Defining Learning Categories

To define learning categories, use the Maintain Categories (LM_CATG_LA_CMP) component.

This topic provides an overview of categories and discusses how to:

Define basic category information.
Define category security and subcategories.
View a category's courses and related categories.

Pages Used to Define Learning Categories

Page Name	Definition Name	Navigation	Usage
Maintain Categories - Basic Data	LM_CATG_BSC_PG	select Enterprise Learning, then select Catalog, then select Maintain Categories, then select Basic Data	Define basic category information, such as name, description, status, and owner.
Maintain Categories - Security	LM_CATG_SECURTY_PG	select Enterprise Learning, then select Catalog, then select Maintain Categories, then select Security	Define category security, such as who can update and browse a given category, and identify subcategories.
Maintain Categories - Attributes	LM_CATG_REL_LA_PG	select Enterprise Learning, then select Catalog, then select Maintain Categories, then select Attributes	View a category's courses and parent categories.

Understanding Categories

Categories enable you to classify courses and programs so that learners and managers can easily find appropriate learning in the catalog. When using the advanced search feature, users can search the catalog by category. When using the browse feature, learning is presented by category.

Courses and programs can belong to multiple categories. For example, you might create separate insurance and manufacturing categories and include a risk management item in both. Categories can also be hierarchical: a manufacturing category might include logistics management and materials management subcategories. If you plan to create nested categories, it is more efficient to create the subcategories first.

When you create a category, you also define security for it—that is, you define which administrators can update the category by linking the category to selected learning environments. You also identify which learner groups can access the category in the catalog.

Carefully plan the types of categories that you need, keeping in mind that categories, courses, classes, and programs can be shared across learning environments. Categories significantly impact the usability of your catalog because learners rely on categories to find offerings in the catalog. Therefore, be sure to define categories that make logical sense to your learners.

Note: (FRA) To make it easy for learners and administrators in France to find learning that qualifies for DIF (Droit Individuel à la Formation), consider creating one or more categories for DIF-eligible learning. Include DIF in the category name to facilitate searches. Alternatively, you might create a keyword called DIF and assign it to DIF-eligible courses.

See Updating the Catalog Indexes.

See Defining Keywords.

Primary Categories

Every learning environment has a primary category. The primary category that is associated with a user's learning environment determines the hierarchy in which other categories appear when the learner browses the catalog. The user's learner group affiliations control which categories the system displays during browse mode; the user's learning environment simply controls the order in which those categories appear.

You define a primary category just as you would any other category. A category becomes a primary category through it's designation as such on the Learning Environments - Security page.

When a learner browses the catalog, the system refers to the primary category that is defined for the learner's learning environment. It then looks at the category relationships (display order) that you defined for that category on the Categories - Security page and presents the learner with the hierarchy of categories that are relevant to the learner based on his or her learner group affiliations.

Maintain Categories - Basic Data Page

Use the Maintain Categories - Basic Data page (LM_CATG_BSC_PG) to define basic category information, such as name, description, status, and owner.

Navigation

select Enterprise Learning, then select Catalog, then select Maintain Categories, then select Basic Data

Image: Maintain Categories - Basic Data page

This example illustrates the fields and controls on the Maintain Categories - Basic Data page.

Note: When you create a category or change the long name and status of an existing category, you must rebuild the catalog index before the changes are reflected in the catalog search results.

See Updating the Catalog Indexes.

Owner

Select the person who has the main responsibility for this category. Typically, this is the administrator who is responsible for updating the category. The entry here is informational only—it does not determine who can update the category.

URL

Enter a URL that you want the system to display for this category on the Browse Catalog (LM_BROWSE) page.

Maintain Categories - Security Page

Use the Maintain Categories - Security page (LM_CATG_SECURTY_PG) to define category security, such as who can update and browse a given category, and identify subcategories.

Navigation

select Enterprise Learning, then select Catalog, then select Maintain Categories, then select Security

Image: Maintain Categories - Security page

This example illustrates the fields and controls on the Maintain Categories - Security page.

Note: If you add or remove learning environments or learner groups from an existing category, you must rebuild the catalog index before the changes are reflected in the catalog search results.

See Updating the Catalog Indexes.

Learning Environment

These fields determine to which learning environments this category belongs and who can update the category. A category can belong to more than one learning environment but must have one primary learning environment.

Primary Learning Environment

A category 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.

Primary Category

This field is display-only. If selected, it indicates that you identified this category as the primary learning category for the environment (on the Learning Environment - Security page). The primary category that is associated with a learner's assigned learning environment determines the hierarchical sequence of categories the learner sees when browsing the catalog. Primary categories are not visible when browsing the catalog.

Learner Groups

Click the Edit Learner Group Security link to display fields for adding or editing learner groups. Specify which learner groups can access the classes and programs within this category 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 category.

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.

To define security such that a learner must be a member of learner group A, and a member of learner group B or 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 course with at least one learner group. If you do not select a learner group, learners cannot access this course.

Note: The system issues a warning if the changes you make to learning group security for the course impact any classes associated with it.

If you delete any learner groups from the course, those learner groups are also deleted from any classes associated with the course. Likewise, if you delete any combined learner groups that use the AND relationship, that combination of learner groups are deleted from any classes associated with the course. For example, if a course has a combination of learner groups A and B and you delete learner group B, the combined learner groups A and B are deleted for the classes associated with the course. The course, however, would still include learner group A.

Category Relationships

Identify categories in the catalog that are subsets of this one. When users browse the learning catalog for this category, the system also lists the subcategories that you identify here.

Display Order

Enter the sequence in which this subcategory is to be listed on the Catalog Browse page relative to other categories that you select here.

Child Category

Select the related category. You can select from any categories that are associated with your own learning environment.

Maintain Categories - Attributes Page

Use the Maintain Categories - Attributes page (LM_CATG_REL_LA_PG) to view a category's courses and parent categories.

Navigation

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

Image: Maintain Categories - Attributes page

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

Parent Categories

This scroll area displays categories for which this category is a subcategory.

Courses

This scroll area displays the list of courses that belong to this category.