Purdue Global CUrriculum

To support teaching and learning, Purdue Global uses various of third-party tools to enhance the classroom experience. Third-party tools are implemented to provide additional academic content and/or activities to students. Some of these tools are integrated into the Brightspace LMS to give students and instructors a more seamless experience by sharing data including credentials, content links, rosters, and grades. 

To ensure the integrity of the LMS, maintain compliance with federal regulations, and identify any potential risks to students and/or Purdue Global, all third-party tools must be vetted before use or integration. This includes all IT software, applications, tools, or cloud services used internally (such as Microsoft, Adobe, and Articulate). The approval process includes a review of accessibility, security, and technical compatibility/usability. The amount of time to complete an integration depends on the technical complexity and vendor compliance. Please allow at least 2–3 months of lead time when requesting a new third-party tool or software.

To implement a third-party tool in our courses:

1. It must provide academic content and/or activities for the student that cannot be provided with existing curriculum tools.

2. The vendor must be able to provide at least six years of student data. 

   • If the use of the tool is discontinued, Purdue Global must be able to access past data.

3. The tool must pass all security and data privacy requirements.

4. If you intend to use the tool for grading purposes or as an attendance tracking activity, it must also meet the following integration requirements. 

   • Integration with must meet LTI Advantage standards (as of January 2024).

   • Individual grades must sync to the Brightspace gradebook tool upon completion.

   • Association must be created to link the activity to a gradebook item.

5. The tool must meet accessibility guidelines (ADA compliant).

   • Meet the success criterion of WCAG 2.1 under Level AA of Section 508.

   • A Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT) must be submitted and will be reviewed to ensure accessibility compliance.

6. The tool must be zero-cost to students.

   • If students assume a cost, this will require an additional level of review, academic governance, etc.

Every tool must undergo a third-party review process, encompassing an ADA compliance check to ensure accessibility. This applies to both new submissions and tools previously endorsed. A tool can only be authorized for course integration if it achieves an “Approved” or “Approved with Limitations” rating in the accessibility assessment. The restrictions will be recorded should a tool be deemed “Approved with Limitations.” Solutions or alternate materials will also be communicated to the student accessibility office if necessary.

When a required course tool fails to satisfy the established accessibility standards (WCAG 2.2 A and AA), the accessibility team's senior manager will collaborate with the department chair to formulate a comprehensive accessibility strategy. This plan will detail how alternative content will be made accessible to students. Furthermore, the course will include a notice prompting users to contact the student accessibility office for alternative options if they encounter difficulties accessing the course material.

A tool will be classified as compliant and receive an “Approved with Limitations” rating, provided the school or the vendor supplies a content alternative deemed equivalent. This ensures adherence to the accessibility review's standards.

Please visit the Third-Party Tools & Software SOP, which provides guidelines and requirements for requesting review from the security and Curriculum Operations teams.

Note: Access to the Request for Third Party Review form is limited to the Curriculum Design team. If you are part of this team and do not have access to the form, please email thirdpartytools@purdueglobal.edu. Otherwise, please reach out to your Department Chair or ADoC for further direction on submitting a request.