The FlexTraining Total E-Learning Solution Management ......student profile. From the drop-down box, choose a manager from the list. Next, after selecting the appropriate filters,

The FlexTraining Total E-Learning Solution

Management Guide Version 6.4

Copyright 1998 - 2014 National Training Systems, Inc.

FlexTraining Management Guide

FlexTraining Version 6.4 Page 2

Users Menu

User List



The User List 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 added and defined by clicking “Add New User.” Users may display as “Locked” based upon the Password Policies established in the Policies Menu.

Roles

Built-in Roles Certain roles, such as the SuperAdmin, are created with default settings. Custom roles may be created by clicking the “Add Custom Role” link at the bottom of the page.



Create a role name and add a brief description. Choose which Management Center menu(s) the new role can access, then click the “Save New Role” button. The new custom role will be added to your Roles list.

Managers

A manager email list may be created to send student and other email matrix information. To add a 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 of their associated data. This includes class progress, student information, passwords and more.

Student Data

The "Student Data" link includes several fields and filters 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.

Add a Student

Access the "Add A Student" feature and enter the student information in the open fields. (These fields were designated in the “Required Fields Manager” section of the Policies Menu.) Note that a student is automatically added to the student table the first time they enroll in 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

The Virtual Gradebook tracks and maintains course and individual test results for all student training activity and can serve as your main repository to track your training program, including a combination of online and classroom courses. This screen lets you manually enter test (or assignment) results for any student in a given course and allows you to add grade details for non-system activities, such as assignments from a traditional classroom setting.



From the drop-down box, select the scheduled course name, click continue, then choose any additional student filters and click on the “continue” button.

Student records for the selected course will display, including the completion date and status indicator.

To edit the student record, click on the pencil. You can change the completion status on any section, apply a grade to an assignment, or add individual test attempt scores to tests. You will see indicators of how many attempts are allowed. You may change the



current date to reflect the date a section or test was completed in the open field. Click the “Save Changes to Student Record” to save your update. You can edit additional student records and update the records as needed.

Import Students

The Import Students function allows you to upload a spreadsheet that contains multiple student data. This feature has an automated format with a browse button to locate and upload your student spreadsheet.



Use the “Browse” button to locate and select, from your files, the student spreadsheet. Prior to importing, the data values and column headings should mirror those in the sample spreadsheet. The only required fields are First Name, Last Name, and Email. All other fields are optional. You can import any profile field, including heirarachy and demographic fields. This tool now has the ability to update student records that are already in the system, or import new students. Depending upon the Excel version you are using, follow the “Data Range: ‘Student_Data’” instructions to define the spreadsheet prior to the upload. Once you have selected and defined the file, click on the “Next” button. The import tool will auto-sense the fields in your spreadsheet and make suggestions as to the data that it should map to in our FlexTraining database. You may override any of these fields if you do not like the field it mapped to. Click on the “Next” button to review the data, see any errors or warnings that might exist. If there are errors on a row, that row will not get imported or updated. You will be warned with a notice saying that row will be skipped.



The new student entries and updates will be displayed on your screen. If you wish to send login information to the students upon import, check the box to send login information prior to clicking import. Click on the “Import Data” button to complete the data import. You will receive a confirmation message that the import is complete with the total number of records imported.

Waiting List

The waiting list feature comes into effect if the course’s maximum enrollment has been reached. If a course is full, the student is added to the waiting list upon enrollment by either the student or the administrator.



When an active student is unenrolled from the course, the next student in the queue is automatically enrolled and notified. The waiting list panel is used to view the current queue. To enroll a waiting student, click on the “Enroll Now!” button.

Approve Enrollments

When you set the system options (Registration and Login Policies), 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 course 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 course using the Student Menu.

You can also unenroll a student from the selected course by selecting a student(s) and clicking on the “Deactivate” button below the Active Enrollments list.

Bulk Enroll

This feature allows you to enroll a group of students at one time based on the criteria and filters you select. Enter the Groups, Demographics, Custom Demographics and/or Hierarchy filters to narrow your search, and click the “Show Students” button. A list of students will appear. Check one or all of the students you wish to enroll, and click the “Enroll Now!” button. The 1st option on the Bulk Enroll Start up screen lets you choose a course then choose all your students for that course. You can also choose to enroll multiple students into multiple courses at one by choosing the 2nd option on the Bulk Enroll start screen.

Email Students T

This function lets you send email message(s) to all students in a given class or to individual students.



