Creating Courses

To create courses, use the Maintain Items (LM_CI_LA_CMP) component.

Each course represents a specific topic of study for which you offer classes. All classes that are associated with a given course share the same prerequisites, objectives, equivalencies, and other features.

Note: When you create or modify courses, you must rebuild the catalog index before the changes are reflected in the catalog search results.

This topic lists prerequisites and discusses how to:

Define basic item information.
Define prerequisites for courses.
Identify equivalent courses.
Add notes and attachments.
Define security for courses.
Define category relationships, keywords, and objectives for courses.
Define delivery methods for courses.

Pages Used to Create Courses

Page Name	Definition Name	Navigation	Usage
Course Details: Basic Data	LM_CI_BASICDTA_PG	select Enterprise Learning, then select Catalog, then select Maintain Items, then select Course Details	Define basic item information, such as description and course code.
Course Details: Prerequisites	LM_CI_PRQ_PG	Click the Prerequisites link on the Course Details: Basic Data page.	Identify prerequisites, which are other courses and objectives that one must complete or can complete if recommended, before a user can enroll in this course.
Course Details: Equivalents	LM_CI_EQUIV_PG	Click the Equivalents link on the Course Details: Basic Data page.	Identify courses and objectives that are equivalent to a given course.
Course Details: Notes and Attachments	LM_CI_NANDA_PG	Click the Notes and Attachments link on the Course Details: Basic Data page.	Add notes and attachments (such as documents to read before beginning a class) to a course.
Course Details: Security	LM_LE_CI_PG	Click the Security link on the Course Details: Basic Data page.	Define security for courses.
Maintain Items - Attributes	LM_CI_ATTRIB_PG	select Enterprise Learning, then select Catalog, then select Maintain Items, then select Attributes	Define category relationships, keywords, and objectives.
Maintain Items - Delivery Method	LM_CI_DLVRY_PG	select Enterprise Learning, then select Catalog, then select Maintain Items, then select Delivery Method	Specify which delivery methods are applicable to a given course.

Prerequisites

Before you create courses, you must define:

Categories.

See Updating the Catalog Indexes.
Delivery method types.

See Defining Delivery Method Types.
(Optional) Approval process definitions.

See Understanding the Approval Framework.
(Optional) Keywords.

See Defining Keywords.
(Optional) Objectives.

See Understanding Objectives.

Course Details: Basic Data Page

Use the Course Details: Basic Data page (LM_CI_BASICDTA_PG) to define basic item information, such as description and course code.

Navigation

select Enterprise Learning, then select Catalog, then select Maintain Items, then select Course Details

Image: Course Details: Basic Data page

This example illustrates the fields and controls on the Course Details: Basic Data page.

Note: When you modify the course long name, description, course code, effective date, or course status, you must rebuild the catalog index before the changes are reflected in the catalog search results.

See Updating the Catalog Indexes.

Program Relationship

Click to list any programs that include this course.

Course Code

Enter an identifier for the course. The value that you enter must be unique if the Course Code Option on the Install Defaults - General page is set to Restricted. If that option is set to Restricted by LE, the value you enter must be unique to your current learning environment.

Note: If you enable automatic course code generation on the Install Defaults - Counter Records (LM_CNTR_SETUP_PG) page, the system creates a course code for new courses when you click Save.

See Install Defaults - Counter Records Page.

Owner

Enter the name of the person whom the system notifies when the course is updated.

Note: Any learning administrator who is associated with one of the learning environments for this course (as defined on the Item - Security page) can update this course.

Course Status

Select a course status:

Active: This is the default status when you create a new course.

Inactive: Indicates that neither delivery methods nor classes can be defined for the course. Also, if selected, the item and its classes do not appear in the catalog, and learners cannot enroll in related classes.

Pending: Indicates that only delivery methods with a status of Pending can be defined for the course. Also, if selected, the item and its classes do not appear in the catalog, and learners cannot enroll in related classes.

Course Abstract

Enter an abstract of the course. This entry appears on the <Course Name> page that users can access when searching or browsing the catalog. If you do not provide an abstract the system displays the course description to the learner when searching the catalog.

See Using the Learning Catalog.

Approval Type

Select a value if approval is required to enroll in a class that is associated with this course. This option can be overridden at the class level.

