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Midwest Energy Association 6012 Blue Circle Drive ◊ Minnetonka, MN 55343 ◊ Phone (952)832-9915

A web-enabled comprehensive system that manages all online and offline knowledge activity in an extended enterprise.

Vuepoint Learning System

VLS Administrator

VLS AdministratorVLS Administrator

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What is VLS Administrator?What is VLS Administrator? VLS Administrator is one component of the suite of

products comprising the Vuepoint Learning System (VLS) Web-based application Manage from any workstation Requires security rights Access to the behind-the-scenes information Generate reports, add and remove user records, view scores,

and monitor activity within the VLS system

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What Will We Do Today?What Will We Do Today?1. Learner Portal Overview2. System Administration

Structure Notifications Custom fields Forums

3. User Administrator Add/delete users Administration security Assign certifications

4. Courses Manage courses Schedule Courses External test data Assign Courses

6. Curriculum7. Certification Programs8. Reports

Custom requirements for transfers User reports System Reports Monitor session times OQNR OQplus

9. Offline Viewer

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VLS RequirementsVLS RequirementsSoftware Requirements

• Operating Systems

Windows 2000 or Windows XP

• Browsers

MS Internet Explorer 5.5 or above with Microsoft JVM

Netscape 7.0 or later

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VLS RequirementsVLS Requirements

Hardware Requirements

• CPU/Memory Pentium class processor running at 800Mhz or above 64 MB RAM minimum (128 MB RAM recommended)

• Hard Disk 50 MB for application, additional space for course content

• Display 800 x 600 with 256 colors minimum 1024 x 768 with 65,000 colors recommended

• Connectivity LAN connection to a TCP/IP network or 56 kbps dial-up connection or above

• Sound Windows compatible sound card and speakers (required if audio is used in courses)

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The VLS SystemThe VLS System The Vuepoint Learning System has four parts:

Content Creator – Course development

Administrator – Controls system activities

Offline Viewer – Allows users to access information locally

Learner Portal – Learner interface

All parts require User ID and password

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Learner PortalLearner Portal

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The LMS (Learner) PortalThe LMS (Learner) Portal From here, you may:

Register for a course Launch course information View your transcript of training Change your profile settings Download VLS components Upload OLV scores Launch Admin

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AdministratorAdministrator

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VLS AdministratorVLS Administrator VLS Administrator is one component of the suite

of products comprising the Vuepoint Learning System (VLS)

Primary company administrator has been setup by MEA

May have more than one administrator Controls all system functions Requires a plan of action!

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The Administrator interface provides a systematic method for performing the tasks you need

Understanding the interface allows you to quickly and easily navigate

VLS AdministratorVLS AdministratorVLS AdministratorVLS Administrator

Welcome Navigation Toolbar Menu Filter Tree View Level Hierarchy Status Bar The Content Area

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Administrator InterfaceAdministrator Interface The Welcome Navigational Toolbar in VLS Administrator contains the buttons that control various functions in VLS Administrator

The Help button will open the Help window where you can search for system instructions

The Learner button will close VLS Administrator and launch Learner

The Portal button will return you to the LMS portal screen

The Exit button will close VLS Administrator

The Screen Help button will open context sensitive help for the page you are currently viewing.

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Menu Filter Tree View The Menu Filter Tree View in VLS Administrator contains the

areas that control various functions in VLS Administrator as shown below

Administrator InterfaceAdministrator InterfaceAdministrator InterfaceAdministrator Interface

When the All link is selected an option representing each area becomes visible

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Administrator InterfaceAdministrator Interface Level Hierarchy

The Level Hierarchy is located on the bottom left of the screen. The active level (the level in which you are currently working) is highlighted

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System FunctionsSystem Functions

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VLS AdministratorVLS Administrator System Functions:

Information - View VLS system information

Structure - Set up and manage levels and licenses

System Security - Create and administer managers and permission groups

User Fields - Set up unique user fields for user profiles

Notification - Manage and send System Notifications

Comments - View user comments Forum - Add forum topics and manage

forum postings

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Class Exercise 1Class Exercise 1

EXERCISE 1

Setup New Company

We will be setting up a new company structure. You have been provided password and company information at the start of class.

Launch Admin from the learning portal environment.

