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Canvas LMS Integration Guide

Patrick O'Toole
  • Updated

The Canvas LMS and Rhythm integration provides your association with the power to build out your courses in Rhythm and push them to Canvas.

What integration options does Canvas LMS offer?

Single Sign-On (SSO)
In combination with User Login In integration, this allows Users who are currently logged in on a site belonging to Customer to be logged in on Canvas LMS, and to have their user information updated. Through this integration, Customer’s Users can be recognized by type, which controls specific viewing, pricing, and accessibility options Customer sets. 

Registration API 
Instead of using Canvas LMS’s storefront where Users search, browse, and purchase products on the LMS, this Registration API tool allows the Customer to handle all product descriptions, prices, purchases, and registration confirmations in Rhythm. Registrations can then be pushed from Rhythm into Canvas LMS in real-time. 

Custom Data Push
This integration sends information from Canvas LMS to Rhythm in real-time when a user makes progress on a course in Canvas.

What information is needed before setup?

From Rhythm

Before setting up the integration in Rhythm, please reach out to your Customer Success Manager or your Project Manager to enable the integration in your tenant. 

From Canvas

Before setting up the integration, you will need to create a Canvas LMS account. Your account should include Admin permissions. 

What needs to be configured?

Basic Set Up in Canvas

  1. Login to your Canvas account
  2. Copy the URL, it will look something like canvas.infrastructure.com
    1. You will paste it in Rhythm later as the Host
  3. Click Account>Settings
  4. Click Approved Integration 
  5. Click New Access Token 
  6. Enter “Rhythm AMS” for the purpose
  7. Do not set the access to expire
  8. Copy the Access Token
    1. This will be input later in Rhythm

 

Basic Set Up in Rhythm

  1. Access the Security and Settings app
  2. Click Integrations
  3. Click Canvas
  4. Paste the URL from Canvas
  5. Paste the Access Token from Canvas
  6. Optionally, you can enter an Account ID. If none is provided the primary account for your Canvas instance will be used
  7. Enter a friendly name to help you identify this account in the future
  8. You can optionally instruct Rhythm to assign learners to sections in Canvas LMS based on their linked organization in Rhythm. You can enable this option for certain courses by specifying Course Types. Every course and course offering which use one of the course types you specify here will automatically assign organization sections on enrollment in Canvas LMS.

Course Setup in Rhythm

If your Courses were imported into Rhythm, review the course types, courses, and course offerings that were imported to ensure they are correct. 

  1. Go to the Certifications app
  2. In the left toolbar, click Setup, click Training, click Course Types
  3. Ensure the Course Types you expected to be there are present
  4. In the left toolbar, Click Courses
  5. Click on the hyperlink text for a course that also exists in Canvas LMS
  6. Click Edit Course
    • Ensure the Course Type is correct
    • Ensure that the “Publish this course to the Portal” is checked
    • If nothing needs to be changed, click Cancel. Otherwise, click Save Changes.
  7. Click the Fees tab on the Course, and edit a fee to ensure the fields are correct
  8. Click “go back” to exit Certifications Setup and return to the Certifications App home page
  9. In the left toolbar, click Courses and then Offerings.
  10. Find a Course Offering for the Course you edited in the previous steps. 
    • If you do not see the Course Offering but expect these to be imported, please reach out to your Rhythm point of contact.
    • If you are creating Course Offerings, please refer to this Knowledge Base article. 
    • Note: if your data import is still in progress, please consult with your Rhythm point of contact before completing this step to ensure no information is lost upon reimport.

If you are creating Courses directly in Rhythm, follow these steps. 

  1. Set up your Courses in Rhythm following this Knowledge Base article. Please click on the Training link in the table of contents to get started. 
    1. Once you have set up the course, please ensure you check the “Publish this course to the portal”
  2. Once your courses are set up, set up your Course Offerings using this Knowledge Base article. 

Course Catalog Setup  

Browse Courses in Rhythm

If you want users to browse and select courses in the Rhythm portal, follow these steps to set up the course catalog:

  1. Access the Portals and Microsites
  2. Ensure your site is set to your Member Portal
  3. Click Features on the left side
  4. Click Install a Portal Feature
  5. Select the Browse Training Offering feature
  6. Click Next
  7. Click Install the feature
  8. Click Menus on the left
  9. Edit your main menu
  10. Place the View Course Offering page into your desired menu option
  11. Click Pages
  12. Ensure the View Course Offering page has a status of published

Final Setup in Rhythm

Portals and Microsites

Confirm that the necessary Portals and Microsites App features are installed.

  1. Go to the Portals and Microsites app
  2. Ensure the Site on the top right says “Member Portal”
  3. In the left toolbar, click Features
  4. Confirm that the Credits, Training & Courses, and Training Provider Administration features are installed

If these features are not installed, follow these steps:

  1. Click the ‘Install a Portal Feature’ button
  2. Select the Target Menu and the Template for these pages
  3. Scroll down to Certifications
  4. Select the Credits, Training & Courses, and Training Provider Administration features
  5. Click Next
  6. Click Install Features

After the installation is complete:

  1. In the left toolbar, click Pages
  2. Ensure that all Pages have a “Published” status

Set up your courses in Canvas

To create your courses in Canvas, please follow their knowledge base article here. After you have set up at least one course, please access that course's Home page and copy the ID found in the URL.

canvas-course-id.png

Helpful Hint: Invitations for course registrations will not be sent out until the course is published. 

 

Once your courses have been setup or verified in Rhythm and Canvas, please return to the Course Offering in Rhythm and add the ID of the course in Canvas to the External ID field found when editing the course offering.

course-offering-external-id.png

How do we test the integration?

