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LMS Integration

Integrating CloudShare With LMS

CloudShare's Learning Management System (LMS) integration provides a seamless user experience for participants, allowing them to access CloudShare's hands-on training environments directly from your LMS courses. 

Once integrated, lab experiences of CloudShare are then accessible from the LMS using the selected LTI version. The LTI score is also shared with the LMS.

CloudShare offers the following LMS integration options: 

CloudShare offers two methods for integrating with your LMS via LTI:

  • Experience Level Integration: Connect an individual experience to your LMS.
  • Subscription-Level Integration: Simplifies the management of connections and sharing experiences within the LMS platform of your choice. You can select which LTI versions to enable for your account or integrate Docebo at the subscription level, allowing your project members (upon experience edit permissions) to effortlessly connect individual experiences to the LMS with the push of a button.

With CloudShare’s API, you can create a prepared URL to our public API and give your LMS users direct access to virtual labs. This method is suitable for LMS platforms that do not support LTI but can incorporate external URLs.

Setting the Subscription-Level LMS Integration

LMS integrations can be enabled at the subscription level. By setting LTI permissions at the subscription level, organizations can control which LTI versions are accessible on the experience level, ensuring that only the approved LTI versions are used across experiences.

Setting the integration on a subscription level options include:

Users who select Other LMS while managing integrations at the subscription level have the option of selecting which LTI versions to enable. Users who select the Docebo integration option have further configurations available, which enable streamlined integration at the individual experience level. 

When switching LMS or LTI version options in a subscription with existing experiences, you will need to reconnect all existing experiences to the new LMS.

Note: Subscription-level changes can only be done by an Account Manager user.

To enable LMS integration at the subscription level:

  1. Go to your subscription details page, and locate the LMS integration box to the far right of the subscription page.
  2. Click the edit icon at the top of the integration box to open a panel where you can choose the LMS options to enable. 
    • None - no LMS integration is set.
    • Docebo
    • Other LMS (that supports LTI 1.1 or LTI 1.3) - You can then select which LTI versions to enable, choosing between LTI 1.1, LTI 1.3, or both - meaning users will only be able to integrate the LTI versions you enable. Any version that is disabled will not be available at the experience level.
  3. Click Apply to save the changes and return to the subscription details page.

Sharing Experiences to the LMS

Once the integration has been enabled on a subscription level, experiences can be seamlessly shared with the LMS's Central Repository (CLOR). By configuring the integration at the subscription level, every experience under this subscription can be shared with LMS’s CLOR, eliminating the need for repeated setups.

To apply the integration per experience, click the experience to open the Experience Details page. Navigate to the Access tab of the Edit panel, which appears to the right of the Experience Details page, and click the Share to Docebo Learn button.

This action will add the experience to LMS’s CLOR, enabling you to connect the experience to one or more courses. When the integration is successful, a notification will appear at the top of the page. 

If this process fails, an error message will appear. 

Check the integration configuration to ensure you are not experiencing a failure to share to the LMS. If the issue persists, try sharing the data again to see if the problem resolves itself. Sharing to the LMS refers to sending or syncing information from CloudShare to the LMS, ensuring that the integration is working correctly. 

Once an integration has been completed, the LMS Integration section in CloudShare experiences will display the last accessed course and date for each experience. The most recent version of an experience will appear in the LMS, reflecting any updates made in CloudShare.

Additionally, the LTI score report timer is set to update the LMS every minute. This frequent update interval ensures that learners' progress and performance data are always current, allowing for timely interventions and accurate tracking.

One experience can be connected to multiple courses. Connecting one experience to multiple courses allows for the reuse of content without the need for creating a separate experience for each course. Each course will access the same core experience, but any changes made at the course level remain isolated, allowing customization without affecting other courses.

Integrating Individual Experiences with the LMS

Note: If you are using custom domains, all of these fields/keys should be based on your custom domain. 

To create an LTI integration ad hoc, for an individual virtual lab, go to the Training tab and click the experience you want to add an LMS to. Select the Details tab on the top left and click Connect with LMS at the bottom. 

This will open the LMS Integration window. 

