Understanding LTI Consumer 1.1 and 1.3 also What are the Key Difference and Upgrades? 

Overview

Open edX is a popular online learning platform designed to provide access to high-quality education for learners worldwide. Learning Tools Interoperability (LTI) is a standard that enables seamless integration of learning applications with Learning Management Systems (LMS). Open edX supports LTI, allowing instructors to easily integrate external learning tools into their courses. In this article, we will explore Open edX LTI Consumer 1.1 and 1.3, highlighting their features, differences, and upgrades — including what's new for LTI as of the Teak and Ulmo releases.

Open edX LTI Consumer 1.1 Introduction

LTI Consumer 1.1 was introduced to enable basic LTI functionality in Open edX. This version allows instructors to:

• Configure LTI tools for their courses
• Pass user information and course data to LTI tools
• Receive grades and outcomes from LTI tools

While LTI Consumer 1.1 provided a foundation for LTI integration, it had limitations. For instance, it lacked support for advanced features such as deep linking and custom parameters.

How to use LTI 1.1 in Open edX Studio:

1. Add an LTI passcode: Go to the Studio advance settings and add a unique generated LTI passcode.
2. Configure the LTI tool: In the course setting, add an LTI tool configuration, including:
   • Launch URL
   • LTI version (select 1.1)
   • Custom parameters (if required)
3. Add the LTI component: In the course outline, add an LTI component, selecting the configured tool from step 2.
4. Set up LTI Launch: In the LTI component settings, specify the launch settings, such as:
   • Launch type (e.g., iframe, new window)
   • Launch text or icon

Test the LTI tool: Preview the course and test the LTI tool launch to ensure it works as expected.

You can successfully use LTI 1.1 in Open edX Studio to integrate external tools and enhance your course content.

Open edX LTI Consumer 1.3 Introduction

LTI Consumer 1.3 is an upgraded version that addresses the limitations of 1.1 and introduces new features, including:

• Deep linking: Enables instructors to link to specific resources within an LTI tool
• Custom parameters: Allows instructors to pass additional data to LTI tools
• Improved security: Supports encrypted authentication and authorization
• Enhanced grade passback: Supports multiple grade fields and improved error handling

How to use LTI 1.3 deep linking in Open edX Studio:

1. Configure the LTI tool: In the course settings, add an LTI tool configuration, including:
   • Launch URL
   • LTI version (select 1.3)
   • Passcode (generated in step 1)
   • Custom parameters (if required)
   • Deep linking enabled (true)
2. Specify the deep linking URL: In the LTI tool configuration, provide the deep linking URL template, using placeholders for course and user information (e.g., {course_id}, {user_id})
3. Add the LTI component: In the course outline, add an LTI component, selecting the configured tool from step 1.
4. Set up the deep link: In the LTI component settings, specify the deep link settings, including:
   • Deep link URL (using the template from step 2)
   • Course and user information placeholders
5. Test the deep link: Preview the course and test the deep link to ensure it launches the LTI tool with the correct course and user context.

Example of a deep linking URL template: courses/{course_id}/users/{user_id}/lessons/{lesson_id}

You can use LTI 1.3 deep linking to seamlessly launch external tools within specific course contexts in Open edX Studio.

What's New: Reusable LTI Configurations (Teak and Ulmo)

Starting with the Teak release and expanded in Ulmo, Open edX introduced a Reusable LTI Store, which changes how LTI 1.3 tools are configured across a site. Previously, every LTI Consumer block required its own copy of the Launch URL, Client ID, Deployment ID, and keys — meaning the same tool had to be re-configured manually in every course unit that used it.

With the Reusable LTI Store:

• Site operators define a tool's configuration once, centrally, in Django Admin (rather than per-block).
• Course authors no longer need to see or handle the technical credentials at all. When adding an LTI Consumer component in Studio, they simply select the saved configuration from a dropdown.
• Updates are centralized: if a tool's URL or keys ever change, the site operator updates it once in the LTI Store, and every course using that configuration is updated automatically — no need to hunt down and edit every individual block.

What this means for setup:

1. Site operators install the tutor-contrib-ltistore plugin to enable the Reusable LTI Store.
2. The tool configuration (Launch URL, Client ID, Deployment ID, keys) is entered once via Django Admin.
3. In Studio, course authors add an LTI Consumer component and choose the reusable configuration from a dropdown instead of manually entering credentials.

This significantly reduces setup time and configuration errors for institutions that reuse the same tool (Zoom, Turnitin, Matlab, lab simulators, etc.) across many courses.

LTI Advantage Complete Certification

Both the Teak and Ulmo releases have achieved LTI Advantage Complete certification, confirming that Open edX's LTI 1.3 implementation meets the full current industry standard for security, deep linking, and grade passback set by 1EdTech (formerly IMS Global).

Key differences between LTI Consumer 1.1 & 1.3 are:

• • Support for advanced features like deep linking and custom parameters
  • Improved security and grade passback functionality
  • Enhanced overall performance and stability
  • LTI 1.3 is now backed by centralized, reusable configurations (Teak/Ulmo), reducing repetitive manual setup that 1.1 always required