Select from the approval process definitions that have been defined for your organization.

See Understanding the Approval Framework.

Offering

Select whether the class is offered internally or externally. The default is Internal.

External ID

Enter the (numeric) external course ID, if one is associated with the course.

External Information

Enter information about a class that a vendor delivers. The learning catalog does not display this information. Only administrators can view this information.

Vendor

Select the vendor that supplies the learning, if applicable.

Vendor Product

Select the vendor product that is used with this course. The cost of the selected product appears on the Class Costs page. Define vendor products on the Vendor Products page.

Vendor Course Code

Enter the vendor-supplied course code if you purchased this course from a third-party content provider.

(FRA) Learning Class (learning classification)

This field only appears when French features are enabled for the administrator's current learning environment. Select the default learning classification to associate with the classes for this course. Administrators can override the classification during enrollment. Classifications are used when generating training plans and the 2483 report.

See Understanding Regulatory Requirements for France.

(FRA) Eligible for DIF

This field only appears when French features are enabled for the administrator's current learning environment. Selecting this check box enables learners and administrators to request the use of DIF hours when enrolling in classes associated with this course.

Education Units

Enter the number of units, if applicable. This field is for informational purposes only. You can override this value at the class level.

Estimated Cost and Currency Code

The default values that appear here are inherited from the administrator's learning environment. The cost value can be used to calculate forecasted training costs when you produce training plan budgets. It represents the estimated cost, per learner, of delivering the class and can be overridden at the delivery method level.

Enable Learning Request

Select to allow learners to choose this course when submitting a learning request.

Learning Request Threshold

If learning requests are enabled, you can specify how many requests must be made before the administrator is notified.

Course Details: Prerequisites Page

Use the Course Details: Prerequisites page (LM_CI_PRQ_PG) to identify prerequisites, which are other courses and objectives that one must complete or can complete if recommended, before a user can enroll in this course.

Navigation

Click the Prerequisites link on the Course Details: Basic Data page.

Image: Course Details: Prerequisites page

This example illustrates the fields and controls on the Course Details: Prerequisites page.

Course Prerequisites

Select all courses, objectives, and programs that are prerequisites for this course. Administrators can override prerequisites for learners during group and mass enrollment. Managers cannot override prerequisites for a learner directly, but can use the Supplemental Learning page to give learners waivers on courses, objectives, and programs.

See Understanding Supplemental Learning.

Type

Select the type of prerequisite from the following options: Course, Objective, or Program.

Prerequisite

Select the name of the prerequisite course, objective, or program.

Relationship

Select a value:

Select End if this is the last prerequisite.
Select And if there are additional prerequisites.
Select Or if this prerequisite can be met by completing the next prerequisite that you enter.

The system displays the text that appears in the catalog directly above the Course Prerequisites group box.

Important! The system ignores any prerequisites that are listed after End.

Proficiency

This field applies to objectives that are selected as prerequisites. If the objective is associated with a rating model, select the required proficiency level.

Recommended Prerequisites

These fields are similar to the Course Prerequisites fields. Use them to select classes, programs, and objectives that learners should complete before taking the class. Recommended prerequisites that are not met do not prevent the learner from enrolling in the class.

Course Details: Equivalents Page

Use the Course Details: Equivalents page (LM_CI_EQUIV_PG) to identify courses and objectives that are equivalent to a given course.

Navigation

Click the Equivalents link on the Course Details: Basic Data page.

Image: Course Details: Equivalents page

This example illustrates the fields and controls on the Course Details: Equivalents page.

If another course or program is considered to be the equivalent of this one, select the equivalent item. The system does not perform any checks to determine if equivalent items have the same objectives.

For example, suppose that a course called Intermediate C Programming has a prerequisite of Introduction to C Programming. If you select Introduction to C++ as an equivalent to Introduction to C Programming, learners who complete either Introduction to C Programming or Introduction to C++ meet the prerequisite for Intermediate C Programming.

Course Details: Notes and Attachments Page

Use the Course Details: Notes and Attachments page (LM_CI_NANDA_PG) to add notes and attachments (such as documents to read before beginning a class) to a course.

Navigation

Click the Notes and Attachments link on the Course Details: Basic Data page.

