Ally uses LTI to integrate with your Learning Management System (LMS). LTI is a standard developed by IMS Global for secure and seamless integrations.
The standard allows users to access Ally without leaving Blackboard Learn. Forget about logging into multiple sites: LTI allows a secure exchange of information that enables a cohesive experience for your users.
There are two versions of LTI: v1.1 and v1.3. Each version requires different configuration steps. The current version is LTI v1.3. The biggest difference from previous versions is the upgraded security model based on OAuth2, OpenID Connect, and JSON Web Tokens.
Ally is moving to LTI 1.3 to take advantage of the upgraded security model.
What does this mean to you? If you are new to Ally, nothing. We do the Ally integration set up with you. But if you already have Ally integrated with your LMS, you’ll need to reconfigure your integration with LTI 1.3.
Reconfigure your Ally integration with LTI 1.3
A typical institution would have these three Ally tools available in the root account:
Each tool has a corresponding LTI developer key and application.
You’ll need to configure each tool following the same process.
- Register each Ally tool
Register each Ally tool
You can only register one tool at a time.
- From your D2L environment, open the Admin Tools and select Manage Extensibility.
- Select LTI Advantage.
- Select Register Tool.
- Select the Dynamic option.
- Copy and paste the link for the tool you want to register into the Tool initiation registration endpoint field. Replace [AllyEnvironment] with the environment information your institution is hosted in.
- Institution report: https://[AllyEnvironment]/api/v2/auth/lti/1.3/register/institution
- Client configuration: https://[AllyEnvironment]/api/v2/auth/lti/1.3/register/config
- Course accessibility report: https://[AllyEnvironment]/api/v2/auth/lti/1.3/register/course
- Check the Configure Deployment check box.
- Select Register.
Ally environment for your region
Use the information for the Ally environment your institution is hosted in.
- US data center: prod.ally.ac
- Canadian data center: prod-ca-central-1.ally.ac
- European data center: prod-eu-central-1.ally.ac
- Singapore data center: prod-ap-southeast-1.ally.ac
- Australian data center: prod-ap-southeast-2.ally.ac
Configure tool deployment
D2L Brightspace registers the LTIs as Disabled by default. The LTIs need to be enabled after they're registered.
- From your D2L environment open the Admin Tools and select Manage Extensibility.
- Select LTI Advantage.
- Select the tool.
- Select View deployments at the bottom of the page.
- Select the deployment corresponding to the application. For example, if you selected the Institution report tool earlier, select the Institution deployment now.
- Under Security Settings, check these check boxes:
- Org Unit Information
- User Information
- Link Information
- Open as External Resource
- Copy the LTI Deployment ID at the bottom of the page to send to Ally.
- Select Add Org Units and make the tool available to the appropriate organizational unit.
The Course Accessibility Report must be available to all descendants.
- Use the same Name and Description
- Copy and paste the appropriate link into the URL field. Replace [AllyEnvironment] with the environment information your institution is hosted in.
- Institution report: https://institution.[AllyEnvironment]/api/v2/auth/lti/1.3/target
- Client Configuration: https://config.[AllyEnvironment]/api/v2/auth/lti/1.3/target
- Course Accessibility report: https://course.[AllyEnvironment]/api/v2/auth/lti/1.3/target
- Save the deployment.