Vendor Procedure

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Last updated: Oct 15, 2021 by Amy Williford
2 min read

Faculty wanting to adopt third-party or external technology to integrate within our LMS or to use as an online supplement to their course will be expected to perform the following before adopting or entering into an agreement with the product provider.

  1. Consult with Distance Learning:
    This first step helps to establish what you and your student’s needs are and the intended use of the product. Distance Learning (DL) can explore what current options exist (if any) or provide guidance on what questions to ask and information to provide the vendor.

  2. Obtain and verify vendor VPAT:
    All providers of online or other electronic format course supplemental material must provide a VPAT, Voluntary Product Accessibility Template. This document states how accessible the product is according to Section 508 Standards. The VPAT by itself is not acceptable until it is verified by an IT, DL, or Disabilities team member. If this product will be used in online or as a required technology for learning, this is non-negotiable, unless your Program’s Technical Standards are written to exempt such a requirement.

  3. Require a Demo:  
    No vendor is to be taken at face value. Require a hands-on demonstration to verify its ease of use and ability to meet your student and instructional needs. 

    1. A member of the DL or IT team should be present.

    2. If expecting to integrate within the college’s LMS, the vendor must demo within the same LMS and version.

  4. Sandbox Testing (If integrating within the LMS):
    No product will be integrated within our LMS Production site without having been tested in our Sandbox environment. This vital step allows DL to safely see how the product will actually work, interact, and integrate within our LMS environment. When approved, DL will make the necessary setting changes to our production site to incorporate the new technology.

  5. Technical Support:
    It is important for faculty or staff to understand who will be providing support for the technology adopted. 

    1. Paid LMS Integrated Vendors:
      These are vendors which IT or DL pay a fee for use of service and or integration (e.g., Open LMS, Ally, Collaborate, Turn-it-in, 3rd Party Open LMS Plugins). In such cases, IT and DL will provide support to both students and faculty using the product.

    2. Unpaid 3rd-Party Tools:
      Third-party tools (e.g., Go-React, Remind, Flipgrid, Cengage products, Hawkes) not provided by DL or as part of the LMS may have limited technical support. DL will help set up any required administrative settings. However, if there is a technical issue, it is up to the instructor and/or the third-party vendor to troubleshoot for the instructor and student as DL has no access or control over the third-party vendor software. Faculty must include a statement and contact information for vendor technical support within their course and or syllabus.

      1. Example: This course uses product_name. If you are having technical issues accessing or using this product, contact Vendor technical support at

        • Phone Number

        • Email or online support desk

        • Website