Vendor Documentation
myCourses API access is available through Valence, D2L's extensibility technology which includes all the APIs, client libraries, and tools.
http://docs.valence.desire2learn.com/index.html
Academic Technology Support offers support to developers with regards to integration of approved projects with our myCourses environment at RIT.
ATS does not support or training for development with Valence. The support resources from the vendor through public channels are detailed at: http://docs.valence.desire2learn.com/about.html#support
Valence is governed by the concept of Calling Context for application access which may impact the viability of your project. Valence applications only act under the auspice of a logged in user. An application will not be able to access information or perform actions outside of the access and permissions of the logged in user using the application. Valence applications will not be able to operate at a global level and access courses or features the logged in user does not have access to.
For example a student logged in to an application would not be able to access grades other than their own in a course and would not be able to manage grades. An instructor logged in to an application will only be able to manage the courses they are assigned to. A user logging in to an application would not be able to access items on behalf of another user.
All applications require a key to make calls to the Valence services.
Application Keys are issued for an individual application. Reuse or repurposing of an Application Key for another application will result in suspension of the key and suspension of the primary contact & associated parties from requesting future keys.
Applications will be issued a key for the myCourses Development environment and, on approval, a separate key for the myCourses Production environment. Details are outlined below under Application Development and Maintenance.
The primary contact for an application key must be an RIT Faculty or Staff member. The primary contact is intended to be the steward of the project, maintaining oversight of the application, and is responsible for ensuring the application is run within the guidelines outlined here and RIT's Code of Conduct for Computer Use.
The primary contact must be updated with Academic Technology Support if the person handling that role is changing.
The primary contact must submit a request for a key in email to Academic Technology Support at tlsupport@rit.edu, and include the following information.
External requests for key access submitted directly to the vendor will be denied.
Prior to each academic term Academic Technology Support will email the primary contact on a project who must respond to confirm the project is active and supported. If no response is received within seven days of the confirmation request the access key associated to that project will be suspended.
Key access is not granted directly to students. Any requests must be from a faculty/staff member who will be the primary contact for project. This sponsor is expected to maintain oversight of the project within these guidelines and RIT's Code of Conduct for Computer Use.
All support for your application must be provided by your application team. Support for third-party applications will not be provided by Academic Technology Support.
If support lapses and users are not receiving support within seven days the application will be considered lapsed and the application key will be suspended.
The login page and front/home page of the application must include a support statement and contact for the application. The support statement must indicate this is a third-party application that is not a native myCourses tool. The statement should indicate that support this third-party application is not handled by Academic Technology Support at RIT and indicated the appropriate application support contact.
Where reasonable the application should include a clearly indicated help or support link to the support statement and support contact information.
All general myCourses support questions should be directed to Academic Technology Support through our published support channels. Application support staff should represent themselves as supporting or representing myCourses tot he campus community.
Academic Technology Support may request an archive of all active code for review at any time.
Failure to supply the code within seven days of the request will result in suspension of the access key associated to that project.
Applications must be reasonable in their use of the myCourses resources. This includes but is not limited to:
Application development must be made against myCourses Development environment at https://mycoursesdev.rit.edu. Untested code should not be run against the Production environment at https://mycourses.rit.edu.
Initially an application key will only be issued to the Development environment. When they application is ready for deployment it can be submitted to Academic Technology Support for review. ATS will review the application and respond within 14-days either approving the application or outlining requirements needed to complete approval.
On approval an application key will be issued for the Production environment.
If an application is suspended the Production key will be suspended and depending on the situation the Development key may remain active for the primary contact to work with their application team to resolve issues. In cases where the application is considered lapsed both keys will be suspended.
The primary contact and their application team is expected to maintain the application and stay current with vendors resources for security updates and changes made to Valence and developer resources. Academic Technology Support will not be maintaining applications or informing primary contacts of changes to developer resources outside of any RIT Specific changes.
If an application is found to be broken or generating errors the primary contact must ensure fixes are made within a reasonable time, generally 14-days. Depending on the severity of the issue the Production key may be suspended until the issue is resolved. If the application is not updated within the time-frame communicated to the primary contact by Academic technology Support the application keys will be suspended.
