The table below indicates which Course Settings are available per each Course Type.

Course Setting	Online	ILC	Course Bundle	Curriculum
General	+	+	+	+
Syllabus	+	-	-	-
Sessions	-	+	-	-
Courses	-	-	+	+
Enrollment Rules	+	+	+	+
Completion	+	+	-	+
Catalog Visibility	+	+	+	+
Course  Administrators	+	+	+	+
Messages	+	+	+	+
Resources	+	+	-	+
Course Uploads	+	+	-	-
Attributes	+	+	+	+
Social	+	+	-	+
More	+	+	+	+

Online Course Example:

Icons

The Icons at the top and at the bottom of the page are color-coded and formatted to provide you with the status of each Course Setting section. Here we will define what each means, to help provide you an easy reference when managing your courses.  

Course Setting	Description
	This section is currently exposed on the form and does contain data and/or enabled settings.
	Errors exist in this section and will need to be addressed before the course can be published.
	This section is not currently exposed on the form and does not contain any data and/or enabled settings.
	This section is currently exposed on the form, but does not contain any data and/or enabled settings.
	This section is not currently exposed on the form but does contain data and/or enabled settings.

Status

Click the toggle button to change the status setting.

• If Active = The Course is available to assign to Learners.
• If Inactive = The Course is not available to assign to Learners and is only visible to Admins in the Admin interface. 

Note: Only Active Courses are visible to Learners on their Transcripts, but Admins will still be able to view all Learner's enrollments (Inactive Courses included) in Users > User Transcripts. 

Title

The Title identifies the Course to Learners and Admins.  It is visible to both the Admin and the Learner.

Description

The Description provides details about the Course.  It is visible to both the Admin and the Learner.

Language

Use the drop-down menu to identify the Language the Course is written.  A Course can only have a single language applied. The Language is used for Learners to know what language the content is written in and to help determine what language the Default Message Template will be translated into. If you are using a Custom Message Template, the Language the Custom Message is written in will override. 

Tags

A Tag is a term or keyword you can add to training items administered within Absorb LMS. Tags are an easy way to build relationships between content available in the system.  Tags make it easier for both Admins and Users to find assets in the LMS by receiving better return results for system searches.

Automatic Tags

Automatic Tagging will create and apply tags to Courses based on the Title and Description. Tags created with the Automatic Tagging function are identified by an asterisk symbol (*).

Retroactivity

The commonly asked question from our clients, 'What happens to the Learners enrolled in the Course, if I make changes to the Course Settings?', has prompted us to add this section for each Course Setting. Here we will highlight the frequently updated settings and advise whether it will affect the Learner enrolled or not. 

Course Setting	Retroactive?
Is Active	Yes. Once the Course status is turned to Active again, Learners will see the Course in their My Courses or on their Transcripts again.
Title	Yes. If the Admin adjusts the Title after Learners are enrolled, the updated Title will display to those Learners.
Description	Yes. If the Admin adjusts the Description after Learners are enrolled, the updated Description will display to those Learners.
Tags	Yes. If a new Tag is added or if you are editing the existing Tags, Learners who are enrolled will see the updates.

Must Complete

Click a radio button to select an option:

• If All lessons, in any order = Learners can finish all lessons in any order to complete the Course.
• If All lessons, in order by chapter= Learners must finish lessons in sequential order, by chapter, to complete the Course. This means, that if you require Learners to take a series of Learning Objects in a specific order, you would have to place them in different Chapters. 
• If Exams only= Learners are only required to finish the exam(s), to complete the Course. These are Assessments or E-Learning courses that contain an Assessment. 

Show Terms & Conditions

Click the toggle button to change the status setting.

• If ON = Learners must accept the Terms & Conditions to gain access to the Course.
• If OFF = N/A

Mobile Device Alert

Click the toggle button to change the status setting.

• If ON = Learners are alerted if the Course may not work on their device.  Devices with Adobe Flash installed will not see the warning message.
• If OFF = N/A

Proctor

Click the toggle button to change the status setting. In order to use this feature, there must be a Weighted Absorb Assessment included in the Course content. 

• If ON = Weighted Absorb Assessments within the Course(s) will be proctored by a Course Editor, Supervisor, Administrator, or other identified administrator. You may also provide Learners with a generated Code in order to unlock the Assessment at a specific time or place.
• If OFF = N/A

Outline

Courses contain Chapters.  Use Chapters to group Learning Objects, such as e-learning modules or documents, into smaller groups within the Course.  You can easily rearrange the sequence of Chapters by dragging and dropping the section into a new position.

• Click the Add Learning Object button to add content, such as videos or e-learning modules, to the Course. To learn more about Learning Objects, visit our Introduction to Learning Objects article in the Course Menu. 
• Click the Add Chapter button to include additional chapters to organize Learning Objects within.

Retroactivity 

The commonly asked question from our clients, 'What happens to the Learners enrolled in the Course if I make changes to the Course Settings?', has prompted us to add this section for each Course Setting. Here we will highlight the frequently updated settings and advise whether it will affect the Learner enrolled or not. 

Course Setting	Retroactive?
Chapters and Lessons	Yes. Learners who are enrolled and not finished with the Course will see these updates. Completed enrollments will not be required to take the Course again.
Must Complete (All lessons, in any order, All lessons, in order by chapter or Exams only)	Yes. Learners who are enrolled and not finished with the Course will see these updates. Completed enrollments will not be required to take the Course again.
Pace Progress	Yes. Learners who are enrolled will see these updates and will be required to take the Courses in order.
Show Terms & Conditions	Yes. Learners who are enrolled will see and be required to review the new Terms & Conditions added.
Proctor	Yes. Learners who have not completed the Course will be prompted to use a Proctor on their Assessment.
Mobile Device Alert	Yes. Learners who are enrolled and go to launch the Course on a Mobile device will receive an alert if the Course is not compatible.
Max Attempts on Assessments (In Object Settings)	No. Adjusting the Max Attempts on Assessments will not affect anyone who has already begun taking the Assessment.

