ADD RESOURCES AS COURSE CONTENT

Portal Administrators can build a resource catalog customized to their training needs by uploading content (PDFs, Word, Excel, MP4, or WAV files, etc.) to the LMS and/or providing links to objects such as websites, videos, and more. Resource content can vary from a general LMS user guide to study material associated with a particular training topic. For a list of Quick Facts and step-by-step instructions on creating LMS resources, see  Create Resources to Support Learners and Enhance Training Programs. If you are using Resources as content, you can create them before adding the Self Study course or add them later, then modify the course to associate the resources. Use of resources, however, is not required in order to use Self-Study courses.
 

ADD A SELF-STUDY COURSE

To add a Self Study Course, you must choose Delivery Method = Self Study. This will dynamically change the fields on the page to allow you to associate content with the course. The key fields used in creating various types of Self Study content are described below. Depending on the type of training you provide in the course, entries in some of these fields may not be necessary.

 

• Description: Use this field for describing the course, including any instructions for the user, or for describing study tasks that may not be associated with launchable content. Some possible uses:
  • Track on-the-job training training activities as a list of tasks (possibly supported by a checklist in the Resources list).
  • Instruct the user to refer to downloadable resources in the Resources list.
  • Provide instructions on actions to take after completing the content.
• Content Type: If you are using launchable content, from the drop-down list, select either Resource or Link. Content provided in this manner will provide the user a Launch button.
  • If you select Resource, you must use the Resource Content drop-down list to select the relevant resource. Launch behavior will vary between online (Open) and offline (Download) depending on the file type selected.
  • If you select Link, you must provide a complete and valid URL to the online content.
• Completion Type: Determines how the course completion will be set for the course.
  • Self Verification (default): Select this option to allow the student to self-certify their own completion.
  • Manager Verification: Select this option to trigger a process in which a manager can verify the completion of the self-study content. The student initiates the process by clicking the Request Verification button on the course slide-in page when they have finished the course requirements. This triggers an approval workflow for managers which can be processed like other LMS approval requirements from the Approvals page or from My Team – Approvals.
  • Admin Verification: Select this option to restrict verification to people with the roles Administrator or Portal Administrator. The process works like the Manager-certified option except includes only Administrators and Portal Administrators.
• Resources: Use Choose Resources(s) to attach one or more Resources to the course. Resources added in this manner do not launch and users must navigate to the Course Details to open and/or download the resource.

You can modify Resources, as described above, by using the Administration menu > Search Courses option, opening the Course Details page, and editing the course record on the “General” tab.
 

ENROLLING IN AND LAUNCHING THE COURSE

A student can enroll in the new course as they would any other type of course. Once enrolled, how they view the content depends upon the type of content provided. For courses with Resources or Links specified as Content Types, enrolled students can view or download the training material (based on file type).

From the Classic User Interface, look for the Launch button.
 

From the Course Search page:
 

When a student clicks on a Self-Study course from many responsive user interface pages (e.g. Courses to Complete, My Learning, Course Search) a Course Details Slide-in appears. Buttons shown initially depend upon how the content is set up in the course and whether the user is already enrolled, as shown by the buttons above. 
Prior to enrollment, users may see these options. Numbers refer to the image numbers.

1. For courses with Resources there is a View Resources button which opens an additional slide-in with launch/download actions on the resource list.
2. For Resources or Links identified in the Content Type and related target fields, there will be a Launch Content button that launches or downloads the content. Also, if the student is not enrolled, it will process the enrollment. For Self Study courses that employ content solely in the Description or in the Resource Attachments list, the same button enrolls the user but does not open any content. Users must review any instructions provided in the Description and click to download any listed Resources in order to view the coursework. 
3. Enroll Others appears for users who are managers or administrators.

After enrollment, action buttons change. These buttons may display, as shown in the image above based on how the course is configured, especially the verification method selected.

4. View Resources (same as 1).
5. Launch (same as 2).
6. Transcript Attachments: Allows a Student to upload attachments supporting their completion request. This is only available under Manager- and Admin-Verification. Once a user submits their manager completion request, the student option to attach additional files is disabled. These documents are available to the manager (or Administrators) and the student for later review and will also be stored on the user’s Training History for the transcript.
7. Request Verification: When a student is ready for the manager to review their completion progress for final approval, click this button to trigger the manager notification process. This is only available under Manager- and Administrator-verified completion. When Self-Certification is enabled, this button is replaced by Mark Complete, represented by a check mark.
8. Cancel: Click to cancel the enrollment.
9. Enroll Others (same as 3)

 

STUDENT SELF-CERTIFIED COMPLETION

If Self Verification is enabled, as it is by default, the student can click Mark Complete (check mark icon) from the Course Details Slide-in on any relevant page. This requires the user to confirm their completion by submitting their username and password. Upon submission, it creates a timestamp with the logged-in user’s account information, to indicate they agree the coursework is completed.
 

 

MANAGER VERIFICATION AND ADMINISTRATOR VERIFICATION

If Manager- OR Administrator- Verification is enabled, prior to requesting verification, if the learning activities in the course require documentation, the student can upload files to the transcript using the Transcript Attachments button designated by (A) below. When the student has completed their course work and is ready to submit it for manager (or administrator) for review and approval, they must click the Request Verification button designated (B) below. This starts the approval and confirmation process and locks the ability for the student to add more attachments.

 

For Administrator Verification approvals, there are no email notifications sent. Under Manager Verification, the manager will receive a Manager – Self-Study Certification Completion Notification indicating there is an self-study approval requirement available for review. Managers and Administrators can find these approval requests on the Approvals page and the My Team – Approvals tab. From either of those pages, the approval options are shown below.

 

(A) Type:  Icon expands to show more details about the approval requirement and the course.
(B) Transcript Attachments: Allows the managers or administrators to view any attachments added by the student and add attachments of their own. Once approved, the manager is no longer able to add new attachments. This button appears even if no transcripts are uploaded. They can access buttons for approval or denial from the Transcript attachment page, or by clicking the Course Name link in the Pending Approval column. An example of the Transcript Attachments page is shown below.

(A) Attachment Upload Area: Upload files to the transcript by browsing or drag and drop.
(B) Transcript Attachments Area: Attachments that the studen, manager, or administrator have already loaded to the transcript. Click the file Name link to download.
(C) Delete: Click to delete a specific attachment.
(D) Approve: Sets the transcript status to Pass.
(E) Deny: Denies the verification of completion. This triggers a notification to the student about the denial which may require follow-up with the manager to resolve any outstanding requirements.
(F) Fail: Sets the transcript status to Fail.