To connect your LMS with a CloudShare experience, select the desired LTI version:

  • None: Choose this option if you want to disable the LTI integration.
  • LTI 1.1: Copy and paste the three CloudShare keys from the dialog box into your LMS.
  • LTI 1.3: This version requires mutual authentication, involving both CloudShare keys and LMS keys for enhanced security. 
    1. Copy each authentication key from CloudShare and paste it into the corresponding field in your LMS course. 
    2. Copy the relevant fields from your LMS to your CloudShare environment. Refer to your organization's LMS specifications or internal procedures to determine which LMS fields to use. Once the keys are added and authenticated, click Save to complete the integration.

If you’ve completed an LTI 1.3 integration, you can also click Connect with LMS again to open the integration window, and you will see the retained configuration.

In both versions, you can connect multiple experiences to the same LMS course; however, LTI 1.1 allows you to connect an experience to one course on your LMS, while LTI 1.3 allows you to connect an experience to multiple courses.

Once an experience is connected, it serves as a template in the LMS. Adding more courses to the same experience will create copies based on the initial template configuration. Connecting an experience to a new course will create a duplicate of the experience. Any changes made to the course will only be reflected in the copy of the experience created for the course.

LTI 1.1 and LTI 1.3

CloudShare supports the Learning Tools Interoperability (LTI) specification, a cross-platform protocol that enables learning platforms (like your LMS) to securely communicate and share data with external platforms (like CloudShare). LTI facilitates key learning platform activities, such as single sign-on, role definition, contextual information sharing, secure data handling, real-time interactions, and more. The advantage of using LTI with your LMS is that it provides all of this functionality without the need for custom program code or dedicated APIs.

By supporting LTI, CloudShare allows you to offer all of our advanced virtual lab features to your instructors and participants by accessing directly from your LMS.

Supported LTI Versions

CloudShare supports LTI 1.1 and LTI 1.3.

How CloudShare Works with LTI

When working with LTI, your LMS is referred to as the LTI Platform, and CloudShare is the LTI Tool. 

When launching a virtual lab, it is crucial to ensure that your LMS sends the launching user's name and email address to CloudShare through the LTI request. This allows for seamless user identification and authentication within the virtual environment.

When integrating CloudShare with an LMS, a CloudShare virtual lab cannot be hosted within an iFrame. To ensure optimal functionality, make sure the host browser is opened in full-screen mode. This ensures a smooth and uninterrupted user experience during sessions.

CloudShare maps the LTI variables to standard integration fields:

  • Content URL: This is the URL of the CloudShare content (i.e., the experience) that will be accessed from the LMS module. CloudShare maps this to a field called LTI Launch URL.
  • LTI Client Key: This is CloudShare's unique LTI Toolaccount ID, allowing the LTI Platform (LMS) to identify CloudShare as the owner of the virtual lab. CloudShare maps this to a field called LTI Key.
  • LTI Client Secret: This password authenticates CloudShare as the LTI Tool account. CloudShare maps this to a field called LTI Secret.

Limitations

Experiences deleted in CloudShare will still appear in the LMS and must be manually deleted there and vice versa.

Docebo Integration

The Docebo integration, based on LTI 1.3, enables a more streamlined connection between your LMS and experiences. Previously, integrations were a lengthy process. Now, with the subscription-level integration, you can complete the setup once and then effortlessly connect individual experiences with just the push of a button.

The integration between CloudShare and Docebo is based on LTI 1.3 and needs to be enabled on the Docebo subscription.

  • Single-Tenant Support: Currently, CloudShare subscriptions can only be shared with one Docebo tenant.
  • Other LMS Integrations: When using the Docebo integration feature, all experiences will be shared only with the same Docebo tenant and cannot be mixed with other LMS integrations.

The integration of Docebo at the subscription level simplifies the management of integrations and sharing experiences as learning materials on the Docebo platform. 

Click here for instructions on how to access the relevant fields on Docebo.