 

 

Show Terms & Conditions

Click the toggle button to change the status setting.

• If ON = Learners must accept the Terms & Conditions to select a Session within the ILC.
• If OFF = N/A

Session Details

This area will display the total number of all sessions, including future scheduled sessions and past events (if available). Clicking on Total Sessions, Future Sessions, or Past Sessions will open up a modal where you can review, edit, duplicate or delete the Sessions. 

Upcoming Session Preview

This area displays the details of all future sessions for this ILC (if available). You can edit, duplicate or delete the Sessions from this section as well. 

Add Session

Click the Add Session button to schedule a new session instance.  A pop-up modal will appear and additional setting options will become available. Please visit the How to an ILC Session article in the Courses menu, for more about Sessions and creating new sessions. 

Retroactivity 

The commonly asked question from our clients, 'What happens to the Learners enrolled to the Course, if I make changes to the Course Settings?', has prompted us to add this section for each Course Setting. Here we will highlight the frequently updated settings and advise whether it will affect the Learner enrolled or not. 

Course Setting	Retroactive?
Show Terms & Conditions	Yes. Learners who are enrolled will see and be required to review the new Terms & Conditions added.
Sessions	Yes. Learners who are enrolled will see any newly added or removed Sessions.
Session Details	Yes. Learners who are enrolled, Completed, or still In Progress, will see the changes made when an Admin or Instructor updates any of the Session Details. If you have the Session Update email configured, the Learner will receive the message as well.  Note: If you decrease the Max Attendee Number or enable Waitlist, this will not go back and adjust the attendees' enrollment in the Session. It will only apply for future enrollments.

Add Course

Click the Add Courses to select individual Courses to add to the Course Bundle. A modal will display, where you can search for the Course(s) by Category or Name. Select one or multiple Courses before selecting Choose to save your selections. 

Note: Curricula is not available to select for a Course within a Course Bundle. 

Show Terms & Conditions

Click the toggle button to change the status setting.

• If ON = Learners must accept the Terms & Conditions to gain access to the Curriculum.
• If OFF = N/A

Pace Progress

Click the toggle button to change the status setting.

• If ON = Learners must complete the entire preceding Course Group before they can start the next.
• If OFF = N/A

Add Courses

Click Add Courses to select individual Courses to add to the Curriculum. A modal will display, where you can search for the Course(s) by Category or Name. Select one or multiple Courses before selecting Choose to save your selections. 

Note: Course Bundles are not available to select for a Course within a Curriculum. 

Add Groups

Click the Add Groups button to add a Course Group.  A Group is a way to package multiple Courses together only for the current Curriculum. Putting Courses in separate Groups also allows you to force Learners to take the training in a specific order. You may also provide the following options within the Group. Each Group can have a different selection. 

• Must Complete All - when selected, the Learner will be required to complete all Courses in the Group. 
• Minimum Courses - when selected, the Learner will be required to complete the number of Courses entered by the Admin to complete the Group. 
• Minimum Credits - when selected, the Learner will be required to complete the number of Credits entered by the Admin to complete the Group. 
  • Note: Credits must be assigned to the Courses in this Group if this option is selected. 

Retroactivity 

The commonly asked question from our clients, 'What happens to the Learners enrolled in the Course if I make changes to the Course Settings?', has prompted us to add this section for each Course Setting. Here we will highlight the frequently updated settings and advise whether it will affect the Learner enrolled or not. 

Course Setting	Retroactive?
Groups and Courses	Yes. Learners who are enrolled and not finished with the Course will see these updates. Completed enrollments will not be required to take the Course again.
Pace Progress	Yes. Learners who are enrolled will see these updates and will be required to take the Courses in order.
Show Terms & Conditions	Yes. Learners who are enrolled will see and be required to review the new Terms & Conditions added.

 

Example image represents an Online Course, Course Bundle, or Curriculum

Allow Self Enrollment

Click a radio button to select an option:

• If Off = Learners cannot self-enroll in the Course.
• If Specific = You will add self-enrollment rules to identify which Learner(s) will have permission to enroll in the Course. Using Fields associated with Users will allow you to identify who will be eligible to enroll in the Course. More than one rule can be applied. You can further configure these rules by applying conditions AND, OR, or both.
• If All Learners = All Active Learners will be able to self-enroll.  If e-Commerce is enabled, the Course will also be publicly available.

Enable Automatic Enrollment

Click a radio button to select an option:

• If Off = Automatic enrollment is not available for the Course.
• If Specific = You will add rules to identify which Learner(s) will be automatically enrolled in the Course. Using Fields associated with Users will allow you to identify who will get automatically enrolled in the Course. More than one rule can be applied. You can further configure these rules by applying conditions AND, OR, or both.
• If All Learners = All Learners will be automatically enrolled in the Course.

Approval

Click a radio button to select an option:

• If None = No approval is needed for a Learner to enroll in the Course.
• If Course Editor = A Course Editor must approve all enrollment requests. The Learner will not be able to Start the Course until the Course Editor approves the request. 
• If Supervisor = The Learner's Supervisor must approve the enrollment request. The Learner will not be able to Start the Course until the Supervisor approves the request. 
• If Administrator = A Learner's Department Administrator must approve the enrollment request. The Learner will not be able to Start the Course until the Administrator approves the request. 
  • Note: All Administrators who can Manage the Learner's Department in the LMS will receive the Approval request. 
• If Other = You will select an Admin who will be responsible for approving enrollment requests for this Course. The Learner will not be able to Start the Course until the specified Admin approves the request. 

Enable E-Commerce

If your LMS is configured for E-Commerce, click the toggle button to change the setting.