Select a course to work with from the drop-down box. Then, choose the “All Students” option from the drop-down box. Select the students you wish to be included in the email. Alternatively, choose to send your email message to all students at once by selecting “All Classes” from the pull-down list of classes.

Next, click on the “Compose Message” button and write your email.



You have the option of choosing to send emails to “All Incomplete” students in the selected class, which includes students who have not completed the filtered course. Select the students you wish to be included in the email. Alternatively, choose to send your email message to all students at once by selecting “All Classes” from the pull-down list of classes. In either case, upon selecting your appropriate filter(s), the system has already pre-assembled all the necessary email addresses that meet the requirements you have chosen. You may uncheck any students you wish not to receive the email, and then proceed to compose your message and send to the selected batch of recipient students.

Bulk Student Level Assignment

The Bulk Student Level Assignment enables you to assign students to a level in your hierarchy (established in your Organization Menu, Hierarchy and Terminology link). If a course is set on a different level of the hierarchy than the student, the student will not be able to enroll in that particular course. Upon selecting your appropriate filter(s), the system will display the students for “level” assignment.

You may uncheck any students you wish not to include in the level assignment. From the “Zone” drop-down box, select the level for the selected students and click on the “Process” button. The established levels will display for each student.



Bulk Manager Assignment Tool

This tool allows you to bulk assign students to a specific manager. This is used for sending email notifications of student progress to their assigned manager in their student profile. From the drop-down box, choose a manager from the list. Next, after selecting the appropriate filters, pick the students to be assigned to the specific manager. Once you have checked the students, click on the “Process” button. Student names will display with the corresponding manager.



Skills Menu

Skills are student-specific data that contain the training requirements for a given online learner. If you have enabled Skill Groups in your Software Modules section (from the Options Menu), you can establish a Skill Group 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 refers to a set of training requirements and consists of a group of courses that must be passed in order to achieve a certain skill level. The process works as follows: First, you create a Skill Group, establishing training requirements (a list of courses) for the group. 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 she 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 in the Options Menu. 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. Then, select from the drop-down boxes the courses that will be included and click on the “Save New Skill Group” button. The new entry will be added to the existing Skill Groups.



You may edit a Skill Group by clicking on the pencil in the existing Skill Group list. For each Skill Group, you may modify 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.” You may also change the courses from the drop-down boxes for an existing Skill Group.

Assign Learners

The Assign Learners function includes several fields and filters that let you manage your profiles and allows you to add, edit or delete student profile records. Each combination of learner and Skill Group is represented by one record in the skills table. When you first click on the Assign Learners button, you will be presented with a familiar screen of open fields and options as illustrated below:



Enter student information in the open fields or use the drop-down filters to define your students. Click on the “Show Students” button. On the next screen, click on the “Assign Skill Groups” button.

A separate window will open for you to select the Skill Group from the drop-down box. Choose the Skill Group and click the “Submit” button. The next screen will display the student profiles to be assigned. To remove a student from the assignment, simply uncheck the box next to the student’s name.



Warning Days: This feature 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. Use the popup calendar to set your date. For example, if you set the deadline to December 31, 2012, and you have set the "Warning Days" field to 30, the student (or administrator) may start to receive warning messages on December 1, 2012. Once you have selected the students, entered the warning days and set the next required date, click the “Submit” button to complete your Skill Group assignments. Note: You can elect to send automatic emails to learners when they have been enrolled in a Skill Group. In the Environment Menu, select “Send Email to Learner” for “Skill Group Enrollment” in the Email Target Matrix. 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

The (Skill Group) Progress Tracking link includes several fields and filters that let you manage your profiles and allows you to add, edit or delete student profile records. When you first click on the Progress Tracking button, you will be presented with a familiar screen of open fields and options as illustrated below:



Enter student information in the open fields or use the drop-down filters to define your students. Click on the “Continue” button. The Skills Management 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. Use the drop-down boxes to filter your query, enter the Skill Due Date and click on the “List” button to display the data. If a student has completed a Skill Group, a completion date will 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 the profile data, in a detailed format, for the student. A sample is 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.



First, enter student information in the open fields or use the drop-down filters to define your students. Click on the “Continue” button. Next, click on the “Proof” button. You now have the option to select students and generate emails. Check the desired students and click on the “Generate Emails” button to send Skill Group emails. Whenever email warnings are generated, FlexTraining automatically records the email event.

Documents

The FlexTraining Total E-Learning Solution Management ......student profile. From the drop-down box, choose a manager from the list. Next, after selecting the appropriate filters,