Creating and Assigning Self-Paced Learning for a Single Course

Training Management System (TMS) administrators can use course assignments to provide learners access to Self-Paced learning for a single Course and access to take any labs contained within the course. You may find this article useful if you are creating course assignments, need to cancel a Course Assignment or wish to create and distribute course assignment keys.

Best Practices for Course Assignments

Course assignments are the means for a learner to consume self-paced learning. Creating a course assignment allows you to give a single user access to a single course. We have tools allowing you to assign a single course assignment to a single user, multiple course assignments to a single user, a single course to multiple users or multiple courses to multiple users. You may also create Training Key Pools, which allow you to distribute keys for a single course to multiple users. Redeeming the key then assigns the course as self-paced learning and opens it for the learner.

If you have a set of courses you wish to give access to a number of users for a set period of time, then a subscription may be a better option. A Subscription Profile holds a set of courses and can be assigned to learners, giving them access to all the courses to take and retake for as long as the Subscription is enabled. The learner can select any course which opens as a course assignment for them to study.

Overview of Course Assignments

Course assignments are a great way to provide self-paced training to Users. They allow you to give access to course Activities and resources to learners and allow the learners to move at their own pace and the ability to engage with course materials on their own terms, without the constraints of a traditional classroom setting. Users can take and re-take the training as long as the course assignment is valid. This means they can revisit the course content and reinforce their knowledge whenever needed.

Here's everything you need to know about course assignments and how you can allocate them as a TMS administrator.

When you create a course assignment, your learner has immediate access to the course to start their hands on learning. By default, the assignment expires in 180 days from the creation date, this time period is set based on the maximum days of access for a course assignment as defined in your organization or course profile. The expiration time period may be shortened when creating or editing assignments.

Course assignments are billed based on their creation date. However, if your learner hasn't launched any labs within 24 hours of creating the assignment, you have the option to cancel it.

Create a Course Assignment for a Single Learner

From the Create Course Assignment page, using a few simple steps, you can effortlessly create a single course assignment for a single learner.

Create a Course Assignment

To create a course assignment:

1. On the Site Administration's page Course Assignments tile, select Create Course Assignment. This will redirect you to the Create Course Assignment page.

Select a student

1. Beside the Student field, select the Choose button to open the Choose User dialog box.
2. In the Choose User dialog box, you may use filters to help you locate the desired student. Input part of the student's First and Last Name in the available fields and select Search to view a list of search results.
3. In the search results select the appropriate student and select OK.

Select a Course

Select a course:

1. Beside the Course field select the Choose button to open the Choose Course dialog box.
2. In the Choose Course dialog box's Name field, input part of the course name and then select Search a list of search results.
3. Review the search results, select the desired course and select OK.

Set the expiration date

1. By default, the Expiration field is set to 6 months, but you can set the access to a shorter time period if you wish. To modify the expiry, simply select a new date that aligns with your requirements.

Save your work

1. Select Save. Your assignment is now securely stored in our system.

Once saved, you are redirected to the created course assignment.

Create One or More Course Assignments for One or More Learners

Our Create Multiple Course Assignments page is built for versatility providing you the ability to create multiple course assignments for a single user, create a single course assignment for multiple users, and create multiple course assignments for multiple users.

Create Multiple Course Assignments

To create multiple Course Assignments:

1. On the Site Administration's page Course Assignments tile, select Create Multiple Course Assignments which will redirect you to the Create Multiple Course Assignments page.

Select a Course or Courses

1. Select the Add Courses link to open the Choose Course dialog box. Multiple courses can be added if needed.
2. In the Choose Course dialog box's Name field, input part of a course name and then select Search a list of search results.
3. Review the search results and select the desired course. To add more courses enter a new course name, select search and select the course in the search results, continue searching and selecting courses until you have chosen all the courses you desire.
4. Once you have selected your courses select OK.

Select a Student or Students

1. Select the Add Students link to open the Choose Students dialog to select the student(s) to whom you want to assign the Course Assignment. Multiple students can be selected if needed.
2. In the Choose Students dialog box's First Name or Last Name field, input part of a student's name and then select Search a list of search results.
3. Review the search results and select the desired student. To add more students, enter a new name, select search and select the student in the search results, continue searching and selecting students until you have chosen all the users you desire.
   Once you have selected your students select OK.

Create a Student (Optional)

1. If the student does not have a user profile yet, select on** Create Student** opening the Create User page on another tab.
2. Input the required fields to create the user: First Name, Last Name, Primary Email, Password and Country.
3. Select Save to create the user account.
4. Return to the tab open to the Create Multiple Course Assignments page.
5. From the Choose Students dialog find and select the user you created.

