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Setting Up LTI 1.3 for Open edX

Configure a Learning Tools Interoperability (LTI) 1.3 integration between an Open edX course and a Vocareum course so learners can launch Vocareum assignments from Open edX Studio units.

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Written by Julia Dashzeveg

For Teachers and Admins

Open edX handles LTI 1.3 differently from most Learning Management Systems (LMS). Rather than a one-time root-level tool install performed by an LMS administrator, each Open edX LTI integration is created as an LTI Consumer component inside a specific Studio unit at content-authoring time.

Open edX Studio generates the Client ID, Deployment ID, and platform URLs at the moment the component is saved, so the Open edX Studio setup and the matching Vocareum-side issuer registration are the same continuous workflow. For background on how LTI 1.3 launches work between Vocareum and an LMS, refer to What Is LTI 1.3 Integration with Vocareum?.

Prerequisites

Before starting, confirm the following:

  • Course staff or equivalent authoring access to the target Open edX course in Open edX Studio.

  • Either Organization Admin (Org Admin) access to the Vocareum organization (to register the issuer at the org level) or instructor access to the target Vocareum course (to register the issuer at the course level).

  • LTI 1.3 is already enabled on the Vocareum course you intend to link to.

Configuring an LTI Consumer component in Open edX Studio

The LTI Consumer component is the Open edX Studio building block that launches an external tool such as Vocareum. Adding it to a unit involves enabling the advanced component, creating the component inside the target unit, filling in the Vocareum-specific values, and publishing the unit.

Enabling the LTI Consumer advanced component

The LTI Consumer component is an advanced Open edX component that must be enabled on the course before it can be added to a unit.

  1. In Open edX Studio, open the course and navigate to Settings → Advanced Settings.

  2. Confirm that lti_consumer appears in the Advanced Module List. If it does not, add it and save the settings.

Open edX Studio Advanced Settings page with the Advanced module list field showing 'lti_consumer' added to the JSON array.

Creating the LTI Consumer component

Once the advanced component is enabled, add an LTI Consumer to the Studio unit that will launch the Vocareum assignment.

  1. In Open edX Studio, navigate to the section and subsection where the Vocareum assignment should appear.

  2. Create a new unit, or open the existing unit that will host the Vocareum launch.

  3. Under Add New Component, select Advanced, then select LTI Consumer.

  4. On the new component, click Edit.

Filling in the Vocareum values

The LTI Consumer edit view exposes the fields Open edX Studio uses to reach Vocareum. The URL values below are Vocareum's standard LTI 1.3 endpoints. For the complete reference of Vocareum LTI 1.3 configuration values, refer to LTI 1.3 Configuration URLs and Fields.

  1. Set LTI Version to 1.3.

  2. Fill in the following fields with the values shown:

    • LTI 1.3 Tool Launch URL — the assignment-specific LMS Link from Vocareum.

    • LTI 1.3 OIDC URL — https://labs.vocareum.com/lti/oidc_login.php.

    • Registered Redirect URIs — ["https://labs.vocareum.com/lti/launch.php"].

  3. Set Tool Public Key Mode to Keyset URL. This is not the default value; Open edX Studio defaults this field to Public Key, and it must be changed for the Vocareum integration to work.

  4. Fill in Tool Public Key URL with https://labs.vocareum.com/lti1.3/jwks.json.

  5. Set Request user's email to True.

Editing: LTI Consumer modal in Open edX Studio, top section, showing the Display Name, LTI Application Information, and LTI Version fields with LTI 1.3 selected.

Editing: LTI Consumer modal in Open edX Studio, scrolled further down, showing the Tool Launch URL, Registered Redirect URIs, and Tool Initiate Login URL fields filled in with Vocareum's endpoints.

Publishing the unit

LTI 1.3 launches only work on published Open edX blocks. After saving the LTI Consumer configuration, publish the unit before testing the launch.

  1. Click Save on the LTI Consumer component. Open edX Studio refreshes and generates the platform credentials described in the next section.

  2. In the unit's right-hand sidebar, click the Publish button to publish the unit.

Copying the generated credentials

When the LTI Consumer is saved, Open edX Studio generates and displays the values that identify the Open edX side of the integration. These values are what you enter on the Vocareum side to complete the pairing. Keep the Studio component open, or copy the values into a scratch document, so they are available for the Vocareum registration in the next section.

Published LTI Consumer unit in Open edX Studio displaying the generated Client ID, Deployment ID, Keyset URL, Access Token URL, and Login URL to copy into Vocareum.

The Studio field names and their Vocareum equivalents are:

Studio displays

Maps to Vocareum field

Client

Client ID

Deployment ID

Deployment ID

Keyset URL

Platform KeySet URL

Access Token URL

OAuth Token URL

Login URL

OIDC Authentication URL

Registering the issuer and deployment in Vocareum

Using the values Open edX Studio generated, register Open edX as an LTI 1.3 issuer in Vocareum and add the deployment. Either org-level registration (through Edit Org → Authentication → Issuers) or course-level registration (through Course Settings → LTI Settings → Manage Course-Level Access) is valid for Open edX. For the full procedure, including both scopes, refer to Registering an LTI 1.3 Issuer and Deployment in Vocareum.

When entering the Issuer value, use the Open edX instance base URL, for example https://edge.edx.org. Leave OAuth Server URL blank. Free-text fields such as Name/Identifier can be set to any value that identifies the Open edX instance, for example edX Edge.

Testing the launch

LTI 1.3 launches can only be initiated from the LMS, so test the integration from the Open edX Studio unit that hosts the LTI Consumer. LTI 1.3 launches only work on published blocks, so confirm the unit is published before testing.

  1. In Open edX Studio, open the unit that contains the LTI Consumer component.

  2. Click View Live Version. Open edX may prompt you to click Ok to send your email address to Vocareum before the launch completes.

  3. Confirm that the Vocareum course loads inside the Open edX unit.

Published Open edX unit showing the LTI Consumer (External resource) block with the Vocareum course loaded, listing AWS, Azure, and GCP lab parts with Student View and Configure Workspace actions.

Reference documentation

For Open edX's own documentation on the LTI Consumer component, refer to the Open edX Building and Running a Course guide on LTI components.

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