• If Off = The Learner will not be able to Purchase the Course. 
• If On = Paired with the Enrollment Rules, the Course will be available to the Learner for Purchase. 
  • Allow Public Purchase = If toggled to On and Allow Self Enrollment > All Learners is set, the Course will be available on the External Catalog for Purchase. 
  • Default Price = This is where the Admin will set the price of the Course for Purchase. A whole dollar amount without a decimal is accepted and the whole dollar amount plus a decimal amount is accepted. 
  • Add Variable Price = A different price can be entered for different Departments. 
  • Add Extension Price = When selected, a Days and Price field will display. This allows you to set how many extra days the Learner is given to complete the Course and to set the price of that extension. A maximum of three extensions can be created within a Course, allowing you to set a variety of options for your users.

Enrollment Rules: Instructor-Led Courses

• Enable Automatic Enrollment is not available for Instructor-Led Courses (ILC)

Retroactivity

The commonly asked question from our clients, 'What happens to the Learners enrolled in the Course if I make changes to the Course Settings?', has prompted us to add this section for each Course Setting. Here we will highlight the frequently updated settings and advise whether it will affect the Learner enrolled or not. 

Course Setting	Retroactive?
Enrollment Rules and E-Commerce Settings	No. Adding, editing or removing the Enrollment Rules will not affect Learners who are already enrolled.
Approver	No. Once the Enrollment for the Learner has been completed, adding or removing the Approver will not force the Learner to go back through the Approval process again.

Certifications

Certifications are a way to provide your Learners with a PDF that details their completion of the Course and/or to apply for an earned Certification that includes a timeline. Click the toggle button to change the status setting. You can either use the default certificate uploaded in Portal Settings > Default > Default Certificate URL or create a custom Certificate to upload directly on the Online Course. 

• If OFF = N/A
• If ON = Learners earn a Certificate PDF upon completion and the option to apply an earned Certification is presented. 
  • Certificate Source: Option to upload a custom Certificate PDF. You may use a URL as well if you have your Certificate PDF stored on another site.
  • Use Custom Title: Option to name your Certification something other than the Course Name. 
  • Expiry: Option to apply an earn Certification with a timeline. 
    • No Expiry = The Certificate will not expire.
    • Time from Completion = The Certificate will expire within the established time period. When selected, options to configure the time period become available.
    • Date = The Certificate will expire on a specific date. When selected, a calendar tool becomes available to use to identify the date and time.
  • Certificate Upload: Option to request the Learner to upload an earned Certification taken outside the LMS. Please see the Certificate Upload article for more details. 

Allow Re-enrollment

Allow Re-enrollment provides you the option to manually or automatically Re-enroll Learners into the Course, after a certain time from Completion or a specified time from a Certification Expiry Date.  Click the toggle button to change the status setting.

• If ON = Learners can re-enroll or re-certify in the Course.
  • Adding a Duration will make the re-enrollment automated. 
• If OFF = N/A

Competencies

Click the Add Competency button to choose a Competency.  Learners will earn the Competency upon completion. Competencies can include a Name, Image and/or Levels. Competencies must be entered into the LMS, Courses > Competencies, prior to adding them to the Course. 

Credits

The Credits section contains configuration options that allow you to customize the types and the numeric values earned for successfully completing the Course.

Allow Failure

If you have a Pass or Fail E-Learning Course or Absorb Assessment, you may want to select the option for the Learner to accept Fail as an eligible Completion status. Click the toggle button to change the status setting.

• If ON = Allows the Learner to receive a Failed completion status for the Course.
  • You will be presented with the option to auto re-enroll a User back into the Course if they receive a Failed status.
• If OFF = A Failed status will not be an acceptable completion for the Course. 

Leaderboard Points

Enter a numeric value to override the default point value.  Default point values are administered in Portal Settings > Defaults > Default Leaderboard Point Values section.

Post Enrollments

Post Enrollments provide the option to automatically enroll or re-enroll a Learner into another Course, based on the following rules. Click the Add Post Enrollments button to add post-enrollment actions.

• When - determines what action will need to apply, in order for the Learner to get enrolled. 
  • Enrolled - the Learner will get an automatic enrollment into the new Course, upon enrollment of the Course. 
  • Completed - the Learner will get an automatic enrolled into the new Course, upon Completion of the Course. 
  • Failed - the Learner will get an automatic enrolled into the new Course, if the Learner receives a Failed Completion Status. 
    • This status option is only available for Online Courses and Instructor Led Courses, since they are the only type of Course that can receive a Failed status. 
• Delay - days until enrollment is active. Leaving this blank will automatically enroll the Learner immediately, once the action is reached in the When section. 
• Courses - search and select the Course(s) that the Learner will get enrolled into, once the action is reached in the When section. 
• Allow Consecutive Enrollments - this toggle enables Learners who have completed the Course to be re-enrolled when the specified delay time is met. This toggle is valuable for recertification learning paths. If this toggle is turned off, then only the Learners who have not taken the course will be enrolled. 

Retroactivity 

The commonly asked question from our clients, 'What happens to the Learners enrolled to the Course, if I make changes to the Course Settings?', has prompted us to add this section for each Course Setting. Here we will highlight the frequently updated settings and advise whether it will affect the Learner enrolled or not. 

Course Setting	Retroactive?
Certificate PDF - Edit	Yes. Editing the Certificate PDF will update the Learner's Certificate they can print from their Transcripts.
Certificate PDF - Add	No. If the Certificate was not present at the time of Completion, then adding a new one would not apply to those Learners.   If the Learners are enrolled, but have not Completed the Course, the added Certificate will apply at Completion.
Expiry Date	No. Adding, editing or removing this Date will not affect Learners who have already completed the Course.  If the Learners are enrolled, but have not Completed the Course, the updated Date will apply at Completion.
Allow Re-Enrollment	Yes. Turning this feature on will allow anyone enrolled (Completed or not) the ability to re-enroll in the Course.
Competencies	No. Learners who have already Completed the Course will not receive any updates to Competencies.  If the Learners are enrolled, but have not Completed the Course, the Competency updates will apply at Completion.
Credits	No. Learners who have already Completed the Course will not receive any updates to Credits.  If the Learners are enrolled, but have not Completed the Course, the Credit updates will apply at Completion.
Allow Failure	No. Learners who have already Completed the Course will not receive any updates for this feature.  If the Learners are enrolled, but have not Completed the Course, the Allow Failure updates will apply at Completion.
Leaderboard Points	No. Learners who have already Completed the Course will not receive any updates for this feature.  If the Learners are enrolled, but have not Completed the Course, the Leaderboard Points will apply at Completion
Post Enrollment	The configuration of a Course's Post Enrollment settings at the moment a learner launches and begins to consume the Course material is what dictates any post-enrollment action(s). If the Post Enrollment settings change between when the learner Enrolls in the Course and the learner Starts/Begins the Course, the newer Post Enrollment setting configuration is applied.  Exception: Course Bundles

 

Example image represents Online Courses only. 

