oracle knowledge athways

ORACLE® KNOWLEDGE PATHWAYS MANAGER RELEASE 5.5.1 PART NO. E17396-01 MARCH 2010

ii Copyright © 1998, 2010, Oracle. All rights reserved.

COPYRIGHT Copyright © 1998, 2010, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

Part No. E17396-01

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Copyright © 1998, 2010, Oracle. All rights reserved. iii

ABOUT THE DOCUMENTATION Documentation consists of the following manuals and help systems. These manuals are delivered as PDF files that are stored in the folder where the Tools are installed.

• Designer: provides information on how to create, maintain, and publish content using the Designer tool. The content of this manual also appears in the Designer help system.

• Manager: provides information on maintaining the server settings as well as creating users, usergroups, workgroups, and learning paths using the Manager tool. The content of this manual also appears in the Manager help system.

• Title Manager: provides information on how to package, install, uninstall, and upgrade titles. The content of this manual also appears in the Title Manager help system.

• Custom Question: provides information on how to integrate custom questions into the assessments and Knowledge Checks in the Designer tool.

• Custom Reports: provides information on how to create and integrate custom reports in the Manager tool.

• User Interface: provides information on how to customize the User interface.

• Installation: provides information on how to install or upgrade the Web server, the database, and the tools.

Copyright © 1998, 2010, Oracle. All rights reserved. v

CONTENTS

1. Introduction...........................................................................1-1 Manager Overview...........................................................................1-1 Login.............................................................................................1-1 Add a Server at Login ......................................................................1-2

2. The Manager Interface...........................................................2-1 Expand/Collapse the Outline .............................................................2-1 Collections .....................................................................................2-1

View and Select Items in a Collection .............................................2-1 Sort Items in a Collection..............................................................2-2

3. Manage the Server .................................................................3-1 Set up the Server............................................................................3-1

Server Properties.........................................................................3-1 Content Root ..................................................................................3-4

Content Root Properties................................................................3-5 Edit and Delete Content Roots .......................................................3-6

Custom Reports ..............................................................................3-7 Custom Report Properties .............................................................3-7 Create a Custom Report Link.........................................................3-8 Edit and Delete a Custom Report Link.............................................3-8

Custom User Fields..........................................................................3-9 Data Types .................................................................................3-9 Field Options.............................................................................3-10 Edit and Delete a Custom User Field .............................................3-11

Title Categories.............................................................................3-11 Titles...........................................................................................3-12

Title Properties..........................................................................3-12 Workgroups..................................................................................3-13

Workgroup Properties.................................................................3-14 Edit and Delete a Workgroup.......................................................3-15 Use a Standard Username Pattern................................................3-15 Create a Custom Username Pattern..............................................3-16

4. Work with Users and Usergroups...........................................4-1 Manage Users .................................................................................4-1

General User Properties ................................................................4-1 Set User Permissions....................................................................4-3 Edit and Delete User Accounts .......................................................4-5 Enable a User to Run Custom Reports.............................................4-5 Enable a User as an Expert for Specific Titles ...................................4-6 Search for Users..........................................................................4-7 Clear Tracking Data for a User.......................................................4-7 Set Options for the Users Collection................................................4-7 Alternative Ways to Create User Accounts .......................................4-8

Manage Users and Usergroups ..........................................................4-9 Add One or More Users to a Usergroup ...........................................4-9 Add a User to One or More Usergroups ......................................... 4-10 Assign Dates to User Accounts in a Usergroup................................4-10 Create a New Usergroup from an Existing Usergroup ...................... 4-11 Remove Users from Usergroups ...................................................4-12

Usergroups...................................................................................4-13 Set Usergroup Properties ............................................................4-13

vi Copyright © 1998, 2010, Oracle. All rights reserved.

Delete a Usergroup.................................................................... 4-14

5. Manage Knowledge Paths ......................................................5-1 Present Content ..............................................................................5-1 Single-Activity Knowledge Paths ........................................................5-2 Multiple Activity Knowledge Paths ......................................................5-2 Create Knowledge Paths...................................................................5-2

Knowledge Path Properties............................................................5-3 Root Activity and Sub-Activities.........................................................5-4

Activities and Knowledge Path Types ..............................................5-4 Add an Activity to a Knowledge Path...............................................5-4 Set Activity Properties ..................................................................5-5 Edit and Delete Activities ............................................................ 5-11

Make Assignments......................................................................... 5-12 Assign Knowledge Paths to Usergroups ......................................... 5-12 Remove Knowledge Path Assignments .......................................... 5-13 Assign Dates to a Usergroup for Particular Knowledge Paths ............ 5-14 Assign Knowledge Paths to Single Users........................................ 5-14 Remove Users from Knowledge Paths ........................................... 5-15 Enroll Users via Copy and Paste ................................................... 5-16 View User Enrollment for a Knowledge Path................................... 5-17 View Enrollment Details for a User ............................................... 5-17 Expire User Enrollment in a Knowledge Path .................................. 5-18

Knowledge Path Categories............................................................. 5-18 Edit and Delete Knowledge Path Categories ................................... 5-19 Categorize a Knowledge Path ...................................................... 5-19 Edit, Move, Delete, and De-activate Knowledge Paths ..................... 5-19

6. Multiple Workgroups and Titles .............................................6-1 Multiple Workgroups ........................................................................6-1

Define Independent Management...................................................6-1 Add a Workgroup.........................................................................6-2 Control Usernames in Multiple Workgroups......................................6-2 Edit and Delete a Workgroup.........................................................6-2

Manage Titles .................................................................................6-3 Title Availability - Multiple Workgroups ...........................................6-3

Login Changes for Multiple Workgroups ..............................................6-4 Effects in the User Interface ..........................................................6-4 Effects in the Administrative Applications ........................................6-4

Designer and Multiple Workgroups.....................................................6-4

7. Integrated Security Manager .................................................7-1 Revoke User Authorization................................................................7-1 Integrated Security Manager and Multiple Domains ..............................7-1 Create Usergroups from Windows Groups ...........................................7-2 Remove Users from a Group .............................................................7-2 Clean up Accounts...........................................................................7-2 Work with Integrated Security Manager Options ..................................7-3 Use Manager to Authorize Users ........................................................7-3 Allow Users to Authorize Themselves .................................................7-4

8. User Import Utility .................................................................8-1 Set Up the Data File ........................................................................8-1 Configuring a Database Connection for Import.....................................8-2 Run the User Import Utility...............................................................8-4 Run the User Import Utility from a Command Line ...............................8-5

Copyright © 1998, 2010, Oracle. All rights reserved. vii

9. Reports ..................................................................................9-1 Report Types - Summary..................................................................9-1 Run Reports ...................................................................................9-1 Activity List Report ..........................................................................9-2 Assessment Analysis Report..............................................................9-3 Knowledge Path Summary Report ......................................................9-3 Knowledge Paths for Titles Report......................................................9-4 Skill Assessment Report ...................................................................9-5 Usage Frequency Report...................................................................9-6 Usage Summary Report ...................................................................9-7 User List Detail Report .....................................................................9-8 User Progress Report .......................................................................9-9 Usergroup List Report ....................................................................9-10 Workgroup List Detail Report .......................................................... 9-11 Workgroup Title Detail Report ......................................................... 9-12

10. Structure of the Content Root ............................................10-1 File Structure Example 1 (Title in Development) ................................ 10-1 File Structure Example 2 (Published)................................................10-1 Store Files in the Content Root ........................................................10-2

11. Personalized Content Logic ................................................11-1 Configure the Personalized Content..................................................11-1

12. Expert Advice.....................................................................12-1 Expert Advice in the User Interface ..................................................12-1

Ask a Question - Student ............................................................12-1 Answer a Question - Expert.........................................................12-1

13. Manager Authoring Standards and Best Practices..............13-1 Administration ..............................................................................13-1 Workgroups or Usergroups .............................................................13-1 Considerations for Backing Up.........................................................13-2

Back Up the Database ................................................................13-3 Back Up the Content Root ...........................................................13-3 Back Up User Interface Customization ..........................................13-3 Back Up Custom Reports ............................................................13-4

14. Index .................................................................................14-1

Introduction

Copyright © 1998, 2010, Oracle. All rights reserved. 1-1

Knowledge Pathways enables you to organize content and create a training curriculum that can be delivered to employees and/or customers through the Web. It consists of three main tools: Manager, Designer, and User. Manager allows configuration of the curriculum as well as account management and enrollment options. Designer provides the ability to organize training content in a subject outline and create questions and assessments. Training is delivered via User, which runs through a browser.

Knowledge Pathways has two other tools, Title Manager and Integrated Security Manager. Title Manager allows you to install, uninstall, upgrade, and package content. Integrated Security Manager allows you to map Windows accounts into Knowledge Pathways, so users can log into Knowledge Pathways with their network accounts.

Manager Overview Manager is the tool used to manage the delivery of training to users. This tool allows training managers to configure web-based training so that it meets the unique needs of an organization. A training manager can group users together and develop curricula that are perfectly tailored to meet the needs of specific groups.

Regardless of the material an organization teaches or develops, Manager is the interface in which managers decide how to present it. In Manager, training managers can add users, group users, and assign training subjects. With its flexible drag-and-drop outline and the ability to quickly add and delete items, Manager allows training managers to be creative in structuring training programs. Manager allows training managers to create prerequisites, assign training, and determine the feedback given to users.

Login When a Knowledge Pathways tool is launched, the login dialog box opens. This dialog box includes fields for the username and password, as well as settings for the server and workgroup. Your server administrator can provide you with your username and password.

You should see at least one server listed in the dialog box, or you may have access to multiple Knowledge Pathways servers. However, the first time you log into any tool, you may need to add a server (see Add a Server at Login). To complete the login process, you need to select the appropriate server, and you may need to choose a workgroup. A workgroup is a collection of related users, groups of users, and knowledge paths. The Master workgroup is the default workgroup, however, the system administrator can create additional workgroups as necessary. If multiple workgroups exist and usernames must be unique for all workgroups, the Workgroup list box displays the message “No workgroup selection required” as Knowledge Pathways recognizes the workgroup according to the username, since it is unique.

The Language option in the login dialog box allows you to select the language of the tool. Currently, the tools are only available in English.

Knowledge Pathways includes one administrative account by default. This account has Administer Server permissions on the system. It can be renamed and given a new password; however, it cannot be deleted. As a default, the Master account uses admin for both its username and password, or the Windows user ID and password of the person who installed the server. The system administrator should change these defaults (or at least the password) in Manager. You can set up additional user accounts with Administer Server permissions; however, there is only one master account. You may also be able to log in using your Windows log in credentials.

1. Introduction

Introduction

1-2 Copyright © 1998, 2010, Oracle. All rights reserved.

After you log into any tool for the first time, a registry entry is created to store the last username typed and server selected in the login dialog box. The next time you log into any tool, you only need to type your password.

To login to Manager:

1. Click the Start menu.

2. Point to the All Programs command.

3. Point to the Knowledge Pathways Tools command.

4. Select Manager.

5. Enter a username and password.

or

Use your current Windows login account.

6. Select the desired server in the Connect to list box. If a server does not appear, see Add a Server at Login.

7. Click the Workgroup field to display a list of available workgroups, if applicable.

8. Select the desired workgroup, if applicable.

9. Click OK.

Add a Server at Login You may need to add a new server during the login process. Once you add a server, it appears in the Connect to list box and you can select it when you log in. This feature allows you to connect to and manage multiple Knowledge Pathways servers from a single workstation.

To add a server at login:

1. Open the login dialog box.

2. Click Add.

3. Type the server URL in the appropriate format, such as http://kpserver1/kpdata.

4. Click OK.

Note: You can delete a server in the login dialog box by selecting the server in the Connect to list box, clicking Delete, and then clicking OK to confirm the deletion.

The Manager Interface


The Manager interface is divided into two panes. The left pane is the Outline pane, which contains a collapsible and expandable outline enabling you to navigate. The right pane is the Properties pane, which enables you to change the properties for the item selected in the Outline pane. To display more or less of either pane, move the mouse pointer over the bar that separates them so that the pointer changes into a double-headed arrow and drag the bar to the left or right as needed.

Depending upon your permissions, the collections in the Outline pane may vary. If you are a server administrator with the highest level of permission in Knowledge Pathways, all collections are available in the Manager window. If you are a workgroup manager, only the workgroup collection for the workgroup you manage appears in the Manager window.

Expand/Collapse the Outline The outline hierarchy appears in the Outline pane. When you select an item in the Outline pane, its properties appear in the Properties pane to the right.

Expand and collapse symbols (+/-) appear next each collection. A plus (+) symbol means that the collection is collapsed and the hierarchy is hidden. A minus (-) symbol means that the collection is expanded and the hierarchy is visible.

To expand/collapse the outline:

1. Click the collection or item in the Outline pane to select it.

You can also double-click a collection to expand or collapse it.

2. Click the plus symbol (+) to the left of the collection or item you want to expand.

3. Click the minus item symbol (-) to the left of the collection or item you want to collapse.

Collections A collection is any item in the outline that contains other items, such as the collections of knowledge paths, usergroups, path categories, and users in a workgroup. When a collection is selected in the outline, a list of its contents appears in the Properties pane. You can view the contents in the Properties pane in two ways using the List view or the Details view.

View and Select Items in a Collection The List view displays the items in the collection by name only, without any details. This view shows multiple columns of items when the number of items in a collection is large.

The Details view displays key details of the items in the list in a column format. The column headings indicate the type of information displayed in each column.

To view and select items in a collection:

1. In the Outline pane, click the collection you want to view.

2. Click List.

3. Click Details.

2. The Manager Interface

The Manager Interface


4. To select an item in a view, click it. To select more than one item, you can use the standard Windows selection keys (CTRL+click and SHIFT+click).

Sort Items in a Collection Clicking a column heading sorts the items in the collection by the information in that column in ascending order. An arrow in the column heading indicates which heading is currently being used for the sort and the sort direction; a down arrow indicates a descending sort order and an up arrow indicates an ascending sort order. Each time you click the column heading, you reverse the sort order.

To sort items in a collection:

1. In the Outline pane, click the collection you want to sort.

2. Click Details.

3. Click the column heading by which you want to sort.

4. Continue to click the column headings to sort the information as desired.

Manage the Server


If you have logged in to Manager with Administer Server rights, you will see an icon representing the Knowledge Pathways server at the top of the outline hierarchy. This icon is identified by the text Server followed by the server name.

Set up the Server There are several collections listed below the server in the outline. Only individuals with Administer Server permission can view and modify all Manager collections.

Collection Description

Content Roots This collection contains one or more paths that define the location of content files on the server. The content root contains files for both titles created or installed on the server.

Custom Reports This collection contains a list of links to custom reports. Custom User Fields

This collection contains additional data fields for recording user information.

Title Categories This collection contains title and AU categories used to organize related titles and AUs.

Titles This collection contains a list of the titles created and published or installed on the server.

Workgroups This collection contains all workgroups defined on the server.

Server Properties The Server Properties pane displays a variety of settings that affect what end users can access, as well as server information.

Property Description

ID Unique identification number for the server, generated during the initial installation and configuration. An ID is only valid on one server; use of the same ID on multiple servers will cause Knowledge Pathways to operate incorrectly. Once generated, the ID cannot be changed.

Name Alphanumeric field that identifies the server with a user-friendly name. Enter the name by typing any alphanumeric string up to 50 characters in length. The server name appears in the Knowledge Pathways - Manager login dialog box. It is not to be confused with the machine name, which includes a file path.

Current user count

This field automatically updates; therefore, it is not editable. It reflects the total number of users created in all workgroups on the server.

Server URL Location where the public Knowledge Pathways files are stored. It must be completed in order for Knowledge Pathways to function properly. The server URL is used in Designer for previewing titles and using templates. When entering the URL, you should type the virtual directory from which Knowledge Pathways launches. You will be unable to start the Designer or Title Manager applications if this field is not completed.

3. Manage the Server

Manage the Server


User Permissions on the Server

You can set specific permissions that affect how Knowledge Pathways is used.

Permission Description

Create accounts Users can create their own accounts when logging into the User interface. The New User option appears on the login page in the User interface.

Modify profiles Users can modify the properties of their user profiles in the User interface.

Search subjects Users can locate content containing the search criteria they specify. The Search link appears on the home page in the User interface.

Save last login Users can select this option to bypass the login page the next time they access the User interface. The Save my username and password option appears on the login page in the User interface.

Have blank passwords

Users can log into Knowledge Pathways tools without a password. A password is not required when a user account is created.

Use the notebook Users can take notes and bookmark sections as they work in an Knowledge Pathways subject. The Notebook link appears on the home page in the User interface.

Change their Password

Users can change their passwords from within the User interface. This option only affects existing accounts. If this option is disabled, passwords must be changed in Manager.

Access help files Users can access help in the User interface or the tutorial. A Help link appears in the User interface, and an Knowledge Pathways Tutorial link is available on the home page. You may want to disable this option if the User interface is customized, to prevent users from being confused by inconsistent terminology.

Search all published content

By default in the User interface, users can only search content in the Knowledge Paths in which they are enrolled. Select this option to allow users to search all of the published content on the server.

Warning: By allowing users to create their own accounts, the training manager relinquishes control of user management, in which case it is possible for a user to have multiple user accounts. To avoid this situation, disable the Create accounts option. On the other hand, if you have a large number of users, you may want to allow them to create their own accounts to simplify the account creation process.

Integrated Security Options

Knowledge Pathways includes an Integrated Security Manager application, which enables an organization to map its employees' NT accounts to create Knowledge Pathways user accounts. In this configuration, users navigate to the server URL and are either prompted for their NT usernames and passwords or brought directly to the Knowledge Pathways home page.

The NT Integrated, WEB Server is in a Domain, WEB Server installed on Domain Controller, and Default Domain options are configuration settings that are made when Knowledge Pathways is installed. For more information on these options, see the Installation guide.

Manage the Server


Expert Advice Options

Expert Advice allows students to communicate with subject matter experts while taking a subject in the User interface. The Expert Advice Enabled option is selected by default. However, to use expert advice, you need to set up experts for the available titles and knowledge paths. If your organization wants to have email messages sent when questions and answers are posted, you also need to set up a server email account. See the General Options section that follows for information on entering the server email.

If you choose not to use expert advice and disable the Expert Advice Enabled option, the Expert Advice links do not appear in the User interface. For information on how expert advice works in the User interface, see Expert Advice.

General Options

You can set general options that affect the behavior of Knowledge Pathways.

Option Description

Server E-mail The email address through which messages from the system are sent. It is important that you complete this field if your organization wants to send messages when expert advice questions and answers are posted in the User interface. In addition, only when this field is completed will the Forgot your password? link appear on the login page in the User interface. This feature enables a user to request his/her password. When a student or expert posts an item in the User interface, the student or expert receives notification of the posting in an email message. The sender of the email is the address typed in the Server email field. Therefore, if the Server email field contains [email protected], students and experts receive messages from this address when questions and answers are posted in the User interface. Likewise, if a user forgets his/her password, the user receives an email message from [email protected] containing a link to a page where his/her password can be changed.

Usernames must be Unique across Workgroups

Knowledge Pathways includes the Master workgroup by default. A workgroup is a collection of users, usergroups, and knowledge paths. By default, this option is off so the same username can exist in more than one workgroup since information cannot be shared across workgroups. If your organization operates in a multiple workgroup environment, you can enable this option to prevent duplicate usernames in the workgroups and still keep information separate. When this option is enabled, users do not need to select a workgroup when logging into the User interface or administrative applications. The Workgroup list box in the login dialog box displays the message “No workgroup selection required” as Knowledge Pathways recognizes the workgroup according to the username, since it is unique. The only time workgroup selection is required is when a user is creating a new account in the User interface.

Manage the Server


Option Description

Check User Dates You can enable the Check User Dates option to display a message regarding account expiration on the home page in the User interface. You enter a number of days in the User Expiration Warning Days field. The account expiration message displays within a certain number of days of expiration. For example, if the number in the User Expiration Warning Days is 5, a user would receive a message five days before account expiration and each day until the account expires. The expiration message appears in red text in the Welcome area on the home page.

Enforce Minimum Password Length

The Enforce Minimum Password Length option is only available when the Have blank passwords option in the Server Properties pane is disabled. When the Have blank passwords option is disabled, each user account must have a password. You can enable the Enforce Minimum Password Length option and then type a number in the Minimum Password length field to require passwords to have at least a certain number of characters. When this feature is enabled, managers and users creating or updating an account receive a warning message if the password does not meet the minimum. The manager or user must then revise the password until the minimum length requirement is met.

End User Default Language

The language selected from the End User Default Language list box determines what users see when they log into the User interface.

Subject Outline visible by default

The Subject Outline visible by default option controls what a user sees the first time he/she accesses the subject interface. When this option is enabled, users see a subject outline in the left pane. When this option is disabled, the first AU or section in the subject appears; users can then navigate the outline sequentially. In either situation, however, the user can hide or display the subject outline. The outline will then remain displayed or hidden each time the user accesses the subject, until he/she changes the view again.

