Overview

The Absorb LMS allows learners to easily search for content within the Learner Interface through the  Search Bar on the header of all pages. A learner can also further refine this search for content using the Refine Search panel that will appear on the left side of the search pages. This article will describe how to use the Search Bar and Refine Search panel functionality, along with how Absorb sorts search results based on relevance and two character search results. 

Search Bar 

How to use the Search Bar: 

1. Navigate to the header of the page, and click the magnifying glass to view the Search Bar. 

2. Type in the name of the course, tag or resource that you are searching for and hit enter.

• You must only type in alphanumeric characters not special characters as they cannot be used to define a search.

3. Once you hit enter, you will be presented with the Search Results page that will include a list of any content that matches the search terms.  This includes programs you are enrolled in, options for enrollment, resources, etc.  

•  The results below are displayed as a simple text list.  You can adjust the display by clicking the tool in the upper right corner of search.  You can modify the display so that the results can be viewed as tiles, a simple text list or a more detailed list that includes images, tags, etc. 

Tip

To refresh the search bar, you must remove the old search term or write in a new search term and hit enter.  Even if you clear the search bar, the page will not be cleared until the enter key is pressed. Furthermore, the "x" on the top search bar will only hide the search bar and not clear what is contained within it.

When using the Search Bar, the following content can be searched for:

Example

Refine Search Panel

The Refine Search option allows learners to further filter their content. The Refine Search option becomes available to learners after they complete a search using the search icon in the header (on the Search Results page) or when a learner proceeds directly from their dashboard tile to the Catalog, My Courses, their Resources and then Calendar.  

Tip

The Refine Search panel is displayed on the left panel of these pages. If you do not see the option to apply filters on your search, you may have hidden the Refine Search option. If you only see the funnel with plus (see below), click the + and then return to the dashboard and search again.  You will then see these filtering options appear.

Example 

How to use the Refine Search Panel:

The filtering options available on the left side of the page will vary depending on the page that you are searching on. For example (seen above), if we look at the Refine Search panel on the Catalog, the filtering options available to learners are as follows:

• Use the toggle to Show Categories
• Choose the content or Course Type they want to search such as: 
  • Instructor Led
  • Online Course
  • Curriculum  
  • Course Bundle
• Type in the Name of the course
• Choose one option in the drop down menu in Advanced Filter to filter option results by Venue Locations, Venue Types, and Vendor

On the My Courses page, learners can use the Refine Search panel to: 

• Use the toggle to Show Completed which allows the learner to see current and completed courses on this page 
• Choose the content or Course Type to search such as:
  • Instructor Led
  • Online Course
  • Curriculum
• Type in the Name
• Choose one option in the drop down menu in Advanced Filter to filter option results by Tags, Venue Locations, Venue Types, and Vendor

On the Calendar page, learners can use the Refine Search panel to:

• Choose to filter by the Venue Location and filter by or Country, State/ Province and / or 
• Venue Type - Classroom or Virtual

On the Search Results page, which is viewed by learners after they complete a search using the search icon in the header, they can use the Refine Search panel to:

• Choose the content they want to search including:
  • Courses  (Online Course, Instructor Led, Curriculum and/or a Course Bundle
  • Resources
  • News
  • Polls & Surveys
  • FAQs
• Choose the Course Rating (e.g. 1 star, 2 star, etc.)
• Choose one option in the drop down menu in Advanced Filter to filter option results by Venue Locations, Venue Types, and Vendor

On the Resources page, learners can use the Refine Search panel to:

• Use the toggle to Show Categories
• Filter by Resource Name
• Select Tag(s)

Search Results 

Search results are sorted by default based on Relevance. 

Note: Absorb uses a machine learning algorithm based on the field weight of key words searched.

Please see the chart below: 

Two Character Learner Search 

On the Learner Search, we have improved the surfacing of learning opportunities with product acronyms. 

Absorb supports two (2) character searches while maintaining:

• Performance (i.e. two (2) character search will require more granular indexing) 
• Accuracy (i.e. we do not want to diminish the value of search results for common words like 'it', 'be', 'at', etc.)