As you consider adopting a new digital tool for your class, have you thought about the pedagogical, ethical/legal, and functional implications? Educational technologies are built around design assumptions about which and how pedagogies work best or support students most.
For example, an anti-plagiarism tool assumes certain things about writing and the teaching of writing and also how citation should or ought to be taught or how ethics might be understood in student writing. An instructor would need to decide if an anti-plagiarism tool matches their approach to writing instruction.
Tools that use the LTI (Learning Tool Interoperability) standard can be requested to be evaluated for integration with Canvas. If approved, a tool can be installed at the college or institution level. It can usually be added as an external tool in a course Module or Assignment.
Process and Timeline
Step 1: Work with your college Canvas coordinator to review the LTI tool criteria rubric. Review the tool request with a department chair. Complete and return the Department Letter of Support. If both the instructor and department are in support of the tools review, fill out the online External Tool Request Form.
Step 2: The campus External Tool Integration Committee reviews the request using the LTI Tool Rubric to make sure that all questions have been answered completely, and pass the request along with the committee’s recommendation to the campus LMS (Learning Management System) Steering Committee.
Step 3: The LMS Steering Committee reviews the request and either approves or does not approve the inclusion of the tool in Canvas.
If approved, we send the vendor a copy CSU’s Digital Tool Agreement and CSU’s accessibility procurement document. This required legal part of the process can take a number of weeks to complete.
Once the CSU Digital Tool Agreement has been signed, the tool will be installed in CSU’s test instance of Canvas by the CSU Canvas support team to insure the tool works correctly. Initial approval often involves a pilot to insure the tool works correctly in a live course environment. If the pilot goes well, the tool will be installed in CSU’s Canvas at the college or institution level.
Please allow at least 6 – 8 weeks for the review of a request to add an approved, new digital tool to Canvas.
-Legal discussion can extend the length of this process.