What is LTI 1.3 – and why does it matter?

Connecting the learning ecosystem

Most universities run a learning management system – such as Canvas, Moodle, Brightspace, Blackboard or itslearning – alongside a range of specialist tools for assessment, video, plagiarism checking and more. Without a common standard, every connection between them has to be built and maintained separately. LTI exists to make that unnecessary. It lets a tool be launched from inside the learning platform, with the right user, the right course and the right role – without separate logins or manual set-up.

The standard is maintained by 1EdTech, the global education technology consortium formerly known as IMS Global, which is also behind the QTI standard for exam questions. LTI 1.3 was released in 2019 and is now the current version.

How does it work?

The details vary between platforms, but an LTI 1.3 connection usually involves the following:

• A one-time registration. The learning platform and the tool are registered with each other once, typically by an administrator.
• A secure launch. When a user clicks a link in the learning platform, the tool opens with information about who they are, which course they are in and what role they have.
• Modern security. LTI 1.3 builds on established web standards – OAuth 2.0, OpenID Connect and signed tokens – instead of the shared secrets used in earlier versions.
• Extra services through LTI Advantage. Three optional services extend the basic launch: Deep Linking, for adding content from the tool directly into a course; Names and Role Provisioning, for sharing course participants; and Assignment and Grade Services, for sending results back to the gradebook.

Why does LTI 1.3 matter?

The main reason is security. Earlier versions of LTI relied on an older security model that 1EdTech has formally retired. Support for LTI 1.0 and 1.1 ended in 2022, and 1EdTech recommends that all institutions and suppliers adopt LTI 1.3 and LTI Advantage.

It also saves time and reduces errors. Teachers can work from the platform they already use, students find their assessments where they expect them, and participant lists and grades move automatically instead of being copied by hand. And because the standard is open, institutions remain free to choose and combine the tools that suit them best.

What LTI 1.3 cannot do

LTI connects systems; it does not make them identical. Platforms and tools may support different parts of the standard, and an LTI connection does not guarantee that every service – such as deep linking or grade return – is available. Each integration should be checked against the institution’s needs.

LTI is also not a full system integration. It works through the course in the learning platform, while formal exam administration – registration, exam plans and final grades in student information systems – usually requires other integrations. And moving from an older LTI version to 1.3 takes planning: existing links and settings often need to be set up again.

How does WISEflow approach it?

In WISEflow, LTI 1.3 is one part of a wider approach to interoperability: an assessment platform should fit into the institution’s ecosystem, not force it to change. Our understanding goes a little further than the connection alone:

• Works with the major learning platforms. WISEflow connects through LTI 1.3 to Canvas, Moodle, Brightspace, Blackboard and itslearning.
• Exam flows added directly to courses. Through deep linking, teachers can pick an existing exam flow – or, with the right privileges, create a new one – and add it straight to a course or assignment, so students reach it from the platform they already use.
• Participants and grades move automatically. Participants are provisioned from the course, and grades can be returned to the learning platform.
• Standards beyond LTI. WISEflow also supports QTI for exam questions and offers an open, documented API for integration with student information systems and other tools.

What should institutions consider?

• Versions: check that the learning platform and every connected tool support LTI 1.3, and plan the move away from older versions.
• Services: ask suppliers which LTI Advantage services they support – deep linking, participant provisioning and grade return.
• Roles and responsibilities: agree who owns each integration, and how changes and updates are handled.
• The bigger picture: decide which processes run through the learning platform, and which through student information systems.

LTI 1.3 does not replace good integration planning. Used well, as part of a considered approach to interoperability, it lets the institution’s tools work as one – securely, and on the institution’s own terms.