ClearCompany Learning: Course Learning Object

The Course object is the only hybrid object in the learning platform and can be used as either a simple or complex object. The course object is the only object that can be used to upload a video file. 

In this article:
Courses Overview
Creating a Course Object
Cloning a Course Object
Video Course Information

Course Overview

A course is an object that can have multiple objects bundled together. ClearCompany Learning usually recommends a course object as an object for individual video uploads. It is not best practice to use steps for related training, but rather companion forms of training that support one another.

For example, a titled, “Annual Personnel Policy” course might be made up of two steps:

• Personnel Policy Document
• Personnel Policy Quiz

Course and Curriculum steps can be taken in any order, whereas a Success Track requires the User to follow a specific order.

Creating a Course Object

General Steps Author Tags Prerequisites Equivalences Instance Management User Access Group Access

1. From the administration dashboard click Learning Objects > Manage Objects > +Add Objects.
2. Click Course.
   
3. Complete all required fields to open the creation wizard. Required fields are noted with Yellow text boxes: 
   
   1. Object Name: This is what the object will be named. Required.
   2. Description: A description that will appear on the object detail page. If pasting from another software the formatting will not transfer.
      
   3. Duration: ClearCompany Learning recommends the format for duration HH:MM:SS, this is visible to the User on the object detail page.
      
   4. Duration in Seconds: This field is not displayed in the front end. This is Seconds to complete this learning object. It will populate on the user's transcript.
   5. Owner Group: The group responsible for managing this object. This is a required field. 
   6. Keywords:Any keywords this object is relevant to, this will help when users search for any associated training. Keywords are not visible from the front end.
      
   7. Certificate Template: Choose the certificate to be awarded after completion of the learning object.
   8. Completion Emails Enabled: If enabled, ClearCompany Learning will send an email notification to any User who completes the applicable object. The template for this can be edited by Superadmins in Settings> Email Templates.
   9. Pre-Approval Enabled: Choosing Yes allows the administration teams to allow or deny Users from partaking in learning objects. See below for more information.
      
   10. Object Release Date: If a User tries accessing the object before the release date, they will not be able to open it and will see the message “This training has not been released.''
       
   11. Object Expiration Date: If a User tries viewing the object after the expiration date, they will not be able to access it and will see the message, “This training has expired.” If an object has a passed expiration date, it will show as “expired.”
   12. Comments: The comment box is for back-end purposes only. Comments are useful for any notes you need to keep a list of for this specific object such as updates, last revisions, etc.
   13. Status: By default, all learning objects start out in Draft status. There are four object statuses in the system.
       1. Draft: An initial status that allows for the deletion of steps to complex objects. The status cannot be switched for an object that is active or inactive to DRAFT. This applies to: Course, Curriculum, and Success Track object types.
       2. Active: Allows objects to display to users.
       3. Inactive: This status will completely remove the object from view on the front-end, it will still be available for reporting and admins.
       4. Expired: This status removes the object from the front end. Users who have completed an object that is “Expired” will be able to view the objects under their completed training list and download their completion certificates.
4. Click Save to Continue.

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Additional Information: 

Once you save the learning object, the fields above can be edited, and the additional fields below can be edited as well.

1. Update Object Image: Choose a file to show as the thumbnail for this object.
2. View On Front End: Click this link to view the object from the Front End User experience.
3. View Smart Report Card: Click to view a smart report for this class object.
4. View Registered Users: Click to pull up a list of the registered Users.
5. View Waiting List: Click to pull up the waiting list for this object.
6. View Pre-Approval: Click to view pre-approvals for this object.
7. Generate QR Code: This will generate a QR code for the object which will allow users to:
   • Download and display where employees are able to scan it.
   • Users will be redirected to their default browser, they will need to enter their credentials.
   • Users can view/take the training.
   • Keep in mind:
     • QR Codes cannot be generated in bulk.
     • Users must have access to the learning object.

To add multiple steps to create a bundle of related training topics that can be completed in any order. Select the Steps tab. 

1. Use the Add Step Wizard on the right to add steps to your course this will allow you to pick how the objects are seen.
   1. Step Type: The object type of the additional step. One of the Step Type options is “Form” this refers to Quizzes and Survey type objects
   2. Learning Object: Select the learning object associated with this step.
      
   3. Active: Yes or No, choosing to make a step inactive will hide it from the user’s experience.
   4. Show Description: Choose if you want to show the object’s description.
   5. Step Required:
      1. Required: The user must complete this step to complete the course.
      2. Optional: The user has the option to skip this step.
      3. Optional if completed: Allows the user to skip the step if completed elsewhere.
         1. If the object is completed outside of a complex object the user will not be able to skip this step.
         2. If the complex object is reassigned to the user, they will be able to skip this step for future instances
         3. If the object is used in another complex object and completed there, the user will be able to skip it.
2. Click Add, and repeat these steps until all content is added to the course.

A User or outside contributor can be included as an Author.

User	The Add User button list is populated from the Users inside the learning platform.
Faculty	The Add Faculty button list is populated from the Faculty Management section tab. Faculties can be added via Learning Object Resources.

Users can associate Tags to the curriculum, relevant Tags help Users find specific training. Tags are visible on the front end and searchable/clickable. For more information on Tags check out:  ClearCompany Learning: Tags and Tag Types.

