Skillable 2025

June 24, 2025

AI Vision Activities

AI Vision, a new activity type in Skillable Studio, helps lab builders create high-quality, performance-based activities. Lab builders can leverage AI-powered computer vision technology to create natural language prompts that verify, based on the user’s screen, whether the user has successfully completed an activity or set of activities within the lab.

Purpose

1. Reduces technical skills required to create a scored activity. (No need to write scripts.)
2. Enables builders to check for the outcomes that matter. (No more false negatives due to misspelled cell headers.)
3. Supports more environments and software types. (Measure what's on a user's screen, without worrying about whether the software has an API to call.)

Key Elements

• Prompt: Allows the lab author to create a prompt using natural language. This prompt determines what the computer vision technology will check on the user's screen.
• Test Prompt: Enables the lab author to test a prompt using a 1-5 star rating and AI-generated feedback to help the lab author improve the prompt strength and clarity.
• Reference Image (Optional): Adds a reference image of the correct answer to further guide the computer vision technology to check the user's screen.
• Evaluation/Scoring: Uses computer vision to check the user's screen when they click Check/Score in the lab, evaluating whether it matches the prompt and, if provided, the reference image.

For more information, check out our documentation.

Activity Group Scoring

Activity Group Scoring is a new type of lab passing policy designed to provide a more structured method for assessing and scoring labs. Activity Groups often represent Tasks (as might appear on a job description, Job Task Analysis, or skill framework) or Learning Objectives (as might appear in curriculum design.) Activity Group Scoring allows a lab builder to set a passing policy at both the activity group and lab levels, giving organizations more granular data about which tasks or learning objectives a learner has mastered.

Purpose
The purpose of Activity Group Scoring is to provide a way to assess and score multiple activities as a single unit, making it easier to assess a learner's mastery.

Key Elements

• Scoring Mode Selection: Choose between scoring individual activities or scoring activities as a group.
• Scoring Results Display Type Selection: Decide how scoring results are shown based on the selected scoring mode.
• Confirmation Dialog: Confirm changes when switching scoring modes.
• Management Dialog: Manage properties of activity groups, including enabling scoring and setting passing scores.
• Alerts and Notices: Display alerts and notices related to scoring, such as warnings for unscored activities.

For more information, check out our documentation.

Scaled Scoring

Scaled scoring is a crucial concept in standardized testing, ensuring accurate comparisons and fairness. This method is essential for high-stakes exams, where maintaining consistent standards across different test versions is paramount.

Scaled scoring adjusts raw scores to a common scale, often ranging from 0 to 1000 points. This adjustment ensures that scores are comparable across different versions of a test or assessment, even if the difficulty or content varies. For example, if one version of a test is slightly harder than another, scaled scoring helps to balance the scores so that they can be fairly compared.

Key Benefits

• Consistency: Maintains the “bar” at the same place, ensuring that the difficulty level remains consistent across different test versions.
• Fairness: By adjusting for variations in test difficulty, scaled scores provide a fair comparison of candidates’ performance, regardless of which version of the test they took.
• Accuracy: Accounts for slight differences in test difficulty, leading to more accurate assessments of candidates’ abilities.
• Standardization: Enables standardized reporting of scores, which is crucial for institutions and organizations that rely on these scores for decision-making.

For more information, check out our documentation.

Instruction File Import tool

The Instruction File Import tool dramatically reduces the time it takes to build out lab instructions by allowing users to import existing Word, RTF, or Markdown documents—including those with dozens of images—directly into the Instructions Editor. Instead of copying and pasting content or manually uploading individual images, lab authors can now import and organize full documents in just a few clicks. This results in significant time savings and a smoother content creation experience.

Purpose
The purpose of Instruction File Import is to help lab authors efficiently reuse existing content and eliminate time-consuming formatting or manual copy/paste steps—freeing them up to focus on instructional quality.

Key Benefits

• File Compatibility: Import .docx, .rtf, and .md files directly into your lab instructions.
• Image Support: Import images from uploaded documents, with the ability to import multiple images per file.
• Upload Files: Drop in files from your File Explorer.
• Multi-File Handling: Upload and arrange multiple files at once and drag files around to re-order.
• Markdown Conversion: Automatically convert all content to Markdown and insert it at your cursor's location.
• Preview & Edit: Review the imported Markdown content instantly and make any final tweaks before publishing.

For more information, check out our documentation.

May 28, 2025

Studio Enhancements

• Lab Profile Updates: Lab authors with proper permissions can now update VM lab profile disk changes without entering notes for each VM, streamlining the save process and reducing errors.
• Text Swap Panel: The Text Swap Panel in the Instructions Editor now supports dynamic resizing and hover tooltips for improved visibility and accuracy when editing content.

