Getting Started with TimeBack Platform
The TimeBack Platform is a unified platform that enables learning apps to provide coaching insights, seamless authentication, and unified progress tracking without building this infrastructure themselves.
Introduction
Welcome to the TimeBack Platform documentation.
We have a mission: to enable learning app developers to launch sophisticated educational experiences with minimal backend complexity and no specialized learning science infrastructure.
The TimeBack Platform is being built to provide comprehensive learning infrastructure including curriculum management and sequencing, content publishing and distribution, learning algorithms, student authentication, behavior analytics, and AI-powered coaching. This documentation focuses on the initial integration levels available now, with additional capabilities being added over time.
Whether you're building a new learning app or integrating an existing one, our documentation will guide you through each integration level—from basic app catalog listing to deep analytics integration.
Integration Levels
TimeBack offers progressive integration—start with app catalog registration, then add deeper capabilities as needed.
| Level | Capability | What You Get |
|---|---|---|
| Level 0: Registration | App catalog listing + automatic session tracking | Students discover your app in TimeBack's catalog. When launched from TimeBack App, we automatically track session time, detect time waste, and provide coaching insights—no implementation required. If we have student credentials on file, we can auto-login students with minimal work on your side. If your app is linked from another TimeBack app, auto-login and session attribution happen automatically. |
| Level 1: LTI Launch | Seamless authentication | Students auto-login to your app via LTI 1.3—no credentials needed, no login screens. Improves user experience by eliminating authentication friction. |
| Level 2: Caliper Events | Deep analytics + unified reporting | Send structured learning events (questions, answers, mastery) to get richer coaching insights and unified progress analytics across the TimeBack ecosystem. Powers cross-app intelligence and detailed behavior analysis. |
Important: All automatic tracking and insights require students to use the TimeBack App (Electron-based desktop container). TimeBack App handles screen recording permissions, launches your app in an embedded browser, and captures session data automatically.
Future capabilities: TimeBack will offer additional integration levels for curriculum management, content distribution, and built-in learning algorithms. These capabilities are in development and will be documented as they become available.
Getting Started
To start using the TimeBack Platform:
- Register your app by submitting a registration request
- Get your credentials (Client ID + Client Secret + authorized scopes) from the TimeBack team
- Implement LTI 1.3 launch to enable seamless student authentication
- Send Caliper events to unlock coaching insights and progress tracking
Our documentation includes detailed guides, complete code examples, and references to help you integrate TimeBack into your learning app quickly and effectively.
1EdTech Standards
TimeBack is built on 1EdTech standards to maximize interoperability:
- LTI 1.3: Industry-standard launch protocol used by learning management systems
- Caliper Analytics: Standardized learning event vocabulary
- OneRoster: Student roster management (future capability)
Next Steps
Level 0: Register Your App
Submit your app details to get listed in TimeBack's app catalog. This is the required first step for all integrations.
Level 1: Implement LTI Launch
Add seamless authentication so students can access your app without managing separate credentials.
Authentication Guide
Learn how to obtain OAuth tokens and make authenticated requests to TimeBack Platform APIs.