Blackboard LMS Integration

Integrating Links into your Blackboard course

This article describes how to add Norton digital learning tool links with Learning Tools Interoperability (LTI) integration that provides single sign in for students and automatic grade reporting to your Blackboard Learning Management System (LMS) course.

Prerequisites: In order to add a Norton digital learning tool link, it is necessary for your Blackboard system administrator to enable the Norton digital learning tool as an LTI Tool Provider. Do not proceed until you have received confirmation from Norton or your campus’s Blackboard system administrator that this has been done. 

In addition, you will need a Norton instructor account. If you do not have a Norton instructor account, please visit our Instructor Resources page, or contact your Norton representative to request one.

Step 1: Add integrated links

Option A: Individual Activity Link Integration

1. Export a Common Cartridge file with your W. W. Norton links.

  • While you're logged into your Norton instructor account on your textbook's Digital Landing Page, open the account menu in the upper right-hand corner and select "Export Content to LMS." 
    • If you don't see this menu option, it may mean that you don't have instructor credentials on your account yet. Please contact your Norton representative for help. 
  • Follow the steps provided onscreen to select your course materials. Make sure to select the Recommended links.
  • On the final screen, click the "Generate Common Cartridge" button to save it to your computer. 

2. Import the Common Cartridge into your Blackboard course.

  • In your Blackboard course, make sure EDIT mode is ON.  
  • This import process will create a new content area on the left-hand menu called “Content.” If you have any existing content areas on that menu called “Content,” please rename it until this file upload has completed (you can change the name back after the import is complete)
    • In the Control Panel, select Packages and Utilities.  
    • Navigate to Import Package/View Logs.  
    • Click on Import Package.  
    • In the Select a Package field, use the Browse feature to select the Common Cartridge (.imscc) file you saved to your computer.  
    • Choose Select All.  
    • Press the Submit button and wait for the process to complete. A status message will appear when the process is complete.  

3.  Apply the correct link settings in Blackboard.

Once the import has completed, you should now see an area on the left-hand menu called “Content.” Your W. W. Norton links will be located there. 

Blackboard can sometimes default to the incorrect settings, unchecking necessary fields. You will also need to connect graded activities to your Blackboard gradebook. To ensure the correct settings are in place and connect the grade as needed, please follow the appropriate steps below. 

You'll also need to connect graded activities to your Blackboard gradebook. 

For each link to an ungraded activity (like the ebook or a video playlist): 

  • Navigate to the link you would like to edit within your Blackboard course. 
  • Click the downward arrow next to the link and select Edit from the dropdown.  
  • Under Web Link Informationensure that “This Link is to a Tool Provider” is checked and "Leave Enable Evaluation" set to No.
  • Under Web Link Optionsset "Open In New Window" to Yes. 
  • Under Standard Optionsensure that "Permit Users to View This Content" is set to Yes. 
  • Click Submit

For each link to an activity you wish to report to the Blackboard gradebook:  

  • Navigate to the link you would like to edit within your Blackboard course. 
  • Click the downward arrow next to the link and select “Edit” from the dropdown. 
  • Under Web Link Information: 
    • Ensure that “This Link is to a Tool Provider” is checked. 
    • Set “Enable Evaluation” to Yes and set a non-zero point value.    
  • Under Web Link Optionsset "Open In New Window" to Yes. 
  • Under Standard Optionsensure that "Permit Users to View This Content" is set to Yes. 
  • Click Submit
  • Once this is complete, you may move these links into other Content areas or folders as desired. 

4. Next Steps

  • If you haven’t already created a Student Set in your W. W. Norton product, you must do that to complete your course set up. Follow the steps below under "Creating a Student Set."
  • If this is the first time you're using LTI integration with W. W. Norton, you should test your tool integration too. Follow the steps below under "Test Integration."

Option B: Product Home Page Integration

  1. Login or Sign In to Blackboard with your instructor account and navigate to your course home page.
    • Make sure Edit Mode is turned on.

