Due to the number of steps required for instructors to create links and students to interact with links, it can be possible for errors to occur.
The following article covers some of the most common errors and how to address them. If you are receiving an error message in the app, we recommend using your browser's cmd-f/ctrl-f find function to jump directly to that error message. You may need to search on a partial error message if the error message contains specific details such as an assignment name, zyBook code, etc.
Navigation:
Warning labels
In cases where we were unable to send a score for one or more students, a red warning label will appear on the assignment. (See Week 4 PAs below).
When you navigate to the assignment, a banner will be present with more information regarding the issue.
Click the "Resubmit latest score" button to resend student scores.
Scroll to the bottom of the assignment to see if the submission was successful or not.
If the push was not successful, Download the error report to learn why.
The report will contain a CSV with student name, email addresses, what the error was, and additional detail on the error.
Copy the wording from the "Detailed" cell to your clipboard and use your browser's find feature to jump directly to the error message in the section below to learn more.
Warning error messages
Un-configured link
{"message":"An instructor has not yet configured this link to point to a zyBook section or assignment.You may wish to contact your instructor about the unconfigured link."}
Linking is a two-step process. If a student sees the error message above, that means the instructor has only done the first of the two steps.
To resolve the instructor needs to
- Click on the link they created. This takes them to their library.
- Click on the zyBook they wish to link to
- On the right, select if they want to link to an assignment or a section
- Select which section or assignment to link to.
For more detailed instructions with screenshots and a video, please see Step 2 of How to link a zyBook assignment/section/TOC to an LMS.
Hidden assignment
{"message":"An instructor has not yet configured this assignment to be visible to students. You may wish to contact your instructor about the hidden assignment."}
zyBooks is only able to send scores for visible assignments. Please make sure that the assignment is set to Shown in the zyBook.
To do so,
- Navigate to the Assignments tab of your zyBook.
- Scroll to "Hidden from students"
- Select the assignment you wish to reveal
- Select the "Show" button.
Unpublished assignment
LTI 1.3 Error: We were unable to submit your score. Your course manager has not yet published this course in canvas please contact them to make sure that this is correct. If the issue persists contact support@zybooks.com.
We are only able to send scores to an LMS when that assignment is set to "Published". To resolve the issue, log into the LMS, navigate to the course, find the assignment, and make sure it is set to Published.
Un-activated assignment
Please browse to this assignment through LMS so zyBooks knows where to send your activity.
LTI 1.1 Error: You need to browse through a LTI 1.1 link before score passback will work.
LTI 1.3 Error: You need to browse through a LTI 1.3 link before score passback will work.
"{"success": false, "error": {"code": 400, "message": "An instructor has not yet configured this link to point to a zyBook section or assignment. You may wish to contact your instructor about the unconfigured link."}}"In order for zyBooks to be able to send scores to an LMS gradebook, the student must first "activate" the assignment to establish a connection between the student's LMS account and the zyBook.
For LTI 1.3, students can interact with ANY LTI link to establish the connection for all assignments.
For LTI 1.1, students must interact with EACH LTI link in order for us to send scores for those respective assignments. A common error when a zyBook is using LTI 1.1 is for students to not click the specific link associated with the assignment.
To see if your zyBook is using LTI 1.1 or LTI 1.3, you can use "Manage LMS links". Learn how to find and use this feature in the guide Managing LMS Links.
To make the change from LTI 1.1 to LTI 1.3 for future courses check out the guide on LTI 1.3 Configuration. Please note that a zyBook that is already set up for 1.1 cannot be updated to 1.3 but we do recommend setting up 1.3 for future terms if you are using LTI 1.1 and plan to use zyBooks with LTI in the near future.
Account not found
Account not found
We don’t recognize your email address. If you are an instructor attempting to create
links from your LMS you must first be assigned as an instructor on your zybooks.
Please contact support@zybooks.com for assistance.
This error could mean two things.
More common: The email address the LMS is sending does not match the email address tied to the zyBooks account. To resolve, the instructor should go into the Profile/Account settings in their LMS. In some cases I have seen the email field in the LMS be a personal email, a different variation of a school email, or even be blank.
If the email address does appear to match, please share a screenshot of the email on file with support@zybooks.com for further investigation.
Less common: The instructor may not have a zyBooks account yet. They can create an account on our sign up page.
No zyBooks in library
You are not teaching any classes right now. You must be assigned as an instructor on
a zyBook to be able to configure a link from an LMS. Please contact support@zybooks.com
In order to link to a zyBook, an instructor must have an active class zyBook in their library.
If an instructor believes they should have a book but are not seeing it, here are some possibilities to consider.
-> The instructor may not have filled out an adoption yet. Instructors can adopt a zyBook using the adoption form.
-> The instructor may have filled out an adoption request but the request may not have been fulfilled yet. The instructor can work with their Account Executive to check the status of the request.
-> The zyBook could have been fulfilled but may not have yet been added to the instructor or LMS's admins library and may need to be added. The person setting up the link can contact support@zybooks.com to be be added to the book.
Invalid OAuth
"message": "LTI request was invalid (Invalid OAuth signature). Contact
support@zybooks.com for help."
The key and secret may have been entered incorrectly. Try going in and updating them. If that does not resolve the issue, email the support team for further troubleshooting as this error tends to vary.
No role passed
"message":"Invalid LMS configuration. No valid role was provided. User must be
one of [Student, Learner, Instructor, Mentor, TeachingAssistant]"
This error implies that the issue is on Canvas's end. The user may have not been given a role or has been given a role that doesn't match any of the roles we were expecting. In these cases, we would let the user know that they should reach out to Canvas support for more help.
No email address
{"success": false, "error": {"code": 400, "message": "\n Your request is missing required information (email).\n Please have your course manager check the linked LTI tool is not set to \"private\",\n then try again or follow up with support@zybooks.com.\n ", "guid": "244418db-6b0c-4e97-beaf-207693d133f9"}}
This error typically means 1 of two things
1. An instructor could be trying to use "Student View" in the LMS. This view is not supported because it is not tied to a student in the course that we can pass grades to. If you would like to test the LTI experience as a student, please send an email to support@zybooks.com and we can help you set up a test student.
2. The LTI tool/app may not have been set up to send email addresses. We require an email address to create/log a user into an account. Please check with an LMS admin to check/update the security settings to ensure that email addresses are sent. This will vary from LMS to LMS but the guide, LTI 1.3 Configuration, contains screenshots of what security settings should looks like for each LMS.
Other errors
Students are asked to pay again
The student likely has two accounts. This is explained further in the student-facing article, I already paid, so why am I being asked to subscribe again?
The option to link is not visible.
zyBooks linking requires a minimum screen width of about 760px. For the best experience, set up the link to open in a new tab/window rather than in the LMS.
Still need help?
If your issue was not described in this article please send an email to support@zybooks.com and our support team can assist you. Be sure to include as many details as possible such as
- The name(s) of the impacted assignment(s)
- At least one student example (this gives us a starting point for our investigation)
- A brief desc of the issue
- Screenshots of the behavior