Canvas Integrations
Canvas is VCU’s centrally supported Learning Management System (LMS). Canvas has the capability to integrate with 3rd Party Tools that are used to enhance course facilitation through the platform. The Learning Systems team manages Canvas and supports this integration process.
All Canvas LTI's must be submitted to IT Governance for approval.
For additional information regarding Canvas integrations, visit our Knowledge Base.
For a list of institution-wide Canvas integrations already deployed by the Learning Systems team, please see the table below. While Learning Systems manages all Canvas-level integrations and maintains the official list of tools licensed for the VCU community, tools licensed at the department or program level must be documented and managed directly by the requesting party.
Important Policy Changes (Effective June 1, 2026)
To ensure security and platform stability, the following standards apply to all Canvas Integrations:
- Mandatory VCU Agreements: All new and existing tools must secure an official VCU agreement to be integrated within Canvas.
- LTI 1.3 Upgrades Required: All existing integrations must be upgraded to the latest LTI 1.3 standard.
- Course-Level Configurations Disabled: Instructors can no longer manually configure deprecated LTI versions at the course level.
- Approved Tools Only: Instructors are no longer able to manually add unapproved integrations to their courses. Only approved, centrally managed tools may be used.
If you need an integration that is not featured on this list or in the request tracker below, please review our Request Process section at the bottom of this page.
Canvas integrations add valuable functionality to your course. For example, instructors can use these tools to embed interactive study aids (like flashcards or mini-quizzes) to help students master core concepts. Popular integrations you may already be familiar with include Top Hat, Respondus, Turnitin, and VoiceThread.
For a complete list of integrations already deployed by the Learning Systems team and available for immediate use, please see the table at the bottom of this page.
If you need a tool that will be added to all courses in a department or all courses university-wide, you must follow the Canvas Integration Requests procedure. For more information about the LTI standard, please see "What does LTI mean?".
For more information regarding Canvas Integration Requests, please see the "How Do I Request the Installation of a Canvas Integration".
Learning Tools Interoperability (LTI) is the standard process that allows us to integrate 3rd party tools within Canvas.
According to the 1EdTech Consortium (formerly IMS Global), “Learning Tools Interoperability (LTI) is a standard developed by 1EdTech Consortium, which allows courseware and learning tools from different vendors to be launched within a learning platform, often a Learning Management System (LMS). The LTI integration allows the student to move seamlessly from one tool to the other, with minimal effort from instructors or students. The current version of LTI is 1.3, and previous versions are now deprecated.
As of June 30, 2022 LTI versions 1.1 and 1.2 have been deprecated. Tools on v1.1 and 1.2 are no longer permitted. LTI v1.3 is the only currently supported version of the LTI standard. LTI 1.3 requires that tools are installed by a root-level Canvas administrator, which is a departure from previous standards.
Additional Resources
- LTI Fundamentals FAQ (1EdTech)
- Trusted Apps Directory (1EdTech)
The Learning Systems (LS) team's primary responsibility in facilitating Canvas Integration Requests is serving in the role of system integrator for VCU’s Canvas instance. The following additional resources are required on the part of requesters and university partners to successfully review tools prior to installation:
- VCU’s IT Governance process: accessibility and security reviews
- VCU Learning Systems: system administrators and tool integrators
- VCU community members and elevated Canvas users: functional testing
Please review the current list of tools already available at VCU before submitting a request.
If a tool in the list needs to be updated or you need a tool that is not featured on this list or in the request tracker below, please review our Request Process section at the bottom of this page.
All LTI tools must receive formal approval from VCU IT Governance prior to deployment and must be installed exclusively by the Learning Systems team. Approval from IT Governance does not guarantee deployment. Unauthorized installations are strictly prohibited.
LS retains final authority over all Learning Management Systems (LMS) integrations and reserves the right to delay, suspend, or decline any installation if the tool fails testing, presents system incompatibilities, compromises LMS stability, or creates operational constraints.
For guidance on the approval process, please contact ITGov@vcu.edu or visit itgovernance.vcu.edu.
The full request process is detailed below.
List of Currently Installed Canvas Integrations @ VCU
Tools Integrated with the LTI Standard, available to any course at VCU*
Click on the name of a tool for more information.
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*Some listed tools may be restricted to Academic courses only.
Other Integrated Tools
The tools below are integrated with Canvas for the VCU Community to use. These tools are integrated using a different method than the above table.
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Canvas Integration Request Tracker
This table is maintained by Learning Systems and reflects their internal integration schedule. Install Location/Sub Account indicates the scope of installation:
• Academic: Available for any Official Academic Course offered at VCU.
• Specific Name: Restricted only to the requesting department.