This will require users to complete one or more objects before they can take the new created object.

• Complete the fields below
  • Prerequisite Name
  • Prerequisite Description
  • Active
  • Then click Add. This will refresh the page with the name of the prerequisite. Clicking Items allows you to assign an object to the prerequisites.

Adding equivalencies to an object allows learners to skip training if they have already completed similar training.

• Any object type, simple or complex, can be made equivalent to any other object type.
• Learners will still have the option to complete an object even if they have completed an equivalent object.
• Multiple objects can be added to an equivalency so that a learner needs to complete all the equivalent objects before they are given the option to skip.

How does a skipped object appear in reports and throughout the site?

• Shows as complete under my learning
• Shows as skipped under user records when editing a user on the backend
• Smart report run on the object shows the user has completed the object
• Smart report on the user shows the object under completed
• Custom activity report shows “LMS Object Status” as skipped, but there will be a started and completed time even through it was technically never started or completed

Instance Management allows learners to start new instances of a previously completed object without the need for reassignment. This allows only one instance of SCORM/AICC objects to be open at one time. Unless the initial session is closed:

• When the learner attempts to launch another object, they will see a message saying another course is open at this time and will require them to close that session and wait two minutes prior to accessing another.
• When Instance Management is enabled for the class:
  • Users will only have 1 completion per instance allowed. Users could register to multiple schedules for the same class, but once they attend/get a completion, that instance is complete and they will need to use another instance to register/get a new completion.

This allows admins to add or remove Users who have access to this object from the front page.

This allows admins to add or remove groups that can see the Learning Object in the “All Training” library on the Front End.

Additional Tabs

Pricing

This section is used for companies utilizing e-commerce. When the e-commerce module is turned on, prices for learning objects can be set.To learn more about e-commerce, check out: ClearCompany Learning: E-Commerce Add-On. 

Pre-Approval

When pre-approval is enabled, users with the correct rights can navigate to Learning Objects - Pre-Approval. This will allow users with the "Pre-Approval" rights to Approve or Deny users requesting access to a learning object.

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Additional Information

Manage Objects Cloning

From the Manage Objects dashboard, Learning Objects > Manage Objects, users can:

1. Filter by:
   • Author
   • Status
   • Type
   • More Filters allow you to add tags as filters.
2. When users find the object they need they can click the pencil icon to edit the object.

Cloning allows users to copy objects that they have already created in the system.

Note:

To clone objects, an account role must have both the Add Objects and Edit Objects rights in the system.

1. To clone an object, select the Clone Object button on the bottom right corner of the General tab within the learning object.
2. Additional Options: the following options do not carry over by default, checking the box includes it in the clone. 
   • Pricing (if using E-commerce)
   • User Access
   • Group Access
3. Click Clone.
4. The cloned object by default will be in Draft status.

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Course Video Information

Important Information

Video playback quality can be significantly impacted by browser version, network bandwidth, etc.

ClearCompany Learning recommends:

• Uploading a video that is 25 MB in size per video segment.
• If a video file is bigger than 2GB, we recommend splitting the video into smaller pieces.
• Lower quality resolution is also suggested to help the Internet not pause and jump frames while playing the video.
• Bit rate is recommended to be between 1000 kbps (1 mbps) and 2000 kbps (2 mbps).
• In order to upload and function properly, videos must include an audio track, even if it is a silent one.

The max size listed (2MB) is for each step of the course object. The overall course object does not have a size limit.

Source Files Information

Source File	Formats
Container	MP4, MP3, MOV, FLV, AVI, ASF, WMV, MPG, MXF, WAV, M4V
Video Codec	Recommended Codec: H.264 Accepted but not Recommended MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, VP^, VP5, H.2623, Windows Media Video 7 (WMV1), Windows Media Video 8 (WMV2), Windows Media Video 9 (WMV3)
Audio Codec	Recommended Codec: AAC-LC Accepted but not recommended: MP3, MP2, WMA, WMA Pro, PCM, WAV

Uploading Close Captions to a Video Step in a Course Object

1. From the Steps tab, for Step Type select "Video".
   1. Click “Upload new video”:
      1. A modal window will pop up, providing information about source files and formats (information above).
      2. Click Choose File, then Upload your File.
      3. A message will appear alerting you that you can close the box and continue to the fields below.
   2. Title: Title of the Video.
   3. Duration: Length of the video.
   4. Use Dynamic Streaming: Detects the User’s bandwidth and provides a video quality based on the User’s bandwidth. This helps prevent buffering.
      • If No, ClearCompany Learning will only play the highest-quality video stream.
   5. Disable Fast Forward: 
   6. Active: Yes or No.
   7. Step Required:
      1. Required: The user must complete this step to complete the course.
      2. Optional: The user has the option to skip this step.
      3. Optional if completed: Allows the user to skip the step if completed elsewhere.
         1. If the object is completed outside of a complex object the user will not be able to skip this step.
         2. If the complex object is reassigned to the user, they will be able to skip this step for future instances
         3. If the object is used in another complex object and completed there, the user will be able to skip it.
   8. Click Add, and a new option will appear to "Upload Closed Captions". At this time we only support the format: DFXP (.dfxp or .xml extension). Once the video step status is Ready, users can upload the closed captions file.
      
   9. Click Choose File, then Click Upload File.