Third Party Tool Integrations
There are many university tools and third-party apps integrated directly into Canvas. Many, such as Office 365 and Teams, are enabled at the account level and available immediately. Others can be added to your individual courses and, once configured, can be linked to through course modules and assignments.
Approved LTIs
| Tool | Description | Supported by | Availability |
|---|---|---|---|
| ReCap | An interactive lecture capture resource which captures audio and visual material and makes it available online. | University | University-wide |
| Turnitin | A tool which allows electronic submission of assignments, similarity checking, and online marking and grading. | University | University-wide |
| Inspera | A tool which enables secure present-in-person digital exams. | University | University-wide |
| Buddycheck | A tool for peer evaluation of group work contribution. | University | University-wide |
| NUMBAS | A web-based tool for e-assessment tool with an emphasis on Maths | School of Maths, Stats and Physics | University-wide |
| Zoom | A cloud-based video conferencing service and a highly collaborative webinar tool. | University | University-wide |
| Teams | A communications platform that enables workplace chat, video meetings and file storage (including collaboration on files) in one place. | University | University-wide |
| H5P | A tool to create, share and reuse interactive learning content. | University | University-wide |
| NU Reflect | A system designed by the University to support reflective learning personal tutoring. | University | University-wide |
| Office 365 | Office productivity apps such as Word, Excel and PowerPoint. | University | University-wide |
Approved for use without LTI integration
The following tools are not supported centrally by the University, so this needs to be considered before you use them in your course. All the centrally supported tools can be found on the Digital Technologies webpage.
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
| Perusall | An e-reader tool that allows students and faculty to annotate the assigned readings and engage the reading material in a style akin to social media posting |
| Kahoot | An online game based learning tool |
| Padlet | An online digital noticeboard used for sharing ideas and posting on a common noticeboard. |
Third-party tool integration approval process
The functionality in Canvas can be built upon and expanded by integrating 3rd party tools to support learning and teaching at Newcastle. One of the ways this can happen is via an LTI (Learning Tools Interoperability), a method for connecting various learning systems together to share data between them. This provides a seamless, integrated experience for users.
Examples of integrated tools and applications already available to Newcastle Canvas users are ReCap, Turnitin, NU Reflect, Library Reading Lists and H5P.
Each tool has its own policies and configurations, so there are a number of factors that must be reviewed before any integrations can be created. These include:
- Accessibility
- Data Security
- Costs
- Support
- Configuration
Integration request process
If you would like to request a new third-party LTI Canvas integration, please refer to the following process:
- Request: please start the request process by completing a brief Impact Assessment form. If it is a paid for tool you are requesting, please note a full Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) must be completed and submitted to the Information Governance Team.
- CMG Approval: addition of the new tool will require approval by the Canvas Management Group. If approved, the request will be forwarded to NUIT for review.
- NUIT Review: if the tool is approved at this stage, you will receive a confirmation email and will then need to raise a ticket with the NUIT Service Desk with details of which course(s) in Canvas the tool needs to be added to (along with any installation instructions supplied by the provider). If the email received states that the tool requires further investigation, you will need to complete a full DPIA.
- Testing: NUIT will install the tool and make it available for testing on our Canvas test platform.
- Decision: confirmation should be sent to NUIT to add the tool to the live course(s) once you are satisfied the tool is working as it should.
- Go live: the tool will now be live on Canvas and available for use.
Please note: Usage of all LTIs will be checked yearly to ensure they are being used. If an LTI collects more data than originally specified then it will be disabled pending investigation.
Data protection law
Through this process the most important question that the University needs to determine is “Does the application collect, store or process personal data?”. If the answer is 'Yes' then it will be subject to data protection law, regardless of whether it is a free or paid-for service. Even if the application does not require signup you will need to restrict your use of it to activities that do not involve personal data.
Personal data can include email addresses used to create accounts, names or even photos of people.
The software publisher should have a privacy policy that you can examine, and the user agreement should make reference to data protection. Following recent rulings from the European Court of Justice, it is highly likely that US providers that had previously operated under Privacy Shield will now no longer comply with EU data protection legislation. Further information about General Data Protection Regulations can be found on the Information Governance webpage.