To help businesses stay compliant, the LMS provides Certifications, automatically resetting courses on a predefined schedule, enabling learners to complete the training repeatedly.
What are Certifications?
Certifications are similar to programs in that both serve as a framework for organising a series of courses into a structured learning pathway. However, unlike programs which a user only completes once, certifications are only valid for a limited period. Once expired, they require learners to recertify. This feature is particularly valuable for maintaining up-to-date skills or demonstrating compliance with evolving policies, practices, or regulations.
How do Certifications work?
Certifications function similarly to programs but have some key differences:
- Two Paths: Certifications consist of an Original Certification Path and a Recertification Path.
- Course Set: You can only add a defined set of courses to a certification.
- Content Copying: When a certification is first created, you can opt to copy the content of the Original Certification Path into the Recertification Path. This copying occurs only once. Any subsequent changes made to one path must be manually updated in the other if consistency is desired.
- Progress Reset: If the same courses are included in both the Original and Recertification Paths, learners' grades and completion details are archived. Activity-level completion criteria, such as for seminars, forums, quizzes, and SCORM packages, are reset. The reset process varies by activity. For example, a forum requiring three posts for completion will clear the learner’s progress but retain the posts. The learner must make three new posts to meet the completion criteria again.
- Automatic Status Updates: Once learners complete the required coursework, the LMS will then immediately check if the course completion criteria have been met. Certification and course statuses are then updated in reports, including the learner’s Record of Learning and Required Learning pages.
What course activities are reset during the archiving process?
Below are the activities within the LMS that will be reset once a user reaches their Recertification Path.
| Activity Name | What action is taken? |
| Assignment | Any submitted files and assignments are deleted allowing the user to then submit the assignment again. |
| Certificates | Copy of previous certificates will be archived |
| Feedback | Previous attempts are archived so that learners can submit a new response |
| Forum | Previous posts remain in the forum therefore discussions remain in tact. Reposting allows the learner to meet the completion criteria during Recertification. |
| Quiz | Previous attempts are deleted to allow learners to have all allowed attempts each time. |
| SCORM | Previous attempts are deleted to allow learners to have all allowed attempts each time. |
| Seminar | Previous attendance data will be archived. Note, that any event sessions that the user attended before the window opened will not count toward course completion. |
| OJT | Any submitted comments, feedback and files are deleted therefore allowing the user to complete the activity again. |
What course activities are not reset during the archiving process?
Below are the activities within the LMS that will not reset during the archiving process.
| Activity Name | What action taken? |
| Questionnaire | No action is taken during the archiving process. All responses and completions will remain intact. |
Can due dates be set within a Certification?
For any given assignment, you can set a due date using one of two options:
- Complete by: Select a specific calendar date as the due date.
- Complete within: Set a relative due date based on a timeframe (e.g., days or weeks from a triggering event). Note that relative dates may not be immediately calculable for some users, such as those who haven’t yet met the trigger (e.g., their first login). An actual due date will be assigned once the criteria are met.
Important Points About Assignment Due Dates:
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Handling Multiple Assignments:
- If a user is assigned through multiple sources (e.g., individually and as part of an audience) with differing due dates, the later due date will apply.
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Adjustments to Due Dates:
- Due dates for assigned users can only be extended. If a new assignment sets an earlier due date for a user who already has one, the earlier date will not override the existing one. This is designed to prevent learners from having their planned completion time unexpectedly shortened. However, the new due date will apply to users added to the assignment after the change (e.g., learners added to an audience after the earlier due date was set).
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Removing Due Dates:
- Deleting a due date from an assignment does not affect users who already have one. However, users added to the certification in the future through this assignment will no longer have a due date applied.
Variations in Users’ Due Dates:
A user's actual due date may differ from the assignment's due date for several reasons:
- They are also assigned through another assignment type with a different due date.
- The relative due date is not yet applicable to them (e.g., it depends on their first login).
- A manager has granted them an extension.
- An exception occurred, and the "Set realistic time allowance" action was applied.
- Their due date was assigned before a change in the assignment due date.
- The due date was automatically aligned with their certification’s expiration date.
Can changes be made to a Certification once it is created?
More information on making changes to a Certification can be found here.
What are Exceptions in a Certification and how do they be resolved?
More information on Exceptions and how they can be resolved in the LMS can view found here.
How to build a Certification
A step by step guide on building a Certification can be found here.