Using Kialo with Canvas
Canvas Groups now work with Kialo via LTI. If your Canvas instance was configured to use Kialo via LTI before December 2024, your Admin should update your Canvas settings. See the Setting up Kialo on Canvas section for specific instructions.
There are three recommended ways to use Kialo with Canvas:
LTI is the best way to use Kialo with Canvas, but a Canvas admin has to set it up. Students will be automatically signed in and have the same name in Kialo as in Canvas. Grades you give in Kialo will be synced back to Canvas, and students will automatically have the Writer role in your Kialo discussions. This improves security as you don’t need to use sharing links. Your Canvas groups can be synced and used on Kialo.
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 students’ email addresses once, and they will have to log in or register themselves.
1. Use LTI
Teachers: Using Kialo on Canvas
Once Kialo has been added as an app to Canvas by an admin (see below), add it to your course:
- In your course, open the Assignments section, then click + Assignment.
- Enter a name for the assignment and adjust the grading settings if applicable.
- For Submission Type, select External Tool. Next, click the Find button and select Kialo Discussion.
- Select a Kialo discussion or create a New one.
- Choose your Small Group Mode setting, then click Save.
a. To use your Canvas Groups, select Use LMS Groups and pick the appropriate Group Set.
b. If you want all of your students to work in the same discussion, select No Groups.
c. If you otherwise want your students to work in separate copies of the discussion, select the appropriate option. It’s quickest to pick Automatically assign to groups and enter the number of groups they should split into. - Click Select, then the appropriate Save button.
Done! When students click the link, they will automatically have the correct permissions to participate in the discussion and be assigned to their relevant group if appropriate.
Kialo supports being added to Canvas courses as an External Tool rather than an Assignment, however the Grading feature only works if Kialo is added as an Assignment.
Admins: Setting up Kialo on Canvas
There are multiple methods outlined below for setting up Kialo on Canvas. If you are not using Canvas Cloud, use the Dynamic Registration method if available; otherwise, use Manual Registration.
If you setup Kialo via LTI before December 2024, complete the updated steps 1 and 4 below to allow use of Canvas Groups on Kialo.
- First, navigate to Admin > {Name of your site} > Developer Keys and open the Inherited tab. For the keys Kialo and Kialo API, ensure the State is toggled ON.
- Navigate to Admin > {Name of your site} > Settings > Apps > View App Configurations and click + App.
- For Configuration Type, select By Client ID, enter Kialo’s ID: 170000000001894, and then click Submit.
- Open https://www.kialo-edu.com/canvas/setup:
a. Select Canvas Cloud
b. Enter your Canvas instance URL (domain names only; must start with http:// or https://)
c. Click Connect, then Authorize in the new window
Done! Kialo Edu should now appear in the External Apps list, and support for your Canvas Groups has been set up.
If you setup Kialo via LTI before December 2024, as Canvas does not allow editing existing keys, to use Canvas Groups on Kialo you must add a new key using the instructions below. Only modules created using the new key (i.e. created after this has been done) will be able to use Canvas Groups on Kialo. As existing modules using your current key will break if the key is removed, you should keep your old key active as long as existing modules should be supported (but renamed to “Outdated Kialo App” or similar so educators are aware they should use the updated version).
LTI Setup
- Navigate to Admin > {Name of your site} > Developer Keys. Click + Developer Key and select + LTI Registration.
- In the Register App window, enter: https://www.kialo-edu.com/lti/dynreg
Then click Continue. - For Kialo Discussion Settings:
In Permissions, check ‘Can create and update submission results for assignments associated with the tool‘
For User data shared with this tool, select All user data.
For Placements, enable Link selection and Assignment selection. - Click Enable & Close.
Done! Kialo should now appear in the Developer keys list in the Account section. Next, set up the Canvas REST API:
API Setup
- Navigate to Admin > {Name of your site} > Developer Keys. Click + Developer Key and select + API Key.
- Enter the following:
Key Name: Kialo API
Redirect URIs: https://www.kialo-edu.com/session/callback/canvas
Toggle Enforce Scopes to ON
Enable the following scopes:
url:GET|/api/v1/courses/:course_id/group_categories
url:GET|/api/v1/group_categories/:group_category_id/groups
url:GET|/api/v1/groups/:group_id/memberships
url:GET|/api/v1/courses/:course_id/sections
GET /api/v1/courses/:course_id/groups - Save the key.
