Course Completion

Introduction to Course Completion

Course Completion are a set of conditions that can show the progress that a learner is making, and that define when the course is completed.  Using Course Completion effectively can create a natural pathway for learners to progress through Programs and Certifications. 

There are a variety of conditions and criteria that you can use to signify the completion of your course. Popular conditions include using Activity Completion to determine which activities a learner must complete, or using Completion of Other Courses to create a set of prerequisite courses that a learner must also complete.

 

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Setting Up Completion Conditions

Enable Course Completion Tracking

Completion Tracking must be enabled for each course. Once Completion Tracking is enabled, Activity Completion is also enabled.

To enable completion tracking:

1.  On your desired course homepage, navigate to Course Administration > Edit Settings.

2.  Scroll down and expand the Completion Tracking section. Then, ensure that Enable Completion Tracking is set to Yes.

3.  Once you are complete, click Save and Display at the bottom of the page.

 

Adding Completion Conditions to a Course

1.  On your desired course homepage, click on the Course Completion link under the Course Administration menu. 

2.  Under the General section, use the Completion Requirements drop-down menu to determine whether learners must complete ALL or ANY of the following conditions for the course to be considered complete. 

3.  Expand the 'Condition: Activity Completion' section, and if necessary, configure the following settings.

Select the activities that a learner must complete through clicking on the corresponding checkbox. Learners can complete the activities in any order, and failures are counted within the system. 

4.  Expand the 'Condition: Completion of Other Courses' section, and if necessary, configure the following settings. 

Select any prerequisite courses that a learner must initially complete. This does not block the learner from the current course, but instead means that the current course will not be marked complete until the first course is completed. 

Using the Condition Requires drop-down menu, you can also determine whether learners must complete ALL or ANY of the prerequisite courses.

4.  Expand the 'Condition: Date' section, and if necessary, configure the following settings.

You can specify a date that a learner must remain enrolled until. Select the Enable option, and use the 'User Must Remain Enrolled Until' drop-down menus to set your desired date. 

5.  Expand the 'Condition: Days Left' section, and if necessary, configure the following settings.

You can specify the number of days that a learner must remain enrolled until. Select the Enable option, and use the 'User Must Remain Enrolled Until' drop-down menus to select the number of days.

6.  Expand the 'Condition: Course Grade' section, and if necessary, configure the following settings.

You can specify a minimum course grade that a learner must achieve. Select the Enable option, and use the 'Require Course Grade' field to enter your desired grade. 

7.  Expand the 'Condition: Manual Self-Completion' section, and if necessary, configure the following settings.

You can allow a learner to mark themselves as complete in the course by selecting the Enable option. If this condition is enabled, then you must add the Self-Completion block to the course page.

8.  Expand the 'Condition: Manual Completion by Others' section, and if necessary, configure the following settings.

You can allow a different roles to manually mark learners as complete by selecting the corresponding checkboxes. The roles that appear on this list have the Mark Users as Complete in Course Completion capability enabled. 

Using the Condition Requires drop-down menu, you can also determine whether ALL or ANY of the following roles must mark the learner as complete.

9.  Once you are complete, click Save Changes at the bottom of the page. 

 

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Editing Completion Conditions

When a course has completion settings included, the completion settings are automatically locked. If you need to change course completion conditions, there are two options: 'Unlock Criteria and Delete Existing Completion Data' or 'Unlock Criteria Without Deleting.'

 

Unlock Criteria and Delete Existing Completion Data

All completion information for the course and course activities is deleted. All completion information for the course and course activities is deleted. You can then set new completion conditions for the course, and user completion data will be recalculated by the system.

• If the new completion option is manual, every learner is set to Not Completed, regardless of previous settings.
• If the new completion option is automatic, then depending on the options chosen, the system may or may not be able to create a correct current value for everyone.
• The Viewed requirement cannot generate a complete status on activities the learner has previously viewed, unless they view it again. 
• If you change completion options while a learner is logged in, these changes will not immediately appear. 
• This will not remove RPL completion data.

 

 Unlock Criteria Without Deleting

You can choose to keep all existing course completions, and accept that learners may have received their completion status for different requirements.

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Recognizing Completion

Course Completion describes the progress that a learner is making towards finishing the course. An excellent way of celebrating achievements made is through the use of badges and certificates.

Badges and certificates are also an effective way of gamifying your course to engage and motivate learners.

 

  Badges

Badges can be awarded based on a variety of criteria, and can be displayed on a learner's profile. There are two categories of badges: Site badges and course badges.

Click here to learn more about badges, and here to read our article on how digital badges create opportunities to engage learners.

 

  Custom Certificates

Custom certificates are dynamically-generated PDFs based on predefined conditions set by a course creator or instructor. 

Click here to learn more about creating a custom certificate, and here to view our webinar on custom certificates.

 

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Course Completion Reports

Course Completion Reports allow you to see the course completion record, recognition of prior learning, and approval method, alongside a list of learners enrolled in the course. 

To access an Course Completion Report, simply navigate to Course Administration > Reports > Course Completion. 

The report will list all learners enrolled in the course, alongside a corresponding checklist of course completion records and any recognition of prior learning. It also lists whether their completion has been approved by a Site Manager.

This makes it easy for trainers and administrators to quickly glance down the list and and view which learners have completed the course, and manually award the recognition of prior learning.

These reports can also be filtered alphabetically by the learner's first name or surname, using the alphabet list at the top and bottom of the page. 

 

  Exporting Reports

To export your Course Completion Report as a CSV File:

1.  Scroll down to the bottom of the Activity Completion Report page.

2.  Depending on your needs, click on an appropriate Download link to download your report.

 

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Best Practice: Gamifying Your Courses Using Quests

Gamification is the the insertion of game dynamics and mechanics into non-game activities to drive a desired behaviour. Through adding points systems, badges, and other game-esque features into your course, you and your learners can effectively achieve your desired learning objectives.

The effectiveness of gamification is evident. According to Salesforce, 71% of companies using gamification saw a measured increase in sales performance. According to Hewlett-Package, gamification in sales helped to raise their total revenue by 31-44%, depending on region. 

One way to gamify your development initiatives is to use quests, a task-based journey with obstacles that your learners must overcome. This approach can cover a single course, or span a series of courses through certifications and programs.

When creating a quest:

1.  Begin with the end in mind, and determine what it is that you would like your users to learn. What desired behaviours are they being trained for? Your quest can be based on real-life scenarios or case studies that learners must solve, or can be fantastic stories that challenge their analytical thinking. 

2.  Quests can be contained to a single course, or to a series of courses with converging sub-quests. You can use your training goals to map out your quests, and where your outcomes or competencies represent different stages of that quest.

3.  Determine the resources and activities needed to complete your quest goals. Note the order and type of completion (manual or conditional), and the points at which a stage or the quest itself is considered completed. Add these resources and activities accordingly.

4.  Most quests begin with 'Quest Givers' that offer learners access to the quest. Once a learner completes a resource or activities, the next step of the quest is then automatically revealed. 

Use Activity Completion or Activity Lock: Restrict Access to release content and create a path for your learners. 

5.  Additionally, you can use Badges, Gamification Badges, and Custom Certificates to recognize quest completion.