Access Date

When an access date is set, learners cannot self-enroll into a course prior to the access date but can be enrolled by an admin and/or automatic enrollment rules.

Note: Access Dates are available for all Course Types, except ILCs. 

Click a radio button to select an option:

• If No Access Date = N/A
• If Date = You must select a date and time to begin granting Course access to Learners.

Expiration 

The Expiration will provide a date that the Learner must complete the Course or else the Learner will not be able to continue taking the Course. Once the Expiration Date has passed the Learner will still see the training in their My Courses section of the Learner Interface, but will not be able to continue taking the Course. 

Note: Expiration Dates are available for all Course Types, except ILCs. 

Click a radio button to select an option:

• If No Expiration = N/A
• If Time from enrollment = Learners must complete the Course in "X" number of Years, Months, Days, or a combination of all three, from the date the Learner enrolled into the Course.
  • For example, setting 2 Months means that the Course will become unavailable to Learners who have not completed the Course two (2) months from enrolling in the Course. The time the Course is considered Expired would be Midnight on the Expiration Date populated for the Learner. 
• If Date = A specified date and time will need to be entered by the Admin for expiration. 

Due Date 

The Due Date provides the Learner with a date where they will be required to complete the Course. Once the Due Date has been reached the Learner can continue taking the course.  However, the Admin will be able to clearly tell which learners exceeded the Due Date.

Note: Due Dates are available for Online Courses and Curricula only. 

Important FYI: Please be aware that Due Dates can be impacted by a Learner's time zone. For example, if an Admin configures a Due Date for 2:00am MST, then all Learners who are not in the same time zone will see a varying Due Date time (UTC+1 would see a Due Date of 9:00am).

Click a radio button to select an option:

• If No Due Date = N/A
• If Time from Enrollment = Learners must complete the Course in "X" number of Years, Months, Days, or a combination of all three, from the date the Learner enrolled into the Course.
  • For example, setting 1 Year means that the Course will become Past Due to Learners who haven't completed the Course after 1 year of enrolling in the Course. The time the Course is considered Past Due would be Midnight on the Due Date populated for the Learner. 
• If Date = Learners must complete the Course before or on the specified date. Learners are notified that the Course is due on this date and will continue to have access to it following the due date.

Allow Course Content Download

This option allows Learners to Download Online Course content (E-Learning, PDFs, Videos), so that the content can be taken offline on their Mobile Device in the Absorb LMS Learn Mobile App. 

Note: Allow Course Content Download is available for Online Courses and Curricula only. 

Click the toggle button to change the status setting.

• If ON = Learners can download and complete the Course while offline in the Learn Mobile App.
• If OFF = N/A

Prohibit Learners from Changing or Cancelling Sessions

This option is for Instructor Led Courses (ILCs) only. Turning this option on, will lock the Learner into the Session they originally selected. Only an Admin would be able to change or cancel the Session. 

Click the toggle button to change the status setting.

• If ON = Learners will be unable to change or cancel their ILC Session enrollment.
• If OFF = N/A

*Option available for ILC Courses Only

Prerequisites

Prerequisites can be added to all Course Types. This provides the option for the Admin to require the Learner take a Course(s) prior to taking the Course of interest. 

Select Add Prerequisites to configure what Course(s) would be required to take prior to beginning the Course of interest. 

If you are in an Online Course, you will be presented with the Option to Allow Enrollment.

Click the toggle button to change the status setting.

• If ON = Learners cannot enroll in the Course until they have completed all prerequisites.
• If OFF = N/A

Retroactivity

The commonly asked question from our clients, 'What happens to the Learners enrolled to the Course, if I make changes to the Course Settings?', has prompted us to add this section for each Course Setting. Here we will highlight the frequently updated settings and advise whether it will affect the Learner enrolled or not. 

Course Setting	Retroactive
Access Date	Yes. Adding or Changing the Access Date will affect all Learners who are enrolled.
Expiration - All Options	Yes. Adding or Changing the Expiration Date will affect all Learners who are enrolled.
Due Date - All Options	Yes. Adding or Changing the Due Date will affect all Learners who are enrolled.
Allow Course Content Download	Yes. Turning this Feature on or off, will update the option for Learners who are enrolled.
Prerequisite	No. Learners who have already enrolled, will not have the updates made to Prerequisites.
Prohibit Learners from Changing or Canceling Sessions	Yes. Turning this Feature on or off, will update the option for Learners who are enrolled. Learners who have already Completed the Course, will not have this option to Change or Cancel their Session.

Example image represents Online Courses only.

Category

Categories are a great tool for managing and organizing your learning content. There are three types of categories each, which can be managed through their respective Courses, Global Resources, and Competency reports. This allows Admins to organize their course content, global resources, and competencies in their own sets of categories. The workflow to manage all categories is identical, regardless of the category type.

Click the Choose Category button to search and select a Category to assign to the Course.  Only one category can be applied.

Thumbnails

The Thumbnails option allows Admins to associate an image to a Course, providing an opportunity to engage and motivate learners into learning opportunities.  To add, a thumbnail also provides an appealing look and feel within the Learner Interface.

