Self-Service LTI Provider Creation

Description

The new Self-Service LTI Provider Creation feature empowers Learning Administrators to establish integrations with any Learning Tools Interoperability (LTI) compliant provider. Previously, LTI content consumption was limited to Cornerstone's pre-approved LTI partners, often requiring internal CSOD support for setup. This enhancement streamlines the process, allowing admins to independently configure connections to external learning tools.

This capability makes it simpler for learners to access a broader ecosystem of trusted external learning content and tools directly from within the Cornerstone Learning Management System. It promotes a more consistent user experience by reducing login friction and expanding the variety of available learning resources.

Business Need

Organizations often leverage specialized external learning tools and content providers that utilize the LTI standard. Prior to this update, integrating these non-partner LTI providers into Cornerstone was a complex process, typically requiring custom connectors or direct Cornerstone involvement. This limitation restricted content choice and agility for learning administrators.

This feature addresses the business need for greater flexibility and autonomy in managing external content integrations. By enabling self-service LTI provider creation, Cornerstone customers can now easily incorporate content from their preferred LTI-compliant vendors, reducing dependencies, accelerating content deployment, and ultimately offering a richer, more diverse learning experience to their employees without the overhead of extensive IT support or custom development.

Key Features

• Create New LTI Provider Integrations: Learning administrators can now independently set up new connections with any LTI-compliant provider directly through the Cornerstone user interface.
• Configure Provider Details via a Modern UI: A new, intuitive user interface simplifies the process of entering essential provider information, such as login, JWKS, and launch URLs.
• Control Sharing of User Information: Admins can selectively choose to share user details (first name, last name, email) with the LTI provider upon content launch, enhancing personalization and tracking.
• Manually Upload LTI Content: Content provided by the integrated LTI provider can be manually uploaded into Cornerstone, allowing for greater control over content curation and deployment.
• Enable Inline Launch for Compatible Content: Admins have the option to configure LTI content to launch directly within the Cornerstone portal or in a new browser tab, provided the external content supports inline viewing.

Deployment & Considerations

This feature will be available as a closed beta in July for approved beta tester portals, both in User Acceptance Testing (UAT) and production environments. Activation for beta testers will be handled from the backend. General Availability (GA) is targeted for November, at which point the enhancement will be accessible to all Cornerstone customers. There are no new permissions required for this functionality.

A key consideration is that for LTI providers set up through this self-service flow, content upload to the LMS is exclusively available via manual uploads (e.g., CSV file), not through automated deep linking services. Deep linking remains available for Cornerstone's existing LTI and service partners. Additionally, while content can be configured to launch inline within Cornerstone, administrators must verify that the external LTI content itself supports inline viewing; otherwise, it should be set to launch in a new tab to ensure proper functionality. Customers interested in participating in the closed beta should reach out to their Cornerstone contact, providing account and portal names, and outlining the benefits of participation.