Matt Matsuda, VP of Customer Success and Global Support at Engageli, partners with customers to streamline LMS integrations, including LTI 1.3, and ensure seamless implementation and successful adoption across their learning environments.
Canvas, Moodle, D2L, Schoology and Blackboard each connect to a dedicated virtual classroom platform through LTI 1.3, the standard that launches a live class from inside an LMS course. A purpose-built virtual classroom platform can add measurable asynchronous learning, engagement analytics, and attendance and grade passback to the gradebook.
A learning management system (LMS) holds course content, assignments, and grades. A virtual classroom runs the live class. Institutions on Canvas, Moodle, or Blackboard can launch a separate virtual classroom platform through Learning Tools Interoperability (LTI), the standard that connects the two, so students can seamlessly open the classroom from their LMS course and be immediately authenticated.
When you’re choosing a virtual classroom for Canvas, Moodle, D2L, Schoology, or Blackboard or any LMS that supports LTI 1.3, it helps to understand how the connection works for daily workflows. Looking at how each platform handles class lists, add/drops, attendance, and grades can help you decide which one fits your course.
LTI lets students open a virtual classroom from their LMS course. Single sign-on (SSO) is part of the launch, so they don't need a separate login for the classroom.[4] Course records stay in the LMS.
Engageli supports LTI 1.3 Basic and Advantage services. These can automatically create classes and user accounts, sync class lists and roles, and send session completion grades back to the LMS.[5] The connection also updates the classroom roster when learners add or drop a course.[4]
The connection carries course and user IDs, including the student information system (SIS) ID, to help match classroom activity to the right records.[4] For more detail, see our full guide on LMS and virtual classroom integration.
LTI 1.3 is important because it helps institutions integrate learning platforms with their existing Learning Management System (LMS) while improving security, simplifying administration, and reducing manual work.
1. Operational efficiency
Connects the virtual classroom to the LMS, reducing manual provisioning, duplicate data entry, and the administrative effort required to manage courses, rosters, add/drops, and users.
2. Stronger authentication and security
Uses OAuth 2.0 and OpenID Connect-based launch flows, along with signed JWTs, to help verify the identity of the platform initiating a launch and protect the integrity of launch information.
3. Controlled access to course data
Supports role and context information so users can access the appropriate course and classroom resources. Institutions can better manage who can launch tools and what information is shared.
4. Automated teaching and learning workflows
Depending on the integrations enabled, LTI can support grade passback, roster-related workflows, and course-level access without requiring instructors to manage separate systems and oversee processes manually.
5. Easier institutional deployment and governance
A standardized integration makes it easier for IT teams to deploy and manage learning tools across departments and courses, while maintaining consistent configuration and access policies. This makes change management and adoption simple.
The table below shows the LMS connections each vendor names in its documentation. Use it to build your shortlist. Then ask each vendor to show you what happens after students click the class link: how class lists update, which scores return if passback is enabled, and what staff still have to enter by hand. This will help you with your evaluation.
|
Platform |
LMS connections listed by the vendor |
Connection |
|---|---|---|
|
Engageli |
Canvas, Moodle, D2L, Schoology, and Blackboard. The Help Center has setup guides for Canvas and Blackboard [6] |
LTI 1.3 Basic and Advantage services [5] |
|
Zoom |
Canvas, Moodle, Blackboard, D2L Brightspace, and Schoology [10] |
LTI 1.1 and 1.3 [10] |
|
Webex |
Canvas, Blackboard Learn, Moodle, Brightspace, Schoology, and Sakai [11] |
Webex Education Connector, installed through LTI [11] |
|
Microsoft Teams |
Canvas [2]. Confirm other LMS platforms with Microsoft |
Teams Meetings LTI 1.3 app [2] |
|
BigBlueButton |
Canvas Conferences and Moodle 4.0 onward [1][3] |
Built into the LMS |
|
Class for Web |
Blackboard Learn [9] |
Class describes sending session details to course attendance in Blackboard Learn [9] |
Engageli integrates with Canvas, Moodle, D2L, Schoology, and Blackboard through LTI 1.3. Its Help Center has a Canvas setup guide and a section for Blackboard integrations.[6] Engageli's LMS integration guide also covers using LTI 1.3 to connect a dedicated virtual classroom with D2L Brightspace, Moodle, and Schoology.[4]
Ask every vendor, including Engageli, to walk you through these seven checks in your LMS. Seeing the steps will help you understand what instructors and students will need to do.
|
What to check |
Question for the vendor |
Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
|
Class-list updates |
When an instructor joins or leaves an LMS course, does the classroom list update? |
Access stays limited to currently enrolled learners [4] |
|
Grades and attendance |
Which scores and attendance details go back to the gradebook if passback is enabled? When do they arrive? |
Instructors skip manual gradebook entry [4] |
|
Matching student records |
Which course and userIDs travel with the LTI connection, including SIS IDs? |
Helps match classroom activity to the right student and course [4] |
|
Single sign-on |
Will it work with our school login system? Ask IT to check SAML 2.0 or OpenID Connect support. |
IT keeps central control of authentication [5] |
|
Recordings |
Can students be authenticated to access recordings from their LMS course? |
Learners review sessions from one place in a secure manner [4] |
|
Phones and tablets |
Can students join from the LMS mobile app? |
Engageli's Help Center documents access from for Canvas [6] |
|
Security and accessibility |
Can our IT and accessibility teams review your current documentation? |
Helps your school check the tool against its requirements [4] |
Start with attendance since that is a key funding driver. Ask the vendor to show a report that separates students who attended live from those who watched in Playback Rooms. Then follow that information into your LMS or student information system. You'll want to see how it supports your district's attendance and reporting requirements.
