Using Kialo with Brightspace

There are three recommended ways to use Kialo with Brightspace:

1. Use LTI

LTI is the best way to use Kialo with Brightspace, but a Brightspace admin has to set it up. Students will be automatically signed in and will have the same name in Kialo as in Brightspace. Grades you give in Kialo can be synced back to Brightspace and students will automatically have the Writer role in your Kialo discussions, improving security as you don’t need to use sharing links.

Please note syncing your Brightspace groups with Kialo is not currently supported.


2. Link to an Instant Access Kialo discussion

This makes it very easy to have a quick discussion with your students.


3. Link to a standard Kialo discussion

This offers improved security over using an Instant Access discussion; however, you need to enter the email addresses of students once and they will have to log in or register themselves.


1. Use LTI

Teachers: Using Kialo on Brightspace

Once Kialo has been added as an activity to Brightspace by an admin (see below), to add it to your course:

  1. In your module, click the Existing Activities dropdown and select Kialo.
  2. Follow the instructions in the pop up until you are prompted to select a discussion.
  3. Select a discussion or create a new one.


Admins: Setting up Kialo on Brightspace

There are three parts to configuring Kialo to be used in your Brightspace instance: register Kialo as a Tool, create a deployment, and create a link.


1. Register Kialo as a Tool

  1. Click the Settings button and select Manage Extensibility.
  2. Click LTI Advantage, then Register Tool.
  3. Select Dynamic and enter https://www.kialo-edu.com/lti/dynreg
  4. Click Register.
  5. Enable the new tool.


2. Create a deployment

  1. Click the Settings button and select External Learning Tools.
  2. Click New deployment, then select the tool you registered in the first step.
  3. Enter the following:
    Name: Kialo
    In the Security Settings section:
    a. Check User Information, which should check all related options.
    b. Check Link Information, which should check all related options.
    c. In the Configuration Settings section, check Open as External Resource.
    Under Make tool available to: click on Add Org Units and select all appropriate units Kialo should be available for.
  4. Create the deployment by clicking the respective button.


3. Create a Link

  1. Navigate to the deployment you created in the previous step, scroll to the bottom, and click View Links.
  2. Click New Link.
  3. Enter the following:
    Name: Kialo
    URL: https://www.kialo-edu.com/lti/start
    Type: Deep Linking Quicklink
  4. Click Save and Close.

Kialo should now appear as a link and can be used by educators as an activity.


2. Link to an Instant Access Kialo discussion

Use this if you do not want your students to create Kialo accounts. 

  1. In Kialo, enter your discussion and click the Share button.
  2. Enable Instant Access (don’t require Kialo accounts). 
  3. Copy the link and use it in your course.


3. Link to a standard Kialo discussion

Use this if you want to ensure students can’t share the discussion outside of the classroom but can’t use LTI.

  1. In Kialo, enter your discussion, click the Share button, then click Invite Users.
  2. Enter or select the email addresses of the students you want in the discussion.
  3. Click Next, then Invite.
  4. Copy the link of the discussion and use it in your course. Students will have to log in or register for Kialo if they do not have an account with the email address you used.
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