  • For Domain name, if you are using a custom domain, make sure that you insert your custom domain name here. For example, support.accelerate.cloudshare.com.
  • Set the same client_id in both CloudShare and Docebo’s OAuth2 modal.
  • Copy the client secret from Docebo and paste it into CloudShare.
  • Copy the redirect URI from CloudShare by navigating to the CloudShare field and clicking the clipboard icon next to the redirect URI field. This URI acts as a web address that enables Docebo to establish a connection with CloudShare.
  • In Docebo, find the platform key fields, which are unique identifiers for your Docebo instance, and copy their contents. Paste these into the corresponding fields in CloudShare.
  • Click the Connect to Docebo Learn button. This will open an authentication window.
  • Authenticate your Docebo account. Upon successful authentication, you will return to the subscription page and see a notification confirming the connection to Docebo. The integration box will display Connected to Docebo.
  • If the connection process fails, an error message will appear, and the last successful configuration will be preserved without any changes. Changes will only be applied after a successful update. Repeat the steps above to attempt the connection again.

Important Information:

  • Once you switch to the Docebo integration, your existing integrations will stop working.
  • You might see a Progress column within Docebo. This is an internal field used by Docebo and is not supported as part of the LTI 1.3 integration.

Sharing Your Experience with the Docebo Central Repository

At the experience level, having a subscription-based integration model means that the integration process is streamlined and can be completed with the click of a button, allowing users to quickly share their CloudShare experiences to Docebo without repeating the full integration process. Once the integration has been enabled, experiences can be seamlessly shared with the Docebo Central Repository (CLOR). This integration is crucial for efficient sharing and centralized management, making it essential for streamlined operations. 

Click the Experience to open the Experience Details page. Navigate to the Access tab of the Edit panel, which appears to the right of the Experience Details page, and click the Share to Docebo Learn button.

This action will add the experience to Docebo's CLOR, enabling you to connect the experience to one or more Docebo courses. When the integration is successful, a notification will appear at the top of the page. 

If this process fails, an error message will appear. 

Check the Docebo integration configuration to ensure that you are not experiencing a failure to share to Docebo. If the issue persists, try sharing the data again to see if the problem resolves itself. Sharing to Docebo refers to sending or syncing information from CloudShare to Docebo, ensuring that the integration is working correctly. 

Integration configuration can only be checked by users with Account Manager permissions.

Managing Experiences Shared with LTI 1.3 / Docebo

Once an experience is integrated with an LMS via LTI 1.3, it is displayed in the LMS's Central Repository as learning material and can be linked to your courses. When the experience is shared, you will see the following indication:

Shared with the <course name> course, last accessed on <last launch time>

This shared experience can be attached to one or multiple courses. When sharing more than one course, the same experience that was initially shared with the LMS will function as an "experience template." This "experience template" is what appears in LMS's Central Repository, and based on its configuration, all other courses utilizing this learning material will have their own isolated copy, duplicated from the template.

There are two key identifiers with icons for this:

  • Experience Template: When added to more than one course, it serves as a predefined setup or configuration that can be reused across multiple courses.
  • Duplicated from the experience: When added to more than one course, CloudShare generates copies based on the original experience template. Changes made to individual courses only affect the respective copy of the experience.
Note: The duplicated experience will only be presented on the CloudShare side after the first LTI launch.

Accessing CloudShare via LMS

For Participants

Participants can launch CloudShare hands-on experiences directly from their LMS course. The integration provides a seamless transition, eliminating the need to switch contexts.

LTI 1.1

When implementing an LTI 1.1 integration, if student information (first name, last name, email) is not shared by the LMS, access to CloudShare will be denied, and the student will see an error message prompting them to update their details in the LMS.

LTI 1.3

When using an LTI 1.3 integration, CloudShare requires email information to uniquely identify students; however, if only partial information is provided, CloudShare will generate an internal email to ensure unique identification.

For Instructors

LTI 1.1

Instructors will be forwarded directly to the CloudShare experience. 

LTI 1.3

Instructors can manage their CloudShare sessions directly from the LMS. When launching a CloudShare activity, they will be directed to the instructor console if they are already logged in to CloudShare.

If the instructor is not logged in, they will be prompted to authenticate. After successful authentication, they will be forwarded to the instructor console.

Note: Instructors must be defined in the experience with the same full name and email that are also configured in the LMS to enable authentication.

Managing Experiences and Templates

Once an experience is connected, it serves as a template in your LTI. Adding more courses to the same experience will create copies based on the initial template configuration. Any changes to the original course experience will reflect across all template copies in the LTI.

 

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