If your district already uses Zoom or Microsoft Teams, ask how a virtual classroom could fit alongside those tools. Try one LMS course first, then compare the attendance and participation data you get from each setup.
Start with asynchronous models since that is how the learning for adult working students happen. When students access recordings, can the instructor see participation to provide timely student support? Ask the vendor to demonstrate that during a live session, so your teaching team can judge whether the view is useful.
You can keep your LMS for content, assignments, and grading, then connect a virtual classroom through LTI.[4] Ask the vendor to show how students access recordings and how instructors access attendance and participation. A demo in your own LMS test environment makes those steps easier to assess.
Engageli is an AI-powered virtual classroom platform. Students and instructors open it from an LTI link in their LMS course. The first instructor click creates the Engageli class, user accounts, and class list automatically.[4]
For team teaching, several LMS courses can connect to one Engageli classroom, while the combined Engageli roster maintains the original LMS course information the student is rostered in.. Learners stay enrolled in their original courses, and instructors can view participation data by course.[4] After class, engagement grades, attendance, and quiz or sprint game scores can return to the LMS course gradebook if needed.[4]
Include your IT and accessibility teams in the review. Engageli's integrations page describes its support for security, privacy, and accessibility requirements, including SOC 2, FERPA, GDPR, and WCAG AA.[5] Ask for the documentation your school needs to assess those requirements.
Engageli serves 2M+ hours a week where 90% of Engageli classroom access is through the LMS.
Want to see the steps in your own LMS? Book a demo.
Zoom and Webex list all three in their documentation, and Engageli integrates with all three through LTI 1.3. BigBlueButton is built into Moodle and powers Canvas Conferences. Class also markets a Blackboard Learn integration.[1][3][6][9][10][11] Check that the connection supports your LMS version.
LTI 1.3 is a standard for connecting teaching tools to an LMS. It lets students open the virtual classroom from their course with a single login. Depending on the services the vendor supports, the connection can also update class lists and send attendance and scores to the gradebook.[4][5] Ask the vendor to demonstrate each function you need.
Engageli sends engagement grades, attendance, and quiz or Sprint scores back after a session.[4] Its LTI services also include session completion grade passback, which means sending those grades to the LMS automatically.[5] Ask the demo team to show you the gradebook columns and when they update.
Engageli's integration guide also names D2L Brightspace, Sakai, and Schoology as LMS platforms to evaluate for an LTI 1.3 connection.[4] Ask the virtual classroom vendor to confirm support for your LMS version and show your administrator how to set it up.
[1] Instructure Community. "How do I view Conferences in the Canvas app on my Android device?" community.instructure.com/en/kb/articles/661727-unknown
[2] Microsoft Learn. "Use Microsoft Teams meetings with Canvas." learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/lti/teams-meetings-with-canvas
[3] MoodleDocs. "BigBlueButton." docs.moodle.org/503/en/BigBlueButton. Moodle. "Moodle 4.0 is here!" moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=433685
[4] Chawla, A. Engageli. "How to Integrate your LMS with a Virtual Classroom (and Why it Matters)." Published June 11, 2026, updated July 11, 2026. engageli.com/blog/how-to-integrate-your-lms-with-a-virtual-classroom-and-why-it-matters
[5] Engageli. "Integrations." engageli.com/product/integrations
[6] Engageli Help Center. "How to add the Engageli LTI external tool to a Canvas course" and "LMS Integrations" category. support.engageli.com/hc/en-us
[7] Blackboard Help for administrators. "Original Course View End of Life." Last modified September 23, 2026. help.anthology.com/blackboard/administrator/en/configure-blackboard/original-course-view-end-of-life.html
[8] Class Technologies. "Class Technologies Closes Acquisition of Blackboard Collaborate." PR Newswire, June 30, 2022. prnewswire.com/news-releases/class-technologies-closes-acquisition-of-blackboard-collaborate-301578414.html
[9] Class. "Class Collaborate is now Class for Web." class.com/collaborate/
[10] Zoom. "Powering education." zoom.com/education. Zoom Marketplace. "LTI Pro." marketplace.zoom.us/apps/f8JUB3eeQv2lXsjKq5B2FA
[11] Webex Help Center. "Install the Webex Education Connector in Your Learning Management System." help.webex.com/sl-si/article/nx9jzl2