Establishing a Forage LMS Integration for D2L

Below are step-by-step instructions for D2L Brightspace administrators to integrate with Forage after the account has been activated by Forage Admins.

Before you start

You’ll need:

• Admin access in Forage for Educators
• D2L Brightspace administrator access with permission to manage external learning tools / Manage Extensibility
• A Forage LTI registration URL generated for your institution

💡 D2L Brightspace uses LTI Advantage / LTI 1.3 with Dynamic Registration. The administrator registers and deploys the Forage tool first, then instructors can add Forage content to a course.

Administrator Configurations

Step 1: Create a new integration in Forage

1. Log into Forage for Educators as an Admin: https://educator.theforage.com/
2. Go to LMS Integrations.

1. Under Add a New Integration, select D2L from the LMS dropdown.
2. Click + Add Integration.

1. Copy the generated Registration URL using Copy to clipboard. The new D2L row will show status PENDING until Brightspace registration is complete.

📋Keep this Registration URL handy — you will paste it into Brightspace in the next steps.

Step 2: Open Manage Extensibility in Brightspace

1. Log into D2L Brightspace as an Administrator.
2. Click the Settings (gear) icon in the top right.
3. Search for Manage Extensibility and open it.

Step 3: Register the Forage LTI tool (Dynamic Registration)

1. On the Manage Extensibility page, open the LTI Advantage tab.

1. Click Register Tool.
2. Select Dynamic registration.
3. Paste the Forage Registration URL from Step 1 into Tool initiation registration endpoint.
4. Leave Configure Deployment checked.
5. Click Register.

1. Complete the dynamic registration window when prompted, then return to Brightspace.

Step 4: Review and enable the registered tool

1. Newly registered tools appear as Disabled by default. Open the Disabled filter on the LTI Advantage list.
2. Click the Forage tool name (for example, Forage LTI Demo) to open its settings.

1. Confirm the tool is Enabled, and verify the endpoint values look correct:
   • Domain: Forage LTI domain (e.g. https://demo-lti.theforage.com/)
   • Redirect URLs
   • OpenID Connect Login URL (…/login)
   • Target Link URI
   • Keyset URL (…/keys)
2. Under Extensions, enable:
   • Assignment and Grade Services
   • Names and Role Provisioning Services
   • Platform Notification Service
   • Asset Processor

1. Scroll to Brightspace Registration Details and keep a copy of values such as Client Id, Issuer, and Brightspace keyset / auth endpoints if needed for troubleshooting.

1. Click Save or Save and Close.

Step 5: Configure the deployment

1. From the tool page, open View Deployments (or go to External Learning Tools → LTI Advantage).
2. Open the Forage deployment.

1. Confirm the deployment is Enabled.
2. Under Extensions, keep the same services enabled as on the tool (Assignment and Grade Services, Names and Role Provisioning Services, Platform Notification Service, Asset Processor).
3. Under Security Settings, share at least:
   • Name (First / Middle / Last as required by your institution)
   • Email
4. Under Configuration Settings, enable grade options if grade passback is required:
   • Grades created by LTI will be included in Final Grade
   • Auto Create Grade Items

Step 6: Make the tool available to org units

1. In the deployment, click Add Org Units.
2. Search for the department, course template, and/or course offering that should use Forage.
3. Select the units and choose the appropriate availability scope (this org unit / all descendants).
4. Click Add.

1. Confirm the selected org units are listed under Make tool available to.
2. Copy the Deployment Id if your institution needs it for records/support.
3. Click Save or Save and Close.

Step 7: Validate the setup

1. Open a test course where the deployment is enabled.
2. Confirm Forage appears as an available external learning tool / activity.
3. Launch the tool and confirm:
   • Brightspace redirects successfully to Forage
   • SSO works as expected
   • The Forage content selector opens
   • Selected content can be added to the course
4. In Forage for Educators, confirm the D2L integration status moves from PENDING to ACTIVE.

Instructors Operation

Instructors can add Forage resources to a D2L Brightspace course with the following steps:

1. Navigate to the desired D2L Brightspace course.
2. Open the course content area.
3. Choose the module or unit where the Forage activity should be added.
4. Click Add Existing Activities.
5. Select the Forage LTI tool / app.
6. Use the Forage content selector to choose the simulation or resource to embed.
7. Save or add the item to the module.
8. Launch the activity once to verify that the embedded Forage content opens correctly.
9. Confirm the activity is visible to learners.

Student View

1. Student opens the D2L Brightspace course.
2. Student navigates to the module where the instructor added the Forage activity.
3. Student clicks the Forage activity link.
4. D2L launches Forage embedded in Brightspace.
5. First-time launches may prompt the learner to create a Forage account; returning learners should be signed in automatically.
6. Student starts or continues the selected Forage simulation.
7. Progress is saved in Forage as the learner works through the activity.

Optional: Grade Passback

If your institution wants completion or score data sent back to D2L Brightspace:

• Ensure Assignment and Grade Services are enabled on both the tool registration and the deployment.
• Enable Grades created by LTI will be included in Final Grade and Auto Create Grade Items on the deployment.
• Add the Forage activity as a graded external learning tool activity where supported.
• Confirm that the D2L gradebook item is created or linked correctly.
• Test with a learner account to confirm the score or completion status is returned to the D2L gradebook.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I resend the verification email when connecting to Forage through my LMS?

If you already have an account in the Workforce Readiness Platform, you may be asked to verify your email address when you first connect to Forage through your learning management system (LMS) and attempt to add a Forage simulation to a course.

This verification helps securely connect your LMS account to your existing Workforce Readiness Platform account rather than creating a separate account.

If you need a new verification email, return to your LMS and follow the steps to add a Forage simulation to a course again. This will restart the verification process and send a new verification email to the email address associated with your account.

You do not need to look for a separate Resend Email option within the Workforce Readiness Platform.

Will all students need to verify their email address when accessing Forage through an LMS?

No. Most students will not be asked to complete an additional email verification step when accessing Forage through their LMS.

Email verification is only required when a student already has an existing Forage account associated with the email address provided by the LMS. In this situation, verification confirms that the student accessing Forage through the LMS is the owner of the existing account before the accounts are linked.

This security measure helps protect existing accounts and prevents users from being incorrectly connected to another person's Forage account.

Students who do not already have a Forage account associated with their email address should be able to continue through the standard LMS onboarding experience without this additional verification step.

Support & Troubleshooting

Common issues:

• Forage tool is not visible to instructors (deployment not enabled, or wrong org units)
• Tool remains Disabled on the LTI Advantage registrations list
• Incorrect Registration URL / Client ID / launch URL
• Redirect URL mismatch
• Keyset / JWKS URL not configured correctly
• Assignment and Grade Services not enabled for grade passback
• Learners cannot access the activity because the course item is hidden or unpublished

For support, email: [e-mail]

Include:

• D2L Brightspace institution URL
• Course name and course ID
• Screenshot(s) of the tool registration and deployment settings
• Error message, if any
• Whether the issue affects admin setup, instructor setup, student launch, or grade passback