LMS Integration¶
Varsity Learning integrates with your institution's Learning Management System (LMS) through LTI (Learning Tools Interoperability), the standard protocol for connecting external tools to LMS platforms.
Supported Platforms¶
- Canvas
- Blackboard (Ultra and Original)
- Moodle
- Brightspace (D2L)
- Any LMS supporting LTI 1.1 or LTI 1.3
What LTI Provides¶
Single Sign-On (SSO)¶
Students click a link in your LMS and are logged in to Varsity Learning automatically — no separate username or password needed. New students are enrolled in your course on first launch.
Grade Passback¶
After a student submits an assessment in Varsity Learning, the score is sent back to your LMS gradebook automatically. Grade passback uses the LTI Outcomes (1.1) or Assignment and Grade Services (1.3) standard.
Roster Sync¶
Students added to your LMS course section are enrolled in Varsity Learning automatically when they first click the LTI link.
Setting Up LTI¶
To connect Varsity Learning to your LMS, contact support@varsitylearning.com with: - Your LMS platform (Canvas, Moodle, etc.) - Your institution name - Your LMS admin's contact information (they will need to configure the tool on the LMS side)
We will provide: - LTI launch URL - Consumer key and shared secret (LTI 1.1) or client ID and JWKS URL (LTI 1.3) - Step-by-step setup instructions for your specific LMS
Setup typically takes 1–2 business days.
Adding LTI Links to Your LMS Course¶
Once the tool is configured at the institutional level, you add links to individual assignments:
- In your LMS, create an external tool assignment
- Select Varsity Learning from the list of configured tools
- The link will launch your Varsity Learning course with SSO
Each link you create corresponds to one Varsity Learning assessment. Grade passback sends scores back to the specific LMS assignment column.
Canvas Deep Linking¶
For Canvas, Varsity Learning supports Deep Linking (LTI 1.3 Content Selection). From Canvas:
- Add an external tool item to a module
- A Varsity Learning picker opens inside Canvas
- Select the specific assessment to link
This creates a direct link to the assessment and sets up grade passback automatically.
Troubleshooting¶
Student gets "access denied" when clicking the LTI link¶
- Confirm the student is enrolled in the LMS course section
- Check that the LTI launch URL is correct and not expired
- Verify the LMS assignment is published
Grades are not syncing to the LMS¶
- Check that grade passback was configured when the LTI link was created
- Confirm the LMS assignment type is "external tool" (not a standard assignment with a URL pasted in)
- Contact support — we can view passback logs to diagnose failures
"Invalid consumer key" error on launch¶
- The consumer key or secret may have changed. Contact support to regenerate credentials.