LinkedIn Learning and Totara Deep Integration Guide

  • Article

What this Document Tells You

The following steps outline the Totara and LinkedIn Learning integration process:

linkedin-learning-totara-integration-infographic

Totara Deep Integration Functionality

Authentication: SAML Identity Provider

Content Discovery: Automated Catalog Sync (All languages)

Reporting: xAPI

Requirements:

The LinkedIn Learning and Totara integration involves the following requirements:

  • An active Totara LMS instance (TXP v15.3 or above)

  • An active LinkedIn Learning account

  • Admin access to LinkedIn Learning

  • Admin privileges to your Totara LMS instance (TXP v15.3 or above)

    Important

    This integration can only be enabled for organizations that have a production or a test implementation of Totara TXP v15.3 or above.

Integration Overview

Check out our overview of Totara’s integration benefits and capabilities.

Single Sign-On

During the initial configuration, you can configure LinkedIn Learning and Totara to establish a secure SAML single sign-on (SSO) connection to ensure seamless access to content. SSO authentication reduces friction for users and administrators by eliminating the need for manual user registration. SSO ensures learners spend more of their time watching content and less of their time trying to remember usernames and passwords.

Automated Content Catalog Sync

The LinkedIn Learning library contains thousands of courses. LinkedIn Learning adds courses at a rate of 20-30 per week at no extra cost. The Totara administrator manually uploads new content at regular intervals.

The Totara deep integration with LinkedIn Learning uses LinkedIn Learning APIs to refresh the content library daily. This feature ensures LinkedIn Learning makes new content available within 24 hours of release. LinkedIn Learning aggregates and indexes all content titles and descriptions to accommodate keyword searches and support efficient discoverability. Totara supports automatic syncing of All languages content libraries.

Enabling SAML SSO

SAML SSO is recommended for all enterprise learning platform integrations. SSO authentication can be configured in your LinkedIn Learning Admin settings. Most organizations have a centrally managed identity management solution like Azure AD, Okta, or AD FS that you can configure to authenticate users into enterprise applications like LinkedIn Learning.

To configure SAML SSO with your identity management solution, review the LinkedIn Learning SSO Implementation Guide.

Configuration

Setting Up LinkedIn Learning Integration

Integration with LinkedIn Learning enables admins to provide their learners with seamless access to select LinkedIn Learning courses from the Totara platform. When you have completed the integration with LinkedIn Learning, new content from LinkedIn Learning automatically syncs with Totara. The integration also updates or deletes existing courses.

Important

You can enable this integration only for organizations that have a licensed LinkedIn Learning instance. The LinkedIn Learning content is available only to users who are licensed learners on the LinkedIn Learning platform.

This section contains two sub-sections that explain how to integrate LinkedIn Learning with Totara:

  • Steps Performed in LinkedIn Learning

  • Steps Performed in Totara

Provision API Keys for Content Catalog Sync

For Totara to sync LinkedIn Learning content, you must provision API keys in LinkedIn Learning and complete the content sync on the Totara side.

Steps Performed in LinkedIn Learning

For Totara to sync LinkedIn Learning catalog metadata, you first must provision API keys in LinkedIn Learning admin settings. To sync LinkedIn Learning content with your Totara instance, take the following steps:

  1. After you log in, if you are not already in the Admin screen, click Go to Admin, then select Me > Integrate.

    linkedin-learning-integrate-navigation-screen

  2. From the side navigation menu, select Access content and reports via API, then expand the Generate LinkedIn Learning REST API Application panel.

  3. Click Add application.

    linkedin-learning-add-api-keys-screen

  4. In the Add LinkedIn Learning API application screen, enter "Totara learning" in the Application Name field.

  5. In the Application description field, provide a short description of the integration use case. For example, "Totara content catalog sync".

  6. Under Choose keys, there are two checkboxes – Content and Report. Select Content.

  7. Click Next and accept the "Terms and Conditions".

    linkedin-learning-generate-content-sync-screen

  8. Copy the generated Client Id and Client Secret. Use these values later in the "Steps Performed in Totara" section (below).

    linkedin-learning-content-api-sync-enabled-screen

Steps Performed in Totara

To complete the content sync with LinkedIn Learning, take the following steps:

  1. Log in to your Totara account and select the Settings icon > Learning > Content Marketplace.

    totara-acct-settings-screen

  2. Select the Enable ("eye") icon and click Enable in the pop-up window.

    totara-enable-linkedin-learning-screen

  3. Select the Settings icon to the left of the Enable icon.

    totara-enable-linkedin-learning-settings-screen

  4. Copy the Client ID and Client secret (from the steps above in LinkedIn Learning) into the corresponding fields and click Save changes.

    totara-linkedin-learning-client-id-client-secret-screen

Setting Up xAPI

The next section of the integration process involves configuring xAPI to enable the tracking of learner progress and completions.

This section contains two sub-sections that explain the procedure to set up xAPI reporting with Totara and LinkedIn Learning:

Steps Performed in Totara xAPI Integration

To configure xAPI in Totara, take the following steps:

  1. In a new tab, navigate to the Totara admin screen and select the Settings icon > Configuration > Server.

    totara-server-settings-screen

  2. Under the Server menu, select OAuth 2 > OAuth 2 provider details. Leave this screen open for use in the next section and note the following values:

  • ClientId

  • ClientSecret

  • Oauth server URL

  • xAPI server URL (Save this value for the Tenant Server URL field in the LinkedIn Learning xAPI configuration screen.)

Use these values in the Steps Performed in LinkedIn Learning section.

totara-xapi-credentials

Steps Performed in LinkedIn Learning xAPI Integration

To configure xAPI in LinkedIn Learning, take the following steps:

  1. After you log in, if you are not already in the Admin screen, select Go to Admin, then click Me > Integrate.

    linkedin-learning-navigate-to-integration

  2. In the left-hand side navigation, select Configure reporting integrations.

  3. Expand the Configure xAPI section.

  4. Click Add integration.

    linkedin-learning-add-xapi-integration-screen

  5. In the Add xAPI integration screen, enter "Totara reporting" in the Integration name field and select "Email" from the User Type drop down. Copy and paste the values from Totara in the following LinkedIn Learning fields:

    • Oauth Server URL

    • Tenant Server URL

    • Client Id

    • Client Secret

  6. Click Enable.

    linkedin-learning-enable-xapi-screen

  7. Once enabled, the xAPI Connection appears in the list below. You can enable or disable the xAPI connection using the Status toggle.

    linkedin-learning-xapi-enabled-screen

Congratulations! Your learners now can access LinkedIn Learning content and reporting via their Totara instance.

Totara Troubleshooting

Totara documentation on the LinkedIn Learning integration can be found here. If you continue to have issues, please contact your Totara partner for support.

Questions

For LinkedIn Learning configuration questions, reach out to your dedicated Customer Success Manager.

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