LTI Deep Linking

LTI Deep Linking is an extension of the LTI 1.3 standard that allows a provider's content catalog to be browsed and selected from within the LMS. Instead of an admin manually entering a launch URL per course, Deep Linking enables the admin to launch a content picker hosted by the provider, select one or more resources, and have Cornerstone automatically ingest them.

The LTI Deep Linking process consists of four steps:

1. The admin initiates a Deep Linking session from the LMS.
2. The LMS and the provider exchange authentication messages using the LTI 1.3 OpenID Connect flow.
3. The LMS sends a signed Deep Linking Request (JWT) to the provider's content picker.
4. The provider pushes a Deep Linking Response (JWT) containing the selected content items back to the LMS. This response can also be pushed as a standalone without a preceding request (or any of steps 1-3).

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Registration Requirements

To establish an LTI Deep Linking integration, in addition to the LTI launch registration requirements the deep linking URL should be shared by the provider

Provider → Cornerstone

• Deep Linking URL

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End-to-End Sequence

Admin → Initiate Deep Linking → LMS → Login Request → Provider → Authentication Request → LMS → Deep Linking Request (JWT)(id_token) → Provider Content Picker → Admin Selects Content → Deep Linking Response (JWT) → LMS → Content Ingested

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Summary

Cornerstone LMS uses the IMS LTI 1.3 Deep Linking standard to allow admins to browse and select content from a provider's catalog directly within the LMS.

Key technologies include:

• OpenID Connect (OIDC) Authentication
• JWT-based Deep Linking Request and Response
• JWKS Signature Validation
• LTI 1.3 Deep Linking 2.0 Specification

This approach eliminates manual content ingestion by allowing providers to expose a content picker that integrates directly into the Cornerstone admin workflow.

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