1. Click on System from the Menu Filter.

2. Click on Structure from the Menu Filter.

3. Click on Level--Add from the Menu Filter.

4. Enter the name of your company.

5. Continue to build your level structure. Practice with making level and sublevels within your company structure.

Company Setup

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EXERCISE 3

Send a notification

1. Click on System on the Menu Filter.

2. Click Notification on the Menu Filter.

3. Click on Notification--Add on the Menu Filter.

4. Send a new notification for today.

System FunctionsClass Exercise 2Class Exercise 2Class Exercise 2Class Exercise 2

EXERCISE 2

Setup appropriate user fields

1. Click on System on the Menu Filter.

2. Click on User Fields on the Menu Filter.

3. Add 2 additional user fields.

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ForumsForums• Forums allow both the users and the instructors

another way of discussing topics: Manage Topics Add Topics Access Learner

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UsersUsers

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Working with UsersWorking with Users• Users can be added to the system in

three ways: Self-registration IMS/API user import Manually, through VLS Administrator

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User CategoriesUser Categories There are 8 categories

that contain options for managing users:

Manage - Create and edit users

Courses - Assign and remove courses

Curricula - View, add, and remove a user’s curricula

Certifications - View, add, and remove a user’s certification

Outside Credits - View, add, and manage credits received outside of VLS-managed courses.

Authors - View, add, and edit authoring rights

Instructors - Designate a user as a classroom instructor

LAS Facilitators - View, add, and remove users as LAS Facilitators

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Add Additional Users

EXERCISE 4Add Additional Users

In this exercise, we will learn how to add additional users to our company.

1. Click the Users button on the Menu Filter.

2. Select Manage on the Menu Filter.

3. Select Users--Add on the Menu Filter.

4. Complete all of the required fields.

5. Click the Reset button to clear all fields or click the Insert button to save the record.

Class Exercise 4Class Exercise 4Class Exercise 4Class Exercise 4

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NOTE: If a user is deleted from any level other than level 1, the user will remain in the system until removed from this level.

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Users PositionsUsers Positions There are several positions a user can

hold in the VLS system: Learner – Can access training only Administrator – Has been given certain rights

within the VLS system Instructor – Is used as a instructor in a

classroom setting Author – Can author and develop courseware

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Permission GroupsPermission Groups Using permission groups, administrators can

create groups of rights that can then be assigned to managers: Speeds up the process of assigning rights Keeps process more consistent

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Administrator RightsClass Exercise 5Class Exercise 5Class Exercise 5Class Exercise 5

1. Click the System button on the Menu Filter.

2. Select the level you want to give administrative access in the tree view.

3. Select System Security from the Menu Filter.

4. From the Menu Filter select Administrators — Add.

5. From the Managers Search Users page, you can search for users whose last names start with a given letter of the alphabet by clicking on that letter. You can also display all the users in the level by clicking the Show All button.

EXERCISE 5Assign Administrative Rights

In this exercise we will assign administrative rights to our users. We will also learn how to make a user a instructor.

1. Click the Users button on the Menu Filter. 2. Select the appropriate level in the tree view. 3. Select Instructors from the Menu Filter.4. Select Instructors - Add From the Menu

Filter.5. Click the first letter of the Last Name of the

user whom you want to add. You may also click Show All to list all users.

6. Select the checkbox next to the user name(s) that you want to add or click Select All to select all displayed users. Click Invert Selection to reverse any previous selection.

7. Click the Add button.

Assign Instructor

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CoursesCourses

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Managing CoursesManaging Courses There are three types of courses that you will

manage in VLS: VLS courses – those created in VLS Content Creator and

published to the server On-line courses – SCORM compliant courses created by

3rd party vendors Classroom-based courses – those that users attend, but are

scheduled and managed in VLS

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EnergyU CoursesEnergyU Courses• EnergyU has the following Courses:

192 Gas Library 195 Liquid Library NESC Electric Library OS OSHA Library

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Course DescriptionsCourse Descriptions Each course is identified by:

KNT - Written Test PEF - Field Evaluation 192 – Gas 195 – Liquid NESC – Electric OS – OSHA/Safety UGE – Utility Basic

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Course CategoriesCourse Categories There are 4 primary categories that you will be

working with courses:

Manage - View, add, and modify courses Schedule - Add new and edit existing events Assign Users - Assign users to courses and events Comments - View and manage course comments

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EXERCISE 6

Adding Single Courses to Levels

Add CoursesClass Exercise 6Class Exercise 6Class Exercise 6Class Exercise 6

1. Click the Courses button on the Menu Filter. 2. Select a Level (besides the System level) from

the level navigation tree view. 3. Select Manage Courses from the Menu

Filter.4. Select Courses - Add to Children. Select a

course from the list of available courses. 5. Click Add.

Adding Courses to Levels with “Add to Children” Feature

1. Click the Courses button on the toolbar.

2. Select a Level from the level navigation tree view.

3. Select Manage Courses from the Menu Filter.

4. Select Courses - Add Existing from the Options drop-down list.

5. Select the checkbox next to the course that you want to add from the content area, and click Submit.

6. The course has now been added to the selected level.

Once a course has been published from VLS Content Creator to the server, or once you have added a classroom or online course, you can add the existing course to any other level.

This allows Administrators to add courses with events to all sub levels (children levels). The child levels will have all of the same event attributes as the parent.

