Canvas Perusall Upgrade from LTI 1.1 to LTI 1.3

Environment

Perusall, Canvas

Issue

 

FYI - Perusall LTI 1.1 will be sunset in Canvas on May 4, 2026. After this date, the 1.1 integration will no longer be available for any courses.

Was there a direct Email communication went out? Yes , Please review detail at the link - Perusall LTI 1.1 to 1.3 Transition - email to instructors

What are the benefits for upgrading canvas  Perusall LTI 1.1 to Perusall LTI 1.3?

How to transfer (copy) Canvas course content with Perusall LTI 1.1 to Perusall LTI 1.3?

How do I get support?

Resolution

A direct email communication went out to instructors who used Perusall LTI 1.1 in Canvas Courses. Draft is - Perusall LTI 1.1 to 1.3 Transition - email to instructors

 The high-level steps outlined in the link above are summarized below:

  1. Add Perusall LTI 1.3 to your course from course navigation by following steps in KB.
  2. Copy content from the LTI 1.1 Perusall course into the LTI 1.3 Perusall course.
  3. Create new assignment links for each assignment.
  4. Remove any remaining 1.1 links from your course (if applicable).

Benefits of the upgrade

  • Perusall can now be accessed through a single menu item in Canvas. 
    • Creating individual assignment links in Canvas is no longer necessary to sync assignment scores from Perusall to Canvas. Individual Canvas assignments which link to specific Perusall assignments can still be made, and do not need to have matching titles.
  • Canvas course rosters automatically sync to Perusall; the full roster will be available in Perusall even before students access it. 
    • This allows groups to be set up in Perusall in advance of the start of the semester. 

How to transfer (copy) Canvas course content with Perusall LTI 1.1 to Perusall LTI 1.3?

 Steps to transition a course from 1.1 to 1.3: 

  1. The original canvas course (Course A) is copied to create a new course for the new class session (Course B)

  2. The new canvas course (Course B) will still have all Perusall links associated with 1.1.

  3. In the canvas left navigation side bar: Launch Perusall. This will bring you to a brand new course associated with 1.3:

    Uploaded Image (Thumbnail)

  4. Click "copy an existing course" select from the drop down the course, it's content, & settings. (It will walk you through these specific settings).

  5. Go through the set up wizard, PAUSE at STEP 5 BASIC SETTINGS> and choose how you want the Grade sync to LMS * to function. If you select "Auto sync individual grades..." you must then select how you want Perusall to handle LMS gradebook column management *

When you choose the option "Perusall creates gradebook columns in LMS for each Perusall assignment automatically," the following happens:

  • Instant Column Creation: As soon as you create an assignment in Perusall, a corresponding column is generated in your Canvas gradebook.

  • Automatic Link Creation: Perusall will automatically build the assignment links for you within Canvas. You don’t need to create them manually.

    • Default Placement: These new links will always appear at the very top of your Assignments page in Canvas, inside the first Assignment Group.

  • If you choose this, manually DELETE the old 1.1 links in canvas. Just remove those- no need for them. 

When you choose the option: "Instructor creates deep links in LMS; no Perusall gradebook columns will appear in LMS until deep links have been created"

  • This gives you manual control over where scores land in your Canvas gradebook. Instead of Perusall creating its own columns automatically, it waits for you to "point" it to the right place.

  • A deep link is a specific URL that takes a student directly to a specific assignment within Perusall, rather than just the Perusall homepage. (Just like an assignment specific link built in LTI 1.1)

  • This is the best route if you have a very specific gradebook structure or if you want to ensure that scores from your LTI 1.3 assignments go exactly where you want them without creating duplicates of your old LTI 1.1 columns.

    1. The Key Difference: > * Option 1 says: "I'll make the links and columns for you."Option 2 says: "You make the links in Canvas, and I'll send the grades to wherever you put those links

  • SO that means, the instructor needs to manually update the URL's in CANVAS so it can connect to their new Perusall LTI 1.3 course 

    1. Go to the canvas course> go to your specific links you want to update>Select edit>more options.

    2. Scroll down to Submission Type> External Tool> Press Find

    3. Uploaded Image (Thumbnail)

    4. Click Perusall 1.3 (or whatever you named it for the teachers). Then follow through the window that pops up to connect to the new version of the assignment in Perusall.

    5. ***Notice when you do this, the URL will go from https://app.perusall.com/lti/launch to https://app.perusall.com/ltia/launch

That's it! Then repeat those actions and you will be all set.  

Upgrade information for instructors

  • Instructors will need to take action to ensure Perusall will function in current and future courses after the upgrade is complete.  Perusall has a step-by-step transition guide to walk through the steps instructors will need to take for each Canvas course which utilizes Perusall.  Please note, student data/work inside of Perusall will not be able to be transitioned to the new integration.
  • Instructors who initially created their Perusall account through the existing/old Canvas integration will receive a one time confirmation email the first time they launch Perusall through the new integration.
  • Existing Perusall courses cannot be automatically upgraded.  Instead, a new Perusall course will need to be created.  The new Perusall course can copy content from the original, making the transition easier.
  • Previously created Perusall courses will not be deleted, though they will no longer be accessible through Canvas courses. Instructors will be able to access them from within their Perusall account.
  • Perusall has created a detailed Frequently Asked Questions page about the updated integration.

Help resources

Additional Information

Need additional information or assistance? Contact the ITS Service Center.

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