Offline Network Player Overview

The Offline Network Player enables users to complete training offline using a kiosk or a shared device, eliminating the need to download or sync courses.

Administrators can do the following:

  • Designate Online Courses to be available to be launched from an offline network location via the Course Catalog.
  • Specify a network location for hosting courses to be available offline.
  • Download courses to a predefined network location.
  • Sync user data to the system server via the Offline Network Player when an Internet connection is available.

Users can launch courses from a network location without Internet connectivity.

Workflow - Administrator Configures Content for Offline Learning

Workflow - User Utilizes Offline Network Player

Workflow - Administrator Syncs User Data

Use Cases

Acme Organization operates cruise ships where minimal or no Internet connection is available. While operating a cruise voyage, the employees must complete training. The organization wants to define courses that are available for all employees on each cruise ship using shared kiosks with no Internet connection.

Jim, the system administrator, is responsible for configuring the content for one of the cruises.

  1. Jim accesses the organization's portal and searches for the necessary courses within the Course Catalog.
  2. Jim edits one of the courses and configures it to be available for offline network learning.
  3. Jim edits additional courses and enables them to be available for offline network learning.
  4. Jim automatically registers the appropriate users in the courses via Proxy Enrollment.
  5. Now that the courses are configured to be available for offline network learning, Jim wants to download the courses to a network location. With an active Internet connection, Jim installs the Offline Network Player and defines the network location for downloading content.
  6. After the Offline Network Player is installed, Jim logs in to the Offline Network Player and views the administrator options that are available.
  7. From the Options menu, Jim selects Download Courses. All courses that are available for download are displayed.
  8. Jim selects three courses and downloads them to the predefined network location.
  9. When the download process is complete, Jim finishes the configuration and the courses are available for launching offline from the network location.

Sam is an employee who works on the cruise ship for which Jim is the system administrator, and Sam must take training while on the cruise. The first time Sam logs in to the Offline Network Player, Sam must be connected to the Internet in order to authenticate his credentials with the online server.

  1. When an Internet connection is available, Sam accesses the Offline Network Player and logs in with his username and password.
  2. After the system validates his credentials, Sam's username and password are stored in an encrypted manner on the device.
  3. Sam views a progress wheel when his transcript is being synced with the online server. Once the transcript is synced, courses that are configured to be available for offline network learning are automatically locked on Sam's online transcript.
  4. Sam is now able to access the application on the same device and launch courses without an Internet connection.
  5. Sam can also register the application by logging in to the portal and defining a device under Devices in My Account. After registering the application, Sam's alias and PIN are stored in an encrypted manner on the device, and Sam can log in with the alias and PIN.

While on a cruise voyage, Sam access the Offline Network Player on the same device on which he registered.

  1. With no Internet connectivity, Sam logs in to the Offline Network Player and views his transcript.
  2. Sam launches one of the courses, makes progress, and completes the course. The course's progress and status are stored locally on the device in an encrypted manner.
  3. Sam launches another course. This course is not available on the local network. An error message appears, explaining that the course is not available.

After the administrator syncs the data with the online server, Sam accesses the online portal and views that his transcript is updated.

Considerations

  • The Offline Network Player must be installed on each device that will be utilized. Installation is done by the system administrator.
  • Each user must first log in to the Offline Network Player while connected to the Internet in order to be authenticated prior to completing training offline.
  • Users must complete the training on the same device on which they registered.
  • If a user completes the same training item online and offline, the sync feature applies the offline progress and overwrites the online progress unless the training item was completed online.
  • Courses must meet the technical requirements in order to be eligible for use with the Offline Network Player.
  • The following content standards are supported by the Offline Network Player: SCORM 1.2, SCORM 2004.
  • Courses that can only be run using an Internet Explorer (IE) browser cannot be completed via the Offline Network Player.

Security

The following permissions apply to this functionality:

PERMISSION NAME PERMISSION DESCRIPTION CATEGORY
My Account Devices - Manage Grants ability to access the Devices tab of My Account. The Devices tab enables users to register their mobile devices with the Cornerstone application. This permission cannot be constrained. This is an end user permission. Mobile
Offline Player Network Learning - Flag courses to be available Offline from a network location Grants administrators the ability to designate online courses as available to be completed offline a network location using the Offline Network Player. This designation is done via the Course Catalog. This permission is only available if the Offline Network Player is enabled. This permission cannot be constrained. This is an administrator permission. Learning - Administration
Offline Player Network Learning - Launch courses from a network location Grants end users the ability to access and utilize the Offline Network Player. This permission is only available if the Offline Network Player is enabled. This permission cannot be constrained. Learning
Offline Player Network Learning - Manage download courses and sync users' data Grants administrators the ability to download courses in order to be launched from a local network location. This permission also grants administrators the ability to sync users' data. This permission is only available if the Offline Network Player is enabled. This permission can be constrained by OU, User's OU, User, User's Self, User's Direct Reports, and User Self and Subordinates. This is an administrator permission. Learning - Administration