This week, we’re releasing two new features that will make Pressbooks systems even more powerful for use in education.
These include the V1 releases of our learning tools interoperability (LTI) and Central Authentication Service (CAS) secure sign-on plugins.
LTI V1
Over the past year or so, we’ve received numerous requests to integrate Pressbooks with universities’ learning management systems – the online classroom students log into to access the readings, assignments, discussion forums, etc. for each of their courses.
Without LTI integration, instructors can still easily link to any public book built on Pressbooks from within their LMS. However, a desire was shared among universities to make the textbooks accessible to students while they are inside the interface, reducing the cognitive load of clicking out of it.
Our new LTI feature will enable users to embed Pressbooks content within the LMS interface in Canvas and Moodle and have it appear natively.
This feature is available on PressbooksEDU Gold, Titanium and Platinum plans, and on Pressbooks open-source networks. It is not available on PressbooksEDU Silver plans or Pressbooks.com.
Use these instructions to integrate Pressbooks with your LMS.
Integrated Information Systems, Rutgers University Libraries funded the development of this release.
SSO V1
CAS SSO integration (available for an additional charge on Gold systems and included free on Titanium systems) allows users on a PressbooksEDU network to bypass the Pressbooks login form and log in through their institution’s CAS SSO system, using their institutional NetID and associated password as login credentials.
Integrated Information Systems, Rutgers University Libraries funded the development of this feature.
Next, we are working on supporting other frequently requested SSO protocols, including Shibboleth.
QuickLaTeX
In other updates, we recently added QuickLaTeX as an optional plugin for Pressbooks networks. This plugin offers many improvements over the existing PB LaTeX tool, such as the ability to compile mathematical graphs and the display of mathematical formulas in higher resolution, both on the Web and in exports. The plugin also allows users to write native LaTeX syntax directly into their books.
Please note that to use QuickLaTeX in your book, you must first enable the plugin on your book’s Plugins page. For instructions on how to enable and use QuickLaTeX, click here.
Cloning Comparison Tool
PressbooksEDU networks now come with a built-in comparison tool that lets you compare the current version of a cloned book with its source. This feature will only appear in cloned books, and can be found under Appearance > Theme Options > Web Options.
In Other Updates
In the last month, you may have noticed we released a host of updates. These include:
- Updates to the Andrews, Asimov, Clarke, Jacobs, and McLuhan themes to now allow for collapsible subsections
- Updates to the Andrews, Asimov, Clarke, Jacobs, and McLuhan themes to provide theme options for customizable textbox colors
- The ability to add captions to your table without editing HTML code on any book
You can read more about these features here.
As always, drop us a line if you have questions about any of the new features!
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this post said Oauth is also already supported in EDU networks. That is incorrect. We regret the error.
