FlexTraining Management Guide

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The FlexTraining Total E-Learning Solution

 

 

Management Guide

Version 6.0

 

 

 

 

 

Copyright 1998 - 2009 National Training Systems, Inc.

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. The User List will indicate which users are currently logged in to the Management Center with a green indicator in the “Online” column.

 

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

 

 

Roles

 

Built-in Roles

Certain roles are built-in with default settings.

 

Custom Roles

Custom roles may be created by clicking the “Add Custom Role” link at the bottom of the chart.

 

 

 

Managers

 

A manager email list may be created to send student and email matrix information. To add a new manager, click on “Add new manager.”

 

Address Book

 

You may create a general address book to send recurring or ad hoc reports. To add a new email address, click on “Add new address book entry.”

 

 

 

 

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

 

The "Student Data" link includes 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 progress versus 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 student’s 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 in the “Import Students” section.

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 of your training program, including online and classroom courses.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Simply check the boxes for content sections viewed and/or enter test scores. You may also add assignment grades. You may change the current date to reflect the date a section or test was completed by using the pop-up calendar. Click the “Update” button when you are finished. When you “Update” an entry, the usage date you selected will end and the calendar will reset to the current date. You may select another date, edit additional student records and “Update” the records as needed.

 

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 the workload for both you and the student 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 un-enrolled from the course, the next student in the queue is automatically enrolled and notified. 

 

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

Approve Enrollments

 

When you set the system options (Registration and Login 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 the Approve Enrollments feature on the administrator’s 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 in 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 “Un-enroll” 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

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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 Student Level Assignment

 

The Bulk Student Level Assignment enables you 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 in that particular class.

 

 

 

 

Bulk Manager Assignment Tool

 

This tool allows you to bulk assign students to a specific manager.

 

 

 

 

 

Skills Menu

 

 

Skills are student-specific data that contain the training requirements for a given online learner. If you have enabled Skills in your Software Modules section (from the Options 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 Skill Group 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 Skill Group called "General Orientation," which is intended for new employees. You may decide that this Skill Group includes three 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 Skill Group. 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 Skill Group he is assigned.

 

For example, a learner for whom you want to track four different Skill Groups will have four skill records. Progress toward each Skill Group is tracked and reported separately.

Manage Skill Groups

 

First, make sure that the Skill Groups feature is enabled in your FlexTraining environment pursuant to the Software Modules. From the Skills Menu, choose Manage Skill Groups. This is where you may add, edit or delete Skill Groups records. Remember that each Skill Group is a list of up to ten courses, with a "0" (zero) in place where no course is selected. If you have a Skill Group with six courses required, the remaining four 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 Skill Group.

 

If you have a Skill Group 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. Make sure to give this new Skill Group a different name than the one that is pre-loaded.

 

The "Add Like" window is displayed below:

 

 

 

 

 

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

 

The Any/All Field

For each Skill Group, 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 Skill Group, 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 Skill Group is represented by one record on the skills table.

 

When you first click on the Assign Learners 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 Skill Group” button to proceed to the next page. Next, select from the list of available Skill Groups, and then check next to the student(s) that require a skill. 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: FlexTraining contains a feature that automatically notifies a learner and/or the system administrator (via e-mail) when a Skill Group that a student has not completed approaches its deadline. “Warning Days” defines how far ahead of the “Next Required Date” the warning message is sent.

 

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

 

For example, if you set the deadline to December 30, 2008, and you have set the "Warning Days" field to 10, the student (or administrator) may start to receive warning messages on December 20, 2008.

 

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 Skills 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 Skill Group, a completion date should be displayed, provided you updated the completion dates.

 

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).

 

 

 

 

Generate a “Warning” Email is the second feature on the console. This feature first runs in a proof mode so you can 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 Skill Group will receive another one.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 




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