Once the SI Lab Portal LTI link has been configured in your Blackboard environment, instructors can add SI Lab Portal lessons and assignments directly into a course. Lesson links are the only link type that support assignment-level grade passback to Blackboard.
Important: After setup, test the integration by adding an SI Lab Portal assignment, completing it as a student, and confirming that grades successfully pass back to the Blackboard gradebook. Failure to follow the setup process may result in missing grade passback or other limited functionality.
Know Before You Begin
- Activity mapping creates an LTI link that that directs users to a specific SI Lab Portal lesson or assignment.
- Each graded SI Lab Portal activity must be associated with a gradebook item in Blackboard for grades to be passed back.
- Students must launch activities from the mapped Blackboard activity link rather than the Class Homepage for grades to sync properly.
- If an activity contains manually graded questions, grades will not be sent until manual grading is completed.
- Each unit will have two activties and two links: one for Exploration and one for Experimentation and Evaluation. Lab Kit Inventory is the only unit with one link.
1. Open your Blackboard course and click Content.
2. Open the Content Market
Click the Plus sign to open the dropdown and select Content Market.
3. Select the SI Lab Portal Tool
Within the list of external tools, choose SI Lab Portal (naming conventions will vary by institution.)
The SI Lab Portal Mapping menu will appear in the Add Activity window.
4. Select Your Class
Open the dropdown to select the SI Lab Portal class that contains the lesson or assignment you want to link. This setting may be preserved if you have already selected the dropdown in a previous session.
5. Select the Lesson
Open the dropdown to select the lesson or assignment from the available activity list.
You can view the list of units and activities in your course by clicking on the Class Home Page link in your Blackboard course, or by logging in to SI Lab Portal directly.
6. Create the LTI Link
Click Link to Assignment to create the link to the selected activity.
A screen indicating the linking was successful will appear. Close this tab and then refresh your Blackboard page. You should now see the link in your course.
The Science Interactive activity details will automatically populate in the assignment fields. You're welcome to modify the details as you would like.
7. Select Open in a New Window
Click the three dots to the right of the assignment and select Edit. Check the box to Open in a New Window.
Once you're done, set this lab as visible to students and click Save.
Continue this process until all of the labs in your course have been linked.
Managing Existing Links
To modify a lesson link after it has been created:
- Locate the content item within your Blackboard course.
- Click the three dots to the right of the assignment and select Edit.
- Update the destination or availability settings as needed, then Click Save.
All Science Interactive Links must be set to open in a new tab or window.
If you see an SI Lab Portal page embedded in Blackboard, it is possible the activity has the wrong display setting.
Click the three dots to the right of the assignment and select Edit, check Open in a New Window. Then click Save.
Grade Passback Requirements Checklist
For grades to pass back successfully from SI Lab Portal to Blackboard:
- The activity must be mapped using an SI Lab Portal activity link.
- The student must launch the activity from the Blackboard link.
- The student must submit the assignment using the Submit Assignment button in the SI Lab Portal activity.
- All questions must be fully graded, including the manually graded questions.
- The Blackboard tool must be configured to accept grades.
Need Help?
If you experience issues with setup, grade synchronization, or activity configuration, please complete the Instructor Support Form, and a member of our team will reach out to provide assistance.