Maximum Inactivity Time

If on, a course will timeout due to inactivity that exceeds the amount of time specified in the Minutes field. If the course times out, the end user receives a message stating "The current activity has exceeded the timeout."

Minutes The number of minutes a course will time out due to inactivity if the Maximum Inactivity Time field is on. If active, the number of minutes defaults to 15.

To change General Server options:

1. In the Outline pane, click the Server icon.

2. Modify the properties as desired.

3. On the File menu, choose Save.

Content Root A content root is the directory on the server where content files for both created and installed titles are stored. When presenting subjects and assessments in the User interface, Knowledge Pathways needs to know exactly where the content files are stored on the server. It is necessary to provide a content root for all titles being created or installed. Typically, one content root is created and configured during the installation

Manage the Server


process. However, if you have Administer Server permissions, you can create additional content roots as desired.

The content root itself is simply a directory on the server. Content files for each title are stored in a unique directory within the content root, referred to as the title directory. The title directory contains additional sub-directories in which content files for particular AUs are stored. In addition, common directories are included in the content root for files used in multiple AUs in a title. For more information on this directory structure, see Structure of the Content Root.

Content Root Properties A content root is made up of one or more types of paths. A URL is required, along with either a UNC or FTP location. The web path (URL) tells the web browser where to “point” to access content, while the network path (UNC) physically locates the content on a file system. An FTP path is necessary if the content resides at an FTP site or if content will be installed via the Internet. If FTP is not used, the UNC path must be shared in order for designers to access and install titles. In addition, designers need “change” permissions for this directory, and users need “read” permissions.

All content root paths should point to the same location on the machine. They define how various protocols (http, ftp, network access) locate the Knowledge Pathways content and files. Before any Knowledge Pathways titles can be created or installed, a content root must be defined.


Name A user-friendly name for the content root. This is a required field. The content root name appears to authors in the Designer application, where a content root is needed to create a new title. A content root is also used in Title Manager when content is installed or uninstalled.

URL (http) Location of content on a web server. It calls for the format inherent to web servers; for example, http://servername/mainroot/. This path is necessary in order for users to access content in the User interface and authors to preview titles in Designer.

UNC The physical location of content on the server. This path is needed for all server transactions. In addition, this location is used by the Title Manager application when packaging titles and installing/uninstalling content. It also defines where an author creates the directory to store content. If you enter an FTP path, it overrides the UNC path.

FTP The physical location of content on an FTP (file transfer protocol) server; for example, ftp://servername/mainroot. This path is used in the web server configuration to allow authors to transfer files between their local machine and an FTP server. It defines where titles can be installed and where new titles are created. It overrides the UNC path. When an FTP path is used, you can store an FTP username and password in the Content Root Properties pane. For security reasons, you will not want to allow anonymous FTP access to your servers. The FTP Username and FTP Password fields allow you to embed the security information in Knowledge Pathways, instead of prompting users each time it is needed in Designer and Title Manager.

Manage the Server



FTP Username If you are using FTP to save and transfer files to the server, an FTP username and password may be required. When a username is entered in Manager, authors are not prompted for one when creating or saving titles in Designer or using Title Manager features. If the FTP Username and FTP Password fields are left blank, authors are prompted for a username and password when necessary in Designer and Title Manager.

FTP Password If you are using FTP to save and transfer files to the server, an FTP username and password may be required. When a password is entered in Manager, authors are not prompted for one when creating or saving titles in Designer or using Title Manager features. If this field is left blank, authors are prompted for an FTP username and password when necessary in Designer and Title Manager.

Warning: Do not use any spaces when typing the content root paths.

To create a new content root:

1. In the Outline pane, click the Content Roots collection.

2. On the File menu, choose New Content Root.

3. Type the name of the content root.

4. In the URL (http) field in the Paths area, type the URL path in the appropriate format (for example, http://servername/contentroot/).

5. In the UNC field, type the UNC path in the appropriate format (for example, \\servername\contentroot\, if applicable.

6. In the FTP field, type the FTP path in the appropriate format (for example, ftp://servername/contentroot), if applicable.

7. Complete the FTP Username and FTP Password fields, if applicable.


9. Type the FTP password again in the Re-type Password field.

10. Click OK.

Edit and Delete Content Roots You can display the properties of a content root in the Properties pane and make the necessary changes at any time. You can also delete content roots that you no longer need. Deleting the content root does not delete the physical directory from the server.

To edit content root properties:

1. In the Outline pane, expand the Content Roots collection.

2. Click the content root you want to edit.

3. Edit the content root properties as desired.


Manage the Server


To delete a content root:

1. In the Outline pane, expand the Content Roots collection.

2. Click the content root you want to delete.

3. On the Edit menu, choose Delete Content Root.

4. Click Yes to delete the content root.

Custom Reports Knowledge Pathways provides a default set of reports that can be run from the User interface. If you need other reports, you can create custom reports and set permissions to make them available to specific users. To do this, you follow these general steps:

1. Using any tool of your choice, create a report that connects to the Knowledge Pathways SQL database and retrieves the information. See the Custom Report guide for more information.

2. Save the report in a format that can be viewed in a browser and copy it to a Web server so that it has a URL. See the Custom Report guide for more information.

3. In Manager, create a Custom Report link for the report.

4. In Manager, set the user permissions for the custom report.

In Manager, custom reports are added at the server level, therefore, you must have Administer Server permission to see the Custom Report collection and work with custom reports. If you are working in a multiple workgroup environment, these reports are available to users in all workgroups.

Custom Report Properties Custom reports have the following properties:


Name A unique, user-friendly name for the custom report. This is a required field. The custom report name appears to users in the User interface.

URL Location of the custom report on a web server. It must start with http:// or https://; for example, http://servername/contentroot/. The path should also include the filename of the report. This is a required field.

Description A brief description of the purpose and contents of the report. This appears to users in the User interface below the name of the report.

Active When enabled, the custom report is available in the User interface, provided a user has permissions to run the report. When this option is disabled, the report is not available from within the User interface.

User Parameters User parameters can be appended to the report URL through a query string. The parameters are used by the external report for report-level authentication and/or criteria. The user parameters include USERID, WORKGROUPID and any custom user fields of the following types: Text, Boolean, Numeric, Date/Time and Single Select List. Large Text and Unordered List custom user fields cannot be used as parameters.

Manage the Server



Visible to Workgroups

This section controls if the report is visible to workgroups. You can set visibility to all workgroups (default) or selected work groups. If the Selected Workgroups button is selected, a list of workgroups displays allowing you to choose the work groups where the report will be visible.

Create a Custom Report Link When you create a custom report link in Manager, you create the link to the report using the URL. Each custom report must have a unique name. This name appears in the User interface.

To create a custom report link:

1. In the Outline pane, click the Custom Reports collection.

2. On the File menu, choose New Custom Report.

3. Type the name of the report.

4. Click in the URL field and enter the URL for the location of the report. Be sure to include the filename of the report.

5. Click in the Description field and enter a description for the report.

6. Select or deselect the Active option, as desired.

7. In the User Parameters group, select the desired parameters.


Edit and Delete a Custom Report Link You can change the properties of a custom report at any time. You can delete custom report links you no longer need. Deleting the link does not delete the report itself.

To edit the properties of a custom report link:

1. In the Outline pane, expand the Custom Reports collection.

2. Click the custom report you want to edit.

3. Edit the report properties as desired.


To delete a custom report link:

1. In the Outline pane, expand the Custom Reports collection.

2. Click the custom report you want to delete.

3. On the Edit menu, choose Delete Custom Report.

4. Click Yes.

Manage the Server


Custom User Fields Knowledge Pathways provides a default set of fields that are part of all user accounts, such as First Name, Last Name, and Username. If you have Administer Server permissions, you can add custom user fields to record additional user information. Custom user fields are added at the server level. Therefore, if you are working in a multiple workgroup environment, these fields appear in all user accounts, regardless of workgroup.

Custom user fields are created using the Custom User Fields collection in the Outline pane. Every custom field must have a name; this name appears as a field label in the New User dialog box. The name can be any alphanumeric string up to 50 characters in length.

Note: Clicking Name Translation to the right of the Name field opens the Translate Items - Custom User Field dialog box. In addition, Translate appears in the Pick List area for Single Select List and Unordered List custom user fields. Clicking this opens the Translate Lists - Custom User Field dialog box.

Data Types There are seven possible data types for custom user fields. You use the Type list box to choose the data type.

Type Description

Text The input can be any string of characters. A blank field appears in the dialog box. The minimum and maximum length of the entry can be specified.

Numeric The input must be a number. A blank field appears in the dialog box. If anything other than numeric characters is entered, Knowledge Pathways notifies the user and does not save the input.

Date/Time The input must be a date and/or a time. A blank field appears in the dialog box. Dates can be typed in numeric format, or in a format such as December 20, 2008, which is automatically converted when typed. Time must be typed using a colon to separate hours and minutes. As long as one digit follows the colon, the time will be saved (using zeros in place of any omitted digits). For invalid input, Knowledge Pathways notifies the user and does not save the input.

Boolean The input can be True or False. A list displays the choices True and False in the dialog box. By default, a Boolean field displays (None).

Large Text The input is a large amount of text in which a manager or user can type notes or other information (for example, job description) about an account.

Single Select List

Provides a list of options from which one option can be selected. Once created, a list automatically appears when the field is selected. Knowledge Pathways includes an additional option of (None) when the list is displayed.

Unordered List Provides a list of options from which multiple options can be selected. In Manager, each item in the list box appears with a checkbox to its left. A manager can scroll the list to view all options and then click the checkbox for each desired option. In the User interface, the options appear in a list box and end users can use CTRL and/or SHIFT to select multiple options.

Manage the Server


Field Options For each field type, one or more of the following options may appear.

Option Description

Value Required Marks a custom field as required and the field name appears in red text. This requires a manager or user to enter data in the field, or the record will not be saved.

User Can View Value

Enables a user to view a custom user field in the User interface. If the User Can Modify Value option is also enabled, the user can also modify the entry in the field. If this option is disabled, the custom field does not appear in the User interface, and the User Can Modify Value option is disabled automatically.

User Can Modify Value

Enables a user to modify a custom user field in the User interface. This field can only be selected when the User Can View Value option is enabled. If this option is disabled, a user can view the information in the field, which was typed in Manager, as long as the User Can View Value option is enabled, but cannot modify it.

Minimum length of value

Specify the minimum length of the text typed into a text field. If the Minimum length of value option is disabled, there is no minimum length required on the entry.

Maximum length of value

Specify the maximum length of the text typed into a text field. If the Maximum length of value option is disabled, the entry can be a maximum of 255 characters.

To create a text, numeric, date/time, Boolean, or large text field:

1. In the Outline pane, click the Custom User Fields collection.

2. On the File menu, choose New Custom User Field.

3. Type the name of the new field.

4. Select the desired data type from the Type list.

5. Set the field options by selecting/deselecting options or typing field lengths as desired.


To create a single select list or unordered list field:

1. In the Outline pane, click the Custom User Fields collection.

2. On the File menu, choose New Custom User Field.

3. Type the name of the new field.

4. Select the Single Select List or Unordered List data type from the Type list.

5. Set the field options by selecting/deselecting options as desired.

6. Click in the first row in the Name column.

7. Type the first list option.

8. Continue adding values until the list box is complete.


Manage the Server


Edit and Delete a Custom User Field You can change the properties of a custom user field by editing it. However, when you edit a field, all existing entries are impacted by the changes. If you make an existing field required and it is not complete in an existing account, a user or manager updating account information will be prompted to complete the field at that time.

You can delete custom user fields you no longer need. When you delete a custom user field, it is deleted from each user account.

To edit a custom user field:

1. In the Outline pane, expand the Custom User Fields collection.

2. Click the custom user field you want to edit.

3. Edit the field properties as desired.


To delete a custom user field:

1. In the Outline pane, expand the Custom User Fields collection.

2. Click the custom user field you want to delete.

3. On the Edit menu, choose Delete Custom User Field.

4. Click Yes.

Title Categories In the Title Categories collection, an administrator can create categories to organize titles. Categorizing titles is helpful as it enables both authors and training managers to navigate a long list of titles more easily. Categories are created in Manager and selected in Designer when a new title is created. When titles are installed on the server, they are put in the default category, which is General. However, the category for both installed and published titles can be changed in Manager in the Title Properties pane. Installed titles are titles created on another server and installed on the current server. Published titles are titles created on the current server, which are published at completion, making them available to end users.

To create new title categories:

1. In the Outline pane, click the Title Categories collection.

2. On the File menu, choose New Category.

3. Type the category name.


To delete a title category:

1. In the outline pane, expand the Title Categories collection.

2. Click the cateogry you want to delete.

3. On the Edit menu, choose Delete Category.

4. Click Yes.

Manage the Server


Titles The Titles collection lists the titles created and published in Designer, or installed on the server. Only published titles appear in Manager; titles still in development do not appear. Subject authors publish a title upon completion; however, they can edit the development copy at any time and re-publish it.

In Manager, it is possible to make changes to a title's properties in the Properties pane, including the workgroups to which it is available. Only users with Administer Server permissions can modify title properties. For more information on managing titles in a multiple workgroup environment, see Multiple Workgroups and Titles.

You can sort titles by name, owner, or title category by selecting the Titles collection, clicking Details view on the toolbar, and then clicking the column heading by which you want to sort.

Note: You can use the Re-index Titles command on the Tools menu to rebuild the indexes in the rare situation where they become corrupt or were not built correctly.

Title Properties The following properties are available for a title:


Name Displays the name of the title and cannot be edited. Titles created and published on the server can be renamed in Designer and re-published. Manager reflects the new name once the title is published again. Titles installed on the server cannot be renamed.

Owner List box that contains all workgroups on the server. The workgroup displayed in this field is the owner workgroup. Only users in the owner workgroup with the appropriate permissions (or users with Administer Server or Manage Authors permissions in any workgroup) may modify titles in Designer. By default, the owner is the workgroup in which the titles were created.

The title is available to these workgroups

List box that indicates the workgroups that can access the title. This list box includes all workgroups on the server. Selecting the checkbox to the left of a workgroup gives the workgroup access to the title and its AUs for use in knowledge paths. The title or AU will appear the next time a manager attempts to select a title or AU for use in a knowledge path. In Designer, authors in the workgroup can open a title belonging to another workgroup in read-only mode. Workgroups not given access to a title will not have the title available when creating knowledge path activities.

Category Lists the category to which the title belongs. Categorizing titles is helpful as it enables both title authors and training managers to navigate a long list of titles more easily. Categories are created in Manager and selected in Designer when a new title is created. Installed titles are put in the General category by default. However, you can change the category in the Title Properties pane for both installed and published titles as desired.

Manage the Server



Expert Advice The Expert Advice area displays all users designated as experts. Expert Advice enables end users to communicate with subject matter experts as they take subjects in the User interface. The training manager or server administrator can select experts to be available for each title. When a knowledge path is created and a title or AU is selected, the Expert Advice list box in the Activity Properties pane displays all experts for the title. The training manager can then select one or more experts for the current path. By default, the Expert Advice feature is available. However, you can disable expert advice if your organization is not using this feature.

Warning: If you attempt to disable all experts for a selected title, a warning message appears, informing you that disabling these experts disables them for the knowledge paths as well.

To edit title properties:

1. In the Outline pane, expand the Titles collection.

2. Click the title you want to edit.

3. Click the Owner list box to change the owner workgroup, if applicable.

4. Click the new owner workgroup for the title.

5. If multiple workgroups are available, click the checkbox to the left of each workgroup to which the title should be available.

6. Click the Category list box.

7. Click the desired title category.

8. If Expert Advice is enabled, click the checkbox to the left of each user in the Expert Advice area that you want to designate as an expert for the current title. Users only appear in the Expert Advice area if user accounts are created, and users considered subject matter experts in the title content are enabled as experts.


Workgroups A workgroup is an organizational group of users, defined by managers in the Outline pane of Manager. Workgroups contain individual user accounts, groups of related users, and knowledge paths. Workgroups are designed to correspond with independently managed corporate sites or divisions.

The Workgroups collection in the outline contains one item by default. The default workgroup, called Master, cannot be deleted. Depending upon your particular organization, the Master workgroup may be the only workgroup you need. If you choose to create multiple workgroups, be aware that you cannot share information, such as user accounts and knowledge paths, between workgroups. However, titles can be shared between workgroups. If desired, you can create usergroups within a workgroup to organize users and manage enrollment. For more information on using multiple workgroups, see Multiple Workgroups and Titles.

Manage the Server


Workgroup Properties When a workgroup is selected, the properties for that workgroup appear in the Properties pane. The settings in the Properties pane for the workgroup apply to all users and groups in the workgroup. Following is a description of each workgroup property.

Option Description

Name Can be any alphanumeric string up to 50 characters in length. Self enroll When the Self enroll option in the User has permission to area

is enabled, users in the workgroup can enroll in or withdraw from knowledge paths available for self-enrollment, as determined by the training manager (see Manage Knowledge Paths for more information). When the Self enroll option for the workgroup is disabled, users cannot self-enroll in any knowledge paths; the manager must enroll all users in the available knowledge paths. In addition, users do not see the Enroll or Withdraw from Knowledge Paths link in the User interface when this option is disabled. If you disable the Self enroll option at the workgroup level and knowledge paths exist with the Self enroll option enabled, the Self enroll option will be disabled for those paths.

System generates

When the Username field using this pattern option is enabled, usernames are generated automatically using the information typed in the First Name and/or Last Name fields for a new user. You can indicate the username pattern by selecting one of the standard patterns provided by Knowledge Pathways, or by creating a custom pattern. Enabling the Username field using this pattern option helps to ensure that usernames are generated uniformly. Usernames are not case-sensitive. For information on creating patterns, see Use a Standard Username Pattern or Create a Custom Username Pattern. The username pattern should be chosen during the initial setup of the workgroup. Changes to the pattern are not retroactive, and affect only users added after the change.

User Counts Knowledge Pathways automatically updates the Current number of users in Workgroup field; therefore, this field is not editable. It reflects the total number of users created for the currently selected workgroup. The Specify user limit for this Workgroup field can be edited by users with Administer Server permissions. An administrator can type the maximum number of user accounts that can be created in this workgroup. This value can be any number desired; however, the number of users in the current workgroup and all other workgroups on the server cannot exceed the value in the User limit field in the Server Properties pane. The license key entered during installation controls the maximum number of users that can be created on the server.

To create a new workgroup:

1. In the outline pane, click the Workgroups collection.

2. On the File menu, choose New Workgroup.

3. Enter the name of the workgroup.

4. Click the Self enroll option to enable or disable this feature, as desired.

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5. Click the Username field using this pattern option to enable or disable this feature, as desired.

6. Use a standard pattern or create a custom pattern as desired.

7. Click the Specify user limit for this Workgroup option, if applicable.

8. Click the Specify user limit for this Workgroup field, if applicable.

9. Type the maximum number of users that can be created in the current workgroup, if applicable.


To modify workgroup properties:

1. In the Outline pane, expand the Workgroups collection.

2. Click the Master workgroup or the workgroup for which you want to set properties.


Edit and Delete a Workgroup You can edit the name of a workgroup, as well as change enrollment settings and a username pattern. Changes made to the workgroup properties affect all user accounts created after the changes are made. Therefore, if you set a username pattern, only new accounts are impacted.

You can delete a workgroup you no longer need. However, when deleting a workgroup it is important to remember that all items in the workgroup are deleted and all tracking data is lost.

To edit a workgroup:


2. Click the workgroup you want to edit.

3. Edit the workgroup properties as desired.


To delete a workgroup:


2. Click the workgroup you want to delete.

3. On the Edit menu, choose Delete Workgroup.

4. Click Yes.

Use a Standard Username Pattern The Choose from the standard patterns list box includes four predefined patterns, represented by a code. The number in parentheses following the letter F in the code refers to the number of characters that should be used from the user's first name. The number in parentheses following the letter L in the code refers to the number of characters that should be used from the user's last name. If a name has fewer characters than are specified in a username pattern, all characters are used.

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The following table describes the four standard username patterns available, and shows the usernames that each pattern would create for a user with the name Stephanie Morganstern:

Code Pattern Username Generated

F(4)L(4) First four characters of first name, first four characters of last name

StepMorg

L(4)F(4) First four characters of last name, first four characters of first name

MorgStep

L(8) First eight characters of last name Morganst F(*) All characters in the first name,

regardless of the number of letters in the first name

Stephanie

If you use a set username pattern, you should determine how to handle duplicate usernames. For example, if you use the first character in the first name and all characters in the last name, you could have two BSmith usernames (for example, Barbara Smith and Bruce Smith). In this situation, you could add a number at the end of one of the user's last names to have BSmith and BSmith1.

