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LTI (Learning Tools Interoperability) is an open standard for providing authenticated access to learning resources and tools from Learning Management Systems and portals.
In LTI terminology this means that your Learning Management System or portal is the LTI tool consumer and FutureLearn is the LTI tool provider.
For information about using LTI launch in the other direction – where FutureLearn is the LTI consumer – please refer to our article about LTI enabled exercise steps.
LTI links are not created in Learning Manager.
Eligible courses
LTI launch can be used to enrol learners on:
- short courses that are invitable by your organisation in Learning Manager – this includes your organisation's own invite-only courses and public upgraded access courses by other organisations, so long as they are currently open for enrolment
- microcredentials and degree programs from your own organisation – including those that are currently closed for enrolment.
LTI launch cannot be used to enrol learners on
- short courses that are not open for enrolment
- microcredentials and degree programs by other organisations
- ExpertTracks, including those that are owned by the organisation
- degrees
Fees and charges
LTI enrolments on short courses are subject to the same charges as Learning Manager enrolments for the same courses. Any discounts or prepaid deals your organisation has in place for short courses in Learning Manager also apply to LTI enrolments.
LTI enrolments on microcredentials and degree programs may also be chargeable. Please speak to your Partnership Manager for more information.
How it works
Your Learning Management System or portal (the LTI tool consumer) provides eligible learners with a button they can click to access a specific course on the FutureLearn platform.
When a learner clicks the button, your LTI tool consumer creates an LTI launch request that includes parameters uniquely identifying both the learner and the resource they are accessing. Your tool also uses a secret key to sign the request so that it cannot be spoofed or tampered with by the learner.
Your LTI tool consumer then renders a page that contains the LTI launch request parameters in hidden form fields along with some JavaScript to automatically submit the form to the FutureLearn platform.
The FutureLearn platform performs some checks to ensure that the LTI launch request is correctly signed, has only just been issued and is for a course that your organisation is currently permitted to invite learners to.
Assuming that these checks are successful, the FutureLearn platform then checks whether there is already a learner account linked to the learner ID in the LTI launch request.
If no matching account is found, the learner is asked to sign in or register for a FutureLearn account and give their consent to connecting their FutureLearn account to your organisation. They are also given the option to enable single sign-on so that they can be signed in automatically on subsequent LTI launches from your LTI tool consumer.
Learner sign in
Confirming their password
If a matching account is found, depending on whether the learner has already opted in to single sign-on, they'll either be signed in to FutureLearn automatically or asked to confirm their FutureLearn password.
Learner is enrolled
Next, the FutureLearn platform enrols the learner on the specified course (with upgraded access where applicable) and takes them to the relevant landing page.
Obtaining LTI consumer credentials
- Contact your Partnership Manager to request an LTI consumer key and secret. You will need to supply a name for your LTI tool consumer and the email address of the individual at your organisation who will be responsible for looking after the consumer secret.
- FutureLearn will generate the LTI consumer key and secret and send the nominated individual an invitation to become the Integrations Administrator for your organisation.
- Once your Integrations Administrator has accepted their invitation they will have access to the LTI consumers page in Course Creator where they can access the LTI consumer key and secret.
Important: Because LTI launch is a form of single sign-on, the security of your learners' accounts is dependent on the LTI consumer secret not falling into the wrong hands. If you have any reason to suspect that the shared secret may have been compromised or shared more widely than necessary, it is crucial that you notify your Partnership Manager immediately so that it can be replaced. |
LTI launch Example
A LTI launch URL will look something like this, but note the following in this example:
- This is just using the required fields
- The data is dummy
- This example launches into a short course, different parameters are needed for different course types
https://www.futurelearn.com/lti/provider?custom_fl_external_learner_id=UID212121&custom_fl_course_uuid=UID3434
LTI launch URL
The LTI launch URL when launching into any FutureLearn course is always https://www.futurelearn.com/lti/provider.
LTI launch parameters
Which parameters need to be included in the LTI launch request depends on the type of course you are launching into.
Common parameters
Applicable in all scenarios:
Parameter |
Description |
Required |
custom_fl_external_learner_id - or - lis_person_sourcedid |
The unique identifier used to identify the learner in Learning Manager, CSV exports and for single sign-on. This is sometimes called the 'external learner ID' and is typically a student or employee ID. If both are provided, custom_fl_external_learner_id takes priority. |
✔ |
lis_person_name_given |
First (given) name. If provided, used to prepopulate the user registration form. |
|
lis_person_name_family |
Last (family) name If provided, used to prepopulate the user registration form. |
|
lis_person_contact_email_primary |
Email address Expected to be used to prepopulate the user registration form in the future. |
|
launch_presentation_return_url | URL that the user should be redirected back to in the event of an error. |
For launching into short courses
The following parameter is required when launching into the current run of a short course. The launch will fail if there are no runs of the course open for enrolment at the time of launch:
Parameter |
Description |
Required |
custom_fl_course_uuid |
The UUID of the course. This is an identifier that is automatically generated by the FutureLearn platform. See below for instructions on how to find the UUID for a course. |
✔ |
Alternatively, the following parameter can be used to launch into a specific run. The launch will fail if the specified run is not open for enrolment.
Parameter |
Description |
Required |
custom_fl_course_run_uuid |
The UUID of the course run. This is an identifier that is automatically generated by the FutureLearn platform. See below for instructions on how to find the UUID for a course run. |
✔ |
To get the UUID for a course or course run:
- Go to the Courses tab in Learning Manager
- Click Invite learners to a course
- Select the course or course run you wish to look up
- Click Next
- Assuming that your organisation already has an LTI consumer set up, the course and course run UUIDs will be displayed in the LTI launch section:
Launching into microcredentials and degree programs
The following parameters are required when launching into the specific run of a microcredential or degree program:
Parameter |
Description |
Required |
custom_fl_program_code |
The partner program code. This is an identifier that is assigned to the program by the partner via Course Creator. This usually corresponds to a module or unit code in the partner's student record system. |
✔ |
custom_fl_program_run_code |
The partner program run code. This is an identifier that is assigned to the program run by the partner via Course Creator. This usually corresponds to a module or unit instance or offering code in the partner's student record system. |
✔ |
Tracking learner progress
All enrolments created through LTI launch are included in the same Learning Manager views and reports as those created through Learning Manager invitations. The external learner ID in those reports is the learner ID supplied in the custom_fl_external_learner_id or lis_person_sourcedid LTI launch parameter.
Terminology on this page that you aren’t familiar with? Check out our glossary.
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