In Rhythm

Course Registration

  1. In Rhythm, access the Certifications App
  2. Click Courses
  3. Click Course Registrations
  4. Click Register for Course
  5. Select a user you have login credentials for Canvas
  6. Complete the course registration
  7. On the Course Registration 360 page under the details tab you will see that the progress is at 0%. As the learner completes the course that will increase.

Helpful Hint: At this point the registrant will receive an email confirming their course enrollment with their login ID

In Canvas

As the course administrator

  1. Login to Canvas as the course administrator
  2. Click Courses on the left hand side
  3. Click on the course the user is registered for
  4. Ensure their status is set to Invited

As the course registrant

  1. Login to Canvas as the course registrant
  2. Click Courses on the left hand side
  3. Click on the course
  4. Click Accept Invitation
  5. Ensure that you are able to interact with the materials in the course in Canvas.
  6. Please complete at least one module of the course. 
  7. Once done, please navigate back to the Course Registration 360 screen in Rhythm to ensure the Progress percentage is accurate and the status has been changed from Registered to In Progress. Once the course registrant has completed all parts of the course, their status will be set to Completed and the Progress field will show 100%.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What do I need to use the Rhythm + Canvas LMS Integration?

To use the Rhythm + Canvas LMS integration, you will need an active account with both Rhythm and Canvas LMS. You will also need Admin permissions in Canvas LMS to create a new Data Stream.

Q: Is the Rhythm + Canvas LMS Integration available to everyone? 

The Rhythm + Canvas LMS integration is currently available.

Q: How do I get access to the Rhythm + Canvas LMS Integration?
Work with your Rhythm point of contact to enable the Rhythm + Canvas LMS Integration for your organization.

Q: How do I link a course offering in Rhythm to a Canvas LMS course?

Start by creating a new course in Canvas LMS, either as a stand-alone course, or from a blueprint. When viewing the new course, make a note of the course ID in your browser’s address bar. For example, in the following URL the course ID is 4216562: https://canvas.instructure.com/courses/4216562

Now that you have your Canvas LMS course ID, create or edit a new course offering in Rhythm. In the Other Information section, set the External ID to the Canvas LMS course ID you noted earlier.

Q: What happens when a learner is registered for a course offering in Rhythm?

When a registration is created for a linked course offering, Canvas LMS is checked for an existing user for the Rhythm contact and user information is updated or created as needed.

The user in Canvas LMS is then enrolled for the linked course in Canvas LMS. This enrollment status will be set as Invited in Canvas LMS.

This enrollment process happens if the registration in Rhythm is created manually, or through order fulfillment from the Rhythm console or member portal.

Q: What profile information is copied from Rhythm when a new user is automatically created in Canvas LMS?

The Full Name, First Name, Sort Name, and Email Address fields from the contact record in Rhythm are copied to the new user in Canvas LMS.

Q: What login information is used when a new user is automatically created in Canvas LMS?

The new user will be created in Canvas LMS with a login ID matching their contact ID in Rhythm. Their initial password will be randomized, so users will need to complete the reset password flow in Canvas LMS to set their own password.

Q: If a user in Canvas LMS already exists, will any information be updated?

Yes, whenever a contact is registered for a course offering in Rhythm, the corresponding user in Canvas LMS is updated with any change to the fields copied from Rhythm.

Q: Will a new user receive an email when their user is created in Canvas LMS?

No, a new user will not receive a user creation email from Canvas LMS. However, they will receive an enrollment confirmation email from Canvas LMS.

Q: Will the user receive an email that they have been enrolled in the course in Canvas LMS?

Yes, the user will receive an email from Canvas LMS with their enrollment confirmation.

Q: Can I automatically assign a section in Canvas LMS during enrollment for each contact’s related organization?

Yes. When configuring the Canvas LMS integration in Rhythm, you have an option to specify which course types you would like organization sections created for in Canvas LMS.

Whenever a registration is created in Rhythm for a course offering for one of these course types, Canvas LMS is checked for an existing section matching the name of the contact’s related organization. If no section is found, a new section is created, and the user is enrolled for that section in Canvas LMS.

Q: What happens if a contact without a related organization is registered for a course type that should assign organization sections?

In this case, the contact will be registered for the course without a section assigned.

Q: If a member registers for a second course, will a new user be created in Canvas LMS?

No, once a user has been created in Canvas LMS for a particular contact from Rhythm, that user will be used to register for any additional courses.

Q: What happens when a user completes a course module in Canvas LMS?

Whenever a user completes a course module in Canvas LMS, their related course registration record in Rhythm is automatically updated. 

The registration status will be changed to In Progress and the Completion Percentage field will be updated based on their progress. 

For instance, if a course has 5 modules and a user completes the second module, the Completion Percentage field will be updated to the value 20.

Q: What happens when a member completes a course in Canvas LMS?

Whenever a user fully completes a course in Canvas LMS, their related course registration record in Rhythm is automatically updated. 

The registration status will be changed to Completed and the Completion Percentage field will be updated to 100.

Q: What happens if the external ID I set on a course offering in Rhythm does not match the ID of any course in Canvas LMS?

In this case, the course registration will be processed as normal in Rhythm, but the member will not be automatically registered for the course in Canvas LMS. Also, course completion will not be automatically pushed back to Rhythm.

Q: What happens if I cancel an order with course registration?

If you cancel any order with course registration, the user enrollment will be deleted from the course in Canvas LMS.

Q: Can I query on learner progress and completion in Rhythm?

Yes. Since the Status and Completion Percentage fields are automatically updated in Rhythm as the learner progresses through a course in Canvas LMS, you can define a query for course registrations in Rhythm that filters based on these values.

 

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