  1. Select the course content area in which you will place the Norton digital learning tool link from the course menu on the left side of your screen.

  1. To add the Norton activity, hover over the Build Content drop-down menu and select Web Link.

  1. In the Name field enter a descriptive name of the activity,  (e.g., Ebook, InQuizitive, Smartwork, ZAPS, etc.).
  2. In the URL field, enter the URL provided by your Norton representative.*
    1. If using a Norton product home page link, the URL will look like: https://ncia.wwnorton.com/productname-BOOKCODE, where productname is replaced with the name of the Norton learning tool and BOOKCODE is replaced with the code for the book you are using.



*NOTE: When entering the URL, be sure there are no spaces before or after the address, as this will create an error message.


  1. Check the This link is to a Tool Provider box.
  2. If you would like students’ grades to report back to your course’s gradebook, set the Enable Evaluation option to Yes.  For any ungraded activities or activities that you do not want reporting to the Blackboard gradebook, please leave Enable Evaluation set to No.
  3. Set the Points Possible to some non-zero value, such as 10
    1. [Optional] Set the Visible to Students option to Yes if you’d like your students to be able to see the link in their views of the course site. If you select No, you will have to come back to the web link settings in the future and re-set this option to Yes when you’d like your students to have access to the link.
    2. [Optional] Select the calendar and clock icons in the Due Date field to set a due date and time for the activity. This will display the due date under the link in your course and will create an entry for the assignment in the Blackboard course calendar.

NOTE: Due date settings in Blackboard do not affect the Grade Accepted Until (GAU) settings in the Norton digital learning tool. GAUs are what determine the activity’s availability to students. To adjust the GAU settings for your links, Click Here or go to Next steps, below.

  1. Ensure the Open in New Window option is set to Yes.
  2. Set the Permit Users to View this Content option to Yes.
    1. [Optional] Change Track Number of Views to Yes if you would like to see how many times the link has been clicked.
    2. [Optional] Click the calendar and clock icons in the Display After/Until fields to set the dates/times for when the link will be available to students.
    3. Leave the remaining Standard Options unchanged.

IMPORTANT: Do not enter any text in the Description field, due to a bug in Blackboard that will cause the connection to fail. As a workaround, you may include instructions for students at the top of your content area, or you may attach a file containing instructions.

  1. Click Submit when you are done setting the options. The link will now appear in your content area and you should see a green Success banner at the top of your course page.  

Step 2: Create a student set

  1. Click the Norton tool link (e.g., InQuizitive, ZAPS, Smartwork etc.) you just created, which will launch the tool in a new browser tab.
  2. Use your Norton instructor email address and password to sign in when prompted. 
    1. If you do not have a Norton instructor account, please visit the Norton Instructor Resources page for instructions on how to set one up, or contact your Norton representative to request one. You'll need to have an instructor account before continuing. If you have a Norton account and you're unsure of your Norton password, use the "Forgot Your Password?" function below the password field.

3. The first time you access a Norton digital learning tool from your course, you'll be prompted to create a new student set, or to copy an existing student set. For instructions on creating and managing student sets, please see our articles about Creating New Student Sets, https://wwnorton.knowledgeowl.com/help/inquizitive-instructors-lms-integration or https://wwnorton.knowledgeowl.com/help/smartwork-instructors-getting-started. 

4. Once you have created your new student set, you will land on the Norton product home page or specific activity for the book being used (product home page is pictured below). You should see a green Connected to LMS badge and the new Student Set ID associated with your course in the drop-down menu on the right. 


5. If you’re using Smartwork or ZAPS individual activity links, the Connected to LMS notification appears in the user options menu which you will see by clicking your username in the upper right of the activity page.

6. After signing in, close the tab with the Norton digital learning tool page.

IMPORTANT: In the future, to access any Norton digital learning tool, always use the link from your course, and you will be automatically signed in. You can confirm this by looking for your school email address in the upper right of the Norton tool page.

Step 3: Test Integration

  1. From your Blackboard course, switch to student view by clicking the Student Preview icon at the top of the course page.