Studio Optimizations

• Fixed an issue where lab developers without cloud permissions could not save a lab profile.
• Fixed an issue where the Lab Profiles dashboard failed to show recent updates due to incorrect date filtering logic.
• Resolved a bug preventing Authenticated Launch Links from working with the new skillable.com domain.
• Added input and range validation for VLAN ID fields to prevent save errors and guide users to enter valid values.
• Fixed an issue in v2 themes where users lost VM input after snapshots and ensured dialogs now behave correctly.
• Resolved editing issues for launch link-created users by restricting email changes and improving error messages.
• Restored missing input fields when cloning VMs from inherited Lab Profiles to support full cloning workflows.
• Fixed a bug where AI Vision settings were lost after saving a Lab Profile by improving dropdown initialization.
• Updated incorrect Japanese localization from “建物” to “準備中” to clarify lab loading status.
• Fixed heading and token insertion bugs in the Instructions Editor for accurate markdown formatting.
• Corrected typos in the ESX OS dropdown list, changing “Yosimite” to “Yosemite” and “El Cap;itan” to “El Capitan.”
• Resolved save issues for TMS API users by ensuring proper dialog display during lab profile changes.
• Disabled save options for Cloud labs by default in template gallery to enforce proper lab governance.
• Prevented continued access to lab instructions after VM shutdown by closing the instructions window properly.
• Added user warnings for screenshot attempts in Enhanced Security Mode to explain restrictions.
• Fixed Lab Advisor reports to exclude deleted labs, improving accuracy of recommendations and metrics.
• Enabled reordering of activities in groups and fixed visual bugs and tooltips in the new editor.
• Ensured complete visibility in the Referenced Activities tab by properly displaying group references.
• Fixed markdown list reordering to affect only targeted lists and improved dropdown and list behaviors.
• Made variables from activity outcomes immediately available for use in subsequent outcomes.
• Fixed dark mode alert styling in the template wizard to ensure readability.
• Corrected ordered list numbering to start at “1” and improved handling of indented lists in the editor.

May 15, 2025

Enhancements

• Resolved intermittent Azure launch failures by updating subscription and resource group management to wait for resource allocations to complete before continuing processing.

May 6, 2025

Enhancements

• Invoices under $1 that are normalized to $0 will now be filtered out from the Skillable Invoices page, as these invoices will not be billed to customers, helping reduce clutter and improve clarity.

May 5, 2025

Enhancements

• Added the Resource section to the Course Assignment Details View in TMS so course resources can be accessed directly from active course assignments.

TMS Accessibility Enhancements

• Added ARIA parent roles to top navigation bar elements (e.g., My Training, Classes, Contact) to improve assistive technology support.

Optimizations

• Fixed a bug causing the TMS Edit User page to intermittently load incorrectly; the UI now displays as expected.

April 22, 2025

Enhancements

• Increased the capabilities of the Studio User Dashboard’s to support multiple filter operators, improving filtering flexibility and accuracy for users.

Optimizations

• Fixed a bug where the CodeEditor theme did not update properly when switching between light and dark modes; the correct theme now applies dynamically without page refresh.
• Fixed a bug that caused broken invoice downloads in Skillable Insights; invoice numbers are now handled properly, and billing tests have been updated.
• Fixed a bug in the Billing Events Processor that returned an error when clearing the TMS customer cache after organization edits.

April 21, 2025

Enhancements

• Made VM notes optional when saving lab profile changes for users with the correct permissions.
• Updated the user dashboard date filtering to now support date ranges effectively.
• Enhanced the text swap panel to support dynamic resizing and hover tooltips for better readability and accuracy.
• Updated referenced activity logic to now display all activities within referenced groups and made “All Activities” the default tab.

TMS Accessibility Enhancements

• Updated the Redeem Training Key field to be announced by screen readers as a required field.
• Improve heading roles for Badges and Achievements on the Student Dashboard to support accurate screen reader tracking.
• Enabled wider text spacing on Active Class Titles and Course Assignment Names to prevent truncation.
• Added underlines to links on the Class Enrollment screen and related views for clearer visual distinction.
• Added ARIA parent roles to top navigation elements (e.g., My Training, Classes) to improve assistive technology support.
• Enabled Course Activity Name headers to expand and reflow properly without truncating text when enlarged.

Optimizations

• Fixed a bug where newly defined variables in activity outcomes were not available to subsequent outcomes.
• Fixed a bug that caused VM records to disappear in Layout v2 when toggling Start State checkboxes.
• Fixed a bug preventing activities in activity groups from being reordered; also improved tooltips and resolved table border glitches.
• Fixed an issue where the wrong Account ID was being sent to Pendo; updated configuration to send the correct Customer ID.
• Fixed a bug in the Markdown editor where indenting a task list affected unrelated lists and caused formatting issues.
• Fixed a bug displaying future dates in the Script Library due to missing timezone handling.
• Fixed a bug where running lab instances were not included in LatestResults due to missing logic in the search query.
• Fixed a bug where users with "change password on next logon" enabled could not proceed on sites using Captcha.

April 17, 2025

Optimizations

• Fixed a bug that caused running lab instances to be excluded from Results; added logic to ensure active instances are included in the query.

April 7, 2025

TMS Enhancements

• Corrected the validation message when the Program field is left as “Choose Program” during course creation; the message now properly states “The Program field is required.”
• Added an Edit User Group dialog, allowing Super Users to more easily add or remove users from User Groups directly.

Optimizations

• Fixed a bug that caused an error when deleting an Achievement after the deletion was completed.

