The external tool activity module enables students to interact with learning resources and activities on other web sites. For example, an external tool could provide access to a new activity type or learning materials from a publisher.

To create an external tool activity, a tool provider which supports LTI (Learning Tools Interoperability) is required. A teacher can create an external tool activity or make use of a tool configured by the site administrator.

External tool activities differ from URL resources in a few ways:

* External tools are context aware i.e. they have access to information about the user who launched the tool, such as institution, course and name
* External tools support reading, updating, and deleting grades associated with the activity instance
* External tool configurations create a trust relationship between your site and the tool provider, allowing secure communication between them