2. Navigate into the course, locate the link to the Norton tool link and click it.

3. The Norton product launch page or specific activity for the book being used will open in a new browser tab. You should be automatically signed in to your Norton instructor account, although the Norton product will present the student view of the system.

4. On the Norton product page, confirm that you see a green badge labeled Connected to LMS. If instead you see a red LMS Connection Not Made badge, Click Here or go to Reporting error messages, below.

5. If you’re using Smartwork or ZAPS individual activity links, the Connected to LMS notification appears in the user options menu which you will see by clicking your username in the upper right of the activity page.

6. If you do not see Connected to LMS in the user options menu, Click Here or go to Reporting error messages, below.

7. If you’ve added a gradable activity (such as InQuizitive or Smartwork), click anywhere in the Connected to LMS badge (or the Connected to LMS user options menu entry for a Smartwork activity page) and an explanatory box will appear over the page.
  • If you see a red X next to Single sign-in or Automatic grade transfer, Click Here or go to Reporting error messages, below.
  • If you see a yellow ? next to Automatic grade transfer, close the Norton product tab in your browser and reconfirm that you launched the link from your Blackboard course in Student View or are using a student account.

8. If you added an eBook link or if you added a link that is not add a gradable activity, Click Here or go to Next steps, below.

9. Click on the green checkmark icon next to Automatic grade transfer, then click OK in the confirmation message pop-up window to send a test grade back to your Blackboard course.

10. Confirm that a Test Successful! message appeared below Automatic Grade Transfer. Click OK in the box to continue.

11. Switch back to the browser tab with your course and verify a grade of 10% appears for the Norton activity in My Grades (depending on the point value you assigned to this activity in step 8, the numerical value of this grade may differ).

12. If you did not see a Test Successful! message, or the grade did not appear in My Grades, Click Here or go to Reporting error messages, below. 

13. Close the browser tab with the Norton product launch page

14. You should now exit student view or log out of the student account. The link is ready for use by your students.  Click Here for additional instructor suggestions or go to Next steps, below.

Step 4: Grading and due dates

  1. By default, Blackboard creates a column in your Grade Center when you set Enable Evaluation to Yes. Take a moment to review the points and other settings for this grade by using the Grade Center link in your Blackboard course, then clicking Edit Column Information from the drop-down menu in the column for the corresponding Norton tool (e.g., InQuizitive). Review the settings and click Submit if you make any changes.
    • If not using the Norton product launch page, but rather adding multiple tool activities directly to your course, repeat step 3 in the first section Add a Norton digital learning tool to your course, above. Return to step 3 as needed for each activity's URL. It's not necessary to perform the grade transfer test for each additional link you create.

    2. If you would like to set GAUs for your Norton activities, click the Norton tool link in your course.
    • If you have linked to a Norton product home page, click [set] next to the activity.
    • If you have linked to an individual InQuizitive or ZAPS activity, click your Norton username in the upper right of the page, then click Activity Settings from the menu.
    • If you have linked to an individual Smartwork activity, click the Edit Assignment button located below the activity’s title.

    3. Click the empty field next to Grades Accepted Until and select the desired date from the calendar.

    4. By default, the GAU time is set to 11:59pm PM of the date you selected. To change the GAU time, click the drop-down menu containing the time and select a new time. Be sure to choose your time zone in the next drop-down menu as well!

    5. Click Save Settings at the bottom of the page when you’re done.

    6. The GAU for this activity is now set and you will receive notifications should a student attempt to submit a grade for this activity after the GAU has lapsed.

    For even more tips on configuring Norton digital learning tool links in your course, please visit our Instructors Help Notes page.

Reporting error messages

Copy the text from any error message box and/or take a screenshot and send it to W. W. Norton LTI Support @ LTIsupport@wwnorton.com. You will then be contacted by a support specialist who will assist you with further troubleshooting.

Alternatively, you can open a Service Desk Support ticket

Submit a Support Request

Still need help? Submit a support ticket and a customer support specialist will be happy to assist you.
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