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Before a course can be deployed, an event must be created:

Scheduling CoursesScheduling CoursesScheduling CoursesScheduling Courses

Administrator can create a new event Must assign both course and event to users Events do not track with levels

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EXERCISE 7

Create EventsClass Exercise 7Class Exercise 7Class Exercise 7Class Exercise 7

Schedule New Events for Courses

1. Click the Courses button on the Menu Filter.

2. Select a Level from the level navigation tree view.

3. Select Schedule Courses from the Menu Filter.

4. Select Event - Add 5. Select a Course from the course list. 6. Enter information into the blank fields on

the New Event screen.

Add New Event Files

1. Click the Courses button on the toolbar. 2. Select a Level from the tree view. 3. Select Schedule Courses from the Menu

Filter.4. Select Event – Files.5. Select a Course from the course list. 6. Input the desired date range for the event or

select the checkboxes to view all dates and/or archived events and click Submit.

7. Select an Event from the Event drop-down list.

8. Click the Browse button to locate the file on your hard drive or on your network. The path to the file will appear in the File To Import area. Click the Upload button to upload the selected file to the server.

9. To activate the link to the attached document in the LMS portal, click the checkbox to the left of the attached file name and click the Update button.

The administrator can determine when a course will be available for a user.

This feature allows you to attach files, such as PDF, MS Word, Power Point, images and multimedia files associated with the event. These files are displayed in the LMS Portal when the user views Course Information.

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You may set a course prerequisite for any of your courses:

PrerequisitesPrerequisitesPrerequisitesPrerequisites

Prerequisites are level specific They will be accessed through the course description on the learner

portal MEA does not require any prerequisites be set

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Assigning CoursesAssigning Courses

VLS Administrator enables administrators with the appropriate rights to manage which courses are assigned to a user.

While you can create a curriculum to assign multiple courses to multiple users, there are times when you might want to manage individual courses for an individual user.

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EXERCISE 8

Add a prerequisite to a course

You may want to designate a prerequisite to a course for a specific users.

PrerequisitesClass Exercise 8Class Exercise 8Class Exercise 8Class Exercise 8

1. Click the Courses button Menu Filter.

2. Select a Level from the level hierarchy. You cannot add a prerequisite in Level 1.

3. Select Manage Courses from the Menu Filter.

4. Select Prerequisites – Add from the list.

5. Check the box of the course that you would like to be the prerequisite for the selected course.

NOTE: Ensure it has a post-assessment test.

If a course does not have a post-assessment test, you will not be able to use it as a prerequisite course. VLS will not be able to determine if the course was passed without a post-assessment test.

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CurriculumCurriculum

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CurriculumCurriculum Curricula represent a collection of courses:

Allows for easier deployment of courses Must use curricula for automatic certification process Can add curricula to multiple levels at once Certifications can only be assigned to curricula

NOTE: If delete a curricula from any level, it will not remove the courses from your level.

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There are three categories that contain options for managing curricula:

CurriculumCurriculumCurriculumCurriculum

Manage - View, add, edit, and remove curricula Manage Certifications - View, add, edit, and remove

certifications Assign Users - Add and remove users assigned to a curricula

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EXERCISE 9

Create New Curricula

Create a new curricula for each of your levels.

1. Click the Curricula button on the Menu Filter.

2. Select Manage Curricula from the list.

3. From the list select Curricula - Add.

4. Complete the following fields:

Curriculum Name (Required) - The name of the curriculum as you want it to appear to the users. Description - A description of the curriculum, up to 500 characters. Self Registration - Check this box if the users may register without approval from the LMS portal. Add to children – Check this box if you want every level underneath the currently selected level to receive this curricula.

6. Click the Insert button to save.

New CurriculaClass Exercise 9Class Exercise 9Class Exercise 9Class Exercise 9

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EXERCISE 10

Add Courses to your Curriculum

1. Click the Curricula button on the Menu Filter.

2. Select Manage Curricula from the list.

3. From the list select Curricula - Add Courses.

4. Select the name of the curriculum to which you want to add courses from the list in the middle of the screen. The Add Course screen appears in the content area.

5. Search for the appropriate course and select the checkbox next to each course that you want to add to the curriculum.

6. Click the Add button.

Adding Courses to Curricula

NOTE: When adding a version of any course, you must also add the corresponding KNT to the curricula.

Class Exercise 10Class Exercise 10Class Exercise 10Class Exercise 10

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Certification ProgramsCertification Programs

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Certification ProgramsCertification Programs Certifications must be assigned if:

You are using ISN You are using OQplus You are using OQNR

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Certification ProgramsCertification Programs MEA Number Identifier:

History from OQplus Easy Record Transfer Identified in ISN, OQNR, OQplus

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Certification ProgramsCertification Programs Certifications can be assigned:

By the administrator By the system Process is managed through a

Certification Program

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Certification ProgramsCertification Programs Certifications can be managed and distributed

completely within a selected level

Create unique certifications Managing the recertification

process Reset assessments

Customizing certification documents

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EXERCISE 11

Create Certification Programs

In this lesson will we learn how to create new certification programs.

