Advancing Canvas Credentials: The Path from LTI 1.1 to LTI 1.3 - UPDATED

DoraJekkel

Dear Canvas Credentials Community,

As we continue to enhance Canvas Credentials, we're excited to share an important update for our users. Previously, we refreshed the user interface of LTI 1.1 to give it the look and feel of LTI 1.3 while leaving the original installation unchanged. Now, we’re ready to take the next step—upgrading the installation itself to LTI 1.3.

This transition marks a significant milestone in our journey to provide a more secure, efficient, and user-friendly experience. For any current installations of Canvas Credentials using LTI 1.1, we will be migrating to the more robust LTI 1.3, after which support for LTI 1.1 will be phased out.

What’s new with LTI 1.3?

Enhanced Security: Benefit from stronger authentication protocols, offering enhanced protection for user data and integrations.
Improved Performance: LTI 1.3’s upgraded infrastructure delivers faster response times and smoother functionality, especially during peak usage.
Streamlined Workflows: The transition introduces better management of badges and credentials, optimising the overall user experience.

Here’s what you can expect as we make this transition as seamless as possible:

What You Need to Know

Automatic Creation of LTI 1.3 Integration

As part of the upgrade, we will automatically generate a new LTI 1.3 integration for your Canvas Credentials account. This new integration will be labeled “Credentials” instead of “Badges” in the course navigation menu of all Canvas LMS courses with the LTI enabled, reflecting the updated terminology. We’ve also implemented safeguards to ensure there will be no duplication of badge awards—addressing a known issue from previous updates.

For Instructure hosted Canvas accounts, this transition will be seamless, and no further action is required.

Temporary Hiding of LTI 1.1 Integration

While we transition your system, the current LTI 1.1 integration will be hidden in the course navigation menus, but not immediately deleted. This approach ensures continuity and minimizes the risk of data loss. LTI 1.1 will act as a temporary backup, allowing us to revert quickly if needed. This dual-layer approach is designed to offer peace of mind, knowing your data remains protected throughout the process.

Comprehensive Testing and Validation

Before we fully retire and delete the LTI 1.1 integration, we will conduct thorough testing of your newly installed LTI 1.3 integration. Our internal team will validate key functionalities, including badge awarding workflows, user permissions, and integration performance, to ensure everything is working as intended. This careful validation process will help us identify and address any potential issues early, ensuring a reliable transition for all users.

Phased Removal of LTI 1.1

After testing is complete and we’re confident that everything is functioning correctly with LTI 1.3, we’ll begin phasing out and deleting the LTI 1.1 integration. This will be done gradually to avoid any disruptions to your daily operations.

Disabling the Creation of New LTI 1.1 Integrations

With the shift to LTI 1.3, the option to create new LTI 1.1 integrations will be disabled. This ensures all institutions are aligned with the latest technology, taking advantage of the improved security and functionality offered by LTI 1.3.

Additional Steps for Self-Hosted Canvas Accounts

For our customers using self-hosted Canvas instances, we kindly ask that you complete the following steps to ensure a successful transition:

Set the LTI 1.3 Developer Key in your self-hosted Canvas instance. This key is crucial for enabling the new integration.
Provide your Client ID to our Canvas Credentials support team via support@badgr.com. This will allow us to finalize the integration on our end.

We understand that self-hosted environments may require a bit more configuration, and we’re here to support you through the process. Please reach out to our support team via support@badgr.com if you need assistance with these steps.

When is this happening? - UPDATED

The transition to LTI 1.3 was initially scheduled to begin on 21st of October. However, based on your valuable feedback, we’ve decided to delay the upgrade until the end of January. We understand that implementing changes like these mid-semester can be challenging, so we've adjusted the timeline to give you more time to prepare. This extended period will allow you to manually perform the upgrade and ensure a smoother transition. After January, any remaining LTI 1.1 installations will be automatically upgraded to LTI 1.3, and support for LTI 1.1 will permanently end.

To ensure administrators are aware of the transition, we will place a notification in current LTI 1.1 courses, informing them that their courses will be automatically upgraded if they do not do so manually by the end of January.

We hear you and your concerns - UPDATED

We’ve heard your concerns, and we want to reassure you that we are taking your feedback seriously. Many of you have expressed the need for additional time and clarity regarding the transition from LTI 1.1 to LTI 1.3. With that in mind, we are delaying the upgrade until the end of January, allowing you more time to manually make the switch before the automatic upgrade happens.

We understand that many of you have expressed concerns about the timing of the change and the new integration name. We want to reassure you that while the name will change from "Badges" to "Credentials," nothing else will be affected. Your data will remain intact, and we will keep LTI 1.1 as a backup in case we need to revert at any time during the process.

Additionally, we've implemented a solution to maintain the current visibility settings and default configuration as seen in LTI 1.1. Many of you have noted the importance of being able to hide the integration by default, a feature missing in the initial LTI 1.3 solution. We’ve addressed this concern and made sure that the ability to control integration visibility is preserved in LTI 1.3, ensuring a seamless experience for your institutions.

As we embark on this next phase, we want to emphasize that your experience remains our top priority. Our team is fully focused on delivering a seamless update, and we welcome any questions or concerns you may have. Your feedback has been invaluable, and we’re committed to making this upgrade one that enhances your credentialing journey.

Thank you for your continued trust in Canvas Credentials. We’re excited to move forward with you.

Best regards,
The Canvas Credentials Team