Overview

The Paths feature is a powerful and flexible way to build content. Paths offer you the same robust feature set as courses, along with the ability to add two additional types of sections: Course goals and Certificate goals.

1. A Course goal section requires learners to complete a specified course in order to complete the section.
   
2. A Certificate goal section requires learners to earn a certificate to complete the section. 
   

Note - Before creating Paths, ensure your administrator has installed the Paths app from the App center.

Creating a new path

To create a new path:

1. Click or hover over Courses on the primary navigation menu.
   
2. Click + Add from the fly-out menu.
   

The Add course pop-up displays.

1. Click Path to create a new path.
   
2. Click Path template to create a path template, which you can use to create new paths from.
1. Please note that if you create a path template, it automatically creates a deep copy of all referenced courses.
   

Note - if you do not see Paths as an option in the Add course pop-up, ensure the Paths app is installed on your platform. Additionally, your administrator may need to Disable old-style paths. To learn more, administrators can visit the Policies article. 

The Add path pop-up displays.

1. Name the path.
   
2. Select a Style for the path:
   
1. Instructor: Instructor-led training is a traditional approach to learning where a live instructor guides participants through the path content, either in-person or virtually.
   
2. Blended: Blended learning is a combination of instructor led and self paced learning. These paths may have scored assessments that only allow learners to proceed once they have achieved a certain score.
   
3. Self-paced: Self-paced learning allows learners to take the path anytime, anywhere. There is no schedule, no dates for particular modules, no due date for assessments, and no grading periods. 
   
4. Micro course: Selecting micro course results in a lightweight path that provides the learner with access to modules and sections, but fewer tabs.
3. Enter an optional course duration.
   
4. Click Save.
   

Copying an existing path

1. Access the existing path.
   
2. Click Admin from the path navigation menu.
   
3. Click Copy from the fly-out menu.
   

1. Click Course
   

The Copy pop-up displays. Much like courses, you can adjust the settings of the new Path.

1. Name the new path.
   
2. Select the Path Style:
   
1. Instructor
   
2. Blended
   
3. Self paced
   
4. Micro course
   
3. Enter the path Duration (optional).
   
4. Select the path Language and Time zone.
   
5. Enter a path Location (optional).
   
6. Enter a Course code (optional).
   
7. Enter a Section code (optional).
   
8. Enter the number of path Credits (optional).
   
9. Select the Organization for the new path.
   
10. Select a Grading scale:
    
1. Letters grading scale
   
2. Standard pass/fail grading scale
   
3. Standard regular grading scale
   

1. If your platform includes Custom fields, you can add them to your new course or course template.
   
2. When copying paths, you can enable the "Deep copy" option, which means that all the courses within the path will be also copied.
   
1. Please note that when copying path templates, this option is enabled by default.
   
3. Select Make the copy a child course to allow synchronization if you would like changes to the original path template to synchronize with the new path.
   
4. If you are creating a new path (and not a path template), select any Learners you want pre-enrolled in the new course.
   
1. You can add learners and students at any point after the path is created as well.
5. Click Submit.
   

Path settings

In the Enrolled display section, you can control how paths appear in the learners' Courses widget:

Adding goals to the learning path

The ability to add a course goal and a certificate goal are unique to learning paths.

1. Access the path.
   
2. Click Modules from the path navigation menu.
   
3. Click + Add.
   
4. Click New on the Add module pop-up.

The add module pop-up displays.

1. Enter a title and description (optional) for the module.
   
2. For instructor led and blended courses, enter an optional Location and Date.
   
3. Select a position for the module.
4. Click Save.
   

The Module overview displays.

1. Click + Add section.
   
2. Click the Goal tab in the Add section pop-up.
3. Click Course to add a course goal.
   
4. Click Certification to add a certificate goal.

If you select to add a course, the Add course goal pop-up displays.

1. Click + Select.
   
2. Select a course from the list.
   
1. Utilize the filter to quickly locate a course.
   
3. Click Submit.
   
4. Click Save on the Add course goal pop-up.
   

If you select to add a certification, the Add certificate goal pop-up displays.

