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Blackboard API Integration

Introduction

Welcome to the HelioCampus Blackboard API Integration Guide. A Blackboard REST API Integration is required to enable HelioCampus to retrieve data from Blackboard for use in HelioCampus Assessment & Credentialing. This document provides step-by-step instructions for configuring the integration between HelioCampus Assessment & Credentialing and Blackboard using API standards.

Implementing Blackboard REST API Integration

A Blackboard Administrator must the following these steps:

HelioCampus Canvas Service Account

This section outlines the steps to create a service account for REST API calls between Blackboard environment and HelioCampus Assessment & Credentialing. This integration enables HelioCampus to gather necessary data for assessment purposes.

1. Navigate to Administrative Panel

Depending on your version of Blackboard, choose the steps that will get you to the Administrator Panel menu.

Ultra:

  1. Log into Blackboard as an Admin.

  2. Navigate to Admin on the left-hand menu.

Classic:

  1. Log into Blackboard as an Admin.

  2. Navigate to System Admin on the top right menu.

2. Service Account Privileges

For the integration to function properly, the service account must have the necessary privileges. The default Blackboard Course Administrator System Role allows the API to operate without issues. However, one additional privilege must be granted to the role.

Adding the Rubric privilege

  1. On the Administrator Panel under Users click System Roles.

  2. Find the Course Administrator role.

  3. Hover Course Administrator and click the dropdown arrow.

  4. Select Privileges.

  5. In the Search box, paste the following: “Course/Organization Control Panel (Tools) > Rubrics > View Rubric”, then click Go.

  6. Check the box on the associated row for Course/Organization Control Panel (Tools) > Rubrics > View Rubric.

  7. Click Privileges, then click Permit Privileges

  8. Click OK on the bottom right.

  • If the service account having any of the default privileges in the Course Administrator System Role pose an issue for your institution, create a copy of the role and consult your HelioCampus Implementation Team. They can advise whether a privilege can be safely removed. Once confirmed, assign the newly created role to the service account in the next step.

  • For convenience, Blackboard’s Guide on managing https://help.blackboard.com/Learn/Administrator/SaaS/User_Management/Roles_and_Privileges/System_Rolesis linked.

  • You can also see the full list API calls made by HelioCampus Assessment & Credentialing here, Blackboard REST API Calls

3. Create the Service Account in Blackboard

Create an account in Blackboard, following your institution’s policies.

  1. On the Administrator Panel under Users click Users

  2. Click Create User.

  3. Fill out the required fields:

Field

Value

Personal Information

First Name

HelioCampus Service Account

Last Name

Service Account

Account Information

Username

heliocampusserviceaccount

New Password

Create a strong password for the service account and be sure to securely record it

Verify New Password

Re-enter the password

Institution Roles

Primary Institution Role

Choose Other

Secondary Institution Roles

Leave Blank

System Roles

Primary System Role

Choose Course Administrator or the custom role you created.

Secondary System Roles

Leave Blank

  1. Click OK on the pop-up stating “Email address is a recommended field. Users will be unable to use parts of the system without an email address.”

4. Creating a Blackboard REST API Integration

  1. On the Administrator Panel under Integrations click REST API Integrations

  2. Click Create Integration

Field

Value

Application ID

Paste the Blackboard Application ID your HelioCampus Implementation Team provided

Learn User

Paste heliocampusserviceaccount

End User Access

Select Yes

Authorized To Act As User

Select Yes

  1. Click Submit to apply the changes.

5. Submission Integration

The following is required to allow HelioCampus Assessment & Credentialing to pull Assignment Submissions from Blackboard. Please note for this integration to work your Blackboard application must be version 3400.6 or higher.

In Blackboard, an administrator should select System Admin, Content Management, Manage Content

  1. On the Administrator Panel under Content Management click Manage Content.

  2. Click the internal folder.

  3. Find the courses folder.

  4. Hover over the courses folder and click the dropdown arrow.

  5. Select Permissions

  6. Click Select Specific Users

Field

Value

Username

Paste heliocampusserviceaccount

Permissions

Check Read

  1. Click Submit to apply the changes.

The duration of this process depends on the number of submissions in the folder and may take a significant amount of time.

Once all steps are completed, return to the main Blackboard guide to finalize the integration.