Blackboard APIs
The Blackboard APIs screen is used to set up integrations between Focus and Blackboard. The Blackboard integration will allow seamless transfer of student and teacher enrollments to the corresponding courses and sections within the LMS, as well as teacher changes, student re-enrollments, enrollment activation, and inactivation using enrollment date, expiration date, extension date, and completion date.
The Focus API Documentation screen displays information for the Focus API dialect, and can be used as a playground environment for third party vendors to send requests. The district or vendor can access this documentation by appending "api/docs" to the Focus URL, e.g. livedemo.focusschoolsoftware.com/focus/api/docs.
After the initial Blackboard integration set up established here, ensure the following scheduled jobs are set up for a successful integration via Setup > Scheduled Jobs: Load Data From Blackboard API and Transfer Blackboard API Data.
The appropriate profile permissions are required to set up a Blackboard integration, which can be enabled via Users > Profiles > Setup tab > Blackboard APIs view and edit permission.
1. In the Setup menu, click Blackboard APIs.
Any existing Blackboard integrations that have been set up in Focus are displayed in the table.
2. Enter the Title in the provided text box, such as Blackboard.
3. Select the applicable Schools from the pull-down to determine the schools that have access to Blackboard vis-a-vis the integration. Leave the pull-down blank to ensure all schools have access.
4. Select the Primary Enrollments Only check box if only records from a student's primary enrollment should be included in the integration. This check box will limit the transfer of school enrollments to the primary school of the user, either with the api_primary_school setting for users or a student's enrollment that does not have the Second School option selected.
The api_primary_school setting may need to be added in Users > User Fields if it doesn't already exist in the system.
5. Select the Future Enrollments Active check box if students with a start date for an active class in the future should be recognized as active. This is also true for teacher roles if the school year has not started.
6. Enter the Blackboard API URL provided by the vendor in the text box.
7. Enter the Blackboard User Auth URL provided by the vendor in the text box.
8. Enter the Blackboard Client ID provided by the vendor in the text box.
9. Enter the Blackboard Client Secret provided by the vendor in the text box.
10. Enter the Secret provided by the vendor in the text box.
11. Press the Enter key to save the blackboard data.
The Focus Client ID and Focus Client Secret auto-populate.
12. Click Upload to upload an icon for Blackboard and Blackboard assignments.
a. Search for and select the photo for your icon, then click Open.
The uploaded image displays in the Icon column.
b. Click Clear to remove the uploaded icon.
13. Click Test to test the integration.
Focus will attempt to receive a token from the external API. A confirmation pop-up window is displayed indicating the results of the test. If the test was not successful, please communicate with Blackboard that Focus is unable to receive a token with the external credentials provided.
14. Click the modal icon to view individual records from a data table in a pop-up modal to alleviate having to scroll horizontally on large tables.
To close the modal, click Close, press esc key, or click the dimmed background.
If the modal is opened on a non-insert row, blue arrow buttons are displayed, click the arrows to cycle through the other records without having to close the modal.
If the modal is opened on an insert row, a Create button is displayed next to the Close button on the modal, allowing a record to be created.
15. Click Toggle Columns to customize the columns displayed on the screen.
a. Clear the selected check boxes to hide columns. To reactive a column, select the check box.
Hidden columns remain hidden until the check box is selected again even after navigating away from and coming back to the screen.