Important Notes:

• If a thumbnail is not configured, it will default to Absorbs default image or the thumbnail image set by an Admin in Portal Settings. 
• You can set a Default Thumbnail image within Portal Settings > Default > Default Course Images for each Course Type, you can Upload your own image or you can use one of the Suggested Images Absorb provides in the Media Library.  
• The Thumbnail will populate in the Course Tile.

Thumbnail Configuration 

Click the Choose File button to add an Image and select an option:

• If File = Select Upload File within the pop-up modal and select an image. Suggested image size is 229 x 173px. Select Save when your image is loaded. 
• If URL = Select Add URL and then enter in the URL address (i.e. https://image.com). Select Apply after entering the URL.
• If Uploaded Image = Select one of the images and then select Apply. These are Thumbnail images previously used in your LMS. 

Note: If you select the Trash icon on the Thumbnail Image preview, it will delete the selected image.

Suggested Thumbnails 

To assist with improving the look of the Learner Interface, Absorb has created a new feature that will populate thumbnail suggestions for the following course types based on a course's title:

1. Online Course
2. Instructor Led Course
3. Course Bundle
4. Curriculum

Suggested thumbnails are triggered when:

• An Admin shuffles through suggested images using the Shuffle icon on the Thumbnail in the Catalog Visibility section 
  • An admin can shuffle through up to six (6) suggested images using the shuffle icon in the top right of the thumbnail preview pane. 
  • An Admin can delete the shuffled thumbnail image to revert back to either Absorb's default thumbnail image or the default thumbnail image pre-defined by an Admin in Portal Settings. 

• Or, if an Admin clicks the Choose File button to launch into the File Manager where the Suggested Images ribbon appears. From the Choose file button, an Admin can:

  • Upload a new image

  • Add an image URL link

  • Select an image from up to six (6) suggested images found in the media libraries

  • Select from existing uploads by scrolling down through existing uploaded content

  • Search suggested thumbnail images and existing upload opportunities by entering their search criteria in the search bar (the search only looks at file names for existing uploads)

Note: Thumbnail suggestions are only available in AE from the new File Manager. At this time, only English & French is supported. 

Posters

Poster images are an option for Admins to add a visual to the Learner's Course Details page. More than 1 image can be added and a carousel will be available for the Learner to scroll through the different images.

To add a Poster image, click the Add Poster button.  Continue to select Add Poster to include multiple images. Maximum of 5 images per course.

Click the radio button to select an option:

• If File = Click the Choose File button to upload a new image.
  • You will have the option to make the image Public or Private. This means that the URL that is created when the image is loaded into the LMS, will be either available outside the LMS (Public) or only available within the LMS (Private). 
  • Recommended Size - 1000px x 300px and 10 MB file size per image. 
• If URL = Enter an image URL address.

Important Notes:

• A gray background may appear, if the Learner's browser is expanded or not at 100%. You may want to consider using Gradient or a Transparent image to blend your image with the background.
• If you are using multiple images, the Learner's browser must be at 100% view in order to see the arrows on the carousel.
• Make sure images have a standard aspect ratio of 2.4:1. Unproportioned images could look stretched.
• Make sure to have your margins set to 65px and 80px on the sides of your course poster images, to avoid any unwanted image overlaps and text clippings.
• Example Poster Images

Mandatory Course

Mandatory is an option for Admins to flag a specific Course or set of Courses, in order to prioritize the Learner's training. The Admin would be required to design the Learner interface to use the Mandatory feature as a priority, it is not automatically setup when selecting this option. 

Click the toggle button to change the status settings:

• If ON = This value can be used to prioritized Courses within the Learner's My Courses view or on the Learner's Private Dashboard. 
  • An exclamation point will appear in the upper left corner of the Course Tile on the Learner's Private Dashboard. 
• If OFF = N/A

Note: This option is not available for Course Bundles. 

Featured Course

Featured is an option for Admins to flag a specific Course or set of Courses, in order to prioritize the Learner's training. The Admin would be required to design the Learner interface to use the Featured as a priority, it is not automatically setup when selecting this option. 

Click the toggle button to change the status settings:

• If ON = This value can be used to prioritized Courses within the Learner's Private Dashboard. Choosing Ribbon in the Content of your Learner's Private Dashboard setup, will have an option to choose Featured. 
• If OFF = N/A

Enable Recommended Courses

Enabling Recommended Courses helps promote other Courses within your LMS. This is particularly helpful in an E-Commerce environment. The Tag feature is how you will identify these courses and group courses for these recommendations. 

Click the toggle button to change the status settings:

• If ON = A drop-down menu becomes available to choose Tags.  The Tags selected here are independent of the Tags selected in the Tags section above. Course Recommendations will become available based on what matches the tags selected in this field. 
• If OFF = N/A

Time to Complete

This feature allows learners to understand their time commitment while taking the Online Course. This option is only available in Online Courses. There are 3 options to select from. 

• If AUTOMATIC = Time to Complete displays in hours and minutes (eg. 3h 27m) and will not display as a range of time.
  • Note: Courses with less than 5 completions will not have a time to complete displayed to the User. 
• If OFF = No time to complete is shown in the User portal.
• If MANUAL = When selected, the time to complete defaults to 1 hour. The Admin can adjust this time in Hours and minutes. The range is automatically the same plus 5 minutes but can be adjusted accordingly. If a time range is not desired, then the first value should be set to zero.

Note: Here are a couple items to consider when configuring Time to Complete. 

• • When time to complete has been disabled and then re-enabled, then any online courses that were changed while disabled will be re-calculated.
  • When time to complete is enabled for the first time, the time to complete is automatically calculated for all existing online courses. These calculations are completed via background jobs and are completed as efficiently as possible through batches.
  • When enabled, Users will see the Time to Complete in the Catalog Card View, Catalog Detail View, Catalog List View and in the Course Details.