To use a standard username pattern:


2. Click the Master workgroup or the workgroup for which you want to set a username pattern.

3. Click the Username field using this pattern option to enable this feature.

4. Click the Choose from the standard patterns list.

5. Click the desired pattern.


Create a Custom Username Pattern You can create a custom username pattern by specifying the number of characters from the first and/or last names in the Number of characters from FIRST name and Number of characters from LAST name fields. If you want to use all characters in the first or last name, you can type an asterisk (*) in the appropriate field. After indicating the number of characters to use, you can indicate if the first or last name appears first in the username by choosing the FIRST name first or LAST name first option below Pattern Order.

To create a custom username pattern:


2. Click the Master workgroup or the workgroup for which you want to set a username pattern.

3. Click the Username field using this pattern option to enable this feature.

4. Type the number of characters in the Number of characters from FIRST name and/or Number of characters from LAST name fields. (To use all characters, type an asterisk * in the field.)

5. Click the FIRST name first or LAST name first option below Pattern Order.


Work with Users and Usergroups


Users are created at the workgroup level of the outline. Each workgroup has a Users collection that contains all user accounts created on the server for that workgroup. Users can be assigned to knowledge paths individually, or can be placed in usergroups, which are in turn given assignments.

Manage Users You add users in the New User dialog box. This dialog box contains fields for basic personal information, as well as any available custom user fields. In addition, user properties include user permissions and start/end dates for the account. The training manager or system administrator can add users or users can add themselves in the User interface. However, only managers or administrators can assign permissions and dates to an account. In addition, when a manager creates a user, he/she can assign the user to usergroups and knowledge paths at that time or later, as desired.

If you are using the Expert Advice feature, a training manager or system administrator can set a user as an expert. Expert Advice enables end users to communicate with subject matter experts as they take subjects in the User interface. The training manager or server administrator can select experts to be available for each title.

When the number of users is 500 or greater, the Automatically populate User lists option in the Options dialog box is automatically disabled. If this option is automatically disabled, or you disable it, a dialog box opens when you click the Users collection. This dialog box informs you that the feature has been turned off manually or because the number of users exceeds 500, which is called the tolerance. To locate users when this option is disabled, you can conduct a search using the fields in the upper portion of the Users Properties pane.

General User Properties Following is an overview of the properties on the General page in the (New User) dialog box. Some fields are mandatory and require an entry to create a new user account. The names of mandatory fields appear in red text in Manager.

Option Description

Last Name Mandatory field in which you type the user's last name. The name can be any alphanumeric string up to 50 characters in length. The last name is the user's actual last name, and is not to be confused with the username used to log into Knowledge Pathways.

First Name Mandatory field in which you type the user's first name. The name can be any alphanumeric string up to 50 characters in length. The first name is the user's actual first name, and is not to be confused with the username, which is used to log into Knowledge Pathways.

Init Not mandatory; however, you can type the user's middle initial in this field, if desired.

Username Mandatory field in which you type the username that the user types to log into Knowledge Pathways. The username can be any alphanumeric string up to 50 characters in length. It is generated automatically from the entries in the Last Name and/or First Name fields when the Username field using this pattern option is enabled at the workgroup level.

4. Work with Users and Usergroups



Option Description

Password The user password for the user account. While it is a good idea to include a password for a user account, this field is only mandatory when the Have blank passwords option is disabled at the server level. If this option is enabled, it is not necessary to type a password to create the user account. If a password is created, the user needs to type this password when logging into Knowledge Pathways. The password can be set to any alphanumeric string up to 50 characters in length. When you complete the user information and attempt to close the (New User) dialog box, you will be prompted to confirm the password. Passwords are not case-sensitive.

E-mail Not a mandatory field, unless the Expert permission is enabled and email will be used for expert and student communication. Experts are subject matter experts to whom end users can submit questions while taking subjects. To receive these questions via email, the expert's email address must be provided. The email address can be set to any alphanumeric string up to 255 characters in length. If the email field is left blank for an expert or student, questions and answers can be posted in the User interface.

Start Date Optional field that allows a manager to set a date for the username and password to be valid on the system. Before this date, the user will be unable to log into Knowledge Pathways. If the user attempts to log into Knowledge Pathways, a message appears, informing the user that the account will not be activated until m/d/yyyy. Dates can be typed in any format and will be converted to the m/d/yyyy format. If this field is left blank, the account is valid immediately.

End Date Optional field that allows a manager to set a date for the username and password to expire. On this date, the user can no longer log into Knowledge Pathways. If a user attempts to log into Knowledge Pathways with an expired account, a message appears, informing him/her that the account expired on m/d/yyyy. Depending on the options set in the Server Properties pane in Manager, a user may receive a message in advance, informing him/her that the account is about to expire. Dates can be typed in any format and will be converted to the mm/dd/yyyy format. If the End Date field is left blank, the account never expires. The master account (admin, admin) cannot be set to expire.

Last Login Displays the date and time at which the user last logged into Knowledge Pathways. If the user has access to the administrative applications, this field reflects the last login, regardless of which application the user accessed.

Active Enabled by default, meaning that a user account is currently active and the user can log into Knowledge Pathways (unless date restrictions are set). If this option is disabled, the user is inactive and cannot log into Knowledge Pathways. If a user attempts to log in with an inactive account, a message appears, informing the user that his/her account is inactive. This feature enables you, as the training manager, to suspend user accounts when necessary. By default, inactive accounts are not included in reports. However, some reports allow you to include inactive accounts.



Option Description

NT Integrated Unavailable by default. This option is enabled automatically when an organization uses integrated security and maps its NT accounts into Knowledge Pathways. NT Integrated accounts do not use usernames and passwords from Knowledge Pathways; the network logon information is sufficient to access Knowledge Pathways. When integrated security is not used, the user accesses Knowledge Pathways via his/her Knowledge Pathways account with a username and password (if one is set). For complete information on using integrated security, see the Installation guide.

LMS User Unavailable by default. This option is enabled automatically when a user launches a subject stored on an Knowledge Pathways server via an LMS (Learning Management System). In this situation, the user's account exists in the LMS, not in Knowledge Pathways. However, to access a subject on the Knowledge Pathways server, he/she needs an Knowledge Pathways account. When the subject is launched, Knowledge Pathways uses the LMS account information to create an Knowledge Pathways account. The LMS User option is enabled to identify the user as an LMS user. For more information on launching Knowledge Pathways subjects via an LMS, refer to the Title Manager guide.

Custom user fields

Custom user fields created on the server are grouped on the right side of the General page in the (New User) dialog box. The properties for custom user fields are determined when the fields are created. Custom fields may be mandatory for logging into Knowledge Pathways, depending on how the fields were configured. The names of mandatory custom user fields appear in red text.

Set User Permissions User permissions determine the specific administrative functions a user may perform in Knowledge Pathways. A user may be given any number of permissions or none at all. The default is no administrative access. Permissions are set on the Permissions page in the (New User) dialog box.

When user accounts are created in Manager, certain permissions are assigned. For example, users who need to create and edit titles in Designer are given the appropriate permissions to allow them to access Designer.

The following table defines Knowledge Pathways user permissions available in Manager:


Administer Server

Has full access to all features in all tools, and can act as experts. Only users with this permission can use all features in Manager and Title Manager, and run all available reports in the User interface.

Manage this Workgroup

Has full access to a particular workgroup. When a workgroup manager logs into Manager, he/she sees only that workgroup in the Outline pane. Workgroup managers can create users, usergroups, knowledge paths, and path categories for the workgroup to which they are assigned. Workgroup managers are also given Create Titles and Generate Reports permissions by default.




Design Titles Has limited access to Designer. Such users can open existing titles and edit or view them, as well as package titles in Title Manager. However, users with this permission cannot create new titles in Designer. The following two additional permissions can be added to this permission:

• Manage Authors: This permission can only be added to the Design Titles permission. It is not available until the Design Titles option is enabled. When this permission is added to the Design Titles permission, the Create Titles option is selected automatically and users have full access to all Designer features. Only a user with Administer Server permissions has the same level of access in Designer (including editing titles in all workgroups). A user with this permission level is called a Managing Editor. A Managing Editor can also package titles in Title Manager.

• Create Titles: This permission is automatically selected when the Manage Authors option is enabled. It can also be added to the Design Titles permission, allowing users to create new titles. A user with Create Titles permission can also package titles in Title Manager.

Generate Reports

Users with Generate Reports permission can run a variety of reports in the User interface. Only users with Generate Reports permission see a Reports link on the home page in the User interface.

Expert If your organization enabled the Expert Advice feature, you can assign the Expert permission to a user. An expert is a subject matter expert to whom users can submit questions as they take subjects in the User interface. When a user is identified as an expert, he/she can be selected as an expert for particular titles and then, for particular knowledge paths. If this permission is enabled, the email field must be completed in order for the expert to receive notification via email that questions were posted in the User interface. If an email address is not provided, the expert can check for questions in the User interface and respond accordingly.

Custom Reports

If a user has Administer Server permission, all custom reports are displayed. The reports are checked and can not be changed. If a user has Workgroup Admin permission, only the custom reports available to that work group display. The reports are checked and can not be changed. If a user has Reporter permission, the custom reports available to the work group display. The reports are unchecked and can be changed.

To add a new user:

1. In the Outline pane, expand the workgroup in which you want to create the new user.

2. Click the Users collection in the selected workgroup.

3. On the File menu, choose New User.

4. Type the last name of the new user.

5. In the First Name field, type the first name of the new user.



6. In the Username field, type the username. Skip this step if usernames are generated automatically.

7. Set the properties for the new user as necessary on the General page.

8. Click the Permissions tab.

9. Select the permissions you want to assign to the new user.

10. If you enabled the Expert permission, return to the General page and complete the user's email address in the E-mail field if you are using email for Expert Advice.

11. Click OK.

12. Type the password again in the Re-enter Password field, if applicable.

13. Click OK to close the Password Confirmation dialog box, if applicable.

Edit and Delete User Accounts You can edit a user account by adding or editing a password or permissions, as well as by changing the other available settings. You can also enroll a user in a usergroup or knowledge path on the Usergroups and Knowledge Paths pages and in the User Properties dialog box.

You can delete accounts you no longer need (for example, an employee who leaves the company). When you delete an account, all tracking data for the account is also deleted.

To edit a user account:

1. In the Outline pane, expand the workgroup containing the user you want to edit.

2. Click the Users collection in the Outline pane.

3. In the Properties pane, double-click the user you want to edit.

4. Edit the user properties as desired.

5. Click OK.

6. Confirm the password and click OK, if applicable.

To delete a user account:

1. In the Outline pane, expand the workgroup containing the user you want to delete.


3. In the Properties pane, click the user you want to delete.

4. On the Edit menu, choose Delete User.

You can also press DELETE.

5. Click Yes to delete the user.

Enable a User to Run Custom Reports If you have created custom reports, you can set permissions on the Permissions tab of the User Properties dialog box to allow specific users to view the custom reports. By default, all users with Administer Server and Manage this Workgroup permissions have full rights to run all custom reports. The list of custom reports appears in the frame and all reports are selected. They cannot be deselected.



When a user account has the Generate Reports permission, the list of custom reports also appears in the frame. A server administrator or workgroup manager can then select and deselect the appropriate reports for the user account to view.

To enable a user to run Custom Reports:



3. In the Properties pane, double-click the user you want to enable to run custom reports.


5. Click the Generate Reports permission.

6. Click the checkbox to the left of each report you want to be available for the user to run.

7. Click OK.

Enable a User as an Expert for Specific Titles Expert Advice enables end users to communicate with subject matter experts as they take subjects in the User interface. In the User Properties dialog box, you can designate a user as an expert by enabling the Expert permission on the Permissions page and if using email for Expert Advice, providing an email address on the General page. In addition, you can use the Expert Advice page to select those titles for which the user can act as a expert.

A user should be designated as an expert for those titles only for which he/she is a subject matter expert. Once a user is designated as an expert for a particular title, the user appears in both the Title Properties pane for the title and the Activity Properties pane for a knowledge path using the title or one of its AUs. From the Expert Advice list box in the Activity Properties pane, the training manager selects the users that he/she wants to act as experts for the particular knowledge path.

If desired, you can set a message to appear when an email address is not included for a user with the Expert permission. This message advises the training manager or administrator that an email address is needed in order for the expert to receive messages via email from students. To enable this message, select the Tools menu, select the Options command, and then deselect the Suppress Expert e-mail warning message option.

To enable a user as an Expert for specific titles:



3. In the Properties pane, double-click the user you want to enable as an expert.


5. Click the Expert permission.

6. Click the Expert Advice tab.

7. Click the checkbox to the left of each title for which the user can act as an expert.

8. If using email with expert advice, click the General tab and complete the user's email address in the E-mail field.

9. Click OK.



Note: A user can also be designated as an expert in the Title Properties pane by selecting the user in the Expert Advice list box.

Search for Users When you click the Users collection in the Outline pane, the Properties pane displays a search area in the top of the pane and a list of users in the bottom. You can type search criteria and then conduct a search to locate users meeting the specified criteria. If no user accounts meet the criteria you entered, the lower area of the Users Properties pane is empty.

You can search by the first, last, and/or username fields, as well as email address. In addition, if you want to locate users with specific permissions, you can search by permission. After a search, you can clear to clear the existing criteria to conduct a new search.

To search for users:

1. In the Outline pane, expand the workgroup containing the Users collection you want to search.


3. Enter the criteria in the appropriate field(s) and/or click the desired permission(s) by which you want to search.

4. Click Search.

5. Click Show All to redisplay the complete list of users and clear the search criteria.

Clear Tracking Data for a User Knowledge Pathways stores information on a user's progress, such as assessment scores and subject completion percentages. This information can be viewed by training managers and users with Generate Reports permission in the reports available in the User interface. If you need to clear the tracking data for a user, you can do so in Manager. When tracking data is cleared, only the user's progress in a subject and/or his/her assessment scores is cleared; usergroup and knowledge path enrollment remains intact. This feature is helpful if you have training accounts or other accounts that you reuse. You can clear the tracking data each time you use the account instead of deleting and recreating the account.

To clear tracking data for a user:

1. In the Outline pane, expand the workgroup containing the user for which you want to clear tracking data.


3. Click the user for which you want to clear tracking data.

4. On the Edit menu, choose Clear Tracking Data.

5. Click Yes.

Set Options for the Users Collection When you click the Users collection in the Outline pane, the Properties pane displays a search area in the top of the pane and a list of users in the bottom. You can use the Options dialog box to control the number of users that appear in the Users collection, as well as the search results. In addition, you can set a message to appear when you do not include an e-mail address for an expert.



The Apply return limit for User lists option and the Return limit field controls the number of users that appear when you click the Users collection. By default, all user accounts appear in the Properties pane, unless the number of accounts exceeds 500, which is the default return limit (or tolerance). You can change this limit to any number below 500 as desired. In addition, when you perform a search, the number of users meeting the criteria cannot exceed the return limit. If the number of users in the Users collection or the number of users meeting the search criteria exceeds the return limit, a message appears, informing you that the limit was exceeded. You can then increase the limit as necessary to view the complete user list or search results. You can also disable the Apply return limit for User lists option, in which case, the number of users listed and search results are unlimited.

When the Automatically populate User lists option is enabled, all users appear each time you click the Users collection for a workgroup. If you have a large number of users, you may want to disable this option and then search for only those user accounts you want to display. Such a large list of users may take a long time to load; therefore, disabling this option saves you time. This option is automatically disabled when the number of users exceeds 500. When this option is disabled, a dialog box opens when you click the Users collection. This dialog box informs you that the feature has been turned off manually or because the number of users exceeds 500, which is called the tolerance. To locate users when this option is disabled, you can conduct a search.

You can turn off the message that appears when the Automatically populate User lists option is disabled by clicking the Do not display this message again option in the message box. The next time you click the Users collection, the message will not appear.

The Suppress Expert email warning message option is enabled by default. If you disable this option, a warning message appears when a user is designated as an expert and the email field is left blank. If your organization is using Expert Advice and wants a notification email message to be sent each time a question or answer is posted, it is a good idea to disable this option. When this option is enabled, you can designate a user as an expert without receiving a warning message about the absence of an email address. Enabling this feature is helpful when you want to use Expert Advice, but do not want to have email messages sent each time a question or answer is posted in the User interface. By default, all users with Administer Server permissions are designated as experts.

You can return the user settings to their defaults by clicking Restore Defaults in the Options dialog box. All options in the Options dialog box are enabled by default.

To set options for the Users Collection:

1. On the Tools menu, choose the Options command.

2. Select or deselect the desired options.

3. Modify the value in the Return limit field, if applicable.

4. Click OK.

Alternative Ways to Create User Accounts If you have a large number of employees in your organization, creating user accounts in Manager can be quite time consuming. Following are three options you can use to simplify this process.

Map NT Accounts

NT accounts can be mapped into Knowledge Pathways using the Integrated Security Manager application. This feature eliminates the need for a training manager to create an account for each Knowledge Pathways user in Manager. In addition, users do not have to remember more than one username and password as they can use their NT accounts to



access Knowledge Pathways. An organization may also be able to set up integrated security so users do not even need to type login information to use Knowledge Pathways. For complete information on using integrated security, see the Installation guide.

Allow Users to Create their Own Accounts

If Integrated Security is not an option, you can allow users to create their own accounts the first time they access Knowledge Pathways. Enabling the Create accounts permission at the server level displays a New User button on the Knowledge Pathways login page. Users can click this button, type account information, and log into the system. If you do not want this feature to be available to users to create additional accounts, you could advise employees that they need to create their accounts within a certain time frame and then disable the Create accounts permission at that time. The training manager can view the list of users as they are created in Manager or run a report for this information.

Import Users with the User Import Utility

Knowledge Pathways includes a User Import Utility that allows you to create new users or update existing accounts by importing a tab-delimited text file (.txt), Excel spreadsheet (.xls or .xlsx), or by database connection. To use this feature, you need to include the appropriate headings in the file and then import the file. The User Import Utility imports the information from the file into the appropriate fields in the Knowledge Pathways database. After using this tool, the new or updated user accounts appear in the Users collection in Manager. For complete information on using this tool, see User Import Utility.

Manage Users and Usergroups A usergroup consists of individual user accounts. You can add users to a usergroup using the Outline and Properties pane, or by using the Usergroups page of the User Properties dialog box. A user can belong to more than one usergroup.

In the Outline pane, each workgroup has a Usergroups collection that contains the usergroups available in that workgroup. The users in each usergroup appear when you click the Users item within a particular usergroup. You can see all available users in a workgroup by clicking the Users collection for the entire workgroup.

With usergroups, assigning knowledge paths to users is easier to manage. In addition, you can run reports in the User interface for particular usergroups.

Add One or More Users to a Usergroup When you use the Outline and Properties panes to organize usergroups, you can move multiple users into a particular usergroup at the same time, using drag and drop or copy and paste. You can use SHIFT to select consecutive users, and CTRL to select multiple, non-consecutive users.

To add users to a usergroup using copy and paste:

1. In the Outline pane, expand the workgroup containing the usergroup to which you want to add one or more users.

2. Click the Users collection for the selected workgroup.

3. Select the desired user or select multiple users using CTRL and/or SHIFT.

4. On the Edit menu, choose Copy.

5. Expand the Usergroups collection for the desired workgroup.

6. Click the usergroup to which you want to add the selected users.



7. On the Edit menu, choose Paste Users.

8. To verify that the users were successfully added to the usergroup, click the Users item for the usergroup.

To add users to a usergroup using drag and drop:

1. In the Outline pane, expand the workgroup containing the usergroup to which you want to add one or more users.

2. Expand the Usergroups collection for the desired workgroup.


4. Select the desired user or select multiple users using CTRL and/or SHIFT.

5. Drag the selected users from the Properties pane to the desired usergroup in the Outline pane, releasing the mouse when the mouse pointer changes to include a plus (+) symbol.

6. To verify that the users were successfully added to the usergroup, click the Users item for the usergroup.

Add a User to One or More Usergroups A user can belong to more than one usergroup. You can add one user to one or more usergroups using the User Properties dialog box.

To add a user to one or more usergroups:

1. In the Outline pane, expand the workgroup containing the user you want to add to one or more usergroups.


3. Double-click the user in the Properties pane that you want to add to one or more usergroups.

4. Click the Usergroups tab.

5. Click the usergroup(s) in the Usergroups not enrolled in list box to which you want to add the current user. Use CTRL and/or SHIFT to select multiple usergroups.

6. Click to move the selected usergroup(s) from the Usergroups not enrolled in list box to the Usergroups enrolled in list.

7. Click OK.

Assign Dates to User Accounts in a Usergroup You can set a start date and/or an end date for all user accounts in a particular usergroup. This feature is helpful when you want all accounts in a usergroup to be valid or to expire on a particular date. You can use the Expire Users feature instead of individually assigning dates to each user account.

The Expire Users dialog box contains a Start Date field and an End Date field. You can type dates in these fields to represent the timeframe in which the accounts for the users in this group are valid. The dates set apply to the individual user accounts and do not have any effect on the users' enrollment in the usergroup. A user remains in a usergroup until his/her account is removed from the group or removed from the server.



