NameDrop on Blackboard

Status

Documented for Blackboard Learn SaaS (Ultra) and Original. Not yet verified end-to-end — talk to NameDrop support to be the first.

What you’ll get

NameDrop appears as a Course Tool that course admins enable in any course’s left navigation. Students click the tool to launch NameDrop with welcome+roster.

Caution

Blackboard’s Building Block extensions could insert UI into user profile pages, but Anthology has deprecated Building Blocks in favor of LTI 1.3. LTI 1.3 in Blackboard is course-scoped — there’s no equivalent of Canvas User Navigation. Per-user reach requires institutional HTML overrides outside the LTI scope.

Setup (one-time, by Blackboard admin)

Step 1: Get your NameDrop credentials

In your NameDrop dashboard at https://app.namedrop.io/integrations, click Connect Blackboard. Note the URLs.

Step 2: Register NameDrop as a Developer in Anthology Developer Portal

1. Go to https://developer.anthology.com.
2. Click Manage → Register a New Application.
3. Application Name: NameDrop.
4. Select LTI 1.3 support.
5. Fill in URLs:
   • Login Initiation URL: https://lti.namedrop.io/lti/login
   • Tool Redirect URLs: https://lti.namedrop.io/lti/launch
   • Tool JWKS URL: https://lti.namedrop.io/jwks/{your-tenant-id}
6. Anthology issues a Client ID and Deployment ID (Issuer).

Step 3: Register the LTI Tool in your Blackboard instance

1. Sign in to your Blackboard Learn admin panel.
2. System Admin → LTI Tool Providers → Register LTI 1.3/Advantage Tool.
3. Paste the Client ID from Step 2.
4. Set status to Approved.
5. Save.

Step 4: Create a Tool placement

1. Same panel → System Tools → Add Tool Placement.
2. Type: Course Tool (or Course Content Tool).
3. Target Link URI: https://lti.namedrop.io/launch.
4. Custom parameters (optional): leave blank for default view, or add view=record-my-name for the recorder placement.
5. Save.

Step 5: Connect to your NameDrop tenant

In your NameDrop dashboard, paste the Client ID and Deployment ID into the Blackboard integration form. Save.

Step 6: Enable NameDrop in courses

For each course:

1. Course Settings → Tool Availability.
2. Enable NameDrop.
3. Students see NameDrop in the course navigation.

FAQ

Q: Are NameDrop and Blackboard integration verified yet? A: Documented but not yet end-to-end verified.

Q: How do I get NameDrop in front of every user (not just enrolled course members)? A: Blackboard LTI 1.3 doesn’t support this natively. Workaround: institutional HTML widget on the Blackboard homepage with a “Record my name” link. Contact NameDrop support.

Q: How do I uninstall? A: System Admin → LTI Tool Providers → NameDrop → Delete. Disconnect in your NameDrop dashboard.