Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google


Community Learning Platform Adds Deeper LMS Integration

  • By Dian Schaffhauser
  • 05/27/21

Piazza, an education technology company that develops a platform for community learning, has updated its application to give campus administrators more control over course creation and course sign-ups through the learning management system. The primary enhancements include integration of Learning Tools Interoperability (LTI) 1.3, the latest version, from the IMS Global Learning Consortium, and Security Assertion Markup Language (SAML) single sign-on (SSO).

The program serves as a Q&A platform for a course that allows students to pose questions and answers by name or anonymously, respond to polls and get feedback from their instructors. The software uses a wiki-style format that supports, code, mathematical notation, videos, images and other kinds of files. Faculty who use Piazza have reported that it eliminates e-mail clutter and compels higher student participation.

The upgrade provides for login management through LMSs, including Blackboard, Canvas, D2L's Brightspace, Moodle and Sakai, and course enrollments. According to the company, the LMS administrator will be able to:

  • More easily provision and manage class creation and class enrollments on Piazza through the LMS;
  • Enable single-sign-on with the university's identity provider;
  • Do automatic roster synchronization between the LMS and Piazza; and
  • Integrate Piazza's Gradebook functionality with the LMS, to port student participation statistics.

"As our university customers are continuing to simplify processes and navigate new learning models, we are thrilled to bring this protocol update that will allow university admins the ability to manage Piazza access directly through their LMS," said Pooja Sankar, Piazza's founder and CEO, in a press release.

The update is available to current institutional customers.

About the Author

Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • abstract smartphone translucent screen displaying AI interface

    Apple Introduces Redesigned Siri AI

    At its recent Worldwide Developers Conference, Apple introduced Siri AI, a redesigned version of its voice assistant that Apple describes in its own announcement as "a profoundly more capable and personal assistant." The update is intended to make Siri more conversational, more context-aware, and more useful across iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and Vision Pro.

  • Abstract polygonal hacker with laptop on technology dark background

    Cybersecurity Researchers Identify First Fully Autonomous AI-Driven Ransomware Attack

    Threat researchers at cloud security firm Sysdig have disclosed what they describe as the first documented ransomware operation carried out end-to-end by an autonomous AI agent, with no human typing commands or directing individual steps once the attack was underway.

  • closeup of hands using smart phone

    Learning Continuity Built into the LMS Withstands Cloud or Cybersecurity Interruptions

    When your institution's administrative or instructional capabilities face disruption from natural, technical, or malicious events, what measures does your LMS offer to provide a "business as usual" operating and learning environment? Instructure's Ryan Lufkin comments on the LMS and learning continuity.

  • Blurred silhouettes of business people in a modern office with a glowing blue network overlay

    Open Secure AI Alliance Moves to Linux Foundation

    The Open Secure AI Alliance has moved under the Linux Foundation, giving the initiative what the organizations describe as a neutral home for developing open source tools, shared standards and defensive practices. The Alliance was launched by NVIDIA in July to develop open security technologies for AI systems and agents.