When you assign dates to a usergroup, it is the same as typing these dates in the User Properties dialog box for each individual account. The next time you view the properties for a user account in the usergroup, the start date and/or end date typed for the usergroup appear in the Start Date and/or End Date fields in the User Properties dialog box. If a user belongs to more than one usergroup and dates are set for multiple usergroups, the last dates entered apply to that user account. The same applies if you modify the dates for an individual user account. For example, Joe Smith belongs to UsergroupA and UsergroupB. If the accounts in UsergroupA are set to expire on 12/31/2008 and then an expiration date of 9/30/2008 is set for UsergroupB, Joe Smith's account will expire on 9/30/2008. If you later edit Joe Smith's account and change the expiration date to 11/2/2008, his account will expire on 11/2/2008, while the rest of the accounts in UsergroupB will expire on 9/30/2008. You can type the dates in any format desired and Knowledge Pathways will convert the date to the correct format.

Dates do not apply to users added to the usergroup after the dates are set, even if new users are added to the group automatically. In addition, users in the group with Administer Server or Manage this Workgroup permissions are not affected by the dates typed for the usergroup. You can only type start and/or end dates for such users in the User Properties dialog box. However, you cannot set dates for the master account (admin, admin).

To assign dates to user accounts in a usergroup:

1. In the Outline pane, expand the workgroup containing the desired usergroup.

2. Expand the Usergroups collection for the selected workgroup.

3. Click the usergroup containing the user accounts for which you want to assign a start and/or end date.

4. On the Tools menu, choose Expire Users.

5. Type the desired start date in the Start Date field, if applicable.

6. Type the desired expiration date in the End Date field, if applicable.

7. Click OK.

Create a New Usergroup from an Existing Usergroup You may have a usergroup containing most of the users you want in a new usergroup. Instead of creating a new usergroup by locating each account in the main Users collection, you can copy the users in the existing usergroup and then modify the user list for the new usergroup. You can also copy only a portion of an existing list of users in a usergroup to a new usergroup. You can select multiple users using CTRL and/or SHIFT.

To copy all users from one usergroup to another:

1. In the Outline pane, expand the desired workgroup.


3. Create a new usergroup.

4. Expand the existing usergroup with the user list you want to copy.

5. Click the Users item for the expanded usergroup.

6. On the Edit menu, choose Copy All Users.

7. Click the usergroup to which you want copy the users from the existing usergroup.




To copy selected users from one usergroup to another:



3. Create a new usergroup.

4. Expand the existing usergroup with the user list you want to copy.

5. Click the Users item for the expanded usergroup.

6. Select those users you want to copy to the new usergroup. Use CTRL and/or SHIFT to select multiple users.

7. Drag the selected user(s) from the Properties pane to the new usergroup in the Outline pane, releasing the mouse when the mouse pointer changes to include a plus (+) symbol.

You can also copy part of the list of users in a usergroup using the Copy and Paste Users commands on the Edit menu.

Remove Users from Usergroups You can remove one or more users from a usergroup. You can also remove an individual user from multiple usergroups. Removing users from a usergroup does not remove them from the main Users collection, as you cannot remove users from the All Users usergroup.

To remove a user from a usergroup:

1. In the Outline pane, expand the workgroup containing the desired usergroup.


3. Expand the usergroup from which you want to remove a user(s).

4. Click the Users item for the selected usergroup.

5. Click the user(s) you want to remove from the usergroup. Use CTRL and/or SHIFT to select multiple users.

6. On the Edit menu, choose Remove user from Usergroup.

7. Click Yes to remove the user(s) from the usergroup.

To remove a user from multiple usergroups through User Properties:

1. In the Outline pane, expand the workgroup containing the desired user.


3. Double-click the user in the Properties pane you want to remove from a particular usergroup or multiple usergroups.

4. Click the Usergroups tab.

5. Click the usergroup(s) in the Usergroups enrolled in list box from which you want to remove the user. Use CTRL and/or SHIFT to select multiple users.

6. Click to move the selected usergroup(s) from the Usergroups enrolled in list box to the Usergroups not enrolled in list box.

7. Click OK.



Usergroups Usergroups are one of the four main collections found under a workgroup in the outline. A usergroup can be any logical grouping of users defined by a manager. Placing users into usergroups simplifies the task of assigning subjects and assessments to users. By making an assignment of subjects and assessments to a usergroup, a manager makes that assignment to many users at once.

The All Users usergroup is included by default. This usergroup cannot be edited and includes all users created for the workgroup. Each time a new account is created, it is automatically added to this usergroup. This group is helpful when you want your entire organization enrolled in a particular knowledge path. You can quickly enroll this usergroup in the desired knowledge path and give all users access to the training immediately. This group is also helpful when you want to run a report for all users.

Adding usergroups to a workgroup involves typing a name for the usergroup in the Properties pane. A workgroup can contain multiple usergroups, and a user may be a member of one or more usergroups.

Set Usergroup Properties Usergroup properties are displayed when the usergroup is selected in the outline. Following is a description of each usergroup property:

Option Description

Name Can be any alphanumeric text up to 50 characters.

Add new users The Automatically option causes new user accounts added to the current workgroup to become part of this usergroup automatically. When this option is disabled, new users do not become a part of this usergroup automatically, although it is still be possible to put them in the usergroup manually. For most usergroups, the Automatically option should be disabled. Otherwise, the usergroup will most likely include users that do not belong to it.

Enrollment Expiration

Empty by default. This is used to set dates for knowledge paths that do not allow self-enrollment. After a usergroup is enrolled in a knowledge path that does not allow self-enrollment, the knowledge path name appears in this area along with a Start Date and an End Date field. You can assign dates to the knowledge path to indicate when this usergroup can access the knowledge path. If you type an end date, users need to complete the knowledge path by a certain date or they will no longer have access to it. This feature is helpful when you want users to complete training within a certain period of time. Use of this option is covered in detail in Manage Knowledge Paths.

To add a new usergroup:

1. In the Outline pane, expand the workgroup in which you want to create the new usergroup.

2. Click the Usergroups collection below the selected workgroup.

3. On the File menu, choose New Usergroup.

4. Type the name of the new usergroup.



5. Under Add new users, click the Automatically option to select it, if applicable.


Delete a Usergroup You can delete a usergroup you no longer need. When you delete a usergroup, only the group is deleted, not the accounts in the group. However, when you delete a usergroup, all tracking data for the group is also deleted.

To delete a usergroup:

1. In the Outline pane, expand the workgroup containing the usergroup you want to delete.

2. Expand the Usergroups collection below the selected workgroup.

3. Click the usergroup in the Outline pane that you want to delete.

4. On the Edit menu, choose Delete Usergroup.

5. Click Yes to delete the selected usergroup.

Manage Knowledge Paths


The titles and assignable units (AU) created or installed on the server, along with the available assessments, are used to create activities in Manager. Related activities are then organized into knowledge paths, which constitute curricula. Once knowledge paths are created, users and/or usergroups can be assigned to them, and then users can access the training content through their browsers.

Present Content The following sections describe many of the key concepts involved in presenting content in Knowledge Pathways.

Titles, Assignable Units, and Subjects Each title (installed or created on the server) is made up of assignable units (AUs) and/or sections. The title itself is an AU, called the Title AU. In creating a knowledge path, you can choose to present end users with the entire title or a particular AU only. For example, you create a title called Working with Access. The group for which you are creating a knowledge path needs training on the reports feature only. In this case, you could create a knowledge path using the Understanding Reports AU, without including all other AUs and sections in the title. The title or AU selected for a knowledge path is presented as the subject in the User interface. The end user views the included subject content only and is unaware as to whether the knowledge path is using the Title AU or an individual AU.

The training content is contained in the assignable units (AUs) and/or sections in a title. Any type of file playable in a web browser can be used in an Knowledge Pathways title. This feature gives authors flexibility in how they present training content.

Assessments An assessment is a series of questions that are related to a particular title or assignable unit (AU). Knowledge Pathways assessments can come before (pre-assessments) and/or after a subject (post-assessments). The assessment interface in Knowledge Pathways provides the user with questions one at time and tabulates the user's score. A training manager can use assessments to control the way in which users move through the training material by allowing a user to place out of the subject, or by requiring a specific score to advance to the next item in the knowledge path.

Activities Subjects and assessments are grouped into activities. Typically, each activity consists of a subject and a pre- and/or a post-assessment. However, it is possible to create an activity consisting of a subject only or of assessments only. In creating activities, training managers decide whether to use an entire title or a particular AU for the subject. In addition, once the subject is selected, managers need to determine which assessments are presented with the subject, as well as when and how they are presented.

There is a wide variety of options for presenting material. In creating activities, training managers may decide whether to require a particular subject or assessment, require a specific score on an assessment, place restrictions on the navigation of a subject, alter the various types of feedback users receive after answering questions, as well as determine prerequisites for the training.

Knowledge Paths A knowledge path is a series of activities designed by a training manager. By organizing activities together in a logical fashion, you can use knowledge paths to develop a curriculum path for users. You can then assign users and usergroups to knowledge paths in Manager.

5. Manage Knowledge Paths



Knowledge Paths are visible to users in the User interface. On the Knowledge Paths page, users can see the knowledge paths to which they are assigned. After selecting a knowledge path, users can view the subjects and assessments that make up the path, including all knowledge path items that are not available immediately due to prerequisites.

The Knowledge Paths page includes an Enroll or Withdraw from Knowledge Paths link that enables users to self-enroll in optional knowledge paths, as well as withdraw from them.

Single-Activity Knowledge Paths A knowledge path can contain just one activity. Single-activity knowledge paths allow managers to quickly create a path consisting of one title or AU only, along with any desired assessments. To help managers even more, single-activity knowledge paths can be created automatically when titles are installed on the server.

Multiple Activity Knowledge Paths There are two types of multiple activity knowledge paths. The difference between the two is that one includes activities that are dependent on one another (curriculum) and the other includes activities that are not dependent on one another (organizational).

Curriculum Knowledge Paths A curriculum knowledge path includes multiple activities that have dependencies on each other. For example, a knowledge path called Working with Word 2003 consists of three activities: 1) Basic Word Skills; 2) Everyday Tasks Made Easier; and 3) Applying Formatting. By creating a curriculum knowledge path, the training manager can show users that Basic Word Skills should be taken before Everyday Tasks Made Easier, and Applying Formatting should be taken last. A training manager can set knowledge path options to require users to progress through each level of the knowledge path as structured, or allow users to navigate the path based on their knowledge base.

Organizational Knowledge Paths An organizational knowledge path contains multiple activities that have no dependencies on each other. For example, a learning path called Microsoft Office Basics consists of four activities: 1) Access Fundamentals; 2) Basic Excel Skills; 3) Introduction to PowerPoint; 4) Introduction to Word. By creating an organizational knowledge path, a manager can display each activity at the same level, enabling users to navigate the activities in any order desired. Therefore, if the user wanted to take Introduction to PowerPoint before Access Fundamentals, he/she could in this scenario.

Note: It is possible to create curriculum knowledge paths within an organizational knowledge path.

Create Knowledge Paths Knowledge Paths are created at the workgroup level of the outline. Each workgroup has a Knowledge Paths collection that contains the knowledge paths created within it.

Adding a knowledge path to a workgroup involves entering general properties for the knowledge path into the fields in the Properties pane. Once the knowledge path is named and saved, an activity or multiple activities can be added to create the series of subjects and assessments through which a user progresses.



Knowledge Path Properties When you create a knowledge path, you define a variety of properties. Following is an overview of the available knowledge path properties:


Name The name for the knowledge path can be any alphanumeric string up to 255 characters in length. It is the name that appears in the Outline pane in Manager, and the name users see on the Knowledge Paths page in the User interface.

Category Lists all categories created for the workgroup; select one to add the knowledge path to a category. By default, knowledge paths are placed in the General category. Knowledge Paths available to users on the Knowledge Paths page are listed by category. While it is not required to categorize knowledge paths, it can help end users navigate a long list of paths in the User interface. If you do not have categories created or do not select one from those available, you can categorize the knowledge path later.

Active When enabled, the knowledge path is currently available in the User interface, provided users are already enrolled in it or can self-enroll. When this option is disabled, users cannot access the knowledge path from within the User interface.

Self enroll In order for the Self enroll option to be available for a knowledge path, it must be enabled at the workgroup level. Otherwise, it is not available for selection at the knowledge path level. When the Self enroll option is enabled, users can enroll in a knowledge path that has not been directly assigned to them by the training manager. The knowledge path is available to users on the Enrollment page in the User interface, and users have the option to enroll in the path and withdraw from it later as desired. When the knowledge path has been assigned to a user from within Manager, the knowledge path appears on the Knowledge Paths page in the User interface. Users cannot withdraw from knowledge paths in which they did not self-enroll.

To create or modify knowledge paths:

1. In the Outline pane, expand the workgroup in which you want to create a new knowledge path.

2. Click the Knowledge Paths collection in the current workgroup.

3. On the File menu, choose New Path.

4. Type the name of the new knowledge path.

5. Click the Category list, and click the desired category, if applicable.

6. Click the Self enroll option, if desired.




Root Activity and Sub-Activities Every knowledge path requires a single root activity, which is added automatically to the outline when the knowledge path is created. To build a multiple activity knowledge path, you can add sub-activities to the root activity and to other activities.

Activities are added to the outline in the knowledge path to which they belong. Each knowledge path can be expanded to reveal the activities it contains. Activity properties determine the presentation of subjects and assessments in the knowledge path. This includes the mode of play for a subject, feedback on assessments, and prerequisites.

Activities and Knowledge Path Types For a single-activity knowledge path, the root activity is the only activity in the knowledge path and its properties are set for the AU used in the path.

For a curriculum knowledge path, the root activity represents the starting point for the knowledge path, to which you can add dependent activities. For example, in an Excel knowledge path, the root activity could be Introduction to Excel and the rest of the path could consist of two sub-activities for the intermediate and advanced levels.

For an organizational knowledge path, the root activity uses the default settings (Organization Only) and does not reflect a particular AU. To the root activity, you can add sub-activities, all at the same level, that are not dependent on one another. For example, in an Office Basics knowledge path, the root activity would be named Office Basics and to that activity, you could add four sub-activities representing the introductory levels of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Access.

Add an Activity to a Knowledge Path You can add an activity to a knowledge path to create a curriculum or organizational knowledge path. After adding the activity, you can type a name for it and set the activity properties.

You can type the activity name in the Name field. The name can be set to any alphanumeric string up to 80 characters in length. It is the name that appears in the Outline pane and in the User interface. The name of the activity can be, but is not required to be, the same as the name of the title or AU being used for the subject in the activity. By default, the root activity name is the same as the knowledge path name; however, you can change this name as desired.

To add an activity to a knowledge path:


2. Expand the Knowledge Paths collection within the workgroup.

3. Expand the desired knowledge path.

4. Expand activities until the desired level of the outline appears.

5. Click an activity one level above where the new activity is to appear.

6. On the File menu, choose New sub-activity.

7. Click in the Name field in the Activity Properties pane and enter the activity name.




Set Activity Properties After adding an activity to a knowledge path, you can set its properties. Setting activity properties is identical for both the root activity and sub-activities.

Subject Options

On the Subject page, the following options are available:

Assignable Unit By default, the Assignable Unit field displays (Organization Only). You can leave the activity properties unchanged to create an organizational knowledge path. For other types of paths, you can use Browse (ellipsis) to the right of the Assignable Unit field to select the AU for the subject. Selecting Browse opens the Assignable Units dialog box in which all published and installed titles are listed. You can expand a title to select an individual AU for use in a knowledge path. The selected title or AU determines which assessments are available for use in the activity. A title or AU can include multiple assessments or may not include any assessments, depending on how the subject was created in Designer.

You can use the same title or AU in multiple knowledge paths. However, users are only required to take the subject and assessments for the title one time. If a user starts a new knowledge path using a title that the user already accessed in a different path, he/she will see the status for the title not the path. For example, if a user took the pre-assessment for a title or AU, the Subject Selection page for the new path using that same title would indicate the pre-assessment was completed.

Required When the Required field is enabled, users must complete the subject or assessment before taking the next subject or assessment in the activity. With this option enabled, users cannot even view the next subject or assessment until the current item is completed. If this option is disabled, users can access the next subject or assessment before the current item is completed.

For assessments, the Allow place-out score/Place-out score and Required score fields are available only when this option is enabled.

Personalized Content Options The Allow personalized content option is not available until you choose a pre- and/or post-assessment for the subject. However, this option is available if the AU (which can be the Title AU) selected for the subject has a default pre- and/or post-assessment set for it. In this situation, the default pre- and/or post-assessments are included in the knowledge path when the AU is selected. Default assessments are set in Designer.

When the Allow personalized content option is available and enabled, users can choose between taking the full content or personalized content. Personalized content is a subject customized for a user based on his/her assessment results. After taking an assessment in the User interface, users are presented with the personalized content option. Users see how they scored in all major sections of the subject and based on those scores, certain sections (which may actually be individual AUs) can be excluded from the personalized content. Training managers can use the options in the Personalized Content area of the Subject page to specify scores that result in sections being automatically excluded from or included in the personalized content. Following is a description of these two options:



Option Description

Exclusion Percentage

A training manager can type a score in this field that represents competency in the subject matter. If the user meets or exceeds this score in certain sections, these sections are automatically excluded from the personalized content. For example, the exclusion percentage is set at 90. All sections for which a user scores 90% or better are automatically excluded from the personalized content when the user is presented with assessment results. However, the user always has the option of including these sections, if desired.

Required Percentage

A training manager can type a score in this field that represents an unacceptable level of understanding of the subject matter. If a user scores below the required percentage in certain sections, these sections are automatically included in the personalized content and the user cannot exclude them. For example, the required percentage is set at 60. All sections for which a user scores below 60% are automatically included in the personalized content and the end user cannot exclude them manually.

See Personalized Content Logic for more information.

Warning: The score in both the Exclusion Percentage and Required Percentage fields defaults to 100. If you do not change the values in these fields, none of the subject sections will be optional for inclusion in the personalized content. Sections for which a user scored 100 will be automatically excluded from the personalized content, and sections for which the user scored 99 or less will be automatically included in the personalized content.

Suppress subject The Suppress subject (assess only) option is not available until you select a pre- and/or post-assessment for the subject. However, this option is available if the AU (which can be the Title AU) selected for the subject has a default pre- and/or post-assessment set for it. In this situation, the default pre- and/or post-assessments are included in the knowledge path when the AU is selected. Default assessments are set in Designer.

When this option is enabled, the activity consists of assessments only. You can use this feature when you need an activity with assessments only, such as an accreditation exam. With the subject suppressed, users see an activity consisting of assessments only in the User interface.

Play The Play list box allows you to select the way users navigate the subject. In Explorer mode, users can move around the subject outline at random, accessing any AU or section in the subject at any time. In Sequenced mode, users must progress through each AU and/or section in the outline in the order in which each is presented.

Show outline The Show outline option is available when Sequenced mode is selected. When this option is enabled, users can access the subject outline while taking the subject in Sequenced mode. While users can see the entire subject outline, they still must move through the subject in order. If you disable this option, users cannot access the outline as they progress through the subject in Sequenced mode. When Explorer mode is selected, this option is automatically enabled and cannot be disabled.



Remediation The Remediation list box provides you with options for the type of feedback users receive when answering questions in a subject. Subject material can include questions, similar to those found in assessments. Questions appearing in subjects are specific to the section in which the user is working, or may be grouped together in a Knowledge Check. A Knowledge Check is an item in the subject outline consisting of questions only. Knowledge Checks are for review only as the results of a Knowledge Check are not tracked.

Subject questions provide a way for users to check their understanding of the subject content. In a subject, users are always informed as to whether their responses are correct or incorrect. The Remediation property determines when and how additional information is presented.

The following table describes the four types of feedback. Remediation text appears only if it was created for the question in Designer.

Type Description

All Whether the user's answer is correct or incorrect, the feedback window displays the correct answer and remediation text explaining why the correct answer is correct.

Incorrect If the user's response is incorrect, the feedback window displays the correct answer and remediation text that explains why the correct answer is correct. If the user's response is correct, the word “Correct” appears in the feedback window.

Results Only The feedback window only displays the word “Correct” or “Incorrect.”

User Asks The feedback window displays the word “Correct” or “Incorrect,” along with a Show Answer link. When this link is clicked, the correct answer and/or any remediation text appears in the feedback window.

Expert Advice Individuals designated as experts for the selected title (including AUs in the title) appear in the Expert Advice area. By default, the None option is enabled, meaning that no experts are designated for this knowledge path. Enabling the All Experts option designates all available experts as experts for this knowledge path. Selecting the Selected Experts option enables you to choose those experts in the list that you want to make available for this particular knowledge path. The individuals selected as experts for the knowledge path reply to questions from end users regarding the subject content.

To use Expert Advice, it needs to be enabled in the Server Properties pane. For more information, see Expert Advice Options.