April 3, 2025

Enhancements

• Updated the user dashboard grid to support dynamic filtering, sorting, and pagination.

Optimizations

• Fixed a bug that caused the LabProfileNumber field to return null in RunningAndSavedLabs calls.
• Fixed a bug that allowed the lab client to display a successful save message even when no disks were selected during diff disk capture.
• Fixed a bug that caused an application error on the storage page when no datacenter availability was specified at the org level.
• Fixed a bug that prevented thumbnail images from displaying on the class monitor page, now supports all environments with the appropriate thumbnail image.
• Fixed a bug that prevented removal of a lab series from a lab profile when set to "None."
• Fixed a bug where automated activity scripts without a task list text value prevented labs from launching or previewing instructions.

March 31, 2025

User Dashboard

The Dashboard in Skillable Studio has been updated to improve productivity and display information that helps to make informed decisions with lab building and lab management.
Some key features include:

• Quick actions: access the most used actions in Studio, based on your usage activity.
• Lab Advisor: the top four recommendations for your labs, sorted by criticality and the number of impacted labs. Additional Lab Advisor data can be viewed by selecting the Lab Advisor from the User Dashboard.
• Lab Grid: quickly search for Favorites, Lab Instances and recent Lab Profiles.

For more information about the User Dashboard, check out our documentation.

Instructions Editor Code-only mode

The code-only Instructions editor has been updated to utilize the ribbon bar while using Markdown format to write lab instructions. This provides quick and easy access to formatting tools, so that you can stay focused on creating hands-on content.

For more information about the Instruction Editor, check out our documentation.

Override Theme at Launch Time

When launching a lab in Studio, lab authors can now optionally select a theme for that lab instance. This allows lab authors to test their labs with different themes to ensure that it is displayed properly while being styled by the selected theme.
Themes are chosen by clicking the theme button next to the launch button. A simple search dialog will appear and allow a theme to be searched for and selected. The selected theme will only apply to this launch, and subsequent launches will continue to use the default theme that is configured on the Lab Profile.

For more information about overriding Themes at launch, check out our documentation.

Revert Virtual Machine via API (Beta)

Our Lab API has been updated to enable virtual machines in hands-on labs to be reverted to a previous state. This feature allows instructors and administrators to assist students in restoring their VMs as needed. This API endpoint is currently in beta, if you would like access to this endpoint, please reach out to your CSM.

March 25, 2025

Custom Virtual Machine Endpoints (Beta)

The Custom Virtual Machine (VM) Endpoint feature optimizes access to VM endpoints within lab environments by eliminating the need for intermediary VMs to connect to VM endpoints. This enhancement allows users to seamlessly connect to terminals, web applications, containers, services, and other configurations on a VM that traditionally required direct login to access.
The Custom VM Endpoints feature significantly improves VM management efficiency and security, making lab environments more user-friendly and effective. In this initial release, we support SSH, RDP, HTTP and HTTPS connections, with plans to extend support to VNC in future updates.
Additional key features include:

• Multi-Endpoint Support: Define multiple endpoints on a single VM.
• Tab-Based UI: Each endpoint is displayed as a separate tab within the lab interface, making it simple to switch between endpoints and removing errors when entering login credentials.
• Persistent Connections: Maintain active sessions while switching between endpoints.
• Secure Access: Uses an internal secure network for web traffic and a proxy for HTTP endpoints.
• Nested VM Support: Enables interaction with child VMs hosted inside a parent VM.

For more information about configuring and using Custom VM Endpoints, check out our documentation. This feature is currently in beta and we appreciate your feedback as we continue to refine and improve this feature. If you would like to provide feedback, please do so within the Lab Profile in Skillable Studio on the Virtual Machines tab.

March 10, 2025

Publishing Groups

• Error messages have been improved to show more details, when attempting to delete a Publishing Group.

Accessibility Enhancements

• When using the on-screen keyboard has been updated to allow scrolling with the keyboard for pages that are displayed in an iframe.
• The User License Agreement has been updated with an ARIA label that allows screen readers to read the contents and enables the user to navigate and interact with the page more effectively.
• The dashboard has been updated to have the proper contrast ratio when viewing the top navigation buttons or viewing the Last Modified date on the User License Agreement.
• The top navigation bar elements have been updated with an ARIA parent role, to inform assistive technologies to treat them like interactive elements.

Optimizations

• Fixed a bug was fixed that caused the /CreateVoucher API to fail if the ExpirationDate property was blank
• Fixed a bug the prevented lab instances from being sortable on the Find Lab Instances page when the max score was zero for any lab instance.
• Fixed a bug that could cause a user to create duplicate accounts when redeeming a training key.
• The tool to update users in bulk has been updated to remove user roles and organization management permissions when a user account is disabled.

February 27, 2025

Lab Profiles

• Lab Profile details pages have been updated to show all Life Cycle Actions that are configured on the Lab Profile. This simplifies Lab Profile management and ensures lab authors are making informed decisions with Lab Profiles.
• Lab Profile export performance has been improved to prevent erroneous clicking when confirming the export dialog.