Notes

• The Thumbnail image size should be 229 x 173 pixels.
• The Poster image size should be 720 x 300 pixels.
• Featured Courses: The order of how Courses are listed can be arranged by entering a number into the Featured Course Sort Order field.  Higher priority is assigned to Courses with smaller numbers.

Retroactivity

The commonly asked question from our clients, 'What happens to the Learners enrolled to the Course, if I make changes to the Course Settings?', has prompted us to add this section for each Course Setting. Here we will highlight the frequently updated settings and advise whether it will affect the Learner enrolled or not. 

Course Setting	Retroactive?
Category	Yes. Updates to Categories will appear to enrolled Learners.
Thumbnail	Yes. Updates to Thumbnails will appear to enrolled Learners.
Mandatory Course	Yes. Turning the Mandatory option on or off will appear to enrolled Learners.
Featured Course	Yes. Turning the Featured option on or off will appear to enrolled Learners.

Course Visibility 

Here Admins will have the ability to select All Admins or Specific to determine who can see this course in Course Administration, in Reporting and when Enrolling users into Courses. When Specific is chosen, the Admin will be prompted to select a Department in the Department Visibility section. 

Note: All Admins will default, unless you have Locked Departments enabled. 

Department Visibility

Department Visibility Rules limit the visibility of the Course to only those Administrators managing the specified Departments.

The Department Admins will only see the selected courses in Reporting, on the Course Administrative page, and when Enrolling Users into a course. The Admins within these Departments will have the ability to view and modify the Course, unless a Primary Department Editor and/or Additional Admin Editor is selected (per Role permissions). If Primary Department Editor and/or Additional Admin Editor is selected, then the Admins within this Department will only have View access to the Course. 

Click the Add Department button to open a modal to search for and select Departments. 

• Single Department = Will include only users that report to the department directly.
• Include All Sub-Departments  = Will include users who belong to the selected department or departments that report up to the selected department.

The Admin may choose to select Add Rule to filter by more Departments. 

Group Visibility

Group Visibility Rules limit the visibility of the Course to only those Administrators managing the specified Group selected.

Note: The Group option will not display, if the Locked Departments feature is enabled on your Portal Settings.

The Group Admins will only see the selected courses in Reporting, on the Course Administrative page, and when Enrolling Users into a course. The Admins within this Group will have the ability to view and modify the Course, unless a Primary Department Editor and/or Additional Admin Editor is selected (per Role permissions). If Primary Department Editor and/or Additional Admin Editor is selected, then the Admins within this Group will only have View access to the Course. 

Select the Group from the Group Visibility drop down field. 

Note: Groups must be created in User > Groups before attaching it in the Course Administrators section. 

Primary Department Editor

This option will allow the Admins of the selected Department and/or their Sub Departments the ability to manage the selected Course. These Admins will also need the permissions within their Role in order to View and Modify the Course.

Note: If a Department is not selected in Department Visibility, then they will not be able to view it either.

Click the Select Department button to choose a Department; then opt to limit to the single current department or include all sub-departments.

Additional Admin Editors

The Additional Admin Editors selected will have the ability to manage the selected Course. These Admins will also need the permissions within their Role in order to View and Modify the Course.

Note: If a department is not selected in Department Visibility, then they will not be able to view it either.

Click the drop-down menu to select additional Admin Editors. The search allows the Admin to begin typing the Admin's first name, last name, or username to find the specific User. 

Locked Departments

When the Portal Settings > Info > Enable Locked Departments for Courses is enabled (ON) the Department selected in the Locked Departments field of the Course Settings > Enrollment section, will automatically populate as the default in the Course Visibility > Specific > Department Visibility field.  Please see the Locked Department article for more information about Lock Departments. 

Retroactivity

Course Visibility does not affect Learners. This will only apply to Admins, within the Admin interface. 

Course Setting	Retroactive
Course Visibility	Yes. Turning the Course Visibility option on or off will immediately update the Admin's visibility in the Admin Interface.
Primary Department Editor	Yes. Adding a Primary Department Editor will immediately update the Admin's visibility in the Admin Interface.
Additional Admin Editors	Yes. Adding an Additional Admin Editors will immediately update the Admin's visibility in the Admin Interface.

 

Message	Online Course	Instructor-Led Course	Course Bundle	Curriculum
Send enrollment email	+	+	+	+
Send completion email	+	+	-	+
Send nudge email	+	-	-	+
Send failure email	+	+	-	-
Send session update email	-	+	-	-
Send session approval  request email	-	+	-	-
Send session reminder email	-	+	-	-
Send instructor notification email	-	+	-	-
Send mark attendance reminder email	-	+	-	-

Send Email Notification

Click the toggle button to change the status setting.  The default state is ON.

• If ON = Email notifications are enabled for the Course. Once the Learner Enrolls into the Course, they will receive an Email message (if there is a valid Email populated in their User Management account) as well as within the LMS, in the Messages section of the Learner Interface. 
  • This Message is NOT retroactive. If you turn this option On after Learners have been enrolled, those Learners enrolled will not receive an Enrollment Message. Only Learners who enroll after the Message is turned on will receive the message. 
  • For more information about Messages, please visit our Message Template Administration or Message Templates articles in the Setup menu. 
• If OFF = Email notifications are disabled for the Course.  

All Other Email Notifications

Click the checkbox to change the status setting.  

• If Checked = Email notification is enabled.
• If Not Checked = Email notification is disabled

Use Custom Template

Some email notifications offer an additional setting: Use Custom Template. This is where the Admin can override the Default Message setup within Setup > Message Templates. 

Click the Use Custom Template toggle button to change the status setting:

• If ON = Click the Edit Template button to modify the default message template.
• If OFF = The default email will be sent to Learners.

Example: Online Courses Message Settings

Example: Curriculum Messages Settings

Retroactivity

The commonly asked question from our clients, 'What happens to the Learners enrolled to the Course, if I make changes to the Course Settings?', has prompted us to add this section for each Course Setting. Here we will highlight the frequently updated settings and advise whether it will affect the Learner enrolled or not. 