1. Select a certificate from the list.
   
1. Utilize the filter to quickly locate a certificate.
   
2. Click Submit.
   

After they are added, course and certificate goal sections appear along with other section types. Paths allows you to create modules with a mix of sections, such as an introductory HTML section, a course goal section, and an assessment section. Paths also allow you to award certificates to learners.

Please note that if the course is set as a goal in a learning path, the enrollment automation action of the path will override course enrollment settings. The canned message in the target course is ignored when a learner is added via path automation. This allows the learning path to control the learner experience. 

1. Access the parent course or course template.
   
2. Click Admin from the course navigation menu.
   
3. Click Catalog on the fly-out menu.
   
4. Select the Include child courses? checkbox.
   

1. Access the child course.
   
2. Click Admin from the course navigation menu.
   
3. Click Catalog on the fly-out menu.
   
4. Select the Publish? checkbox.
   

1. Access the path.
   
2. Access a module.
3. Click + Add section.
   
4. Click the Goal tab in the Add section pop-up.
5. Click Course to add a course goal.
   
6. Click + Select.
   
7. Select the parent course or course template from the list.
   
8. Click Submit.
   
9. Click Save on the Add course goal pop-up.
   

Note that if a Course template is selected, only the child course sessions will display in the Select session panel. 

1. Select a session radio button in the Select session panel.
   
1. Note that course Duration displays as the session information. Location and Schedule times will also display as session information if available for the course. 
   
1. For Self-paced courses, the Duration field also displays. If the Duration field is blank, the Course name displays as the session name.
   
2. Click Enroll.
   

Adding course goals as assessments

Paths also support the ability to add course goals as assessments, allowing you to assign points, grading categories, and more. 

To add a course goal as an assessment:

1. Access a path.
   
2. Click Modules from the path navigation menu.
   
3. Click + Add.
   
4. Click New on the Add module pop-up.
5. Click the Goals tab.
   
6. Click Course.
   
7. Select a course.
   
8. Check the Treat as assessment checkbox.

Additional assessment options will display.

1. Enter a max score.
   
2. Select a category, module, grading method, and grading scale.
   
3. Enter optional instructions.
   
4. Click Save.
   

To edit a course goal added as an assessment:

1. Click Edit in the Assessment widget in the right panel. 
   

Course goals that are added as assessments will display in the path's score grid.

Please note that you cannot enter a score for a course goal since the score is a computed value. For example, if learners get 100% in a course, they will be awarded 100/100 for the course goal in the path's score grid.

Settings for path goals

You can adjust completion, visibility, and tag settings for a course or certificate goal in a path.

Completion

To adjust completion settings for a goal in a path:

1. Access a path.
   
2. Select a course or certificate goal.
   
3. Click the Completion tab.
   

The Completion options include:

1. Completion requirements: The completion requirement for the section is displayed.
   
1. To adjust completion requirement settings:
   
1. Click Admin from the path navigation menu.
   
2. Click Completion from the fly-out menu.
   
2. Module completion: Determine if the section is required for module completion by selecting or deselecting the checkbox.
   
3. Completion time estimate: Click + Add to add a completion time estimate.
   
4. Completion actions: Click + Add to add actions triggered by course completion. Actions can include hiding or showing modules, sections, and assessment, awarding badges or certificates, sending custom messages and more. 

Visibility

You can show and hide course and certificate goals from specific learners in a path.

To adjust visibility settings for a goal in a path:

1. Access a path.
   
2. Select a course or certificate goal.
   
3. Click the Visibility tab.

Visibility options include:

1. Visibility: Determine the goal's default setting, Shown or Hidden.
   
2. Filter: Click + Add to add a filter that will only show the goal to specific users. Visit the Visibility filters section of the Filters article to learn more.
   
3. Hidden: Click + Add to select the learners who will not see the goal.
   
1. The people picker will display, allowing you to select learners who will not see the goal.

Tags

To add tags to a goal in a path:

1. Access a path.
   
2. Select a course or certificate goal.
   
3. Click the Tags tab.
   
4. Click add.
   
5. Type in goals, using a comma to separate multiple goals.
   
6. Click save.

Delete path goals

To delete goals from a path:

1. Access a path.
   
2. Select a course or certificate goal.
   
3. Click Delete.

Instructor view

Paths display in a similar way to courses.

