To provide a consistent experience across the board - for Users and Authors alike - we've outlined the impact adding and removing Lessons of a Course, will have on its assigned Users.
Featured in this article:
Adding/Removing Lessons
Adding/Removing Assessments
Adding removing Questions from existing Assessments
Impact on Rewards
Adding/Removing Lessons
Within a Course
Taking either action, when editing the Lesson contents of your Course, the following will be experienced by all assigned Users, dependent on their Progress status:
User status is Completed - the new lesson will only be visible to them in “Read-Only mode”, meaning:
No ability to interact with the new lesson content.
No analytics are recorded for these Users (their data is locked-in upon completing it for the first time)
Only Time Spent will be tracked
User status is In Progress or Not Started - the new lesson will be seen by all such Users, and they’ll be able to complete the new Lesson, as expected.
Note✨: All assigned Users will receive a notification, whenever content is updated, regardless of their Progress status. These notifications will be sent via:
The web app (your workspace)
Slack or MS Teams
The HowNow mobile app
On the Content sub-page, Admins/Managers will be able to view Users’ progress (via View Details). The slide-out screen will only show the new Lesson for Users who have Not Started or In Progress statuses.
SCORM/Multi-Language SCORM
For a multi-language SCORM Course - where there are multiple versions of the same file - the following will occur (using an example of a course with English, French and German files):
In Progress status - User’s who have started learning the English file, but would like to switch to the French file instead, will receive a warning pop-up, telling them that all their progress on the English file will be deleted, and progress tracking will re-start with the French file.
User Completes one file/Lesson - If the SCORM Course requires just one lesson to be completed for the course to be considered complete, the User can open the other files to view them, without any data being tracked.
Author deletes the original file, completed by a User -
Remain with Completed progress status (as it was locked-in upon completion)
Can still open and view the other SCORM files in the Course
Data won’t be recorded when opening these other files
Renewal Cycle (Expiry Date)
Any new Lesson, Assessment or Assessment Question added to the course, will be accessible to all users (via Read-Only mode) until the next Renewal Cycle.
The updates will not have any impact on the current metrics of the Users who have already completed the course.
All changes made to the course will be reflected in the course content, but the completion status of the course for existing Users, will remain the same until the next Renewal Cycle.
Adding/Removing Assessments
For the removal or addition of Assessments to a Course, there are a series of factors that will take place...
User status is Completed - Users will be able to see the Assessment on their My Library page, the Course landing page, and My Profile.
The new Assessment will only be visible to them in “Read-Only mode”, meaning:
No ability to interact with the new Assessment.
No analytics are recorded for these Users
User status is In Progress or Not Started - Users will be able to complete the new Assessment as expected. If it’s removed, their previous progress won’t be affected. For example:
The User has completed 2 of 4 Lessons so far (50% of the Course)
Author adds a new Assessment (now the Course has 5 total Lessons)
User completes this new Assessment (so now they've done 60% of the Course). They're awaiting a mark.
Author returns to edit the Course, and deletes that same new Assessment.
The User - although they were awaiting a mark - now has their course Progress back to (50%).
In other words, just because they'd done the Assessment and were awaiting a mark, it doesn't mean they will stay with a 60% progress status.
Adding /Removing Questions from existing Assessments
An Author removing a question from an Assessment, will have the following results for Users, based on their submission status:
Completed and Passed - there won’t be any change to this User’s progress or Assessment results.
Submitted and Mark is Pending - the User’s submission and mark is unaffected.
Failed an Assessment (with retakes remaining) - the addition or removal of a question will be updated on the Assessment, upon attempts made after said change.
Impact on Rewards
For all Users - regardless of their Progress status - the removal or addition of new Lessons, won’t block the User receiving their Certificates and Badges, once they’ve met the previous requirements.
Note✨: It’s important to be aware of the following potential scenario…
Users must complete 2 Lessons, to achieve a Reward: Lesson A and B.
Users who’ve completed both, receive their Reward.
Remaining Users only complete Lesson A.
Author later deletes Lesson B.
All Users who had only completed 1 of the 2 lessons, at the time, will now receive a Reward, as there is now only 1 Lesson existing that updates the new criteria.
For more on how to manage such changes to content, read our article: How to Mark as Complete