Add a Note (Optional)

1. Add a note to the all the course assignments you are creating.
2. Input a Title.
3. If the note is of high importance, check the box to mark it as high importance.
4. Input the message of the note.

Save your Work

1. Select Save to create the course assignment(s) for the selected student(s.)

Once saved, a listing of successfully created course assignments will display giving the names of each student and the course assigned.

Cancel a Course Assignment

There may be times when you will need to cancel a course assignment. Administrators can cancel course assignments only within 24 hours of its creation and if no labs have been launched by the learner. If the course assignment was created more than 24 hours ago, or it is in progress and labs have already been launched, cancellation will not be possible.

To cancel a course assignment,

1. On the** Site Administration**'s page Course Assignments tile, select Find Course Assignments which will redirect you to the Find Course Assignments page.
2. Search for the course assignment you wish to cancel, by default, filters are available to search for the user by First and Last name, apply other filters if needed. Enter your search parameters and select Search.
3. In the search results, select the course assignment's Edit icon, this will redirect you to the Edit Course Assignment page for the assignment.
4. In the Status field, use the drop-down list to select Cancelled. If the field is read only, you cannot cancel the assignment.
5. Select Save to keep your changes.

If you cannot cancel a course assignment because more than 24 hours have lapsed since its creation, but no labs have been launched by the learner, you may send a request to our help desk for assistance.

Use Training Keys to Allocate Course Assignments to Learners

In the world of online learning, it's important to have efficient methods for allocating training. One such method is to utilize Training Key Pools, which provide a win for both administrators and users.

A training key pool allows administrators to distribute keys to users, these keys enable the learners to create their own self-paced course assignments. Each key in the pool is exclusive to a specific course assignment and learner. When a user redeems a key, it automatically generates their assigned course; it can also be used to self-register them in the TMS to create their own user account if the login page for the site has the Redeem Training Key field enabled. This empowers users to take charge of their training journey while ensuring they stay on the right track.

By utilizing training key pools, administrators can effectively manage and distribute course assignments to learners. Training key pools have many benefits, they make the creation of users and course assignment more efficient by allowing administrators to distribute keys to multiple users for the same course; the key can be used only once to create one assignment. You have the ability to set the duration of access to course content for students. Pools have no limit on the number of keys that can be created so you can easily generate new keys and add them to the existing pool.

Learners can take and re-take the training as long as the course assignment is valid. This means they can revisit the course content and reinforce their knowledge whenever needed. Training key pools empower users to take charge of their training journey and learn at their own pace.

Create a Training Key Pool

A Training key pool key is used for individual self-paced course assignments and each pool is specific to one course. Keys can only be redeemed while pools are active, this is based on the pool's Starts and Expires fields. There is no limit to the number of keys that can be generated and once created the keys can be exported for distribution.

To create a training key pool,

1. On the Site Administration page on the Training Keys tile select Create Training Key Pool, this redirects you to the Create Training Key Pool page.

Decide the characteristics of your pool,

1. Beside the Course field select Choose to open the Course Chooser dialog and select the course to align the pool with, then select OK.
2. In the Name field input a name for the training key pool.
3. In the Starts field, input a date, this controls when the keys can start being redeemed.
4. In the Expires field, input a date, this specifies when the keys can no longer be redeemed. This can be useful if a new version of the course is soon to be available and you want to ensure that keys for the older version are no longer used.
5. Set the Content Availability, this sets the time period the learner can access the course from when the key is redeemed creating the assignment.
6. Optional: Select the box next to Make these keys available to everyone using [Organization name] to allow keys in this pool to be used by child organizations within the parent Organization that owns this pool.

Add your keys

1. Open the Training Keys tab.
2. Here, you have three options:

• Manually enter each individual key by selecting Add Training Key.
• Select Add Multiple Training Keys to paste your training keys, one per line, in the pop-up dialog.
• Select Generate Training Keys, then enter the number of keys in the field provided and select OK.

Save your Work

1. Once all the keys have been created, select Save. If you distribute a key without saving, then the key cannot be redeemed, and the user will receive an error that the key does not exist.

After saving you are redirected to the newly created Training Key Pool page with all the keys displayed and keys may be exported using the link. The pool can be edited to create more key or update its Starts or Expires dates to manage access to the keys. Keys display along with their creation date and once redeemed they also show the redemption date and the user.

Distribute Keys to Learners

Once keys are generated, you will need to distribute them to your learners. You can export the keys from the pool to track your distribution of the keys.

When it comes to registering students for self-paced training with training keys, it's important to guide them through the process of creating their own user accounts and provisioning their training. Below, you will find the email template that provides step-by-step instructions on how your students can redeem their training keys and access their labs.

What Information Do I Send to my Learners When They are Given a Training Key

Here is a template for you to use to send the necessary information to your learners, revise as needed.