Hyperlink The Hyperlink field provides a URL for launching a subject quickly in Knowledge Pathways. When the launch path is used, a user is brought to the login page in Knowledge Pathways and after logging in, the subject interface opens. This feature eliminates the steps of accessing knowledge paths from the home page, selecting a knowledge path, and then selecting the subject within a path. A training manager could email the URL for a subject to a participant and from within the user's mail program, the user could launch the subject (if the URL was a hyperlink in the message) or copy and paste the URL into his/her browser address bar.

If a user attempts to access a subject for which he/she is not enrolled, a message appears when the user logs into Knowledge Pathways, informing the user that he/she is not enrolled in the path. After closing the message box, the home page appears.



Assessment Options (Pre and Post)

On the Pre-assessment and Post-assessment pages, the following options are available:

Assessment The Assessment list box enables you to choose which assessment is used for the pre-assessment and/or post-assessment. This list box displays all assessments available for the AU (which can be the Title AU) that was selected on the Subject page of the Properties pane. If the selected AU has a default pre- and/or post-assessment set for it, the assessment is selected automatically on the Pre-assessment and/or Post-assessment page.

If the User interface, pre-assessments can only be taken once, while post-assessments can be taken multiple times.

Required When the Required field is enabled, users must complete the subject or assessment before taking the next subject or assessment in the activity. With this option enabled, users cannot even view the next subject or assessment until the current item is completed. If this option is disabled, users can access the next subject or assessment before the current item is completed.

For assessments, the Allow place-out score/Place-out score and Required score fields are available only when this option is enabled.

Enabled When the Enabled option below Remediation is selected, users receive feedback on their responses to questions. The type of feedback is determined by the option selected in the Mode list box. The options available in the Mode list box are the same as those available for the subject.

If this option is disabled, users receive no feedback and advance to the next question as soon as the current question is answered. Even if remediation text is available, it will not be displayed when this option is disabled.

Mode The Mode list box below Remediation determines the type of feedback users receive on their responses to questions. This list box includes four choices: All, Incorrect, Results Only, and User Asks. The Mode list box is only available if the Enabled option is selected. The four choices in the list box represent the different types of feedback users can receive when they answer questions. The types of feedback are identical to those available for questions in subjects.

Remediation text does not appear to users if it was not created for the question in Designer.

Link subject The Link subject option is only available when remediation is enabled. When the Link subject option is enabled, users can link to the subject in addition to viewing the remediation provided. In the feedback window, users see a Link to Subject button. When clicked, a new window opens and displays the section containing the relevant material. If this option is disabled, the Link to Subject button is not available in the feedback window.

Summary When the Summary option is enabled, users see an Assessment Summary page after they complete an assessment. This page displays the assessment results, which include the number of questions in the assessment and of those, the number correct, along with the



user's score as a percentage. This page also displays a breakdown of each major section in the subject (which may be an individual AU) and the user's score for each. It also displays a list of the questions answered correctly and incorrectly. Users can print this page as well as return to it at any time from within the User interface.

If the personalized content feature is enabled, the Summary option is automatically selected and cannot be deselected. The Summary option is automatically enabled as the Assessment Summary page enables a user to configure his/her personalized content. When the personalized content feature is enabled, checkboxes appear to the left of each section listed, enabling a user to choose which sections will appear in the personalized content. Depending on the options set in Manager, the user may not be able to deselect some of the checkboxes.

If the Summary option is disabled, the Assessment Summary page does not appear upon completion of an assessment, nor can a user access it later. A training manager can access the summary data via reports.

Random question order When the Random question order option is enabled, the assessment questions are presented to a user in a different order each time he/she takes an assessment. If this option is disabled, questions are presented in the order in which they were created in Designer.

While this option is available for both pre- and post-assessments, it is particularly valuable for post-assessments as a user can take the same post-assessment multiple times. For pre-assessments, selecting this option displays the questions in a random order for each individual user taking the pre-assessment, as pre-assessments can only be taken once.

Random answer order When the Random answer order option is enabled, answers to multiple choice questions are provided in random order. The answers appear in a different order each time the question is presented. For multiple choice (single answer) questions that include All of the above and/or None of the above, these answers remain in their positions at the bottom of the list of choices. If this option is disabled, answers are presented in the order in which they were created in Designer.

While this option is available for both pre- and post-assessments, it is particularly valuable for post-assessments as a user can take the same post-assessment multiple times. For pre-assessments, selecting this option displays the answers in a random order for each individual user taking the pre-assessment, as pre-assessments can be taken only once.

Allow place-out score/Place-out score (Pre-assessment only) The Allow place-out score option is only available when the Required option is enabled. When this option is enabled, users can bypass the subject, as well as a post-assessment, if they achieve the specified score on the pre-assessment. If this option is disabled, users are required to take the subject and/or post-assessment.

After enabling the Allow place-out score option, the next step is to type a percentage into the Place-out score field. The percentage typed is the percentage correct that the user must meet or exceed to bypass the subject. If a user achieves the place-out score, he/she sees Start links next to the subject and/or post-assessment, as well as the next item in the knowledge path. A user can see if a place-out score exists by clicking the Info link to the right of the pre-assessment.



Warning: You should not assign a place-out score and a required score to assessments in the same activity. If you assign a place-out score to the pre-assessment and the user achieves that score, the subject, post-assessment, and first item in the next activity are available. In this situation, a user would not be prevented from moving to the next knowledge path activity if he/she failed to meet a required score on the post-assessment, as the place-out score already made that activity available. In addition, since the place-out score enables the user to skip the subject and post-assessment, the user may not even take the post-assessment.

Required score (Post-assessment only) The Required score field is only available when the Required option is enabled. This field enables you to specify the score that users must achieve before advancing to the next subject or assessment. By default, the field displays a 0, indicating that users are not required to meet or exceed a specific score to advance to the next subject or assessment.

If the required score is not met, the user sees a Restart link next to the post-assessment and does not see a Start link next to the first item in the next activity (in a curriculum knowledge path) until he/she meets the required score. A user can see if a required score exists by clicking the Info link to the right of the pre-assessment.

Hyperlink The Hyperlink field provides a URL for launching an assessment quickly. When the launch path is used, a user is brought to the login page in Knowledge Pathways and after logging in, the assessment interface opens. This feature eliminates the steps of accessing knowledge paths from the home page, selecting a knowledge path, and then selecting an assessment within a path. A training manager could email the URL for an assessment to a participant and from within the user's mail program, the user could launch the assessment (if the URL was a hyperlink in the message) or copy and paste the URL into his/her browser address bar.

If a user attempts to access an assessment for which he/she is not enrolled, a message appears when the user logs into Knowledge Pathways, informing the user that he/she is not enrolled in the path. After closing the message box, the home page appears.

To modify pre- and post-assessment options:


2. Expand the Knowledge Paths collection within the workgroup.


4. Click the activity in the knowledge path for which you want to set properties.

5. Click the Subject tab, if necessary.

6. Click Browse to the right of the Assignable Unit field.

7. Click the title you want to use in the knowledge path or expand the title to select an assignable unit (AU).

8. Click the assignable unit (AU) you want to use in the knowledge path, if applicable.

9. Click OK.

10. Click the Required option, if desired.

11. Continue setting the desired subject properties.

12. If Expert Advice is available, select the All Experts or Selected Experts option to make experts available for the knowledge path.

13. Select each expert you want to make available for the current path, if applicable.



14. If the Allow personalized content option is available, refer to Steps 28-32 to set personalized content options. Otherwise, set assessment properties and then return to the Subject page to set personalized content options.

15. Click the Pre-assessment tab.

16. Click the Assessment list.

17. Click the desired assessment.

18. Click Required option, if desired.

19. Click the Enabled option to enable remediation, if desired.

20. Continue to set the desired assessment properties.

21. Click the Post-assessment tab.

22. Click the Assessment list.

23. Click the desired assessment.

24. Click Required option, if desired.

25. Click the Enabled option to enable remediation, if desired.

26. Continue to set the desired assessment properties.

27. To make the personalized content available, click the Subject tab; otherwise, move to Step 33.

28. Click the Allow personalized content option.

29. Double-click the value in the Exclusion Percentage field, if desired.

30. Type the desired percentage.

31. Double-click the value in the Required Percentage field, if desired.

32. Type the desired percentage.


Edit and Delete Activities After creating an activity, you may need to change its properties at a later time. You can edit an activity in the Properties pane by changing the desired properties and then saving the changes.

If you have activities that you no longer need, you can delete them. Deleting activities deletes them from the server. It also deletes any assignments of the activity to users and usergroups, as well as any record of users taking that particular activity. In addition, deleting an activity deletes all its sub-activities. You cannot delete the root activity in a knowledge path.

Users see changes to a knowledge path the next time they return to the Subject Selection page in the User interface.

To edit an activity:


2. Expand the Knowledge Paths collection containing the desired knowledge path.


4. Expand the Root Activity on the level below the desired knowledge path.

5. Click the activity you want to edit.



6. Edit the properties as desired.


To delete an activity:


2. Expand the Knowledge Paths collection containing the desired knowledge path.


4. Expand the Root Activity on the level below the desired knowledge path.

5. Click the activity you want to delete.

6. On the Edit menu, choose Delete Activity.

Make Assignments Knowledge Paths can be assigned to both individual users and usergroups. Users can also enroll in knowledge paths on their own from within the User interface, if you enable this feature.

You can quickly enroll users and usergroups in knowledge paths simply by dragging and dropping between the Outline pane and the Properties pane. You can also enroll a particular user in multiple knowledge paths using the User Properties dialog box.

If the Self enroll option is enabled at the workgroup level, you can enable the Self enroll option at the knowledge path level. When this option is enabled for a knowledge path, users can enroll in and withdraw from the path in the User interface. However, you can still enroll users and usergroups in the knowledge path in Manager. For example, a knowledge path on Excel may be required training for the Accounting department, but not for the Marketing department. You could enroll all users in the Accounting department in the Excel knowledge path, but allow this training to be optional for other departments and individuals. When the Self enroll option is disabled at the workgroup level, the Enroll or Withdraw from Knowledge Paths link does not appear in the User interface.

If it is critical that all users receive particular training or only certain groups have access to training content, you should not enable the Self enroll option. In addition, Knowledge Pathways includes a feature that enables you to expire user or usergroup enrollment in a knowledge path. However, this feature is only available for paths that do not allow self-enrollment.

You can view the Users item for a particular knowledge path to see which users have enrolled on their own. When you click the Users item for a path, the Enrollment Method column in the Properties pane indicates if the user self-enrolled (Self) or the training manager enrolled the user (Admin). In addition, you can run reports that reflect enrollment.

Assign Knowledge Paths to Usergroups Once usergroups and knowledge paths are created, it is possible to assign the usergroups to specific knowledge paths. The benefit of assigning a usergroup to one or more knowledge paths is that new users added to the group have access to those paths immediately.

You can assign one or more usergroups at a time to a knowledge path. You can also assign one or more knowledge paths to a usergroup at a time. Assignments are made by



dragging and dropping items in the outline. There is no limit to the number of usergroups that can have access to any path.

Note: You can refresh the display if you do not see the usergroup or knowledge path assignments after dragging and dropping.

To assign a usergroup to a knowledge path:


2. Expand the Knowledge Paths collection for the workgroup to view all available knowledge paths.

3. Click the Usergroups collection for the selected workgroup to view the available usergroups in the Properties pane.

4. Select the usergroup(s) in the Properties pane that you want to assign to a particular knowledge path. Use CTRL and/or SHIFT to select multiple usergroups.

5. Drag the selected usergroup(s) to the desired knowledge path in the Outline pane, releasing the mouse when the mouse pointer changes to include a plus (+) symbol.

To assign a knowledge path to a usergroup:


2. Expand the Usergroups collection to view all available usergroups.

3. Click the Knowledge Paths collection to view the available knowledge paths in the Properties pane.

4. Select the knowledge path(s) in the Properties pane that you want to assign to a particular usergroup. Use CTRL and/or SHIFT to select multiple usergroups.

5. Drag the selected knowledge path(s) to the desired usergroup in the Outline pane, releasing the mouse when the mouse pointer changes to include a plus (+) symbol.

Remove Knowledge Path Assignments If you no longer want a particular knowledge path assigned to a usergroup, you can remove the assignment. You can also remove a usergroup from a knowledge path.

To remove a usergroup from a knowledge path:


2. Expand the Knowledge Paths collection to view all knowledge paths created for that workgroup.


4. Click the Usergroups item for the knowledge path to view the usergroups assignments in the Properties pane.

5. Select the usergroup(s) in the Properties pane that you no longer want assigned to the knowledge path. Use CTRL and/or SHIFT to select multiple usergroups.

6. On the Edit menu, choose Remove group from path.

To remove a knowledge path from a usergroup:




2. Expand the Usergroups collection to view all usergroups in the workgroup.

3. Expand the desired usergroup.

4. Click the Knowledge Paths item for the usergroup to view the knowledge path assignments in the Properties pane.

5. Select the knowledge path(s) in the Properties pane that you no longer want assigned to the usergroup. Use CTRL and/or SHIFT to select multiple usergroups.

6. On the Edit menu, choose Remove path from group.

Assign Dates to a Usergroup for Particular Knowledge Paths The Usergroup Properties pane displays an Enrollment Expiration area in which you can assign a start date and/or end date to the knowledge paths in which the group is enrolled. The knowledge paths listed are those paths in which the group is enrolled that do not allow self-enrollment.

This feature allows you to control when a usergroup can start taking subjects and assessments in the knowledge path, as well as a date when the subject should be completed. You can set a start date and/or end date for each knowledge path listed. If a path is not yet available or enrollment has expired, the user will not see the path in the User interface. If you are using the Expert Advice feature for this particular knowledge path, setting dates can be useful if an expert is only available during a particular time frame.

To assign dates to a Usergroup for particular Knowledge Paths:


2. Expand the Usergroups collection to view all usergroups in the workgroup.

3. Click the usergroup for which you want to assign knowledge path start and/or end dates.

4. In the Start Date column, enter the date at which users in this usergroup can access the selected knowledge path.

5. In the End Date column, enter the date at which users in this usergroup will no longer be able to access the selected knowledge path.


Assign Knowledge Paths to Single Users Although managing enrollment with usergroups streamlines this process, knowledge paths can also be assigned directly to individual users. Assigning knowledge paths to one or more individual users allows training managers to ensure that a user has access to a knowledge path. For example, a training manager would like a knowledge path to be optional to a usergroup, but mandatory for one or two individuals in the group who need the training. By assigning the knowledge path to the users individually, those users must take the knowledge path while others in the usergroup can take it if they choose to enroll on their own.

A manager can assign one or more users to a knowledge path simply by dragging and dropping between the Outline pane and the Properties pane. An individual user can be assigned to one or more knowledge paths using the User Properties dialog box.

When you click the Users item for a knowledge path, the Enrollment Method column in the Properties pane indicates if the user self-enrolled (Self) or the training manager enrolled



the user (Admin). This information is also available in the User Properties dialog box on the Knowledge Paths page. The text Admin Enrollment or Self Enrollment appears next to each knowledge path listed in the Paths enrolled in list box.

Note: A knowledge path can have both usergroups and single users assigned to it at the same time.

To assign a user to a knowledge path using drag and drop:


2. Expand the Knowledge Paths collection to view all knowledge paths in the workgroup.

3. Click the Users collection for the workgroup to display all users in the Properties pane.

4. Select the user(s) in the Properties pane that you want to enroll in a particular knowledge path. Use CTRL and/or SHIFT to select multiple users.

5. Drag the selected user(s) to the desired knowledge path, releasing the mouse when the mouse pointer changes to include a plus (+) symbol.

6. Click the Users item for the knowledge path to verify enrollment, if desired.

To assign a user to a knowledge path in User Properties:


2. Click the Users collection for the workgroup to view all users in the Properties pane.

3. Double-click the user you want to enroll in one or more knowledge paths.

4. Click the Knowledge Paths tab.

5. Select the knowledge path(s) in the Paths not enrolled in list. Use CTRL and/or SHIFT to select multiple knowledge paths.

6. Click to move the selected knowledge path(s) from the Paths not enrolled in list box to the Paths enrolled in list.

7. Click OK.

Remove Users from Knowledge Paths If you no longer want one or more users enrolled in a knowledge path, you can remove them from the path. You can also remove one or more knowledge path assignments from an individual user. Removing a user from a knowledge path deletes all tracking data.

Since self-enrollment gives end users the flexibility to enroll and withdraw from knowledge paths on their own, you may want to avoid removing users from a path when they self-enrolled in it. The Enrollment Method column or the Paths enrolled in list box indicate if the enrollment was by the user (Self or Self Enrollment) or the training manager (Admin or Admin Enrollment).

To remove a user from a knowledge path:


2. Expand the Knowledge Paths collection to view all knowledge paths in the workgroup.




4. Click the Users item for the knowledge path to view the users enrolled in the path in the Properties pane.

5. Select the user(s) in the Properties pane that you want to remove from the knowledge path. Use CTRL and/or SHIFT to select multiple users.

6. On the Edit menu, choose Remove user from path.

7. Click Yes.

To remove a user from a knowledge path in User Properties:



3. Double-click the user that you want to remove from one or more knowledge paths.

4. Click the Knowledge Paths tab.

5. Select the knowledge path(s) in the Paths enrolled in list. Use CTRL and/or SHIFT to select multiple knowledge paths.

6. Click to move the selected knowledge path(s) from the Paths enrolled in list box to the Paths not enrolled in list.

7. Click OK.

Enroll Users via Copy and Paste If you enrolled individual users in a knowledge path and want those same users enrolled in another path, you can use the Copy All Users command to enroll them. You can also select individual users enrolled in the path and copy only those users. This feature is helpful when you have a long list of users, as you can quickly copy all users from one knowledge path and paste them (enroll them) in another.

To enroll all users in a knowledge path:




4. Click the Users item for the knowledge path to view the list of enrolled users.

5. On the Edit menu, choose Copy All Users.

6. Expand the knowledge path in which you want to enroll the copied users.

7. Click the Users item for the knowledge path.


To enroll selected users in a knowledge path:






4. Click the Users item for the knowledge path to view the list of enrolled users.

5. Select the users you want to copy in the selected path and enroll in a different path. Use CTRL and/or SHIFT to select multiple users.

6. On the Edit menu, choose Copy.

7. Expand the knowledge path in which you want to enroll the copied users.

8. Click the Users folder for the knowledge path.


View User Enrollment for a Knowledge Path You can quickly view a list of all users enrolled in a knowledge path in the Users Enrolled for Knowledge Path dialog box. This dialog box displays all users enrolled in the path and indicates if they were enrolled as individuals or as part of a usergroup. It also indicates if a user is enrolled both as an individual and as part of a usergroup. For users enrolled as part of a usergroup, you can quickly view the name of the usergroup from within the dialog box.

To view user enrollment for a knowledge path:



3. Click the knowledge path for which you want to view enrollment.

4. On the Edit menu, choose Show All Users.

5. Click a user enrolled as part of a usergroup.

6. Click Display Usergroups.

7. Click Close.

8. Click Close.

View Enrollment Details for a User A user may be enrolled in a knowledge path directly or as part of a usergroup. Direct enrollment means the user was enrolled by the training manager or enrolled on his/her own in the User interface. The Enrollment Details page of the User Properties dialog box lists all knowledge paths in which a user is enrolled and indicates if the enrollment is direct or as part of a usergroup. If a user is enrolled in a particular path both directly and as part of the usergroup, this is also indicated. This page also includes a Display Usergroups button that allows you to view the usergroups to which the user belongs that are enrolled in the selected path.

The Enrollment Details page is available only when a user is enrolled in at least one knowledge path.

To view enrollment details for a user:



3. Double-click the user for which you want to view enrollment details.

4. Click the Enrollment Details tab.



5. Click a path for which the user is enrolled as part of a usergroup.

6. Click Display Usergroups.

7. Click Close.

8. Click OK.

Expire User Enrollment in a Knowledge Path The User Properties dialog box includes an Enrollment Expiration page that lists all knowledge paths in which the training manager enrolled the user. The paths listed are those that do not allow self-enrollment.

On the Enrollment Expiration page, you can assign a start date and/or end date to the knowledge paths in which the user is enrolled. This feature allows you to control when a user can start taking subjects and assessments in the knowledge path, as well as a date when the path should be completed. You can set a start date and/or end date for each knowledge path listed. If a path is not yet available or enrollment has expired, the user will not see the path in the User interface. This feature is helpful when it is critical that a user takes a particular training subject in a specified period of time.

To expire User Enrollment in a Knowledge Path:



3. Double-click the user for which you want to set enrollment dates.

4. Click the Enrollment Expiration tab.

5. In the Start Date column, enter the date at which the user can access the selected knowledge path.

6. In the End Date column, enter the date at which the user will no longer be able to access the selected knowledge path.