1. Paths you are teaching will display in the Teaching tab of the Courses widget on the home screen. Paths are listed alphabetically along with courses, and are indicated by a Path tag in the upper left corner.
   

1. Paths are indicated by the  Path icon.
   

1. Click the course or certificate goal section.
   
2. Click Visit to view the course.
   
3. Click Edit to add or edit the course or certificate goal instructions. 
   

Learner view

Paths display in a similar way to courses for learners.

1. Paths a learner is enrolled in will display in the Enrolled tab of the Courses widget on the home screen. Paths are listed alphabetically along with courses, and are indicated by a Path tag in the upper left corner.

1. The Path name displays in gray below the Course name. Learners can click the Path name to return to the path.
   
2. In the right panel, there is also a Path widget. Learners can click the Path name in the Path widget to navigate back to the path. 
   

Note that both path navigation options also display for instructors and teachers.

When learners reach a certificate section in a path, they will see the current status of their certification.

1. If the learner is not enrolled in a course that awards that certificate, the course will display.
   
2. Learners can click Enroll to enroll in the course. 
   

If there are multiple courses that award the certificate, the Enroll in class pop-up displays.

1. Learners can select a course and click Submit. 
   

Configuring a Path

To configure a Path:

1. Access the path.
   
2. Click Admin from the path navigation menu.
   
3. Click Configure from the fly-out menu.
   

Paths have the same configuration options and settings as courses. Visit the Configure courses and classes article to learn more.

Configuring right bar widgets

Path administrators can configure the right bar of the path landing page by adding, removing, and re-ordering its widgets. To learn more visit the Configuring right bar widgets section of the Courses article.

Note that if you customize the widgets for a specific learning path, it won't affect other paths. If you copy a learning path that has a custom widget configuration, the copy of the path will also have that custom configuration.

Custom report widgets

You can add custom report widgets to the right panels of learning paths. Please note that you can only attach widgets to scheduled reports that return a chart. To learn more, visit the Custom report widgets section of the Courses article. 

Adding users to learning paths

Adding learners and students

To add learners or students to a path:

1. Access a path.
   
2. Click Learners from the path navigation menu. 
   
3. Click + Add.
   

Adding learners to a path works in the same way as enrolling students in a course.  Visit the Enrolling learners section of the Learner and student management article.

Adding instructors

To add additional instructors to a path:

1. Access a path.
   
2. Click Instructors from the path navigation menu.
   
3. Click + Add.
   
4. You can add instructors using the people picker, email invitations, or enroll instructors from a file.
   
5. Note that only one instructor can be designated as the path owner.

Path settings

Paths offer several settings that allow you to automatically enroll learners and/or teachers into all courses within the path. To set-up automatic enrollment for courses within a path:

1. Access a path.
   
2. Click Admin from the path navigation menu.
   
3. Click Path from the fly-out menu.
   
4. Select the When a teacher is added to this class, also add them to all courses in the path to add a teacher to all the courses within a path.
   
5. Select the When a learner is enrolled into this class, also enroll them into all courses in the path to enroll a learner into all the courses within a path.
   
1. Please note that if a course has multiple sessions, the learner will NOT be automatically enrolled into that course, as they need to select the most applicable session to their schedule, timezone, or location.
   
6. Select the When a learner is reenrolled into this class, also reenroll them into all courses in the path to reenroll a learner into all the courses within a path if they are reenrolled in the path. This is a helpful setting if you expect learners to complete a path more than once.
   
7. Select the When a learner is unenrolled from this class, also unenroll them from all courses in the path to unenroll a learner from all the courses in a path if they are unenrolled from the path.
   

The Path tab also allows you to determine how the courses within a path will display when learners click Courses from the primary navigation menu. 

Path games

You can add games to paths, which allows learners to earn points and badges to advance through game levels. Learners and teams can compete against each other with points and rankings tracked on leaderboards.

To enable games for a path:

1. Access a path.
   
2. Click Admin from the path navigation menu.
   
3. Click Features from the fly-out menu.
   
4. Select the Games checkbox.

The set up and configuration of path games is the same as course games. To learn more about setting up your game, visit the Course game article.

