When setting up Recurrences in the LXP, you may need to send different emails to users based on their position within the recurrence cycle. For example, someone completing it for the first time might require different messaging than someone going through it a second time.
Setting up the trigger
When selecting the "When a user enrolls on an LX" trigger—commonly used in this scenario—you can set criteria within Automation to distinguish between first-time and repeat enrollments.
What does these 3 options mean?
- All enrollments - When choosing 'All Enrolments' this would cover any user joining the Learning Experience regardless if they are joining it for the first time or second time through a Recurrence.
- Only recurrence enrollments - When choosing 'only Recurrence enrollments' this would cover any user joining the Learning Experience for a second, third time etc. This would typically be used when the Learning Experience had a Recurrence set up against it.
- Exclude recurrence enrollments - When choosing to 'exclude recurrence enrolments' this would cover any user joining the Learning Experience for the first time only. Those joining it more than the first time, through a recurrence would not be picked up on this criteria.
For Recurrences in Automation, the choice here is to choose 'Only Recurrence enrollments' which allows for different Emails, Slack or Teams messages to be sent from the users taking it for the first time.
Below is typically how the trigger would look for Recurring enrollments:
How does Automation know it is a Recurring Enrolment?
As Automation primarily works off xAPI statements, during the process of a user in the LXP reaching their Recompletion Available window or their Valid Until Date (depending on how it is set up), the user will go through a cycle of:
- Being marked as Expired for their previous completion (This is simply just resetting the completion in the LXP)
- Being re-enrolled back into the LXP
Within the Joined statement that is triggered once the user needs to retake the Learning Experience there is an extension that is added to the xAPI statement:
"context": {
"platform": "Curatr",
"extensions": {
"https://streamlxp.com/extension/enrolment_reset": true,
"https://streamlxp.com/extension/recompletion_available": true
},Automation uses the extensions above to determine if the user is taking it for the second time or the first time. Each time the user retakes it during the recurrence cycle, the above will be present within their xAPI statements.
Checking for the Completion
Typically when setting up the 'Get completion status' it would look like the below:
When using the above workflow item, it will attempt to do exactly what it set out to do: find a completion status of the Learning Experience for the user. However, when setting up a workflow for a Recurrence, there will be extra configuration that needs to be added.
Why is this needed?
When a user completes an LX, that completion is stored in the LRS (Learning Record Store). These statements that sit in the LRS are not deleted so they remain in place, so if a user is taking the LX for a second time and this workflow item above is triggered it will attempt to find ANY completion for that user against the course.
Because the user has already completed it the first time around, if Automation gets to this stage and the user has not already completed it for the second time then Automation will find the first completion and take the user down the True path therefore possibly ending the workflow and the user will not be chased to recomplete it for the second time.
Updating the workflow item
Within the 'Get Completion Status' workflow, there is the option to input a date period which would mean that Automation will only find statements within that date period. This condition would assist with ensuring that the first completion is not picked up the second time.
When adding the above date period, this means that when it comes time for the user to be enrolled for the second time and when the workflow item is triggered. Automation will only look for completion statues during that date period, in this case 6 months. This means that the completion 1 year ago is not going to be picked up.
Important note:
It will depend on the Recurrence settings within the LXP and how long the validity period is that will contribute to the date period value that is placed in this workflow item. Ensure that the Recompletion Available time period has also been taking into consideration when choosing the date period.
If the plan is to continually check (therefore Delay workflow items may be used) for completion, each time that the 'Get Completion Status' is used, the date period needs to be added each time.