IMS LTI?

A standard method of integrating learning tools with learning management systems


Why LTI in TPI?

• Expand support for standards

• Economies of Scale

– Single provider for many tools

• LTI addresses features such as automated

tool deployment


LTI Overview

• “Learning Tool Interoperability”

• Version 2.0 (Not Final)

• Working Group includes:

– Pearson Education

– Sakai

– IBM

– Microsoft

– Blackboard

– Wimba

– Others


LTI Objectives

• Define a deployment framework

• Standardize process for building links

• Guarantee secure communication

• Provide a tool launch protocol that preserves learning context

• Supports content development and distribution


Key Concepts

• Tool Consumer

• Tool Provider

• Tool Profile

• Messaging Framework

• Link Types


Tool Consumer

• Publishes a Tool Consumer Profile

• Provides Tool Consumer Runtime

• Exposes LTI Services


Tool Consumer Profile

• XML descriptor of the Tool Consumer's supported LTI functionality

• Read by Tool Provider during deployment

Tool Consumer Metadata

Vendor Information

Capabilities List List of supported

Security Profiles

Tool Consumer Profile

Web Services


Tool Provider

• Learning application that runs in a container separate from the LMS

• Publishes one or more tools via Tool Profiles

– Tool is an HTTP-based application that serves content


Tool Profile

• XML descriptor describing how a tool integrates with a Tool Consumer

• Delivered to the Tool Consumer during tool deployment

Tool Metadata

Vendor Information

Resource Handlers

Menu Links

Outcome Handlers

Tool Profile

Event Handlers


Messaging Framework


Message Types

• Tool Deployment Request

• Tool Launch Request

– Menu view request

– Resource view request

– Resource create/modify/delete requests

• Server-to-Server


Link Types

• Menu Links

– Rendered in navigational element

– Defined in the Tool Profile

• Resource Links

– Rendered anywhere they are supported by the Tool Consumer Runtime

– Authored


Key Interactions

• Tool Deployment

• Tool Launch

• Resource Link Authoring


• A handshake between the Tool Provider and Tool Consumer where they exchange profiles

• Initiated by an administrator on the Tool Consumer side

• Uses RegisterTool web service

Tool Deployment

User Agent Tool Consumer Tool Provider

Submit Deployment URL

Send HTML Form

Auto-submitPost (toolConsumerProfileURL, passwd, returnURL)

Get Profile

Collect informationValidate profile

registerTool(ToolProfile, ToolSettings, SecurityContract)

Submit

Send Redirect


Tool Launch

• Initiated by a user on the Tool Consumer

• Tool Consumer Runtime generates HTML Form (POST) that is auto-submitted

• POST to appropriate Message Handler on the

Tool Provider


<form id="launchRequestForm" name="launchRequestForm" enctype="application/x-www-form-urlencoded" action="http://someserver.com/lti/launch"method="post">

<input name="userId" value="admin" type="hidden"/><input name="contextId" value="fb2720f7-bc89-4c15-9d11-f959be22835c"

type="hidden"/><input name="contextType" value="ims/lis/CourseSection" type="hidden"/><input name="toolInstanceGUID" value="448c77e6-3d01-4f6a-97d2-5316fb472ee4"

type="hidden"/>

<input name="timestamp" value="1238096397997" type="hidden"/><input name="mac" value="9sba5G5oEOoAKtJuRLHtzhqtZr0=" type="hidden"/><input name="nonce" value="-2714224520731310511" type="hidden"/><input name="digest-algorithm" value="HmacSHA1" type="hidden"/>

<input name="system_institutionId" value="unicon" type="hidden"/><input name="system_partnerId" value="sakai" type="hidden"/>

<input name="context_book" value="campbell8" type="hidden"/>

<input name="resource_targetId" value="studyplan" type="hidden"/>

<input value="Submit" type="submit"/></form>

Resource Context

System

Security

Standard


Resource Link Authoring

• Initiated by user on the Tool Consumer

• Tool Provider provides authoring UI

• Uses ResourceLink web service

User Agent Tool Consumer Tool Provider

Initiate Link Creation

Send HTML Form

Post [resource-create]

Collect information

Submit

Send Redirect

saveResource

Show new resource


Sakai as Reference Implementation


LTI in Sakai

• Tool Consumer

• Test harness for TPI Tool Provider

• Reference implementation


Sakai Tool Consumer Runtime

• New Sakai Tool (lti.tool.consumer)

– Reasonable Server Faces

• Tool Deployment

• Tool Launch

– Integration with Sakai Resources Tool

• Resource Link Authoring

– Heavy use of Entity Providers


Sakai LTI Services

• Standard Sakai API / IMPL Model

• Spring Web Services

– IMS Enterprise Services v1.1

– RegisterTool

– ResourceLink

– ToolSetting


Sakai LTI Authoring

• Pearson Scripted Links

– Extension to the LTI spec

– Allows direct authoring of links

• Requires Melete

– Minor changes to Melete to support LTI tool launch via JavaScript


Sakai in LTI – What's left?

• Tool Deployment at the System level

• Tighter integration with Sakai Resources

• You tell us


Demo


Q&A

Gary Gilbert, [email protected]

Fred Tibbitts, Pearson [email protected]

leveraging sakai and lti to standardize integrations

Technology

tool profiles tool

tool providerpearson

tool consumers

tool launch protocol

tool profile resource

challenge pearson copyright

tool profile xml descriptor

distributionpearson