7. Continue setting dates for other paths as desired.

8. Click OK.

Knowledge Path Categories Knowledge Paths can be grouped into categories. Categories allow the presentation of related knowledge paths in an organized manner to users on the Knowledge Paths page of the User interface. While it is not required that you organize knowledge paths by category, it is a good idea to do so and is particularly useful if you have a large number of knowledge paths created.

You can place a knowledge path in a category at creation or at a later time. Knowledge Paths not placed in a category appear below the General heading in the User interface.

To create Knowledge Path categories:


2. Click the Path Categories collection.

3. On the File menu, choose New Category.

4. Type the desired category name.




Edit and Delete Knowledge Path Categories You can edit the name of a knowledge path category as necessary. Users see the change the next time they access the Knowledge Paths page in the User interface.

If a category is no longer useful, you can delete it. When you delete a knowledge path category assigned to a knowledge path, the knowledge path is put in the General category, which is the default category.

To edit a knowledge path category:


2. Expand the Path Categories collection.

3. Click the desired category in the Outline pane.

4. Edit the text in the Name field as desired.


To delete a knowledge path category:


2. Click the Path Categories collection.

3. Click the category in the Properties pane that you want to delete.

4. On the Edit menu, choose Delete Category.

5. Click Yes.

Categorize a Knowledge Path You can assign a category to a knowledge path when the knowledge path is created. You can also categorize an existing knowledge path in the Knowledge Path Properties pane. Users will see the change the next time they view the Knowledge Paths page.

To categorize a knowledge path:


2. Expand the Knowledge Paths collection for the workgroup to view the available paths in the Outline pane.

3. Click the knowledge path that you want to place in a category.

4. Click the Category list in the Properties pane.

5. Select the desired category.


Edit, Move, Delete, and De-activate Knowledge Paths After creating a knowledge path, you may need to make changes to a particular path. You can modify knowledge path properties in the Properties pane as desired. If you modify a knowledge path while a user is taking it in the User interface, the user can continue to take the subject or assessment in its current form. Once the user exits the subject or assessment, by exiting Knowledge Pathways or returning to the home page, the User



interface is refreshed. The next time the user accesses the knowledge path, it will reflect the changes.

You may want to change the order of a group of knowledge paths. Knowledge paths can be moved up or down by clicking the up or down arrows located on the Manager tool bar or by selecting Move Up (Alt+Up) or Move Down (Alt Down) on the Edit Menu. Sub activities can also be moved up or down within a knowledge path. Changes in the order of knowledge paths are reflected in the Sort Order column in the right pane that displays when the Knowledge Path node is selected.

You may have knowledge paths that you no longer need and want to delete. Deleting knowledge paths deletes them from the server. It also deletes any assignments of the path to users and usergroups, as well as any record of taking a subject. If you want to keep a record, deactivate the path instead of deleting it. If a knowledge path is deleted or deactivated while the user is taking the affected subject or assessment, the user can continue working in the Subject or Assessment interface. Once the user exits the subject or assessment, by exiting Knowledge Pathways or returning to the home page, the User interface is refreshed. The next time the user views the Knowledge Paths page, the deleted or inactive knowledge path no longer appears.

To edit a knowledge path:


2. Expand the Knowledge Paths collection for the workgroup to view the available paths in the Properties pane.

3. Click the knowledge path you want to edit.

4. Edit properties as desired.


To move a knowledge path:


2. Expand the Knowledge Paths collection for the workgroup to view the available paths in the Properties pane.

3. Click the knowledge path you want to move.

4. On the Edit menu, choose Move Up or Move Down ( or on the toolbar) until the knowledge path is in the desired position.


To delete a knowledge path:


2. Click the Knowledge Paths collection for the workgroup to view the existing paths in the Properties pane.

3. Click the knowledge path you want to delete.

4. On the Edit menu, choose Delete Path.

5. Click Yes.



To deactivate a knowledge path:


2. Expand the Knowledge Paths collection for the workgroup to view the existing paths in the Outline pane.

3. Click the knowledge path you want to make inactive.

4. Click the Active option to deselect it.


Multiple Workgroups and Titles


Workgroups are managed in a way that keeps them completely independent of other workgroups. With the exception of titles, workgroups do not share items in Manager. Using multiple workgroups allows an organization to have Knowledge Pathways clusters that can function alone and be independently managed.

Multiple Workgroups Usergroups can accommodate the needs of most organizations. Workgroups should only be added when the organization has smaller training units that can function independently. A good example is a large company that has independently functioning subsidiary businesses. If a subsidiary is completely independent of the parent company, and receives its own training, a workgroup on the same server for the subsidiary may be beneficial.

Before you begin using Knowledge Pathways, you should decide if your organization could benefit from multiple workgroups. It is very important that this decision be made before creating any user accounts or setting up knowledge paths. Otherwise, you may later find you need to move users or other items between workgroups, in which case all history for these items is lost.

Define Independent Management Workgroups can be managed independently because they do not share users, usergroups, or knowledge paths. For example, a knowledge path cannot be dragged and dropped between workgroups in the Outline pane. For this reason, workgroup managers cannot be expected to share information, nor any of the items in the Knowledge Pathways outline.

In addition, the server administrator can control a particular workgroup's access to titles that are installed on the server. Each workgroup manager can create knowledge paths based on the titles or AUs to which the workgroup has been given access by the administrator.

Due to the independent nature of workgroups, there are a number of key considerations when managing an Knowledge Pathways installation that uses multiple workgroups. Having multiple workgroups affects the way in which managers grant permissions, use the Master workgroup, and manage titles. The sections that follow address these key considerations.

Master Workgroup

When using a multiple workgroup configuration, the Master workgroup should not be used as a functioning workgroup or include active users. It should be reserved for the server administrator. A new workgroup should be added to the outline each time one is needed. Each workgroup should have its own workgroup manager who can function independently from the other managers on the server.

Grant Permissions

In a multiple workgroup setting, at least one individual should have Administer Server permissions. The manager of each workgroup should have Manage this Workgroup permissions, which gives the manager access to the workgroup only in Manager, as well as reports in the User interface.

6. Multiple Workgroups and Titles



Add a Workgroup Workgroups are created at the server level of the outline in Manager. Adding workgroups to an Knowledge Pathways server involves typing a name for the workgroup in the Properties pane. For more details on setting workgroup properties, see Workgroups.

To add a workgroup:

1. In the Outline pane, click the Workgroups collection.

2. On the File menu, choose New Workgroup.

3. Type the workgroup name.

4. Set the workgroup properties as desired.


Control Usernames in Multiple Workgroups By default, the Usernames must be Unique across Workgroups option in the Server Properties pane is disabled. Therefore, the same username can exist in more than one workgroup. It is important to remember, however, that you cannot share information between workgroups. If your organization operates in a multiple workgroup environment, you can enable this option to prevent duplicate usernames in the workgroups. When this option is enabled, users do not need to select a workgroup when logging into the User interface or administrative applications. The Workgroup list box in the login dialog box displays the message “No workgroup selection required” as Knowledge Pathways recognizes the workgroup according to the username, since it is unique. The only time workgroup selection is required is when a user is creating a new account in the User interface.

To control Usernames in multiple workgroups:

1. In the Outline pane, click the Server icon.

2. Click the Usernames must be Unique across Workgroups option in the General Options area to enable it. You may need to scroll to view this area.


Edit and Delete a Workgroup You can edit the name of a workgroup, as well as change enrollment settings and a username pattern. Changes made to the workgroup properties affect all user accounts created after the changes are made. Therefore, if you set a username pattern, only new accounts are impacted.

You can delete a workgroup you no longer need. However, when deleting a workgroup it is important to remember that all items in the workgroup are deleted and all tracking data is lost.

To edit a workgroup:


2. Click the workgroup you want to edit.

3. Edit the workgroup properties as desired.




To delete a workgroup:

1. In the Outline pane, click the Workgroups collection.

2. Click the workgroup in the Properties pane that you want to delete.

3. On the Edit menu, choose Delete Workgroup.

4. Click Yes.

Manage Titles In a multiple workgroup setting, an individual with Administer Server permissions can determine which titles are made available to which workgroups. The availability of titles to workgroups is determined in two places: Title Manager and Manager. Default availability is determined during installation of the titles in Title Manager, but it can be changed in Manager. Refer to the Title Manager guide for more information on installing titles.

Title Availability - Multiple Workgroups The Titles collection in the Outline pane contains all titles installed on the current server, as well as those created on the server and published. Titles in development do not appear in the Titles collection. An administrator in a multiple workgroup setting can control a workgroup's access to each title in the Title Properties pane. Following is an overview of the title properties that apply in a multiple workgroup environment.

Owner The Owner list box contains all workgroups on the server. The workgroup displayed in this field is the owner workgroup. Only users in the owner workgroup with the appropriate permissions may modify titles in Designer. By default, the owner is the workgroup in which the titles were created.

This title is available to these workgroups The title is available to these workgroups list indicates the workgroups that can access the title or AU when creating knowledge paths. This list includes all workgroups on the server. Selecting the checkbox to the left of a workgroup gives the workgroup access to the title and its AUs for use in knowledge paths. The title or AU will appear in the Assignable Units dialog box the next time it is opened. Workgroups not given access to the title will not have the title available when creating activities.

Note: Owner workgroups cannot be deleted. To delete a workgroup that owns titles, first transfer the ownership of the title(s) to another workgroup.

To manage Titles:

1. In the Outline pane, expand the Titles collection to view all installed or published titles in the Outline pane.

2. Click the title you want to edit.

3. Edit the title properties as desired.




Login Changes for Multiple Workgroups When you use multiple workgroups, it causes differences in the User interface and in the Knowledge Pathways tools.

Effects in the User Interface In a multiple workgroup setting, users must select the workgroup to which they belong when logging into Knowledge Pathways. Therefore, managers need to provide users with their workgroup name, along with their username and password. In addition, users creating their own accounts need to know which workgroup to select.

If the Usernames must be Unique across Workgroups option in the Server Properties pane is enabled, users do not need to select a workgroup when logging into the User interface. The only time they would need to choose a workgroup in this situation is if they are authorized to create new user accounts when they access the User interface. In this situation, a user would select his/her workgroup when creating an account and would not need to select it again.

Effects in the Administrative Applications In a multiple workgroup setting, users must select the workgroup to which they belong when logging into any of the Knowledge Pathways administrative applications. Users need to select a workgroup in the login dialog box. Once a workgroup has been selected, it becomes the default selection the next time the user logs into the system.

If the Usernames must be Unique across Workgroups option in the Server Properties pane is enabled, users do not need to select a workgroup when logging into the administrative applications. The Workgroup list box in the login dialog box displays the message “No workgroup selection required” as Knowledge Pathways recognizes the workgroup according to the username, since it is unique. The only time workgroup selection is required is when a user is creating a new account in the User interface.

Designer and Multiple Workgroups In a multiple workgroup setting, title authors must designate an owner workgroup when creating a new title. The owner workgroup selected should be the workgroup to which the author belongs, as only authors belonging to the owner workgroup can edit a title (with the exception of individuals with Administer Server or Manage Authors permissions).

Integrated Security Manager


The Integrated Security Manager is a utility which allows you to choose the Windows group containing the accounts that you want to integrate into Knowledge Pathways. You can choose from all available Windows groups.

To run the Integrated Security Manager:

1. Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Knowledge Pathways, and choose Integrated Security Manager.

2. Type the appropriate administrative username and password.

3. Click OK.

4. In the Groups list, click the group with the Windows accounts you want to map or click the All Users group.

5. Click the name of the user(s) in the Unauthorized Users list that you want to authorized. Click and hold CTRL to select multiple users.

6. Click the double right arrow button.

Revoke User Authorization You may have users that you no longer want to have access to Knowledge Pathways. You can revoke a user's Knowledge Pathways authorization from within Integrated Security Manager. After revoking a user's authorization, the user no longer belongs to any usergroups or is enrolled in any knowledge paths. In addition, all tracking data for the user is lost.

To revoke user authorization:

1. Open the Integrated Security Manager.

2. Click the group in the Groups list containing the user you no longer want to have Knowledge Pathways privileges.

3. Click the user in the Authorized Users list.

4. Click the double left arrow to move the selected user from the Authorized Users list to the Unauthorized Users list.

5. Click OK to close the Warning dialog box and proceed with revoking the user's authorization.

Integrated Security Manager and Multiple Domains If you are using the Integrated Security Manager to manage an Knowledge Pathways web server that is a member of a domain that has a trusted relationship with another domain, you will only see the web server name and the name of the domain in which the web server is located. To authorize Windows users in the second trusted domain, create a global group in the second domain with users from that domain that need to access Knowledge Pathways. Then, create a local group on the web server and add the global group from the second domain. When you select this local group using the Integrated Security Manager you will see users from both domains. If extended, this technique can be used not only for Integrated Security Manager authorization but also for setting NTFS permissions on Knowledge Pathways web server directories and files. In each domain, create a global group that contains the users from each domain that will access Knowledge Pathways. On the web server, create a local group that contains the global group from

7. Integrated Security Manager



each domain. This local group can then be granted appropriate directory and file permissions and be used in the Integrated Security Manager to authorize access.

Create Usergroups from Windows Groups In the Integrated Security Manager, you can create usergroups that match Windows groups. To do this, you simply indicate that you want to create usergroups and then list those users in the new usergroup. When you open Manager and view the usergroups available, you will see those that you created in the Integrated Security Manager.

To create usergroups from Windows groups:


2. Click the group in the Groups list that you want to match in Knowledge Pathways.

3. Click the Create Usergroups option to select it, if necessary.

4. Move the desired unauthorized users to the Authorized Users list.

5. Select the users in the Authorized Users list that you want to include in the usergroup. To select multiple users, click the first in the range, hold SHIFT and click the last or click each user while holding CTRL.

6. Click the double right arrow to copy the selected users from the Authorized Users list to the Users in Group list.

Remove Users from a Group You can remove Windows users from a usergroup using the Integrated Security Manager. When you remove a user from a group, the user can still access Knowledge Pathways, however, when you run reports or access other group data, as well as assign knowledge paths to a usergroup, the user is not included.

To remove users from a group:


2. Display the group from which you want to remove a user.

3. Click the user(s) in the Users in Group list.

4. Click the double left arrow to remove the selected user(s) from the group.

Clean up Accounts If you delete a Windows user account (using the Microsoft administrative tools), the linked Knowledge Pathways user is not removed in order to preserve tracking data. Since the Windows user no longer exists, Windows will not be able to authenticate the user, preventing the user from accessing Knowledge Pathways.

To simplify the process of removing these deleted Windows accounts, you can search for Knowledge Pathways users that do not have a corresponding Windows user account.

Note: The Clean Up feature only applies to those accounts authorized in the Integrated Security Manager.



To clean up accounts:


2. Click the Clean Up tab.

3. Click Find Unmatched.

4. Click the unmatched account you want to delete.

5. Click Delete User Accounts.

6. Click Yes to confirm the deletion.

Work with Integrated Security Manager Options You can change options to control how the Integrated Security Manager works. Following is a description of the options available:

• NT Full Name Pattern: If the Full Name field for Windows users is in a specific format, this option can be used to parse the full name and match it to the individual fields in Knowledge Pathways.

• Show warning when revoking user privileges: When you revoke a user's privileges in the Integrated Security Manager, a warning dialog box opens to inform you of the implications of this action. You can disable this feature by deselecting this checkbox. The next time you revoke a user's privileges, a warning dialog box will not open.

To work with Integrated Security Manager options:


2. On the File menu, choose Options.

3. Change the desired options.

4. Click OK.

Use Manager to Authorize Users Instead of using the Integrated Security Manager program, you can authorize Windows users from within Manager. To do this, you create a new user, using the Windows account information, and enable the NT Integrated option in the New User dialog box.

To authorize users using Manager:

1. Open Manager.

2. Expand the Workgroups collection.

3. Expand the Master or other workgroup collection.

4. Click the Users collection in the outline pane

5. On the File menu, choose New User.

6. In the Last Name field, enter the last name.

7. In the First Name field, enter the first name.

8. In the Username field, enter the fully qualified Windows username.

For example, in domain environments: domain\username. In workgroup environments: computername\username.



9. Click the NT Integrated option.

10. Click OK.

Allow Users to Authorize Themselves You can set Knowledge Pathways to allow users to create their own accounts the first time they log in. In order to do this, you enable integrated security, but do not authorize the users in the Integrated Security Manager.

If Integrated Windows authentication (Windows Challenge/Response) is enabled, a user is taken directly to the new user page where he/she can type additional Knowledge Pathways user information. If Basic authentication (Basic/Clear Text) is enabled, a dialog box prompts the user to type his/her Windows username and password. Then, the user is taken directly to the new user page. Since Knowledge Pathways uses the Windows account name, this field is displayed, but not editable. In addition, since Knowledge Pathways uses the Windows password, this field is not displayed on the new user page.

Note: You must enable blank passwords in Manager to create new integrated accounts.

To allow users to authorize themselves:

1. Open Manager window.

2. Click Server in the outline pane.

3. Click the Create accounts option to select it, if necessary.


User Import Utility


Another option for creating or updating user information is to import user accounts with the User Import Utility. This utility enables you to import user account information stored in a text or Excel file or via database connection into the Manager application.

Note: You can not set special permissions during the import process. User permissions are maintained in the Manager. For more information on user permissions, see Set User Permissions.

Set Up the Data File The User Import Utility imports a data file and places it in the appropriate fields in the database. Each column of data corresponds to a field in the database. For Text and Excel files, the first row in the file must be the header row. You can save the file with any name, but it must be saved with an extension of .txt for Text or .xls or .xlsx for Excel. When importing using a database connection, you configure a database connection and build a field mapping between Knowledge Pathways and the other system. The connection string is stored in a file called UserImport.xml. See Configuring a Database Connection for Import for more information.

The following table lists the headings that must appear in the header row. For all data files, you must include the USERNAME through LASTNAME fields, in the order indicated in this table. Field order is not important when using a database connection because the system will order the field appropriately.

Fields in Header Comments

USERNAME Corresponds to the Username field in the New User dialog box in Knowledge Pathways.

PASSWORD Corresponds to the Password field in the New User dialog box in Knowledge Pathways.

FIRSTNAME Corresponds to the First Name field in the New User dialog box in Knowledge Pathways.

LASTNAME Corresponds to the Last Name field in the New User dialog box in Knowledge Pathways.

MINIT Corresponds to the Init field in the New User dialog box in Knowledge Pathways.

EMAIL Corresponds to the E-mail field in the New User dialog box in Knowledge Pathways.

NTINTEGRATED Corresponds to the NT Integrated option in the New User dialog box in Knowledge Pathways.

You can also include optional fields in the file, if desired. If used, these fields must appear in the order specified in the table below and they must appear after the required fields.

Optional Fields Comments

USERGROUP Should reflect the name of all usergroups in which a user is enrolled. Usergroups do not have to exist in the database prior to running the User Import Utility. If the usergroup does not exist on the server, it is created. After importing the data, view the Usergroups collection for the workgroup to see that the new usergroup was created.

8. User Import Utility

User Import Utility


Optional Fields Comments

STARTDATE Corresponds to the Start Date field in the New User dialog box in Knowledge Pathways. Dates can be typed in any format and will be converted to the m/d/yy format.

ENDDATE Corresponds to the End Date field in the New User dialog box in Knowledge Pathways. Dates can be typed in any format and will be converted to the m/d/yy format.

Custom User Fields Custom user fields must exist in the Knowledge Pathways database; otherwise, they will be ignored during the import process. In addition, if a custom user field is required and no value exists in the field for a particular user, an account will not be created in Knowledge Pathways for that user and an error is generated in the log . For text or Excell files, the name in the header row must be identical to the field name in the database. Type the field name in capital letters and if the name includes multiple words (e.g., Sales Territory), include the appropriate spaces in the header row. In addition, the data in the data file must be of the same type as the custom user field in Manager (e.g., text should be in the data column for a text custom user field, date/time in the data column for a date/time custom user field, and so on.). To specify values for Boolean custom user fields, use 0 to indicate “false,” and use 1 to indicate “true.” To specify multiple values for a data field (e.g., an Unordered List custom user field or multiple usergroups to which one user belongs), separate each value with a comma.

Note: The option to set NT integration is read from the login address. If that address is entered via NT integration, then all addresses will be set to require NT authentication.

Configuring a Database Connection for Import User information can be imported through an external connection to a database by configuring a connection string to access the database. You can build the connection string or manually enter the string as part of the Database Connection Wizard.

Data Source Connection String example

MicroSoft SQL Server

Data Source=<server name>;Initial Catalog=<database name>;Integrated Securityty=True

Oracle Database

Data Source=<server name>;Persist Securityt Info=True;User ID=<username>;Password=<userpassword>Unicode=True

After the connection has been established, you must map the database base fields to the corresponding Knowledge Pathway's database fields. See Set up the Data File for more information on Knowledge Pathways data fields. Once the configuration is saved, it can be run from the command line, as needed.

Note: Knowledge Pathways supports only one database connection at a time.

