Competencies are a feature of Absorb LMS that rewards Users for completing Courses by adding customized designations to the User Profile. For example, by completing a first aid training course, a User can earn a Competency named CPR Certification.
This article covers how to create and assign a Competency, how Competencies are awarded across Courses, and how to award Competencies on an increasing scale using Competency Levels.
- You can configure Competencies with unique names and images to be used as an icon or badge on User Transcripts.
- Admins can grant or restrict access to additional catalog content by identifying Users who have earned specific Competencies.
To begin creating a Competency, navigate to the Competencies Report. From there, you can assign, add, and manage Competencies and their Categories. You can also edit and delete existing Competencies.
How to Create a Competency
The following instructions guide you through the process of creating a Competency in the Admin Experience.
- Access the Admin Experience.
- On the left-hand side of the Admin Experience, open the Courses menu.
- From the Courses menu, select Competencies to open the Competencies Report.
- From the Competencies Report, click Add New Competency.
- From the Add New Competency page, configure the Competency and click Save.
Competency Settings
When creating a Competency, there are a series of settings that can be configured. Only Name is required, but it is recommended to consider the others to confirm they benefit your use case.
| Setting | Details |
|---|---|
| Name | Enter the name of the Competency. This is a required field. The Name is visible to Admins and Learners. |
| Category | Select a Category to organize the Competency under. The options presented depend on the configuration of your Portal. |
| Description | Enter a description of the Competency. The Description provides details about the Competency and is visible to Admins and Learners. |
| Has Badge Image | Has Badge Image is a toggle. When the toggle is ON, you can upload an image to represent the badge earned alongside a Competency. The badge, if uploaded, appears in the Learner Experience and on the Transcript. OFF: The Competency will not include a badge image. ON: The Competency will use a badge image. When turned ON, the Badge URL option appears. Click Choose File to open the File Manager and upload or select the preferred badge image. Example badges: |
| Leaderboard Points | This field only displays if you have purchased Absorb Engage. It allows the default point value to be overridden for Leaderboards based on the value entered for the awarded Competency. |
Competencies Report Actions
From the Competencies Report, click a Competency. Once selected, the Competency highlights blue, and a set of Actions populates on the right-hand side. The available Actions are:
- Edit Competency
- Assign to Users
- View Users
- Delete
Click the Action you wish to execute. The table below describes each option.
| Action | Details |
|---|---|
| Edit Competency | Click this Action to make changes to an existing Competency. |
| Assign to Users | Click this Action to manually assign a Competency and Competency Level to a User. |
| View Users | Click this Action to open the Learner Competencies Report. The Learner Competencies Report details User achievements. From here, you can modify the report to show additional data fields or create new Competencies. The report also supports administrative actions such as messaging the User, viewing their Transcript, or removing the Competency from their profile. |
| Delete | Click this Action to delete a Competency. If a Competency is deleted, it will not be retained as historical data on a User's Transcript. |
How Competencies Are Awarded Across Courses
Absorb LMS awards Competencies on an à la carte basis. Any Course configured to grant a specific Competency does so independently of other Courses. This gives Admins flexibility when designing training programs that map to defined Competency benchmarks.
- Multiple Courses can award the same Competency, and they can each award a different Level. For example, a beginner-level Course might award Level 1, while an advanced Course awards Level 2.
- Competencies are not cumulative across Courses. Each Course grants its assigned Competency and Level independently rather than adding to a running total.
Absorb LMS does not currently provide a built-in report that lists every Course awarding a particular Competency. Admins who need this view can use the Courses Report filters or maintain a manual reference until consolidated reporting is available.
Assigning Competencies
Once you have created a Competency, you can assign it to Users manually or through an automated process configured at the Course Settings level. The two options are described below.
Automated Assignment
Automatic awarding of a Competency is configured at the Course level. The following steps show how to set a Course to award a Competency to a User upon completion.
- From the Admin Experience, access the Courses Report.
- Edit or add an Online Course, Instructor Led Course, or Curriculum.
- Under the Completion section, click Add Competency.
- Select the Competency and the Level to be awarded.
- Click Save on the Course.
Manual Assignment
You can also manually assign a Competency to a User from the Competencies Report. Follow these steps:
- Access the Competency Report.
- Click Assign Competencies.
- Click Add Competencies to select the Competency you want to assign.
- Select the Users you want to assign the Competencies to.
- Click Assign on the right-hand side to finalize the assignment.
Competency Levels
Competency Levels award Competencies on an increasing scale from 1 to 10. This gives further control over how your Users enroll and progress through Courses, since you can award an incrementally more valuable version of the same Competency.
How to Set Up Competency Levels
All Competencies default to Level 1 when assigned. To enable additional Levels, contact your Absorb Representative, who can enable up to a maximum of 10 Levels.
Competency Levels are awarded in a progressive and consecutive manner. Learners must achieve earlier Levels before they can complete higher Levels.
If a Learner is assigned a higher-Level Competency, the LMS automatically treats them as if they have received the earlier Levels as well.
When a Learner has a Level 1 Competency and then earns or is assigned Level 2 of that same Competency, the Level 1 is replaced with the Level 2.
User Transcripts
A User can earn many different Levels of the same Competency. However, only the highest Level earned appears on that User's Learner Transcript.
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