- Under Details, note the Client ID of the Kialo API key listed (e.g., “10000000000001”) and the Client Secret (the value hidden by the “Show key” button).
- Open https://www.kialo-edu.com/canvas/setup:
a. Select Self-hosted
b. Enter your Canvas instance URL (domain names only), then your Canvas Client ID and Secret from the previous step
c. Click Connect, then Authorize in the new window
Done! Support for your Canvas Groups has been set up.
If you setup Kialo via LTI before December 2024, you should update your Custom fields as outlined in LTI Setup (Step 2) and complete all of the API Setup section to allow Canvas Groups to be used on Kialo.
LTI Setup
- Navigate to Admin > {Name of your site} > Developer Keys. Click + Developer Key and select + LTI Key.
- Enter the following:
In Key Settings:
Key Name: Kialo Edu
Redirect URIs: https://www.kialo-edu.com/lti/launch
In Configure:
Method: Manual Entry
Title: Kialo EduDescription: Kialo Edu
Target Link URI: https://www.kialo-edu.com
OpenID Connect Initiation Url: https://www.kialo-edu.com/lti/start
JWK Method: Public JWK URL
Public JWK URL: https://www.kialo-edu.com/lti/jwks.json
For LTI Advantage Services: Enable required LTI services
Check the following:
‘Can create and view assignment data in the gradebook associated with the tool.’
‘Can view assignment data in the gradebook associated with the tool.’
‘Can view submission data for assignments associated with the tool.’
‘Can create and update submission results for assignments associated with the tool.’
‘Can view Progress records associated with the context the tool is installed in.’
‘Can retrieve user data associated with the context the tool is installed in.’
‘Can lookup Account information.’
In Additional Settings:
Set Privacy Level: Public
For Custom fields, enter: canvasUserId=$Canvas.user.id canvasCourseId=$Canvas.course.id
In Placements:
Remove the Account Navigation entry
Add an entry for Link Selection
Add Assignment Selection
Select Message Type: LtiDeepLinkingRequest - Save the key. It should now be listed under Developer Keys. Toggle the State of the Kialo key to On.
- Copy the Kialo Edu key ID listed under Details (e.g., “10000000000001”). This is the Client ID you will need shortly.
- Navigate to Admin > {Name of your site} > Settings > Apps and click + App.
- For Configuration Type, select By Client ID and enter the Client ID copied during step 4. Finally, click Submit.
Kialo Edu should now appear in the External Apps list.
If you want to allow Canvas Groups to be used on Kialo, you also need to set up the Canvas REST API:
API Setup
- Navigate to Admin > {Name of your site} > Developer Keys. Click + Developer Key and select + API Key.
- Enter the following:
Key Name: Kialo API
Redirect URIs: https://www.kialo-edu.com/session/callback/canvas
Toggle Enforce Scopes to ON
Enable the following scopes:
url:GET|/api/v1/courses/:course_id/group_categories
url:GET|/api/v1/group_categories/:group_category_id/groups
url:GET|/api/v1/groups/:group_id/memberships
url:GET|/api/v1/courses/:course_id/sections
GET /api/v1/courses/:course_id/groups - Save the key.
- Under Details, note the Client ID of the Kialo API key listed (e.g., “10000000000001”) and the Client Secret (the value hidden by the “Show key” button).
- Open https://www.kialo-edu.com/canvas/setup:
a. Select Self-hosted
b. Enter your Canvas instance URL (domain names only; must start with http:// or https://), as well as your Canvas Client ID and Secret from the previous step
c. Click Connect, then Authorize in the new window
Done! Support for your Canvas Groups has been set up.
2. Link to an Instant Access Kialo discussion
Use this if you do not want your students to create Kialo accounts.
- In Kialo, enter your discussion and click the Share button.
- Enable Instant Access (don’t require Kialo accounts).
- Copy the link and use it in your course.
3. Link to a standard Kialo discussion
Use this if you can’t use LTI but want to ensure students can’t share the discussion outside of the classroom.
- In Kialo, enter your discussion, click the Share button, then click Invite Users.
- Enter or select the email addresses of the students you want in the discussion.
- Click Next, then Invite.
- Copy the link to the discussion and use it in your course. Students who do not have an account with the email address you used will have to log in or register for Kialo.