User Import Utility


To configure a database connection for user import

1. From the User Import Utility dialog box, click the Database Connection button.

2. Click the Configure button to start the Database Configuration Wizard.

3. Click Next to display the next configuration screen.

4. To build a connection string, click the Build Connection String button, then click the Build button.

Choose the desired data source and data provider for the database connection and press OK.

Select the server name and the name of the database to be connected.

Press the Test Connection button to confirm connection, then click OK.

or

To manually create a connection string, click the Manually create connection string button.

Select or type the desired Data Provider and type the Connection String.

Press the Test Connection button to confirm connection.

5. Once the connection is established, click Next to move to the next configuration screen.

6. In the Data source for user data field, type the table name, SQL Statement or View name to be used as the source of the user data.

or

Click the Build button, enter the data source for user data, click the Test button to test the connection, then click OK.

7. Enter (or choose from the list) the required user profile fields and any optional fields that will correspond to the Knowledge Pathways database files, then click Next.

The next screen displays only customer user fields that are already configured in Knowledge Pathways (with the exception of multi-selection list type custom user fields).

8. In the Data source for user data field, type the table name, SQL Statement or View name to be used as the source of the custom user data.

9. Enter (or choose from the list) the required customer user profile fields that will correspond to the Knowledge Pathways database files, then click Next.

The next screen displays User Group information. Since user group information can have multiple values, you must re-associate the user group name with the appropriate user group values.

10. Click Use same source selected for user data if the User Group data is in the same data source selected for the user data.

or

Click Build to create a connection to a different data source.

Once the connection is established, click OK.

11. Click Next.

The next screen displays a preview of the all the data fields entered and their corresponding values.

User Import Utility


12. If the data is incorrect, click Back to navigate back through the wizard to make corrections.

13. When all data is correct, click Next.

The configuration data is saved to the app.config file.

14. Click Finish to return to the User Import Utility to complete the import process.

Run the User Import Utility The User Import Utility (KP_UserImport.exe) is located in the Tools folder within the folder where Knowledge Pathways is installed.

When you run the utility, you need to log in, just as you log into the other Knowledge Pathways tools. After logging in, the Knowledge Pathways User Import Utility dialog box opens. Select the workgroup into which the users will be imported, and then indicate the location of the text file that contains the data you want to import.

Before starting the import process, you can choose one or both of the following options: Modify existing Users and Make users inactive if they are not part of this import). The Modify existing Users option allows the utility to update information for existing users. If you do not select this option, only new users are added to the database. The Make users inactive if they are not part of this import option, allows you to deactivate any users in the system that are not currently in the set of users being imported.

After importing the data file, you can open the Manager application to view new and/or modified user accounts.

The User Import Utility creates a configuration file called UserImport.xml in the Application Data folder. This folder location varies by operating system. In Windows 2003, for example, the location is \\Document and Settings\<Local User>\Application Data\Knowledge Pathways. Additionally, each time the User Import Utility is run, a log file called UserImport.xml.log is created in the Application Data folder.

To run the User Import utility:

1. In Windows Explorer, open the Tools folder in the Knowledge Pathways directory.

2. Double-click the KP_Userlmport.exe file.

3. Enter a username and password, and select the appropriate workgroup, if necessary.

4. Select the desired server in the Connect to list box, if necessary.

5. Click OK.

6. Click the Users will be imported in the following Workgroup, if applicable.

7. Click the workgroup into which you want to import the user data.

8. Click in the Import User List location field.

9. Type the path for the text file, or click , navigate to the location in which the data file is stored, select it, and click Open.

10. Select the Modify existing Users and/or Suppress error messages (Log only) options to enable them, if applicable.

11. Select Import Users.

12. Click OK.

User Import Utility


13. Click Exit.

Run the User Import Utility from a Command Line You can run the User Import Utility from a command line via the KPUserImportCmd.exe command. This allows you to add or update users as part of a batch process that can be scheduled and run automatically at times that you specify.

After you set up a data file (as detailed above) and run the User Import Utility (KPUserImport.exe), run KPUserImportCmd.exe at the command line. Knowledge Pathways uses the configuration setting file called UserImport.xml (created by KPUserImport.exe), which contains the path to all the necessary configuration information (including username and password).

Note: You must put the path for the KPUserImportCmd.exe file in the batch file, or issue a command to change into the appropriate directory first. If the path to the KPUserImportCmd.exe or the settings file contains spaces, you must enclose the entire path in quotes.

Note: If you log in as a different user, the UserImport.xml file will not exist (since it is in your Documents and Settings path). You can run the User Import Utility again or copy an existing UserImport.xml into the Application Data folder.

Reports


Knowledge Pathways provides reports that display system usage and organizational information. These reports are available in the User interface to users with Generate Reports permission. When a user with this permission logs into Knowledge Pathways, a Reports link appears on the home page.

Report Types - Summary The following list summarizes each of the reports:

• Activity List: This report displays the knowledge path hierarchy, along with a summary of what items are included (pre-assessment, subject, post-assessment).

• Assessment Analysis: This report displays detailed assessment information for a particular activity, such as the number of times taken and average score. A table lists each question title and type, as well as number of correct or incorrect answers (also expressed as percentages).

• Knowledge Path Summary: This report displays all knowledge paths by category and the status of each, along with the users and/or usergroups enrolled in each knowledge path.

• Knowledge Paths for Titles: This report lists a particular title and all knowledge paths that use it, or all available titles and the knowledge paths that use each title.

• Skill Assessment: This report summarizes the results of an assessment for a particular user, similar to the Summary page that may appear to a user after taking an assessment.

• Usage Frequency: This report displays individual activities, along with usage information, such as time and days spent on a subject and the number of users that started or completed it.

• Usage Summary: This report displays detailed information for the selected user, including knowledge paths in which the user is enrolled, activity status, scores, and progress.

• User List Detail: This report can display all users, usergroups, or a particular usergroup with information such as active status, email, and permissions. It can also display information in available custom user fields. When all usergroups or an individual group is displayed, all users in the group are listed individually.

• User Progress: This report displays assessments that a user took, along with the assessment score and the amount of time spent in a subject. If desired, only active users or inactive users can be displayed in this report.

• Usergroup List: This report displays all usergroups in a workgroup. It can also display the users in each usergroup as desired.

• Workgroup List Detail: This report displays all workgroups and self-enrollment status. It also indicates if the automatic username generation feature is enabled and identifies the username pattern for the workgroup.

• Workgroup Title Detail: This report displays all titles installed or created in a workgroup.

Run Reports The Reports page has a link for each available report. When you click a link to a report, you see a series of criteria, much like a wizard, prompting you to select options to produce the report. Reports are in HTML format and can easily be printed.

9. Reports

Reports


Note that some reports, particularly the User List Detail report, may take a few minutes to compile. In addition, it is recommended that you print the User List Detail report in landscape mode to ensure all data appears.

To run reports:

1. From the home page, click the Reports link.

2. Click the link for the desired report.

3. Select the report options.

4. Click Next, if necessary.

5. Continue selecting the desired report options, if necessary.

6. Click Process Report or click Cancel Report to return to the Reports page.

7. Click Print to print the report, if desired.

8. Click Back on the navigation bar to return to the Reports page.

Activity List Report This report enables you to quickly see the contents of each available knowledge path. It displays the hierarchy of a knowledge path, and indicates whether each activity has a pre-assessment, a subject and/or a post-assessment. The information is a summary of what appears in the Activity Properties pane in Manager.

The options for this report are described below.

Option Description

Workgroup Select the desired workgroup. This option only appears if you are working in a multiple workgroup environment and you have Administer Server permissions.

Knowledge Path Select the desired knowledge path or select All Knowledge Paths.

The report data is grouped by knowledge path. The information that can appear in this report is described below.

Column Display

Activity Name This column displays the name of the activity as created in the Knowledge Paths collection in Manager. If sub-activities exist, they are indented in the report.

Subject Title This column displays the subject title assigned to each activity. If no title exists, the activity is an organizational only activity.

Has Pre-assess This column indicates if the activity has a pre-assessment associated with it.

Has Subject This column indicates if the activity has a subject associated with it.

Has Post-assess This column indicates if the activity has a post-assessment associated with it.

Reports


Assessment Analysis Report This report enables you to evaluate the questions in an assessment and see the areas with which students had difficulty, as well as the areas they mastered. It displays detailed assessment information for a particular activity. It includes the number of times each available assessment was taken and the average score. It also includes a list of the question titles included in the assessment, the question type, and the results for each question. The results indicate the number of times all users in a particular workgroup answered the question correctly or incorrectly, along with this number expressed as a percentage.


Option Description


Knowledge Paths Select the desired knowledge path. Activities Select the activity in the knowledge path for which you want to

run the report.

The activity name, the assessment name, the total number of times the assessment was taken, the average score, and the assessment type appear before each table in the report. The information that can appear in this report is described below.

Column Display

Question Title This column displays the question title. Question Type This column displays the question type (for example, true or

false, hotspot, and so on). Number of Correct Answers

This column displays the number of correct answers provided in response to the question.

Number of Incorrect Answers

This column displays the number of incorrect answers provided in response to the question.

% Correct Answers

This column reflects the number correct expressed as a percentage.

% Incorrect Answers

This column reflects the number incorrect expressed as a percentage.

Knowledge Path Summary Report This report allows a training manager to see which users and workgroups have access to specific knowledge paths. It displays information regarding the individual knowledge paths that are on the server. At a workgroup level, the report can consist of information for the knowledge paths available in a particular category or all categories. The report also lists the knowledge path properties (category, active, self-enroll status). Users and/or usergroups can also be included in the report as desired. When users and/or usergroups are included in the report, it displays a list of the users and usergroups assigned to particular knowledge paths.


Reports


Option Description


Category Select the desired knowledge path category or select All Categories.

Show Usergroups

Select this option to include usergroup information in the report.

Show Users Select this option to include user account information (last name, first name, username) for each user enrolled in the knowledge paths.

Knowledge Paths are listed in the report by category. The information that can appear in this report is described below. Depending upon the options selected before generating the report, some columns may not appear.

Column Display

Category This column displays the category assigned to each knowledge path.

Knowledge Path Name

The column displays the knowledge path name.

Active This column indicates whether or not the knowledge path is active. The knowledge path status is controlled in the Knowledge Path Properties pane in Manager.

Allow Self Enroll This column indicates whether or not users can self-enroll in the knowledge path. The self-enrollment property is controlled in the Knowledge Path Properties pane in Manager. To allow self-enrollment at a knowledge path level, self-enrollment must be enabled at the workgroup level.

Usergroups This column displays all usergroups enrolled in the knowledge path.

Users This column displays all users (with last name, first name, username) enrolled in the knowledge path.

Knowledge Paths for Titles Report This report provides training managers with an overview of where each title and its AUs are being used. It lists a particular title and all knowledge paths that use it, or all available titles and the knowledge paths that use each title. If any AUs within a title are used in knowledge paths, the report also lists each AU and each knowledge path in which the individual AU appears. If multiple workgroups exist, the report also indicates in which workgroup the knowledge path can be found.


Option Description

Workgroup Select the desired workgroup or select All Workgroups. This option only appears if you are working in a multiple workgroup environment and you have Administer Server permissions.

Titles Select the desired title or select All Titles.

Reports


The information that can appear in this report is described below.

Column/Row Display

Title This row displays the name of the title.

Au This row displays the name of the AU used in the knowledge path. If the entire title is used in the path, this row displays (Title Au).

Workgroup This column displays the workgroup. Knowledge Path This column displays the knowledge path(s).

Skill Assessment Report This report allows a training manager to view the results of a user's assessment and assess the user's knowledge of particular subject matter. It summarizes the results of a skill assessment a user completed. More than one assessment can be displayed in the report. The information in this report is similar to the information on the Summary page that a user sees at the end of an assessment (if available).


Option Description


User Select the desired user. After displaying the drop-down list box, a name or section of the alphabet can quickly be displayed by typing the first letter of the last name.

Knowledge Path Select the desired knowledge path. Activity Click the checkbox to the left of the assessment(s) to include in

the report. Additional information appears along with the assessment checkbox, including the date taken and score.

The resulting report is a re-creation of the assessment summary that appears in the User interface. The information that can appear in this report is described below.

Option Description

Name This cell displays the user's last name, first name, and username.

Workgroup This cell displays the workgroup name. Knowledge Path This cell displays the name of the knowledge path. Skill Assessment This cell displays the assessment name to indicate the

assessment to which the results apply. Score This cell displays the user's score as a percentage correct. Results This cell to the right of the Score cell displays a number of

questions correct and incorrect. Date This cell displays the date the user took the assessment. Questions answered correctly

This area displays a list of the sections for which a user answered questions correctly.

Reports


Option Description

Questions answered incorrectly

This area displays a list of the sections for which a user answered questions incorrectly.

Usage Frequency Report This report allows training managers to see which titles are being used, how frequently users access them, and how long users spend on the subject. It displays each activity in which users are currently working or have already completed. This information can be displayed for all users in a workgroup (Master by default) or a particular usergroup within the workgroup. The report includes usage information, such as time and days spent on a subject and the number of users that started or completed it. This information can be displayed for a particular time period, indicated by a start and/or end date, depending on the options you select before generating the report.


Option Description


Mode Select the mode, Filter The Report or Group The Report, to indicate how you want to structure the report. By filtering the report, you can display subject usage information for a particular usergroup only. By grouping the report, you can display subject usage information for all usergroups. You can also use custom fields in filtering or grouping report data.

Usergroup (Filter The Report)

Select the usergroup for which you want to generate the report.

Custom Fields (Filter The Report)

Select the options or type information for any custom fields displayed.

Start Date Type a start date (m/dd/yy) to indicate the time period for which you want information displayed. Leave this field blank if you want to see all data, regardless of date.

End Date Type an end date (m/dd/yy) to indicate the time period for which you want information displayed. Leave this field blank if you want to see all data, regardless of date.

Primary Grouping (Group The Report)

Select a custom field to indicate how you want the information in the report organized.

Secondary Grouping (Group The Report)

Select another custom field to indicate how you want the information in the report organized. You are not required to make a selection from this list box.

The information that can appear in this report is described below. The information in the table is the same whether you choose the Filter The Report or Group The Report option. The difference between these options appears at the top of the report in the information displayed. In addition, if you selected a primary and secondary grouping option, the report displays individual tables for each grouping.

Reports


Column Display

Title This column displays the title of the activity. Time Spent (hrs.) This column displays the total time spent (in hours) on the

subject for all users. Users This column displays the number of users that started or

completed the subject. Avg Time (hrs.) This column displays the average time (in hours) spent on the

subject for each user. Unique Days This column displays the number of individual days spent on

the subject. (For example, one user accesses a subject on two separate days. The report reflects a 2 in this column.)

Total Sections This column displays the total number of sections reviewed by all users.

Avg Sections This column displays the average number of sections reviewed for each user.

Usage Summary Report This report enables a training manager to see a particular student's progress in the paths in which he/she is currently enrolled. It displays detailed information for the selected user. It includes knowledge paths in which the user is enrolled and activity status indicating the date the user last worked on the subject. This report also includes scores, such as pre-assessment and placeout, as well as subject progress, expressed as a percentage.

Note: The Usage Summary report reflects information for only those knowledge paths in which a user is currently enrolled. If a user withdraws from path, the report will not reflect the data. However, the tracking information remains in the Knowledge Pathways database. If the user re-enrolls in the path, the data will reappear in this report.


Option Description


User Select the user for which you want to run the report.

The student name and workgroup appear at the top of the report. The information that can appear in this report is described below.

Column Display

Name (Knowledge Path)

This column displays the knowledge path name.

Date Enrolled (Knowledge Path)

This column displays the date the user enrolled (or the training manager enrolled the user) in the knowledge path.

Name (Activity) This column displays the name of the activity for each knowledge path listed.

Reports


Column Display

Date Last Active in Subject (Activity)

This column displays the date the user last worked in the subject.

Pre (Scores) This column displays the user's score for the pre-assessment, if applicable.

Placeout (Scores)

This column displays the placeout score, if any, that the user needs to placeout of the post-assessment.

Post (Scores) This column displays the user's score for the post-assessment, if applicable.

Required (Scores)

This column displays the required score, if any, that the user needs to continue on to the next activity.

Subject (Progress)

This column displays how much of the subject the user completed, expressed as a percentage.

User List Detail Report This report enables a training manager to access a list of all users in the system, along with specific information about each user. It provides information for individual users, such as username, last name, and first name. It can also display other optional information, such as active status, permissions, usergroups to which a user belongs, as well as information in custom user fields.

The options for this report are described below. Each of the options appears as a column in the report; therefore, the more options selected the more columns in the report. If you want to print this report, and you have chosen many options, you may want o consider printing it in landscape orientation.

Option Description


Usergroups Select the desired usergroup or select All Users. If the Include Usergroups option is not selected, the report displays a list of the users in the usergroup selected, but does not display any of the additional usergroups in which the users are enrolled.

Start Date When this option is enabled, the report displays a column that indicates the start date for the user account. The start date is the date on which the user account is active.

End Date When this option is enabled, the report displays a column that indicates the end date for the user account. The end date is the date on which the user account expires.

Active When this option is selected, the report displays a column that indicates whether or not the user is active. This property is controlled on the General page of the User Properties dialog box in Manager.

E-mail When this option is selected, the report displays a column containing the user's email address.

Reports


Option Description

Permissions When this option is selected, the report displays seven columns, one for each available permission. For each permission type, a Yes or No appears in the column to indicate if the user has the permission or not. Permissions are controlled on the Permissions page of the User Properties dialog box in Manager.

Include Usergroups

When this option is selected, the report displays a column listing all usergroups in which each user is enrolled.

Custom User Fields

If custom user fields are created, a section appears on this page listing the available custom fields. Selecting the option for a custom field displays a column for that field in the report. Custom user fields are created in Manager.

User Progress Report This report shows a training manager how all users are progressing through all knowledge paths. as it gives a full overview of system usage. It indicates a user's progress through the material assigned to him/her. For each knowledge path, this report includes such information as the status of assessments and subjects, as well as assessment scores and percentage completed for each subject. The time spent on a subject is also available in this report. Depending on the number of users in the system, this report may take some time to run.

Note: This report reflects information for only those knowledge paths in which a user is currently enrolled. If a user withdraws from path, the report will not reflect the data. However, the tracking information remains in the database. If the user re-enrolls in the path, the data will reappear in this report.

The options for this report are described below. If custom fields are available, you can also make selections for these fields.

Option Description


Knowledge Path Select the desired knowledge path or select All knowledge paths.

Usergroup Select the desired usergroup or select All User Groups. Custom Fields Select options or complete information if any custom fields

are available. Include only Active Users

Select this option to include only active users in the report.

Include users without Activity

Select this option to include information in the report on users not involved in any activities.

Include unique user days

Select this option to display the number of individual days spent on the subject. (For example, one user accesses a subject on two separate days. The report reflects a 2 in this column.) As this is a calculated field, selecting this option results in more time needed for Knowledge Pathways to process the report.

Reports


Option Description

Grouping 1 Select an option to group the report by a custom field. The default setting is No grouping.

Grouping 2 Select an option to group the report by a custom field, in addition to the first grouping selection. The default setting is No grouping.

Knowledge Paths are listed in the report by workgroup. The information that can appear in this report is described below.

Column Display

User This column displays the user's last name, first name, and username.

Activity This column displays the name of the activity. Pre This column indicates if the user started a pre-assessment (IP

for In Progress) or did not start it yet (NS for Not Started). If the user completed the pre-assessment, the user's score appears in this column. If a pre-assessment does not exist, this column displays NA for Not Applicable.

Placeout This column displays the placeout score required on the pre-assessment. If a score is not set, a 0 appears in this column. If a pre-assessment does not exist, this column displays NA for Not Applicable.

Post This column indicates if the user started a post-assessment (IP for In Progress) or did not start it yet (NS for Not Started). If the user completed the post-assessment, the user's score appears in this column (if taken multiple times, this column reflects the highest score). If a post-assessment does not exist, this column displays NA for Not Applicable.

Times Taken This column displays the number of times a user took the post-assessment.

Required This column displays the score required on the post-assessment to move on to the next activity. If a score is not set, a 0 appears in this column. If a post-assessment does not exist or is not required, this column displays NA for Not Applicable.

Subject This column indicates how much of a subject a user completed, expressed as a percentage. A percentage complete of 100% indicates the user finished the subject. If the user did not start a subject, this column displays NS for Not Started.

Time in Subject This column displays the amount of time (in hours) a user spent on a subject. If the subject is complete, as indicated by 100% in the Subject column, the time reflects the total time spent on the subject. If the user did not start the subject yet, this column displays NS for Not Started.

Unique Days If the Include unique user days option is enabled before running the report, this column displays the number of individual days spent on the subject.

Usergroup List Report This report provides a training manager with a list of which users are in which groups, as well as what usergroups exist on the system. It provides an overview of users and

Reports


usergroups on the server. The report can display all usergroups in the workgroup selected, as well as the users in each usergroup.


