FlexTraining Management Guide

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The FlexTraining Total e-Learning Solution

 

 

Management Guide

Version 5.2

 

 

 

 

 

Copyright 1998 - 2006 Online Development


Users Menu

User List

 

The User section allows you to identify each Management Center user and assign their respective roles. The roles are also defined by you, under the Policies Menu, and specify what features may be accessed for that specific role.

 

 

Only users listed here will have access to the FlexTraining Management Center.

 

New users may be defined by clicking “Add new user.”

 

 



 

 

Learners Menu

 

 

The Learners area is used to manage your students and all their associated data. This includes their class progress, student information, password and more.

 

 

Student Data

 

Under the "Student Data" link are several facilities that let you manage your Student database. Together they allow you to Add, Edit or Delete Student records, Import a batch of student records or display Skills Information for an individual student.

 

 

 

Manually Add a Student

 

Access this feature using the "Add a Student" button from the Student data screen. A separate window will open for you to key the student's data. Please limit the Student's password to 10 characters or less, letters and/or numbers only. The new student will be added to the Students table.

 

If you would like to have a student's picture appear with his/her records when reporting on a progress vs. required Skill Groups, do the following:

  1. Upload a small image file (suggest JPG format) of the student measuring 70 pixels wide by 65 pixels high to the directory flextraining/asp/content/photos on the web server.
  2. When adding a student, click on the “Show” link to view a listing of all available student photos. Next, click on the student image name link to add it to the new students records.

 

Note that a student is automatically added to the Students table the first time they enroll for a course. Students may be added in large numbers using the Student Import facility described on the next page.

 

Therefore, the "Add a Student" screen is primarily intended for the occasional adding of a small number of students.

 

Virtual Gradebook

 

This screen lets you manually enter test (or assignment) results for any student in a given Class. This feature is where you would go, for example, if you were holding training in a classroom, outside of FlexTraining, but wanted FlexTraining to track and maintain class and individual test results. This allows FlexTraining to serve as your main repository for tracking on your training program, including online and classroom courses.

 

 

 

Simply check the boxes for Content Sections viewed and/or Tests passed. You may also add Assignment grades. Click the “Update” button when you are done.

 

Student Docs

 

Allows administrator to search and view student documents from the Student Library.

 

 

Import Students

 

Access the Import Students facility using the "Import Students" button from the Student Data screen. This feature has a multi-screen wizard-like format with only one field you will need to complete:

 

ODBC Data Source Name  (an ODBC DSN you set up on the web server)

 

Note: Be sure you have properly formatted your spreadsheet, including defining your "Named Data Range" as “Student_Data” per the on-screen instructions. Make sure that all the correct column names are in Row 1 of the spreadsheet.

 

You also need to set up an ODBC data source name on the Web Server to point to the spreadsheet you are importing from before running the import process.

 

Automatic Enrollment on Import – You can also choose a class and/or a competency into which all Imported Students will be automatically enrolled. This reduces your (and the student’s) workload for common classes since no one has to complete the enrollment screen for these students and these classes.

 

The Automatic Enrollment option looks like this:

 

 

 

Waiting List

 

The waiting list feature comes into effect if the class’s maximum enrollment has been reached.  If this happens, the student is added to the waiting list upon their enrollment, and when a student is unenrolled from the course, the next student in the queue is automatically enrolled and notified. 

 

 

 

This waiting list panel is only used to view the current queue.  There are no functions associated with this screen.

 

 

Edit Student Data

 

To access this feature, use the on-screen data filters at the top of the "Student Data" screen. (See image on next page.) These filters let you sort your student list by Organization, Location, Department, or partial Student Name.

 

Using these filters is optional, you may elect to leave them all blank and simply click the "Show Students" button to see all students in the resulting pull-down list at the bottom of the screen.

 

The Student data screen, with its filter fields, is shown below:

 

 

 

Click on “Show Students” to see a list of every student, or you may use the filters provided to narrow the list down to a more manageable size. To edit a record from the Students table, select a student from the list that appears and click the "Edit Student" button.

 

Approve Enrollments

 

When you set the system options (see Configuration Wizard section above), you defined the beginning status for all student enrollments. If you entered “Active” as the Enrollment Status, then all student enrollments will be automatically approved and you do not need to use the Approve Enrollments option.

 

 

 

 

If, however, you entered another Enrollment Status (“Pending”) in the System Options, then you must approve (or “Activate”) each enrollment using this Approve Enrollments feature on the Administrators menu.

 

In that case, the sequence of events would be:

 

  1. The class is scheduled
  2. A student signs up for the class
  3. You approve the enrollment on the Approve Enrollments screen
  4. The student is allowed to sign on to his class and use the Student Menu

 

 

Note: You can also Un-enroll a student from the selected class by clicking on the “Unenroll” link next to the student’s name and then click the “Yes” button to complete the transaction.

 

Bulk Enroll

 

This feature allows you to enroll several students at once based on the criteria you select.

 

 

 

 

Email Students

 

T

This option lets you quickly send an Email message to all students in a given Class or to individual students.

 

Select a Class from the pull-down list, and the system will display a list of all students enrolled in the class. Each email address listed contains a checkmark and a link allowing you to send a message to that student.

 

Alternatively, choose to send your Email message to all students at once by selecting “All Classes” from the pull-down list of classes. The system has already pre-assembled all the necessary addresses for you.