Please note that the courses that are included as goal sections in the path can award points and badges to the path game.

1. For example, if the path includes the course "Introduction to CSS", you can add a completion action to "Introduction to CSS" that will award points and badges to the path game. 
   

Path rules

Much like courses, you can add actions to several functions within paths.

1. Access a path.
   
2. Click Admin from the path navigation menu.
   
3. Click Enrollment on the fly-out menu.
   
4. Click + Add in the Enrollment actions section to add an enrollment action.
   
5. Click + Add in the Unenrollment actions section to add action that takes place if learners are unenrolled.
   
6. Click + Add in the Unenrollment actions section to add action that takes place if learners are unenrolled.

1. Access a path.
   
2. Click Admin from the path navigation menu.
   
3. Click Completion on the fly-out menu.
   
4. Click + Add in the Completions actions section to add actions that are triggered by path completion.
   

Actions include adding learners to a group, course, or another path, awarding badges, sending custom notifications, and more. For more details on how to add rules, visit the Rules article.

Selling paths

Much like courses, you can set prices and sell paths using e-commerce. To set up the e-commerce options for a path:

1. Access a path.
   
2. Click Admin from the path navigation menu.
   
3. Click E-commerce from the fly-out menu.
   
4. Click Edit price to set a price for the path.

1. Enter a price.
   
2. Click Save.

To add a Purchase action:

1. Click + Add in the Purchase actions section.
   

The Add action pop-up displays.

1. Select a tab to view the available actions, such as adding the users to a group, enrolling them in a course, sending a custom notification, and more.
   
2. For more details on how to create actions, please visit the Rules article.
   

To add a coupon to the path:

1. Click + Add in the Coupons section. 
   
2. To learn more about setting up coupons, visit the Coupons section in the E-commerce article.

Paths in the catalog

It's important to publish your path to the catalog so that users can locate it. To publish your path:

1. Click Admin from the path navigation menu.
   
2. Click Catalog from the fly-out menu.
   
3. Select the Publish checkbox to publish the path.
   

1. Click Edit categories.
   
2. Select the categories you want the path to display in.
   
3. Click Save.
   
4. Click Add category if you would like to create a new category to place the path in.

1. Click Admin from the path navigation menu.
   
2. Click Basics from the fly-out menu.
   
3. Click Edit in the Overview section.
   

The Overview page displays.

1. Add a short description about the path.
   
2. Add a long description about the path. The HTML editor allows you to add images, files, videos, audio, and more.
   
3. Click Save. Your path is ready to be purchased!

For more details on e-commerce, please visit the E-commerce article.

Adding Path templates

Much like courses, you can create path templates. Path templates are paths without learners or enrollments that serve as a template from which you can easily create new paths.

1. Click Courses on the primary navigation menu.
   
2. Click Add on the fly-out menu.
   
3. Click Path template.
   

The Add a path template displays.

1. Name the path template.
   
2. Select a style for the path template:
   
1. Instructor.
   
2. Blended.
   
3. Self paced.
   
4. Micro course.
   
3. Add an optional duration.
   
4. Select an organization.
   

1. Click Courses from the main navigation menu.
   
2. Click List from the fly-out menu.
   
3. Click the Templates tab.
   
4. Path templates are listed along with course templates.
   
1. Path templates are indicated by the  Path icon.
   

Archiving paths

To archive a learning path:

1. Access a path.
   
2. Click Admin from the path navigation menu.
   
3. Click Archive from the fly-out menu. 
   
4. You will be asked if you want to confirm the path archival.
   

Note that when you archive a path, it does not automatically archive all of the courses in the path.

To reactivate paths:

1. Click Courses from the main navigation menu.
   
2. Click List from the fly-out menu.
   
3. Click the Archived tab.
   
4. Select the archived path.
   
5. Click Unarchive. 
   

Deleting paths

To delete a learning path:

1. Access a path.
   
2. Click Admin from the path navigation menu.
   
3. Click Delete.
   

1. Click the trash can icon in the top right menu.
   
2. Select the deleted path.
   
3. Click Restore.