Managing LTI External Tools in Moodle


LTI External tools, such as publisher content or third-party instructional technologies, are apps that can be integrated with Moodle. Instructors can add links to these tools to their Moodle courses, allowing students to access the content without having to leave Moodle or log into a different system.

This article provides guidance on how to add an LTI external tool to a Moodle course. 

Adding LTI Tools to a Course 

Many instructional tools, such as VoiceThread, Yellowdig, MATLAB Grader, and publisher courseware have been approved and pre-configured for use at the site level. These tools may need to be manually enabled by the instructor so they can be added to a course's Moodle page. 

Enabling Pre-Configured Tools

To enable a pre-configured LTI tool:

  1. In the course menu at the top of the Moodle page, select the More tab.
  2. In the drop-down menu that appears, select the LTI External tools option.
  3. In the LTI External tools page, in the bottom left corner, click the Show all ... link.
  4. If the desired LTI tool is included in the list, in that tool's row, enable the Show in activity chooser field using the toggle.

This will enable the tool to be shown in the activity picker, which can be selected when adding an activity or resource.

To add a pre-configured LTI tool:

  1. Navigate to the main course page.
  2. In the top right corner of the Moodle window, enable Edit mode.
  3. In a given section, click the Add content icon (which looks like a plus sign).
  4. In the drop-down menu that appears, click the Activity or resource option.
  5. Select the desired LTI tool from the activity chooser.
  6. Configure the tool settings.
  7. At the bottom of the settings page, click the Save and display button.

A link to the desired tool should now appear within the course. 

Installing a New LTI External Tool

If an LTI tool does not appear in the list of pre-configured tools, instructors can manually add the tool to their courses.

Each tool provider has specific instructions for LTI integrations with Moodle. Instructors requiring support with this process should contact the tool provider for dedicated instructions and assistance.

To manually add a new LTI tool:

  1. In the course menu at the top of the main Moodle course page, select the More tab.
  2. In the drop-down menu that appears, select the LTI External tools option.
  3. At the top-left of the page, just beneath the page title, click the Add tool button.
  4. Complete the Add new LTI External tool form with the details provided by the tool vendor.
  5. Click the Save changes button.

Once added, the tool will display on the LTI External tools page and can be shown in the course's activity chooser. 

Additional Resources

LTI External Tools (Moodle Docs)

For additional assistance, please contact the LearnTech Help Desk at learntech@ncsu.edu or (919) 513-7094, or via the Get Help form on the DELTA Knowledge Base.