Course Setting	Retroactive
Enrollment	No. Once the Learner is enrolled into the Course, opting in or out of the Enrollment Message will not affect these Learners. Only Learners who enroll into the Course, after the update is made.
Completion	If the Completion Message is turned on prior to the Learner Completing the Course, they will receive the Completion Message.  If the Learner has already Completed the Course, opting in or out of the Completion Message will not affect these Learners.
Nudge	No. Once the Learner is enrolled into the Course, opting in or out of the Nudge Message will not affect these Learners. Only Leaners who enroll after the Nudge Message was adjusted, will it apply.
Nudge Frequency	No. Once the Learner is enrolled into the Course, changing the Nudge Frequency of Messages will not affect these Learners. Only Leaners who enroll after the Nudge Frequency of Messages was adjusted, will it apply.
Failure	If the Failure Message is turned on prior to the Learner Failing the Course, they will receive the Failure Message.  If the Learner has already Failed the Course, opting in or out of the Failure Message will not affect these Learners.
Session Update	If the Session Update Message is turned on prior to the update on the Session, Learners will receive the message.
Session Enrollment	No. Once the Learner is enrolled into the Session, opting in or out of the Session Enrollment Message will not affect these Learners. Only Learners who enroll into the Session, after the update is made.
Session Approval	No. Once the Learner is enrolled into the Session, opting in or out of the Session Approval Message will not affect these Learners. Only Learners who enroll into the Session, after the update is made.
Instructor	If the Instructor Message is turned on prior to the Instructor update, the Instructor(s) will receive the Instructor Message.  If the Instructor has already been updated, opting in or out of the Instructor Message will not affect these Instructors.
Mark Attendance Reminder	Yes. The Mark Attendance Reminder can be added at any time and the Instructor(s) will receive the reminder.

 

 

Adding Resources

Click the Add Resources button to open a form to upload files, enter a URL link to content, or a combination of both. A Title is required and a Description is available to provide your Learners with some details or purpose of the Resource.

Resource Visibility

• Public: These files are accessible and visible to unauthenticated visitors to your Absorb LMS environment through the Public Dashboard and Course Catalog.
• Private: These files can only be accessed by authenticated LMS users and enrolled Learners.

Retroactivity

The commonly asked question from our clients, 'What happens to the Learners enrolled to the Course, if I make changes to the Course Settings?', has prompted us to add this section for each Course Setting. Here we will highlight the frequently updated settings and advise whether it will affect the Learner enrolled or not. 

Course Setting	Retroactive
Add Resource	Yes. Resources can be added or removed from a Course and all Enrolled Learners (Completed or not) will receive the update.

 

Adding an Upload

Click the Add Upload button to open the form to identify the files a Learner must provide to complete the Course. 

This action will expand the Course Uploads setting section where you will configure the following fields:

• Label: Enter a label (name) to identify the Course Upload item the learner will submit.
• Approval:
  • None = No approval is required.
  • Course Editor = An identified Course Editor must approve the uploaded content.
  • Supervisor = The User's Supervisor must approve the uploaded content.
  • Administrator = An Administrator (Admin) of the Department the User belongs to must approve the uploaded content. 
  • Other = Use the menu to search for and select individual Users you permit to approve the uploaded content.

Notes:

• Adding a Score to a Course Upload
  • Entering a Score value for a Course Upload item will not be reflected on the User's transcript.
  • This value is for reporting purposes only and does not impact the Course's Credits or Completion.
  • The option to add a Score is only available when making an approval decision at Reporting > Course Uploads > Manage.
• Adding Reviewer Notes to a Course Upload
  • Reviewer Notes are only visible via the Admin Experience.  This information will not be made visible to learners.
  • The option to add a Reviewer Note is only available when making an approval decision at Reporting > Course Uploads > Manage.
• Course Upload Notifications
  • A system notification is sent to the identified approver (Course Editor, Supervisor, Administrator, or Other) with a deep link to the Course Upload report.  From here the approver will use the action options to make a decision on the submitted content.
  • Approver will need to navigate to Reports > Course Uploads report to Approve or Deny the request.

Accessing a Course Upload

Course Uploads can be viewed by Admins in the Reports > Course Upload report and the Learner can access or view their Course Uploads from the Course Details page. A tab will display to the right of the Course Content tab within the Course Details, that is designated to Course Uploads. 

Note: Please see The Course Upload Report article for more about the Admin's view of Course Uploads. 

The Learner has the ability to replace the File anytime before an Approver has approved the Course Upload or before the Online Course or Instructor Led Course has received a Completion Status. The Learner can upload a File that is 10MBs or smaller. If your organization needs a larger file size you can request larger File Maximum Size by contacting Absorb Support or your Customer Success Manager (CSM). Most file types are accepted, but please see below for some examples of file types that may or may not be authorized. 

• Examples of Authorized File Types - xls, xlsx, ppt, doc, csv, pdf, txt, gif, png, jpeg, mpeg, mp4, wav, or m4a
• Examples of Unauthorized File Types - exe, msi or com

Retroactivity

The commonly asked question from our clients, 'What happens to the Learners enrolled to the Course, if I make changes to the Course Settings?', has prompted us to add this section for each Course Setting. Here we will highlight the frequently updated settings and advise whether it will affect the Learner enrolled or not. 

Course Setting	Retroactive?
Add Upload	Yes. Course Uploads can be added or removed from a Course and all Enrolled Learners (Completed or not) will receive the update.
Label	Yes. The Label of the Course Upload can be updated and all Enrolled Learners (Completed or not) will receive the update.
Instructions	Yes. The Instructions of the Course Upload can be updated and all Enrolled Learners (Completed or not) will receive the update.
Approver	No. Once the Learner has completed the Course Upload, any adjustments to Approver will not be applied.