Option Description


Include Users Select this option to include user information in the report.

All usergroups are listed alphabetically. The information that can appear in this report is described below. Depending upon the options selected before generating the report, some columns may not appear.

Column Display

Usergroup Name This column displays the usergroup name. Add New Users Automatically

This column indicates whether or not new users are automatically added into the usergroup. This property is controlled in the Usergroup Properties pane in Manager.

Users This column displays each user in the usergroup (last name, first name, username).

Number of Users in Usergroup

This column displays the total number of users in the usergroup. The All Users number reflects the total number of users in the workgroup, since all users are automatically added to this usergroup when they are created.

Workgroup List Detail Report This report allows administrators to quickly confirm how workgroups are configured. It provides information about workgroups on the server. When the Show Properties option is selected, key information about the workgroup appears in the report, such as self-enrollment status and username creation.

The information that can appear in this report is described below. If the Show Properties option is not selected, the report only displays a list of available workgroups.

Column Display

Workgroup Name This column lists all workgroups on the server. Self Enroll This column indicates whether or not users in the workgroup

can self-enroll in knowledge paths This property is controlled in the Workgroup Properties pane in Manager.

Automatic User Names

This column indicates whether or not usernames are automatically generated. This property is controlled in the Workgroup Properties pane in Manager.

Username Pattern

If usernames are automatically generated, this column displays the username pattern. The username pattern is set in the Workgroup Properties pane in Manager.

Reports


Workgroup Title Detail Report This report allows training managers to see which workgroups have access to which titles. It provides a list of currently available titles for a particular workgroup. It also shows whether the title was installed on the server, or created on the server using Designer. The report can be limited to displaying only owned titles, if desired. Owned titles are titles created on a particular server.


Option Description

Workgroup Select the desired workgroup or select All Workgroups. This option only appears if you are working in a multiple workgroup environment and you have Administer Server permissions.

Display only Owned Items

When this option is selected, only titles that are owned by the selected workgroup appear in the report. The titles listed are those that can be edited via Designer (indicated as Created), or those that were installed on the server (indicated as Installed).

The information that can appear in this report is described below.

Column Display

Title Name This column displays all titles available to the workgroup if the Display only Owned Items checkbox was not selected. If this checkbox was selected, this column displays all titles available to the workgroup, for which the workgroup is the owner workgroup.

Title Type This column indicates whether the title was installed to the server or created on the server using Designer.

Structure of the Content Root


The content root is the location on the server in which content files for all titles are stored. When a title is in development, the title directory and all other AU and/or common directories are stored in the local directory in the content root. Once a title is published, the files for the title are stored in a directory in the content root, representing the Server ID (for example, 0050022AA).

File Structure Example 1 (Title in Development) Following is an example of the directory structure for a title in development.

Server Information server name: kpath content root directory: content local directory: the local directory on the content root containing the title directories for all titles created on the server.

Title Information Title Name: Product ABC Title Directory (code): abc

Within the Title or AU directory are sub-directories for the language (English) and delivery, called the element. For this title, the default element is English-Online. The directory for English is en; the directory for Online is online.

This example provides the file structure for local content stored in the title's directory and one AU. The code for the AU is intro.

Location File Name Path*

info.htm (for Title)

…/abc/en/online/info.htm Assignable Unit Contents (which can be the Title AU or an individual AU) abc.htm (for

AU) …/intro/en/online/abc.htm

Title Contents product.gif …/common/common/product.gif Language Common faqeng.htm …/common/en/common/faqeng.htm Language Delivery Common

faqeng-onln.htm

…/common/en/online/faqeng-onln.htm

Delivery Common faqonln.htm …/common/online/faqonln.htm *All paths begin with http://kpath/content/local/abc

File Structure Example 2 (Published) Following is an example of the directory structure for the title in Example 1 after it is published.

Server Information server name: kpath content root directory: content <server ID> directory: 00odst1

10. Structure of the Content Root

Structure of the Content Root


Title Information Title Name: Product ABC Title Directory (code): abc

Within the Title or AU directory are sub-directories for the language (English) and delivery, called the element. For this title, the default element is English-Online. The directory for English is en; the directory for Online is online.

This example provides the file structure for local content stored in the title's directory and one AU. The code for the AU is intro.

Location File Name Path*

info.htm (for Title) …/abc/en/online/info.htm Assignable Unit Contents (which can be the Title AU or an individual AU)

abc.htm (for AU) …/intro/en/online/abc.htm

Title Contents product.gif …/common/common/product.gif Language Common

faqeng.htm …/common/en/common/faqeng.htm

Language Delivery Common

faqeng-onln.htm …/common/en/online/faqeng-onln.htm

Delivery Common faqonln.htm …/common/online/faqonln.htm *All paths begin with http://kpath/content/00odst1/abc

Store Files in the Content Root While you could place content files in the appropriate directories in the content root, the Knowledge Pathways Content Explorer dialog box in Designer simplifies this process. From within Designer, an author can import all content files for a title simply by navigating to the location where the files are stored (for example, his/her hard drive), selecting all files, and then importing them. The Knowledge Pathways Content Explorer dialog box enables an author to select the location of the files before importing them (such as the title directory), or the files can be reorganized once they are imported.

The common directories enable authors to store files used in multiple AUs within a title in one location for easy access.

Personalized Content Logic


Personalized content is a customized version of the full content based on a user's pre- and/or post-assessment results. The purpose of Knowledge Pathways personalized content is to allow a user to complete an objective assessment of his/her skills in the subject matter and then take a subject that contains only the content upon which the user needs to focus. Knowledge Pathways does not create a new subject, but rather filters the full content to show only the necessary sections.

When assessments are created in Designer, the subject author includes questions based on subject content. It is particularly important that these questions provide a representative sampling of the subject material if an organization uses the Personalized Content feature. When a user completes an assessment, the Assessment Summary page displays a list of sections upon which assessment questions were based and the user's score on the questions for each section.

Configure the Personalized Content The Assessment Summary page displays sections for the questions included in the assessment, each with a checkbox to its left. A user can select the sections he/she wants to include in the personalized content based on the individual scores. For example, a user would probably include a section for which he/she scored a 50% and exclude a section for which the score was 100%.

Depending on the options set in Manager, some sections are selected by default on the Assessment Summary page. A training manager can set scores to exclude or include sections in the personalized content automatically. A training manager can set an exclusion percentage which represents an acceptable score on a section. When a user meets or exceeds the exclusion percentage, he/she has demonstrated competency in the subject matter and does not need to include the section in the subject. The checkboxes to the left of sections meeting the exclusion percentage are unmarked by default. If desired, a user can still include these sections in the personalized content by selecting them. A training manager can also set a required percentage which represents an unacceptable score on a section. When a user falls below the required percentage, he/she has not demonstrated competency in the subject matter and needs to include the section in the subject. The checkboxes to the left of sections falling below the required percentage are marked by default and cannot be deselected. Sections with scores falling in between the exclusion percentage and required percentage are selected by default; however, a user can deselect these sections as desired.

Each time a user takes an assessment, the personalized content results are updated to reflect the user's most recent score. A user can reconfigure the personalized content each time he/she accesses the personalized content results.

When a user completes an assessment in the User interface, the Summary page displays a list of sections upon which assessment questions were based and the user's score on the questions for each section.

Warning: Questions tied to the Title AU are not used in configuring the personalized content as you cannot exclude (or test out of) the Title AU.

11. Personalized Content Logic

Expert Advice


Expert Advice enables communication between students and subject matter experts on subject content. In Manager, expert advice is enabled and users are identified as experts. From the list of available experts, a manager or administrator can choose experts for particular titles and then for knowledge paths in which the title or AUs within the title are used. Once expert advice is set up in Manager, users can benefit from the Expert Advice feature as they work in subjects in the User interface.

Expert Advice in the User Interface Questions and answers are posted in the User interface. Experts and students can check the expert advice pages for questions and answers, or they can be notified via email that a question or answer has been posted. While email is not required to use the Expert Advice feature, it is helpful as experts and students are made aware of new questions and answers as soon as they are posted. In order for email to be used with expert advice, it needs to be configured in Manager. In addition, experts and students must have an email address stored in their user profiles to receive expert advice messages.

Ask a Question - Student In the subject interface, an Ask an Expert link appears in the navigation bar. This link appears only when an expert is available for the current subject. When posting a question, a user needs to include a subject and the message text. When the question is complete, the user submits it to the expert. If email is used, a message containing a link to the student's question is sent to the expert and appears in the mailbox in his/her email program. The message is sent from the system (the server email address stored in Manager), not from the student. However, the student's name appears in the question text.

A knowledge path may have multiple experts assigned to it. However, once a question is routed from a particular student to a particular expert, all subsequent questions on that topic from that student are routed to the same expert.

Answer a Question - Expert After a student posts a question, it is routed to an expert designated for the current subject. An expert can view questions to which he/she must respond on the Expert Students page in the User interface. If email is used for Expert Advice, an expert receives an email with the subject “Expert Advice Request from <student name> regarding <subject>” in his/her mailbox. When the expert opens the email message, a link to the question appears. The expert can click the link to launch Knowledge Pathways. After he/she logs in, the Expert Students page opens with the question displayed.

12. Expert Advice

Manager Authoring Standards and Best Practices


When you use the Manager to manage content, you will gain great benefits from developing consistent standards and practices.

Administration There are two distinct administrator types for the Manager module, Server Administrator and Workgroup Administrator.

Server Administers have full access to all Knowledge Pathways features in all applications. Only users with Administer Server permissions can use all features in Manager and Title Manager and run all available reports in the User interface. The Server Administrators set all the universal permissions, have the ability to create Custom Fields, Custom Reports access, and Title Categories. They can also give individual Workgroup Administrator rights. Typically only one or two individuals serve in this role.

Workgroup Administrators have full access to a particular workgroup. When a workgroup manager logs into Manager, he/she sees only that workgroup in the Outline pane. Workgroup managers can create users, usergroups, knowledge paths, and path categories for the workgroup to which they are assigned. Workgroup Administrators are also given Create Titles and Generate Reports permission by default.

Workgroups or Usergroups It is very important that you decide whether to use workgroups or usergroups before you create any user accounts or set up knowledge paths. If you find later that you need to move users or other items between workgroups, all tracking data and history for these items is lost.

Workgroups A workgroup is an organizational group of users. Workgroups contain individual user accounts, groups of related users, and knowledge paths.

If you use multiple workgroups, the Master workgroup should not be used as a functioning workgroup or include active users. It should be reserved for the server administrator. Each workgroup should have its own workgroup manager who can function independently from the other managers on the server.

Usergroup A usergroup is any logical grouping of users defined by a manager. Multiple usergroups may exist in a single workgroup.

Comparison of Workgroups and Usergroups The following table lists the advantages and disadvantages of workgroups and usergroups. It also offers suggestions as to when to use each.

13. Manager Authoring Standards and Best Practices



Workgroups Usergroups

When to use Knowledge paths are to be unique to a division. Reporting is by division User accounts are by division.

Knowledge paths are to be shared by multiple divisions. Reporting is across an organization.

Advantages Workgroups are designed to correspond with independently managed corporate sites or divisions. Using multiple workgroups allows an organization to have Knowledge Pathways clusters that can function alone and be independently managed. A workgroup can contain multiple usergroups, and a user may be a member of one or more usergroups.

Managers can assign subjects to many users at once. There is an All Users usergroup, included by default, to which every user account belongs. This allows a manager to assign a learning path easily to all users at once. You can control when a usergroup can start taking subjects and assessments in the knowledge path, as well as a date when the subject should be completed. You can set a start and/or end date for each knowledge path listed. Usergroups can be copied.

Disadvantages Usergroups cannot be shared across workgroups. Knowledge paths cannot be shared across workgroups. Categories cannot be shared across workgroups. In Manager, searches for users, permissions, and so on do not work across workgroups. You cannot run standard reports across workgroups. A user may be required to select a workgroup before thy log into the system. Only a user with Server Admin permissions can see all of the workgroups. When titles are installed, the workgroup must be selected. The Server Admin may add the title to a workgroup later, if needed.

There is no independent separation of groups. Usergroups cannot have sub-usergroups.

Considerations for Backing Up In Knowledge Pathways, there are several things you should consider when you formulate your back up plans: the database, the content root, custom reports, and any user interface customization.



Back Up the Database The database contains information created in both Designer and Manager.

Designer • Content outlines

• The names and properties of all AUs and sections

• Question text

• Structure of assessments and knowledge checks

• Content links

Manager • User accounts, usergroups, and workgroups

• Tracking data for users

• Learning paths

• Custom user fields

• Custom Report links

• Available titles

• Knowledge Paths and assignments

• Title and Path Categories

You can set up a timed backup procedure within SQL, or you can run the procedure manually to back up the database. The default name for the SQL database is KPMASTER5, although it may have been changed at installation. Check with your system administrator for more information.

Back Up the Content Root The content root is a folder that contains all of the content files for all of your titles, including titles in development as well as published titles. This folder can reside on the same server as the Knowledge Pathways Web server or any location accessible from the Web server. The location(s) for the content root(s) are listed in the Properties pane when you click the Content Roots collection in Manager. If you do not have permissions in Manager to view this information, check with your system administrator.

The entire content root folder should be backed up. The back up may be done automatically if the content root is located on a network drive that is backed up regularly. If is not, then you should talk with the system administrator about alternative methods. While you can simply copy and paste the folder, it can become very large very quickly, and this method may not be feasible. If you have multiple content roots, be sure that all of them are included in the backup plan.

Back Up User Interface Customization If you have customized the end user interface, you should also back up, or make copies, of the any customization.



Back up Text Changes (.cus files) All customized text is contained in a .cus file. If you customized the text for multiple languages, there a .cus file for each language, for example, euen.cus is the file for English, and eude.cus is the file for German. You should make backup copies of all of the .cus files.

The .cus files are contained in the kpath50\bin folder where the Knowledge Pathways Web server was installed. In a typical installation on the hard drive of the Web server, the folder location is:

C:\Program Files\Knowledge Pathways\Web Server\KPATH50\bin

Note that this might be different in your specific Knowledge Pathways installation.

Back up Graphic Changes If you have also customized the graphics or logos for the end user interface, you should make backup copies of the files. These files are stored in the kpath50\Images\Custom folder in where the Knowledge Pathways Web server was installed. In a typical installation on the hard drive of the Web server, the folder location is:

C:\Program Files\Knowledge Pathways\Web Server\KPATH50\Images\Custom

Note that this might be different in your specific Knowledge Pathways installation.

Back Up Custom Reports If you have created custom reports, you should also consider making backup copies of the report files. These can be stored on any Web server, as indicated by the paths for the reports in Manager. They may already be included in a regular backup schedule of the server. Check with your system administrator to be sure. You can always make a copy of the file and store it in another safe location.

Index


A

Activities • 5-4 Activities in Knowledge paths • 5-4 Add to a knowledge path • 5-4 Delete activities • 5-11 Edit activities • 5-11 Multiple activity knowledge paths • 5-2 Present content • 5-1 Root activity and sub-activities • 5-4 Set activity properties • 5-5 Single activity knowledge paths • 5-2

Activity List Report • 9-2 Assessment Analysis Report • 9-3 Assessments • 5-1

Assessment options • 5-8 Assignable Unit (AU) • 5-1 C

Clear tracking data • 4-7 Collections • 2-1

Sort items in a collection • 2-2 View and select items in a collection •

2-1 Content root

Content root properties • 3-5 Delete a content root • 3-6 Edit a content root • 3-6 Store files in the content root • 10-2 Structure of the content root • 10-1

Custom reports • 3-7 Create a custom report link • 3-8 Custom report properties • 3-7 Delete a custom report link • 3-8 Edit a custom report link • 3-8 Enable a user to run custom reports •

4-5 Custom user fields • 3-9

Data types • 3-9 Delete a custom user field • 3-11 Edit a custom user field • 3-11 Field options • 3-10

E

Enrollment • 5-17 Enroll users in a knowledge path with

copy and paste • 5-16 Expire user enrollment in a knowledge

path • 5-18 View user enrollment for a knowledge

path • 5-17 Exclusion percentage • 5-5 Expert Advice

Answer a Question - Expert • 12-1 Ask a Question - Student • 12-1 Enable a user as an expert for specific

titles • 4-6 Expert advice in the user interface •

12-1 Expert advice options • 3-3

I

Integrated security Clean up accounts • 7-2

Integrated Security Manager and multiple domains • 7-1

Integrated security options • 3-2 K

Knowledge path categories • 5-18 Categorize a knowledge path • 5-19 Delete knowledge path categories •

5-19 Edit • 5-19

Knowledge Path Summary report • 9-3 Knowledge paths • 5-2

Add an activity to knowledge path • 5-4 Assign dates to a usergroup for

particular knowledge paths • 5-14 Assign knowledge paths to a single user

• 5-14 Assign knowledge paths to usergroups •

5-12 Categorize a knowledge path • 5-19 Create knowledge paths • 5-2 Deactivate knowledge paths • 5-19 Delete knowledge paths • 5-19 Edit knowledge paths • 5-19 Enroll users in a knowledge path with

copy and paste • 5-16 Expire user enrollment in a knowledge

path • 5-18 Knowledge path properties • 5-3 Make assignments • 5-12 Manage knowledge paths • 5-1 Move knowledge paths • 5-19 Multiple activity knowledge paths • 5-2 Present content • 5-1 Remove knowledge path assignments •

5-13 Remove users from knowledge paths •

5-15 Root activity and sub-activities • 5-4 Single activity knowledge paths • 5-2 View user enrollment • 5-17

Knowledge Paths for Titles report • 9-4 L

Launch a subject • 5-5 Launch an assessment • 5-8 M

Master workgroup • 6-1 Multiple workgroups • 6-1

Control usernames in multiple workgroups • 6-2

Designer and multiple workgroups • 6-4 Effects in the administrative applications

• 6-4 Effects in the user interface • 6-4 Grant permissions • 6-1 Multiple workgroups and titles • 6-1 Title availability - mutliple workgroups •

6-3 P

Permissions • 4-3

14. Index

Index


Enable a user as an expert for specific titles • 4-6

Enable a user to run custom reports • 4-5

User permissions on the server • 3-2 Personalized content • 11-1 Post-Assessment • 5-8 Pre-Assessment • 5-8 R

Remediation • 5-5, 5-8 Reports • 9-1

Report types - summary • 9-1 Run reports • 9-1

Required percentage • 5-5 Root activity • 5-4 S

Search • 4-7 Server • 3-1

General options for the server • 3-3 Manage the server • 3-1

Skill Assessment report • 9-5 Subjects • 5-5 T

Title categories • 3-11 Titles

Manage titles • 6-3 Title properties • 3-12

U

Usage Frequency report • 9-6 Usage Summary report • 9-7 User accounts • 4-1

Allow users to authorize themselves • 7-4

Allow users to create their own accounts • 4-9

Alternative ways to create user accounts • 4-8

Assign dates to user accounts in a usergroup • 4-10

Clean up accounts • 7-2 Create a custom username pattern •

3-16 Delete user accounts • 4-5 Edit user accounts • 4-5 Enable a user as an expert for specific

titles • 4-6 Enable a user to run custom reports •

4-5 General user properties • 4-1 Import users with the User Import

Utility • 4-9 Map NT accounts • 4-8 Revoke usr authorization • 7-1 Run the User Import Utility from a

command line • 8-5 User Import Utility • 8-1

User List Detail report • 9-8 User Progress report • 9-9 Usergroup List report • 9-10 Usergroups • 4-13

Add a user to one or more usergroups • 4-10

Add users to a usergroup • 4-9 Assign dates to a usergroup for

particular knowledge paths • 5-14 Assign dates to user accounts in a

usergroup • 4-10 Assign knowledge paths to usergroups •

5-12 Create a new usergroup from an

existing usergroup • 4-11 Create usergroups from Windows

groups • 7-2 Delete a usergroup • 4-14 Manage users and usergroups • 4-9 Remove users from a group • 7-2 Remove users from a usergroup • 4-12 Set usergroup properties • 4-13

Usernames • 3-15 Users • 4-1

Add a user to one or more usergroups • 4-10

Add users to a usergroup • 4-9 Allow users to authorize themselves •

7-4 Assign knowledge paths to a single user

• 5-14 Clear tracking data for a user • 4-7 Expire user enrollment in a knowledge

path • 5-18 Manage users • 4-1 Remove users from a group • 7-2 Remove users from a usergroup • 4-12 Remove users from knowledge paths •

5-15 Search for users • 4-7 Set options for the Users collection •

4-7 Set user permissions • 4-3 View enrollment details for a user •

5-17 W

Workgroup List Detail report • 9-11 Workgroup Title detail report • 9-12 Workgroups • 3-13

Add a workgroup • 6-2 Delete a workgroup • 3-15 Edit a workgroup • 3-15 Independent management • 6-1 Master workgroup • 6-1 Workgroup properties • 3-14