Subject: Accessing Your Training
Hello [Student],
Congratulations on enrolling in our [self-paced training]! To get started, please > find your training key below:
Training Key: [insert training key for each student]
To access your training, follow these simple steps:

1. Go to [insert login page URL].
2. In the Register with a Training Key field, enter the Training Key provided > above.
3. Select on Register to create your user account and login credentials.
4. Fill in your registration information and select Save. This will grant you > access to your training.
   For students who already have an account in our Training Management System (TMS), > simply log in and on the Dashboard input the key in the Redeem Training Key or if > you land on the Current Training page select Redeem Training Key and input the key > in the Redeem Training Key field on the follow page.
   Once you redeem your training key, your training will open and you can begin your > learning.

If you encounter any issues connecting to your labs, select the information icon > (represented by a circled i) located to the right of the lab module for system > requirements and connection information.

If you require any technical assistance with the labs, simply select the Contact > button at the top of any page and use one of the provided methods to request > assistance.

We hope you have a successful learning experience with our training program. If > you have any further questions or concerns, feel free to reach out to us at any > time.

Best regards,
[Your Name] [Your Position/Title] [Your Contact Information]

Feel free to customize the email template per your requirements.

How Does a Learner Redeem a Training Key When They Have a User Account?

Training keys can be given to users with existing accounts to assign new training allowing users to increase their training library. By providing a training key, administrators can efficiently assign new courses to users without the need for manual Enrollment.

A user with an existing account should not use the Redeem Training Key field if it is available on the login page as this will force them to create a new user account.

Once given a training key to access a course a learner who has a user account will do the following:

1. Login to their existing user account on the organization's site.
2. After signing in they are redirected to the My Dashboard page.
3. They will locate the Redeem Training Key field on the page and enter their key.
4. Select the Redeem button to be redirected to their active course assignment.
5. Their labs will now be accessible. To start a lab, select on the Launch button next to the lab they want to begin.

How does a Learner Redeem a Training Key When They do not Have a User Account?

A training key can be used not only to assign a course assignment but to allow a user to create their own user account. For a user to create their own user account, anonymous user registration must be enabled on the organization profile, this provides a Create a user account link on the login page and if the Redeem Training Key field is enabled on the login page then eiother will open to the user registration form.

Use the Redeem Training Key field from the login page to create a new user account

1. The user inputs the training key they received into the Register with Training Key field.
2. Fills in all the required fields in the registration form.
3. Select Save to complete the registration process.
4. After selecting save the user is redirected to their course assignment to begin training.
5. For class enrollment, your labs will appear under the "Activities" section.

Once they have successfully registered and redeemed their training key, they will no longer need it to log in, they will sign in using your username and password at the same URL provided.

Use the Create a user account link to register then redeem a training key

1. Select the Sign In button on the site to view the login options.
2. Near the Sign In button at the bottom select the Create an account link
3. This opens a user registration form, fills in all the required fields on the form.
4. Select Save to complete the registration process and the user is redirected to the Dashboard page
5. Locate the Redeem Training Key field and input the key provided.
6. Select the Redeem button.
7. After selecting Redeem the user is redirected to their course assignment to begin training.

Learner's Access to Their Training

To ensure a smooth learning experience, it is important for learners to easily access their course assignments. In our TMS learners can access their training through multiple avenues, including the dashboard, the current training page, and their transcript. Here's how they can do it:

Accessing Course Assignments from the Dashboard

The dashboard serves as the default landing page for students and provides a central hub for accessing all their training including course assignments. When learners access the dashboard, they will see the top five most relevant course assignments displayed. To open a course assignment, simply select on it.

In cases where there are more than five active courses to display, an arrow will appear on the right side of the widget. Selecting this arrow will navigate learners to the Current Training page's Course Assignments section.

It's important to note that the Dashboard widget automatically refreshes every 5 minutes, ensuring learners have the most up-to-date information.

Accessing Course Assignments from the Current Training page

Learners can access their course assignments by visiting the Current Training or My Training page. If Course Assignments are not expired and are not started or incomplete, they will display a list at the top of the page.

To open specific Course Assignment, learners simply need to select on the name of the course. By doing so, they will be able to access all the activities and labs associated with that course.

Launching Labs from Completed Course Assignments

If a Course Assignment has been completed by a learner, it will no longer be visible on the Current Training page. However, learners can still find completed assignments on both their dashboard and their transcript. Even after completing a course assignment, you still have the ability to launch new instances of the labs associated with it, as long as the expiration date has not passed. This means you can continue practicing and refining your skills even after the assignment is completed. As long as the course assignment is active, learners can launch all the content associated with the completed assignment from either the Dashboard or the Transcript.