Enable Course Evaluation

A Course Evaluation provides Learners with a set of questions to gather their feedback of a Course. A default set of questions can be designed within Portal Settings > Default Evaluation. 

Note: Course Evaluations are not an option in Curricula or Course Bundles. 

Click the toggle button to change the status setting.

• If ON = The Course can be evaluated by Learners.

  • Evaluations can be Optional or Required. 
  • Evaluations can be taken directly after completing the Course or at anytime of the process. 
  • Default questions will automatically appear. The Admin can edit, add, remove or reorganize questions as needed. 

• If OFF = N/A

For more information regarding Course Evaluations, please review the Course Evaluations article within the Course menu or the Course Evaluations Report article within the Reporting menu. 

Note: Deleting an Evaluation from a Course that already has enrollments, will remove all historical responses. 

Enable Course Rating

Course Ratings provide Learners the ability to add a 1-5 star rating to a Course. Ratings are available in all Course Types, except Course Bundles. 

Click the toggle button to change the status setting.

• If ON = The Course can be rated by Learners.
• If OFF = N/A

The following fields are open text fields for the Admin to populate any value they would like. Some fields require numbers, such as the Cost fields. These values can be found in reporting and on some of the Administration pages, to assist Admins in finding or organizing your Course data. These fields are not visible to the Learner. 

Name of Field	Course Type(s)
Audience	Online Courses, Instructor Led Courses, Curricula, Course Bundles
Goals	Online Courses, Instructor Led Courses, Curricula, Course Bundles
External ID	Online Courses, Instructor Led Courses, Curricula, Course Bundles
Vendor	Online Courses, Instructor Led Courses, Curricula, Course Bundles
Company Cost	Online Courses, Instructor Led Courses
Learner Cost	Online Courses, Instructor Led Courses
Company Time	Online Courses, Instructor Led Courses
Learner Time	Online Courses, Instructor Led Courses

 

Example: Attributes on the Courses Report

The image below shows an example of the Courses Report with Attribute fields Audience and Goals displayed.

Retroactivity

The commonly asked question from our clients, 'What happens to the Learners enrolled to the Course, if I make changes to the Course Settings?', has prompted us to add this section for each Course Setting. Here we will highlight the frequently updated settings and advise whether it will affect the Learner enrolled or not. 

Course Setting	Retroactive?
Enable Evaluation	Yes. Enabling Evaluations will prompt Learners enrolled to complete an Evaluation.  Completed enrollments will not be required to take the Evaluation.
Evaluation Required	Yes. Enabling Evaluation Required will prompt Learners enrolled to complete the Evaluation and will not receive a Completion for the Course until the Evaluation is completed.  Completed enrollments will not be required to take the Evaluation.
Enable Course Rating	Yes. Enabling Course Rating will prompt Learners enrolled to complete a Rating.
Audience	Yes. Populating a value in the Audience field will allow Admins to report on this value for all Learners who have been enrolled into the Course.
Goals	Yes. Populating a value in the Goals field will allow Admins to report on this value for all Learners who have been enrolled into the Course.
External ID	Yes. Populating a value in the External ID field will allow Admins to report on this value for all Learners who have been enrolled into the Course.
Vendor	Yes. Populating a value in the Vendor field will allow Admins to report on this value for all Learners who have been enrolled into the Course.
Company Cost	Yes. Populating a value in the Company Cost field will allow Admins to report on this value for all Learners who have been enrolled into the Course.
Learner Cost	Yes. Populating a value in the Learner Cost field will allow Admins to report on this value for all Learners who have been enrolled into the Course.
Company Time	Yes. Populating a value in the Company Time field will allow Admins to report on this value for all Learners who have been enrolled into the Course.
Learner Time	Yes. Populating a value in the Learner Time field will allow Admins to report on this value for all Learners who have been enrolled into the Course.

Allow Comments

Click the toggle button to change the status setting. 

• If ON = Learners can participate in a group discussion about the Course. 
  • Comment Leaderboard Points - this option will provide the Learner points on their Leaderboard, if they add a Comment to the Course. Leaderboards will only be available with the Absorb Engage upgrade and would need to be setup prior to using this feature. 
• If OFF = N/A

Example: Social Course Settings

The image below shows an example of the Social Course Settings turned ON.  Per the Comment Leaderboard Points value, Learners will earn 25 points when they post a comment.

Retroactivity

The commonly asked question from our clients, 'What happens to the Learners enrolled to the Course, if I make changes to the Course Settings?', has prompted us to add this section for each Course Setting. Here we will highlight the frequently updated settings and advise whether it will affect the Learner enrolled or not. 

Course Setting	Retroactive
Allow Comments	Yes. Enabling Allow Comments will prompt Learners enrolled to add a Comment.
Collaboration	Yes. Selecting Collaborations will prompt Learners enrolled to collaborate with other enrolled Learners.

Notes

Administrators can add notes about the Course in this field.  The information entered here will only be visible within the Admin experience.

Retroactivity

The commonly asked question from our clients, 'What happens to the Learners enrolled in the Course if I make changes to the Course Settings?', has prompted us to add this section for each Course Setting. Here we will highlight the frequently updated settings and advise whether it will affect the Learner enrolled or not. 

Course Setting	Retroactive
Notes	Yes. Populating a value in the Notes field will allow Admins to report on this value for all Learners who have been enrolled in the Course.

Required Role Permissions

Role: Section Access	Permission(s) Needed
Courses > Instructor-Led Courses	View or Modify permission
Courses > Curriculum	View or Modify permission
Courses > Course Bundles	View or Modify permission
Courses > Online Courses	View or Modify permission

 

Suggested Role Permissions

Role: Section Access	Permission(s) Needed
Users > Department	View or Modify permission
Courses > Category	View or Modify permission
Courses > Enrollments	View or Modify permission
Courses > Ratings	View or Modify permission
Courses > Comments	View or Modify permission
Courses > Competencies	View or Modify permission
Reports > Course Activity
Reports > Curricula Activity
Reports > ILC Activity