Five Academic Years of Activated Third-Party and Custom-Coded Applications on an LMS Instance

Abstract

On Canvas's data portal, the “external_tool_activation_dim” data table showcases applications activated on the LMS instance through an LTI or other integration mechanism. The “apps” include those by third-party content providers, publishers, software makers, social media platforms, as well as in-house developers. The linked resources include e-books, simulated labs, inter-communications tools, digital content hosting services, assessment supports, proctoring services, work management tools, micro-credentialing services, and others. Understanding which third-party and customized applications are activated may shed light on the interests of the online instructors, the gaps between activated applications and available ones, local custom-coded applications, and others. This chapter captures activated app data through the full lifespan of the LMS instance at Kansas State University to the present moment and encapsulates five academic years: Fall 2013 – Summer 2014, Fall 2014 – Summer 2015, Fall 2015 – Summer 2016, Fall 2016 – Summer 2017, and Fall 2017 – Spring 2018.