Since 2020, the need for interoperability has dramatically risen in learning institutions. This change in demand has left edtech companies to adapt and begin hosting multiple connections and features to equip their products.

This is where LMS integrations come into play.

LMS integrations can help third-party vendors support learning institutions by removing the need to store and keep several password credentials and remove several copy-and-past tasks. In turn, this lets students and educators access their tech stack more easily and/or saves time through faster and automatic workflows. Third-party vendors with LMS integrations will be ahead of the game and attractive to learning institutions that need these flexible, interoperable solutions.

Expanding On That…

LMS integrations provide edtech developers with powerful tools to build platforms. Good integrations can prepare vendors for the interoperability need, save developers time, and offer a better user experience for the schools they work with – leading to happier clients.

There are 2 simple ways edtech companies can benefit from LMS integrations.

  • Integrations can save developers time by cutting feature duplication
  • Integrations solve a clear client need

Integrations Can Save Developers Time by Cutting Feature Duplication

Integrations allow developers to leverage several aspects of the LMS into their products. Most LMS providers already host classroom management features that schools and teachers require. So, developing similar features in a learning platform can be redundant – creating extra work for users.

For example, instead of building a gradebook into an edtech product, a developer can integrate grades from the product back into the teacher's gradebook in a provider like Canvas. Now, teachers don’t have to copy and paste grades for each student and class from the edtech product into a Canvas gradebook.

Single sign-on (SSO) integrations can also help developers better handle user accounts. SSO permits educators and students to sign into a third-party tool using their existing LMS credentials – managed by a learning institution’s IT administrator. Developers don't have to build out methods to allow IT admins or teachers to manage, create, or disperse accounts, or deal with resetting passwords. By integrating that functionality, issues around accounts can be managed by the LMS admin, rather than the product’s support team.

Integrations Solve a Clear Client Need

LMS integrations allow third-party products to act on behalf of an authenticated user. This means someone who signs into a product with their LMS credentials could use the product to send data and content back to the class’s LMS.

For example, a teacher could use a Schoology-integrated app to assign a quiz from the app to their class. Students could then log into the app, through Schoology, to complete the quiz. Teachers could then sync the quiz grades from the app back to their gradebook in Schoology.

In the scenario above, the integration with Schoology saves teachers time by letting them assign content to their course with the click of a button. It also saves educators time by not having to copy grades back to their gradebook. Furthermore, the teacher doesn't have to manage student accounts and passwords, since students will use their existing LMS credentials to access the app.

If developed properly, LMS integrations can save teachers time and allow students to seamlessly access third-party platforms. Happy teachers lead to better relationships between vendors and schools.

*Last updated: 11.20.23

Read More on Data Integration

Here are other articles we’ve written on integrations to help you on your journey:

If you're looking for a partner who can help guide you through developing LMS integrations (like these), then let’s introduce ourselves. We’re Edlink!