Creating and Assigning Self-Paced Learning for a Single Course

Training Management System (TMS) administrators can use Course Assignments to grant learners access to Self-Paced training for a single Course, including all associated labs. This article explains how to create, manage, and distribute course assignments and Course Assignment Training Keys, and how learners can access their training.

Course Assignments Overview

A course assignment provides one learner with access to one course. Learners can start, pause, and retake labs and activities as long as the assignment remains active.

Administrators can:

• Create assignments for individual learners or groups of learners

• Assign one course or multiple courses

• Generate Course Assignment Training Keys (formerly Training Key Pools) for distribution to many learners

Learners can access course assignments immediately after they’re created. Administrators may cancel an assignment within the first 24 hours if no labs have been launched.

Assignments expire 180 days after creation unless the organization or course profile specifies a shorter maximum. Billing is based on the assignment creation date.

If you need to grant access to a set of courses for an extended period, consider using a Subscription instead.

Creating Course Assignments

Create a Course Assignment for a Single Learner

To create a course assignment for a single learner:

1. From TMS, navigate to Site Administration > Course Assignments and then select Create Course Assignment.

   The Create Course Assignment page opens.

2. Next to the Student field, select Choose to open the Choose User dialog.

3. Use the Name filter to search for a specific learner.

4. Select the learner and then click OK.

5. Next to the Course field, select Choose to open the Choose Course dialog.

6. Configure the Expiration field. By default, this field is set to 6 months, but you can adjust as needed.

7. Click Save. You are redirected to the newly created course assignment.

Create Multiple Course Assignments

Use this option to assign one or more courses to one or more learners.

1. From TMS, navigate to Site Administration > Course Assignments and then select Create Multiple Course Assignments.

   The Create Multiple Course Assignments page opens.

2. Select Add Courses to open the Choose Course dialog.

3. Use the Name filter to search for and select a specific course. Select multiple courses if needed.

4. After selecting all the necessary courses, click OK.

5. Select Add Students to open the Choose Students dialog.

6. Search for learners one at a time and add them to the course assignment(s).

7. (Optional) Create a new student for any learners that don’t have a User Profile:

   1. Select Create Student to open the Create User page in a new tab.

   2. Fill in the student details and click Save.

   3. Return to the Create Multiple Course Assignments page and add the new learner.

8. After all students are added to the course assignment(s), click OK.

9. (Optional) Add a note to your course assignments:

   1. Fill in the note’s Title and Message.

   2. Mark the note as high importance if needed.

10. Click Save. A confirmation list of created assignments, and the students assigned to them, displays.

Cancelling Course Assignments

Administrators can cancel course assignments only within 24 hours of creation and only if no labs have been launched.

To cancel a course assignment:

1. From TMS, navigate to Site Administration > Course Assignments and then select Find Course Assignments.

   The Find Course Assignments page opens.

2. Search for the course assignment you want to cancel and click Edit.

   The Edit Course Assignment page opens.

3. Use the Status dropdown to select Cancelled. If the field is read-only, you cannot cancel the assignment.

4. Click Save to finish cancelling the course assignment.

Note

If you cannot cancel a course assignment because more than 24 hours have passed since its creation, but the learner has not launched any labs, you may send a request to our Support team for assistance.

Using Course Assignment Training Keys

Course Assignment Training Keys allow administrators to distribute codes that learners can redeem to create their own course assignments. Keys are tied to a single course and may allow one use or multiple uses. They can also create user accounts automatically when anonymous registration is enabled.

Administrators can configure:

• Redemption window

• Number of uses per key

• Access duration after redemption

• Organization restrictions

Learners may retake labs as long as the resulting course assignment is active.

Create Course Assignment Keys

To create Course Assignment Keys:

1. From TMS, navigate to Site Administration > Training Keys and then select Course Assignment Training Keys.

   The Create Course Assignment Keys page opens.

2. Next to the Course field, select Choose to open the Course Chooser dialog.

3. Fill in the key settings:

   1. Name: In the text field, input a name for the keys.

   2. Unredeemed Key Expiration: Input the date when keys can no longer be redeemed.

   3. Max number of uses per key: Enter the number of times the key can be redeemed to create assignments. Leave the field blank or enter 1 to limit the key to single use.

   4. Content Availability: Set the duration of learner access after key redemption.

   5. (Optional) Redeemable by any student regardless of organization: Check this option to allow redemption by learners from any organization. Leave unchecked if all learners should belong to the same organization.

4. Navigate to the Training Keys tab and add training keys using one of these options:

   1. Click Add Training Key to manually enter each key.

   2. Click Add Multiple Training Keys to paste multiple keys into the pop-up dialog, one key per line.

   3. Click Generate Training Keys to auto-generate your keys, then enter the number of keys to generate and click OK.

5. After your Course Assignment Training Keys are configured, click Save.

After saving, keys appear in Find Course Assignment Keys, where you can search, filter, and export them.

Distribute Keys to Learners

After Course Assignment Training Keys are generated, export them from the search page and send them to learners using your preferred communication method.

Below is an email template with step-by-step instructions for redeeming keys. You can adapt this template for your own use:

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 be accessible 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]

Redeeming Training Keys

Both existing TMS users and users without TMS accounts can redeem training keys.

Learners With Existing TMS Accounts

To redeem training keys using an existing TMS account:

1. Sign in to the organization’s site.

2. On the My Dashboard page, navigate to Redeem Training Key.

3. Enter the key and click Redeem.

   The learner is redirected to the active course assignment and can launch labs immediately.

Important

Learners with existing accounts should not use the Redeem Training Key field on the login page, as it initiates new account creation.

Learners Without TMS Accounts

Learners without an existing TMS accounts have two options for redeeming Course Assignment Training Keys:

• Redeem keys from the login page

• Create a TMS user account first

To redeem keys from the login page:

1. On the course assignment login page, enter the key in the Register with Training Key field.

2. Complete the registration form and click Save.

   The learner is redirected to the course assignment. After key redemption, learners can access labs under the Activities section.

After redeeming a training key, learners won’t need it to log in. Instead, they’ll use their username and password.

To redeem keys by creating a TMS user account:

1. On the course assignment login page, select Sign In > Create an account.

2. Complete the registration form and click Save.

3. On the dashboard, use the Redeem Training Key field to input the provided key.

4. Select Redeem.

   The learner is redirected to the course assignment. After key redemption, learners can access labs under the Activities section.

Learner Access to Training

Learners can access their course assignments from several locations:

Summary

Course assignments provide learners with controlled, self-paced access to individual courses and their associated labs. Administrators can create assignments for single learners or groups, manage expiration settings, and cancel unused assignments within the allowed time window. Course Assignment Keys offer a flexible way to distribute training at scale and support both new and existing users. Learners can access their assignments from the Dashboard, the Current Training page, or their transcript, and may continue launching labs as long as the assignment remains active. Together, these tools give administrators an efficient way to manage training and ensure learners can engage with course content when they need it.