External Tools on CN are built on LTI (Learning Tools Interoperability). You may see External Tools and LTI Tools used interchangeably in some places. External tools can enrich the learning experience through smooth integration with learning tools from outside of the CN platform. 

This article will show the various ways and places external tools can be added to a Classic LMS course. What instructors and institution CN admins need to be cautious of is that the examples in this article only demonstrate the general procedure of implementing external tools. Different external tools work differently. You will need to follow the instructions and suggestions of each external tool provider when implementing their tool. Feel free to contact CN support help@thecn.com if you need assistance from the CN Team. 

1. Manage External Tools 

There are two ways to manage external tools in a Classic course. 

1. Click Manage External Tools from the bottom of the left course menu. 

2. Click the course settings gear icon next to your course title, then click Manage External Tools.

Add/Configure External Tool

Both ways will take you to the same page. Click the green button from the top to add a new External Tool. 

Choose one of the following options:

Define New External Tool: if you are going to define an entirely new tool by yourself

Select Admin Defined External Tool: if you know that your institution has added the external tool in CN but needs course-level configuration

When adding or configuring an external tool, you will need to enter the following required information:

1. Name of the tool. The name you entered will appear to course members. 

2. Consumer Key (obtained from the tool provider. If you are configuring an Admin Defined External Tool, this information should have already been filled out.)

3. Shared Secret (obtained from the tool provider. If you are configuring an Admin Defined External Tool, this information should have already been filled out.)

4. URL (obtained from the tool provider. If you are configuring an Admin Defined External Tool, this information should have already been filled out.)

Note:

1. In most cases, you can choose "Public" for Privacy. But, if you are not sure, please double check with the tool provider. 

2. For an Admin Defined External Tool, you will need to add other information, such as Additional Params. Please follow your institution admin's or the tool provider's instructions. 

3. Please pay attention to Tool Placement at the bottom. By default, the tools you configure will become available for assignments and activities from the Tasks tool. If you want the tool to be accessible from the left course menu, check the corresponding box. If you want the tool to open in a new window, check the corresponding box. 

Manage Existing External Tools 

Tools that are added by your institution admins can not be edited or removed. You can always edit or delete the external tools added at the course level. 

2. Access External Tools from Left Course Menu

If an external tool is added to the course menu, course members will be able to directly access it there. 

3. External Tool as Learning Activity 

To make an external tool a learning activity, you will need to create a SmartLink from the Tasks tool. 

Step1: Highlight the text in the Tasks tool from which you want to build a SmartLink

Step2: Click the CN SmartLink icon from the toolbar.

Step3: Select Launch External Tool from the dropdown 

Step4: Select the External Tool you would like to use. If it has not been added to the course, you can add it from the first option "+Create a new External Tool". 

Step5: Once done, click Save. 

Step6: Now, you see the highlighted text has turned into a link. After saving the task, your students will be able to click this link to launch the external tool activity. 

4. External Tool as Assignment 

If an external tool is supposed to be used as an assignment, you can create this assignment from the Tasks tool or from GradeBook directly. Here, we will use the Tasks tool to demonstrate the process:

Step1: Highlight the text in the Tasks tool from which you want to build a SmartLink

Step2: Click the CN SmartLink icon from the toolbar.

Step3: Select "Prompt Students to Submit through External Tool" from the dropdown. 

Step4: Select +Add a new GradeBook Item. Please note that if you have created the GradeBook item, you should see it on the dropdown and can select it to use. 

Step5: Below is the GradeBook item creation form. Besides other fields, you will need to select the external tool you would like to use for this assignment. 

Step 6: Once done creating and connecting to the GradeBook item, you will see it on this pop-up. Don't forget to Save the form. 

Step6: Now, you see the highlighted text has turned into a link. After saving the task, your students will be able to click this link to view and make a submission on this assignment.