The Edlink Dashboard provides an out-of-the-box UI for getting districts and universities connect to your application. Our onboarding flow is designed to be simple and intuitive for IT Admins to get them connected quickly and easily. While Edlink doesn't typically have to get involved with school onboarding, you are welcome to contact your Edlink client success manager if you need help.
When a district or university connects, their integration will appear in the Edlink Dashboard under the requested state.
Data will not begin flowing and you will not be billed for usage until you approve the integration by marking it as active.
Workflow Options
There are three primary options for onboarding schools to your application:
- Inviting schools via your generic Integration Link
- Inviting schools via a unique Integration Link
- Initiating the onboarding process via the Edlink API for a more custom experience
There are some specific things to consider with each of these options, which are outlined below.
1. Inviting Schools via Your Generic Integration Link
This is the simplest way to get schools connected to your application. You can provide schools with a generic Integration Link that they can use to connect to your application. This link is the same for all districts or universities and can be found in the Edlink Dashboard.
Pros
- Simple and easy to use
- No need to generate a unique link for each school
- Does not expire
- Can include in documentation because it does not change
Cons
- Less secure than a unique link
- Can be difficult to "correlate" the new integration to the school within your platform
- May require manual configuration on your end after the school connects
Notes
- Schools may connect any of your accepted data sources
Full Guide on Generic Integration Links
2. Inviting Schools via a Unique Integration Link
This option provides a more secure way to get schools connected to your application. You can generate a unique Integration Link for each school that you want to connect. This link is unique to each school and can be found in the Edlink Dashboard.
Pros
- More secure than a generic link
- May be easier to "correlate" the new integration to the school within your platform
- Can be used to pre-select which specific data sources the school can connect
Cons
- Requires generating a unique link for each school
- May require manual configuration on your end after the school connects
Notes
- Links expire after 30 days
Full Guide on School Specific Links
3. Initiating the Onboarding Process via the Edlink API
This option provides the most flexibility and customization for onboarding schools to your application. You can use the Edlink API to initiate the onboarding process for a school. This allows you to customize the onboarding experience and flow for the school. For example, you may want to initiate the onboarding process from within your own UI.
Pros
- Most flexible and customizable option
- Can be initiated from within your own UI
- Can be used to pre-select which specific data sources the school can connect
- Can specify a custom redirect URI for the IT Admin to be redirected to after connecting
- Reliable way to "correlate" the new integration to the school within your platform
- Can be used to automate the onboarding process and reduce post-onboarding manual configuration
Cons
- Requires more development effort to implement
Notes
- Links expire after 3 days