CertificationClass Exercise 11Class Exercise 11Class Exercise 11Class Exercise 11

1. Click the Certifications on the Menu Filter.

2. Select Manage Certifications from the list.

3. From list select Certifications Programs-- Add.

4. Fill in the appropriate fields.5. Select the appropriate curriculum and

courses. 6. Click the Submit button.

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ReportsReports

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ReportsReports The Reports function of VLS Administrator

allows you to define and view reports based on specific needs: System Users Courses Curricula Certifications Custom

Ex. 1 System Level Report

Ex. 2 Score Overview Report

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System ReportsSystem Reports Some of the general statistics in a system

report are:

Active Sessions – Indicates the number of users currently logged in to the various VLS components.

Total Levels – Indicates the number of groups within each level. Total Managers – Indicates the number of managers within each

level. Total Courses – Indicates the number of courses assigned to

each level. Total Users – Indicates the number of users within each level.

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User ReportsUser Reports VLS contains several reports detailing activities

in the system broken down by users:

Scores-By Module Scores-By Question Scores-By Knowledge Gap Scores-By External Tests Session-Course Session-Learner Session-Admin Credits-By User Credit-Overview Users-Certifications

Ex. 3 User course overview report

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Course ReportsCourse Reports VLS contains several reports detailing activities in

the system broken down by course and level. Scores-By User Scores-By Module Scores-By Question Scores-By Percentage Scores-By Passed Scores-By Knowledge Gap Scores-External Scores Sessions-Overview Sessions-User Sessions-Started

Ex. 4 Scores overview report

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Curricula ReportsCurricula ReportsCurricula ReportsCurricula Reports VLS contains two reports detailing activities in the

system broken down by curricula: Curricula-Sessions Curricula-Users

Ex. 5 Curricula Overview report

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Custom ReportsCustom ReportsCustom ReportsCustom Reports The options with the Custom Reports category

populate after being developed and added to the server

Ex. 6 MEA custom report

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Dynamic ReportsDynamic Reports The Dynamic Reports function of VLS

Administrator allows you to define and view reports based on more specific needs

Once you select the basis for the report, you can further define the component you want to see. Score Sessions Events Level Certifications Statistics

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Offline ViewerOffline Viewer

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Offline ViewerOffline ViewerOffline ViewerOffline Viewer Offline Viewer is one component of the VLS

system that allows local access to courses:

No Internet connection One time download Can access courses anytime Easy upload of scores

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OQNROQNR OQNR allows registered members to share

individual employee qualifications with clients:

Works in conjunction with OQplus Designed for utilities, pipelines, and

contractors Post, edit, access information via

Internet All information control by

administrator

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Additional InformationAdditional Information

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Course CommentsCourse CommentsCourse CommentsCourse Comments

Users can post comments for any page within a course using VLS Learner: Comments are viewed in VLS Administrator Comments can be sent to the course author or

system administrator Comments can be viewed by individual user or by

course

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Custom Course EvaluationsCustom Course Evaluations

Every course (whether VLS, online, or classroom) is associated with a default, twenty-question evaluation. Evaluation questions appear when the user clicks the Evaluation button on the VLS Learner interface or the Launch Evaluation link on the LMS Portal.

Administrator can create custom evaluations that consist of any combination of instruction and multiple choicequestions. Each multiple-choice question has an associated response set that much consist of fiveoptions. You can create a re-usable response set rather than re-typing the responses for every question.

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External TestsExternal Tests

VLS Administrator allows Administrators to record test results for tests taken outside of VLS.

Once an Administrator adds an external test to an event, you can use the External Tests – View option toview the test name, passing score, and assessment type.

You would use the External Test category to add test scores for tests taken outside of VLS. After you create the external test, you will be able to add, edit, and remove test scores.

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There are two separate VLS servers to facilitate content development and delivery to end-users.

The View server is the server end-users will access. Organizational hierarchy, facilities hierarchy, course evaluations and surveys, curricula, certifications, access to 3rd party content, class room instructor profiles, class room based course scheduling, and end-user accounts should be set up on the View server. Authors will publish content they create using Content Creator to the Edit server. Organization hierarchy (for authoring purposes), author profiles, and end-user accounts for people reviewing content should be set up on the Edit server. The course will reside on the Edit server during the content development and review process. Once a VLS course is ready to deploy, it must be published it to the View server. End-users will access VLS courses on the View server.

VLS ServersVLS Servers