 

Bulk Level Assignment

 

The Bulk Level Assignment area contains a tool to assign students to a level in your hierarchy. If a class is set on a different level of the hierarchy than the student, the student will not be able to enroll into that particular class.

 

 

Skills Menu

 

 

Skills are student-specific data which contains the training requirements for a given online learner. If you have enabled Skills in your System Options (using the Configuration Wizard from the Management Center menu), you can establish a Skill for each student in your database. Here we use the terms "Learner" and "Student" interchangeably.

 

 

 

FlexTraining uses a Concept called Skill Groups to make the setup, maintenance and reporting of Skill Requirements and Training progress easier. A Competency is really nothing more than a name for a set of training requirements.

 

The process works as follows:

 

First, you create one or more Skill Groups, establishing training requirements - a list of courses - for each. At this point the course requirements are not yet associated with any particular student.

 

For example, you may decide to define a Competency called "General Orientation" which is intended for new employees. You may decide that this Competency includes 3 courses, "Corporate History,” "Customer Service” and "Completing your Time Sheet.”

 

Next, you create Skill records for any or all of the Students in your Student database. Each record assigns a Student to a Competency. This connection is what links a student to each required course. It is important to note that each Learner has a separate Profile Record for each Competency he is assigned.

 

For example, a Learner for whom you want to track 4 different Skill Groups will have four Skill records. Progress towards each competency is tracked and reported separately.

 

 

 

Manage Skill Groups

 

First, make sure that the Skills feature is enabled in your FlexTraining environment pursuant to the Configuration Wizard. If it is, you will have a button on the Management Center menu called "Skills."

 

From the Skills menu, choose Manage Skill Groups. Here is where you may add, edit or delete Competency records. Remember that each Competency is a list of up to 10 courses, with a "0" (zero) in place where no course is selected. If you have a Competency with 6 courses required, the remaining 4 courses numbers will be left at "0."

 

When you first click on the Manage Skill Groups button, you will be presented with a list of existing Skill Groups as illustrated below:

 

 

 

 

Click on the "Add Skill Group" button if you wish to add a completely new competency.

 

If you have a competency similar to the one you would like to add, click the “Add Like” plus icon next to that record. A new window will open for you to add the new record, with the fields pre-loaded and with the date from the record you are using as a "base."

 

This "pre-loading" technique makes for faster and easier maintenance. You can change any fields you need to. (Make sure to give this new competency a different name than the one that is pre-loaded.)

 

The "Add Like" window is displayed below.

 

 

 

Editing a Competency is very similar to using the "Add Like" feature, except that instead of adding a new Competency, you are modifying an existing one.

 

 

The Any/All Field

For each Competency, you may specify whether all the courses you listed are required, or just some. If a student only needs to complete 3 of the 7 listed courses, you would enter "Any 3" in this field (exactly like that, with a capital "A" and one space before the number).

 

If a student needs to complete all courses to satisfy the Competency, enter "All.”

 

 

Reference Table

At the bottom of the Add/Edit windows, there is a reference table that lists each Course Number and Course Title for your convenience.

Assign Learners

 

From the Skills menu, choose Assign Learners. Here is where you may add, edit or delete Profile records. Remember that each combination of Learner and Competency is represented by one record on the Skills table.

 

When you first click on the Maintain Skills button, you will be presented with a list of existing Profiles as illustrated below:

 

 

 

 

Click on the "Assign Skill Groups" button. A separate window will open for you to add the new record. Select from the various filters listed, or simply click the “Choose Competency” button to proceed to the next page. Next, select from the list of available Skill Groups, and then check next to the student(s) whom require a Competency. Finally, click on the “Submit” button. To remove a student from the list, simply un-check the box next to the student you wish to remove.

 

 

 

 

Warning Days field: FlexTraining contains a feature (see next page) that automatically notifies a Learner and/or the System Administrator (by Email), when a Competency, which a student has not completed, approaches its deadline. Warning Days define how far ahead of the “Next Required Date” the warning message is sent.

 

Next Required Date field: The date you enter here in (mm/dd/yyyy format) sets a deadline for completion of the Competency for this Learner.

 

For example, if you set the deadline to November 30, 2003, and you have set the "Warning Days" field to 60, the student (or administrator) may start to receive warning messages on October 1, 2003.

 

Editing a Skill is very similar to adding one, except that instead of adding a new Profile, you are modifying an existing one.

 

Progress Tracking

 

From the Skill Menu, choose "Progress Tracking." The Skill Report Console contains two options, as shown below:

 

 

 

 

Display all Students, Skill Groups and Progress. This option yields a complete list of all Profile Records (Students/Skill Groups combinations) with the current progress for each. If a student has completed a Competency, a Completion date should be displayed, provided you updated the Completion Dates using option 1.

 

 

A sample report is shown below:

 

 

 

Click on the “Details” button at the right of any record to see all Profile data, in a detailed format, for that particular Learner (displayed below).

 

 

 

Auto-generate Email Warnings is the second feature on the console.

 

 

 

This feature first runs in a Proof mode to let you see exactly who will be receiving a warning. Examine the Proof list carefully each time you run this facility to prevent unintended warning messages from being issued.

 

As indicated by the checkboxes on the screen, you may choose to have the warning message go to the System Administrator, the Student or both.

 

Whenever Email warnings are generated, FlexTraining records the fact that each warning has been sent. The on-screen option "Send even if we have already sent a warning" lets you decide whether a Learner who has already received a warning message concerning a given Competency will receive another one.




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