Online Course - Append Versioning Behavior

Using the Append option when reversioning an online course, two versions of an online course can be active at a time. This selection is only available when the first version of a course is being created. Once a version is created of a certain version type (Append/Replace), following versions must be of that type. Note: No more than two versions can be in a Published status at once.

When an online course is reversioned with the Append option enabled, the new version exhibits the following behaviors:

  • Users can have two active versions of the online course on their transcripts, depending on the options selected by the administrator during the reversioning process.
  • Two versions of the online course may be included in curricula containing the online course. See Online Course - Curricula Auto Reversioning.
  • The Effective Date is either immediate or in the future, depending on the options selected by the administrator who reversioned the course. Users only receive the new version when the effective date is reached.
  • The Start Date for the online course can be left blank when reversioning an online course, but needs to be populated in order to deactivate the previous version.
  • The new version of the online course is active in the portal either until its end date.

  • When one version is inactivated, the other active version also becomes inactivated. For example: Both version 1.0 and version 2.0 would become inactive if one or the other is inactivated.

Use Case - Two Versions on User's Transcript

Sylvia is an administrator, and she is responsible for all compliance training at ACME Inc. On August 15, 2017, Sylvia receives an email from the Chief Compliance Officer informing her that a new factory procedure for 2018 is available. All employees working in the factory should be able to start being trained on September 1, 2017, as the new procedure will be effective on January 1, 2018. The same factory procedure for 2017 should also be available until December 31, 2017.

Sylvia creates a new version of the Factory Procedure for 2017 using the online class Create Version functionality. She uses the Append option because she wants two versions of the class to be available on users' transcripts at the same time. Sylvia alsoadds an Effective Date of January 1, 2018 for the new procedure. She then assigns the new version to all employees at ACME Inc. who have the previous version of the course on their transcript. The Factory Procedure for 2017 will be automatically deactivated when the Factory Procedure for 2018 starts.

John is working in the factory at ACME Inc. He sees the 2017 and the 2018 version of the Factory Procedure on his transcript. John can access both versions of the procedure from September 1, 2017 until January 1, 2018. On January 1, 2018, only the 2018 version is available.

Append Versioning Behavior with the Learning Assignment Tool

When an online course assigned via the Learning Assignment Tool has been reversioned and appended, the following learning assignment behaviors apply:

  • If there are two active versions of an online course in a learning assignment, both are assigned to users.
  • If a user has two active versions of an online course assigned via a learning assignment, and the user leaves the criteria for the assignment, both course versions are removed when Dynamic Removal is enabled for the assignment. If the user later meets the assignment criteria again, both versions are reassigned to the user.
Scenario

Assignment behavior
Version 1 is active, and the administrator is assigning Version 1 via the Learning Assignment Tool (LAT).

Version 1 is assigned to users.
Version 1 and Version 2 of the online course are active, and the administrator is assigning Version 1 via the LAT. Version 1 and Version 2 are assigned.
Version 1 and Version 2 of the online course are active, and the administrator is assigning Version 2 via the LAT. Version 1 and Version 2 are assigned.
Version 2 and Version 3 of the online course are active, and the administrator is assigning Version 1. Version 2 and Version 3 are assigned.
The administrator creates an assignment with two active versions (Version 2 and Version 3), and assigns both versions with the Assign New Occurrence option. Both Version 2 and Version 3 are assigned as new occurrences on users' transcripts.
Version 1 and Version 2 are active, and Version 1 is already on users' transcripts. The administrator assigns Version 1 with the Assign New Occurrence option. Version 1 is assigned as a new occurrence, and users are also assigned Version 2.
Version 1 and Version 2 are active, and Version 1 is already on users' transcripts. The administrator assigns Version 1, but does NOT user the Assign New Occurrence option. Users only receive Version 2.
Version 1 and Version 2 are active, and Version 1 has been removed from users' transcripts. The administrator assigns Version 1 using a learning assignment. Version 2 is assigned to users, and Version 1 is also restored to users' transcripts.
Version 1 and Version 2 are active, and both versions are on users' transcripts. The administrator removes the online course from users' transcripts. Version 1 and Version 2 are both removed from users' transcripts.

Considerations

The Learning Assignment Tool only assigns more than one version if an appended version of the online course exists.