Image: Course Details: Notes and Attachments page

This example illustrates the fields and controls on the Course Details: Notes and Attachments page.

You can enter notes and attach files, such as documents to read before beginning a class. To enable users to access notes, URLs, or attachments from the catalog, select the Display in Catalog check box. Attachments can be included elsewhere in the system, including at the class level.

Note: The URL associated with a course note displays in the catalog only if you also enter text in the Notes field for the note.

To attach a file to an item:

Click the Add Attachment button to access a new page and navigate to the file's location on your server.
Locate the file and click the Upload button.

Note: Your system configuration determines the size of the files that you can attach to courses.

Course Details: Security Page

Use the Course Details: Security page (LM_LE_CI_PG) to define security for courses.

Navigation

Click the Security link on the Course Details: Basic Data page.

Image: Course Details: Security page

This example illustrates the fields and controls on the Course Details: Security page.

Note: When you add or remove learning environments or learner groups to courses, you must rebuild the catalog index before the changes are reflected in the catalog search results.

See Updating the Catalog Indexes.

Learning Environment

Use these fields to specify the learning environments for which this course is valid.

Primary

A course must be associated with at least one learning environment. The system displays the administrator's current learning environment as the default. You cannot remove the primary learning environment from this page without first selecting another environment as the primary. You can change the primary learning environment on this page at any time.

Learner Groups

Click the Edit Learner Group Security link to display fields for adding or editing learner groups. Specify which learner groups can access this course when browsing or searching the catalog. You can select from the learner groups that have been defined for any of the learning environments associated with the course.

Relationship

Specify how this learner group is related to others in the list when used to determine whether or not a person has access.

Values are:

And: A learner must be a member of both this learner group and the next in the list.

Or: A learner must be in this learner group or the next in the list.

End: A placeholder for the last learner group in the list.

The system ignores any learner groups that are listed after End.

For example, to define security such that a learner must be a member of learner group A, and a member of learner group B or learner group C, you must reuse learner group A. The resulting security would look like this:

Learner group A and

Learner group B or

Learner group A and

Learner group C end.

Important! Associate a category with at least one learner group. If you do not select a learner group, learners cannot access this category.

Maintain Items - Attributes Page

Use the Maintain Items - Attributes page (LM_CI_ATTRIB_PG) to define category relationships, keywords, and objectives.

Navigation

select Enterprise Learning, then select Catalog, then select Maintain Items, then select Attributes

Image: Maintain Items - Attributes page

This example illustrates the fields and controls on the Maintain Items - Attributes page.

Note: When you add, remove, or change keywords, objectives, or category relationships, you must rebuild the catalog index before the changes are reflected in the catalog search results.

See Updating the Catalog Indexes.

Category Relationships

Select the categories under which this item is to be listed in the learning catalog.

Display Order

Enter the order in which this course should be listed when a user who is browsing the catalog clicks this category. Assign a unique number to each course in this category. Assigning the same number more than once does not prevent the item from appearing. The system uses display order when a learner browses the catalog.

Keywords

Keywords help users locate this course and its classes in the catalog. You can enter only keywords that belong to the selected keyword type.

Objectives

Select the objectives that learners meet by completing a class that is associated with this course. Learners receive credit for meeting the objectives that have been directly assigned to them. Define objectives on the Objectives page.

You can associate multiple global objectives with a course, but you can designate only one global objective as primary. Classes are sorted by global objective when you create training plans. For courses with multiple global objectives, only the global objective designated as primary appears on the training plan.

Maintain Items - Delivery Method Page

Use the Maintain Items - Delivery Method page (LM_CI_DLVRY_PG) to specify which delivery methods are applicable to a given course.

Navigation

select Enterprise Learning, then select Catalog, then select Maintain Items, then select Delivery Method

Image: Maintain Items - Delivery Method page

This example illustrates the fields and controls on the Maintain Items - Delivery Method page.

Note: For new courses, the system hides this page until you save the item.

To add a supported delivery method for this course, click the Add New Delivery Method button to access the Delivery Methods component. When you add a delivery method and return to this page, the system lists the delivery method that you selected here. When a class is created for a course, it must be created in the context of one of the supported delivery methods for that item.

To edit a delivery option, click the delivery method name. The Delivery Methods component opens in update/display mode.