Collaborator 1.30.0 — Tool for checking of SCORM-resources, Task calendar and modification of News
Collaborator 1.30.0 — Tool for checking of SCORM-resources, Task calendar and modification of News
Today we released Collaborator v.1.30.0.
We added filtering and news archive functions, validation of SCORM-resources for operability, calendar of assigned tasks. The experimental function of managing activities by objectives has been developed. In addition, modifications and improvements have been made to polls, voting, webinars and much more.
In this release:
1. Validation of SCORM-resources — functioning test of interactive SCORM-course
2. Task calendar – the first stage in planning of training
3. “Management by objectives” – tool for employee engagement
4. News archive
5. News types
6. “Refuse” function in tasks on user’s choice
7. Modification and improvement in polls, voting, workshops, webinars and resources:
7.1 Applying of style for webinars, meetups, and workshops
7.2 Follow-up mailing of login details
7.3 Automatic mailing of notices
7.4 Inserting of webinar into Program structure
1. Validation of SCORM-resources – functioning test of interactive SCORM-course
There is a common practice when outside specialists create training courses. The company orders creation of the course to a freelancer or an external team by providing all necessary materials and information. As a result, the contractor sends the company a ready-made course or test in SCORM format.
We often came across the fact that our clients’ course works well by itself, but in learning systems (not just in Collaborator) it does not work as expected. The most common problem is the lack of results in the system after the completion of such a course. The reason for this is an incorrectly created course, which does not send the statistics of its completion to the system.
In order to allow our customers to check the result obtained from the contractors by themselves, we have created a tool that checks the SCORM loaded into the system. It shows the result of the course and what data is received by the system when the user completes this SCORM.
To validate your resource, upload it to the system. In the “type” line, select “SCORM” and after saving – review it. Administrator may observe the data control parameters sent by SCORM: the completion status, the success status and the gathered points, which change after each passing of the SCORM resource.
Values, which the course sends to the system, will be displayed in real time. And if the course is correctly set, then Collaborator will show the status “completed” and the score from 0 to 100 after successfully passing of it.
If the status is “failed” or the mark is incorrect, contact your contractor. Explain the situation; send a screenshot and the contents of the data transfer protocol from SCORM to the system. The protocol can be copied in the “SCORM log” window.
When the contractor returns the corrected version – just replace the file in this resource and check it the same way.
2. Task calendar – the first stage in planning of training
Innovations touched page with user task list – the new display mode in form of calendar is added to “My tasks”. It displays tasks that have a deadline for execution by dates.
Users can switch calendar mode – month, week or day. Detailed information about the task will be displayed by clicking on event in the calendar. Here you can also go to the task page.
The calendar helps users to navigate in dates of assignments and conduct of meetups and webinars.
In the next version of Collaborator, the calendar will be available for system administrators, coaches and managers. They would be able to manage tasks, view the workload of coaches and departments. In addition, coaches would be able to receive requests for face-to-face trainings (meetups).
3. “Management by objectives” – tool for employee engagement
Thanks to our friends – “Prozorro” team – we have implemented a tool to manage the organization by goals.
“Strategic Objectives” feature allows you to build a hierarchy of organization goals from the highest level to the individual goals of each employee. In this version of Collaborator we published the first version of this functionality. It being actively tested in Prozorro and we are confident that such a tool will be useful for our customers.
If it is interesting for you – please write to our Facebook group
This is a good tool for employee engagement when properly used. Later we’ll talk about the results of working with this tool, but for now let us briefly explain the basic principles of its operation.
The objectives tree contains five levels: “Direction/evolutionary goal”, “Strategic goal”, “Initiative within the framework of the objective”, “Project within the framework of the initiative”, “Individual objective”. Having determined the main “Directions” of the organization’s development, you divide them into “Strategic objectives”. They, in turn, split up into “Initiatives”, and those into “Projects”. At each level, you should assign an employee who is responsible for achieving the objective.
Within the Projects, you can create especially important tasks, and they will become individual objectives for the specific employees.
Each element has a description. You can change the status of the item (new, in progress, answer is awaited, completed, canceled), assign a person responsible for it, set time frame for execution, give a mark and leave comments.
A filter is available for the assigned person responsible for the objective and status of the completion (Active / All). If the plan item has the status “Completed”, it is not displayed when the “Active” filter is enabled. Searching by text in title, description and comments is supported.
Comments may be used for clarifying objectives, discussing and resolving issues concerning them. All discussions being stored and could be searched through.
When it is needed, Administrator draws conclusions, where he can point out mistakes, praise an employee or make adjustments.
To create your own plan of objectives, Administrator needs to open: “Work tasks” – “Manage objectives” – “New plan”. An unlimited number of plans can be created.
4. News archive
The new “Archive” function has been added to News page. Now all news are automatically distributed by year and month. When you select any of the items, you filter the publications for the specified period.
For example, if you go to “January 2017”, then all published news during this month are displayed. When sorting materials, you can indicate author, number of views and date of publication of the news. If you want, you can reset the filter or choose another month and year.
You should not look for the right news among the entire flow of information, but simply choose the approximate month of posting the materials and find it.
5. News types
We are often asked to change the news feed for more convenient usage. We listened to your proposals and combined news by types. For example, the type “important”, “promotion actions”, “company news”, “lifestyle”, etc.
Administrator determines news types. He can select type from the list or add a new type manually. The corresponding column appeared in the “News Management” tab:
Now, displaying of the desired news is simple and easy. This tool, for example, may be used for analyzing the number of news articles, their subjects, etc.
6. “Refuse” function in tasks on user’s choice
“Refuse” button in “My tasks” became a small, but useful addition. Any user will be able to call off his assigning for a task from on user’s choice Catalog without asking Administrator. The task disappears from “My tasks” list and appears again in Catalog.
7. Modification and improvement in polls, voting, workshops, webinars and resources.
In version 1.30.0, we performed a number of updates and improvements to the old functionality of the system. These are improvements and modifications in operation of polls, voting, workshops, webinars and resources.
7.1. Applying of style for description of webinars, meetups, and workshops
There is a choice of styles for description of webinars, meetups and workshops in new Collaborator. If you do not have enough time to format the text by yourself, then you may choose a style from the list. Formatting includes changing of fonts, colors, and other text elements.
Styles were presented in Collaborator v. 1.22.0 – here is detailed information about it
7.2 Follow-up mailing of login details
If a user has difficulties with logging in, then Administrator just needs to resend the message with credentials using new button (an envelope icon) on user panel. If the user has never logged in to the system and never changed the password, and his e-mail is real, then Administrator will be able resend login details by pressing this button.
7.3. Automatic mailing of notices
You can use rules of auto-assigning to assign users to your notices. As soon as user receives a given combination of “position-department-city-tag”, he will be assigned to notices.
Administrator can manually send the notices to emails of assigned users. In case of auto-assigning, this notice will be send to the new assigned user automatically.
7.4. Inserting of webinar into Program structure
We have diversified the resources, which can be inserted into Programs. We added webinars to this list. If needed, you can add webinar to the Program in the same way as you add meetups.
Read more useful and interesting information about the implementation of LMS, various features of its operation, successful solutions and real examples in Collaborator blog. In addition, you will find there digests about novelties in our platform, guides for working with new options and many useful tips!
If you have any questions or requests, please write to – [email protected] or our group in Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/groups/lmscolaborator/
