Programs to paths migration

What to expect

If you were using programs, those will soon be migrated to paths to allow you to access the full range of 360Learning's capabilities.

75% of new trainings created today on our platform are paths, because they are more powerful and allow more flexibility than programs:

Paths can be non-linear:

• Allow your learners to play the courses and other steps in any order they choose.

Paths are modular:

• Edit an ongoing session.
• Insert paths within the path for a granular learning experience.
• Options are available for the whole path: path forum, requirements, and mandatory replay; to make sure learners replay the course each year.
• Options are available for courses to tailor every aspect: when to show answers and forums, time limits, attempts, minimum score, optional courses, etc.

On paths, you will also be able to assign trainings in a few clicks to a wide, diverse audience, thanks to filters based on past results of the learner, dates, and user custom fields.

How the migration will happen

We will officially start the Programs → Paths migration on October 8th. The migration will conclude on the 13th of December.

From there, we will slowly phase all support of Programs from the platform. Please refer to the timeline below for details:

If you would like your content creators to work on paths as soon as possible, it is already possible to block the creation of programs on your platform, while keeping access to them for future statistics: once all program sessions are closed, you can ask your CSP to activate the feature.

There will be no downtime during the migration, you will be able to keep using the platform as planned. Every finished training (program, path, or course) will be preserved. Only courses started and not finished at the time of the migration, in the context of a program, may need to be re-made.

If you are using the API for programs, you will need to update it to use the paths API routes. Your CSPs are here to advise you and you can also reach out to pathapimigration@360learning.com if you have any questions.

Paths have a different technical architecture than programs, which allows for more powerful features such as the tailored audiences. Because of this difference, some elements may be modified when migrated:

• Program templates will be copied over into path templates based on the status of the programs sessions;
  • There are open program sessions
    • Check if the sessions are the same as the template.
      • For each program session that is exactly the same as its template, copy the session to that path template.
      • For each program session that is different from its template, create a new path template with all of the equivalent settings, then copy the session into that path template
  • There are no open program sessions
    • Only migrate the template, no session data will be transferred.
• The certificate is always at the end of the path. If you want your learners to get several certificates, you can create subpaths and add them to the main path (attached to the main certificate).
• The date of some emails may be updated if it was an absolute date, different between sessions of a same path.
• A fraction of past assessments cannot be transferred to paths because of the peculiar links those have with the program and the user.
• Time spent by a learner on a path can vary slightly from the time spent on the program, because in program stats we only took into account the last attempt, whereas in path stats all attempts are taken into account.
• In programs, the enrollment date was not stored and not displayed. In paths, it is stored and displayed, and this field cannot be empty. When migrating, we add an arbitrary enrollment date for all learners, which is the date of the session start. This will have no impact on statistics but the data is very homogenous (which can be a surprise).
• Program background images cannot be migrated.

If your platform is impacted by changes regarding emails, certificates, or assessments, one of those changes, your CSP will reach out to you before the migration to help you handle it.

What happens after the migration

Once the migration from programs to paths is done on your platform, you can start using paths right away. All migrated programs will automatically be archived and hidden from your learners and content creators.

We hope you will love using paths for your future trainings as much as we do!

Eager to start using paths?

We have created a solution to immediately prevent further use of programs in your platform. This will allow you to block the creation of new programs from your platform, while allowing historical programs to still be accessed.

This feature is available upon request to the CSP team.

FAQ

Q: Will the learners’ progress be kept when a program is transformed into a path?

Yes. If a learner completed a program session, the corresponding path will also be completed. The only scenario where a learner would have to start a course over is if they were in the middle of a course when the migration happened.

Q: If a learner is registered to a program session but hasn’t started it, will they be enrolled in the corresponding path?

Yes. All learners registered in a program session will be enrolled in the corresponding path session.

Q: Will the programs I’ve already created be transformed into paths?

Yes, all the programs will be transformed into paths.

Q: What will happen to the programs that are on the platform?

Once all of them have been migrated to paths, they will be deleted from the platform.

Q: Will the migration happen automatically or will I need to do anything?

The migration script will do the job of transforming programs into paths, so there will be no manual work for you and your team.

Q: Are the KB articles on programs and paths up to date with these new versions?

Yes! We update our program and path articles as new versions are released. Look forward to more article updates over the next few releases!

Q: Will paths have the same ID as the original program?

Yes, we will keep the same ID.

Q: In a path, how do we add questions that do not generate a score?

Use opinion questions in the courses that are path steps.

Q: Can we play the path courses in a gamified mode as it was possible in programs?

Our gamification mode (challenge mode) is limited to the mobile app.

Q: Can we integrate SCORM files in a path?

Yes, SCORM files are integrated at the course level. The following options are available for SCORM files: Optional content, Relative due date, Minimum score, Attempts, Availability.

Q: If I change my path template, do the changes only apply to future sessions (like on a program) or also to current sessions?

Yes, the changes apply to all sessions in the path!

Q: If a course that is already part of a path is changed, are those edits visible to the learners?

If the learner has already launched the course from the path, they will see the version they launched before the edits. If they have started the path but have not launched the course yet, they will see the updated version of the course.

Q: If the same course exists in several paths, are the learner's results included so they don’t have to retake the same course several times?

Yes, this is one of the features that paths have that programs did not.

Q: Are we able to make part of a path linear and another part non-linear?

You can’t do that using a single path, but you could accomplish that using three paths.

Here’s what that would look like:

• Path 1: Your “parent” path. Add “Path 2” and “Path 3” as path steps. Make this path linear.
• Path 2 & Path 3: Your “sub-paths”. Make one linear and the other non-linear. Be sure to either enroll your Path 1 learners in these path sessions or add them to their Catalogs.

Q: How can I export path data?

There are some options on the path dashboard and the new export interface.

Q: ​​What happens when the session deadline has passed? Do learners still have access to it?

Learners will not have access to path sessions after the end date has passed.

• If you would like to give them access, you could enroll them in another path session.
• End dates are also optional on path sessions, so you don’t need to set one at all if you don’t want to.

Q: Is it possible to share the path in the catalog without creating a session?

No, that’s not possible. However, to simplify those cases where you only want to share via a catalog, when you save a new path the platform automatically creates a session.

Q: Is there an image bank like there is for the paths?

Yes! You can use the Unsplash image bank to add images to your paths.

Q: Can we add validation steps, like in programs?

Yes, you can add assessment steps to paths.

Q: Will certificates of completion be maintained?

Yes, certificates of completion will be maintained.

Q: My learner shows an "Unsuccessful" status in the path session, while showing a "Successful" status for the program session. Why are these results different?

This is likely due to how minimum scores work in paths.

For paths, all sessions follow the definition of the path. If a minimum score is applied on a course, it is applied to all sessions of the path.

If there is a minimum score condition on the migrated path session, and that minimum score was not met when the learner initially completed the program, the session is considered "unsuccessful" and no certification is delivered.

Q: Will it be possible to limit the time for quizzes?

Yes, you can already set a time limit through path step options.

Q: Is it possible to reuse program certificates in paths?

It is not currently possible; however, because you can reuse certificates from one path on another path, it will be possible after the migration.

Q: Certificates after each course/steps and not only at the end of a path: Did you plan to give the opportunity to do it again in PATHS?

No, it's not planned.
But there is a workaround with paths included in a path. Here is an example:

Program1 = Course1 + Certificate1 + Course2 + Certificate 2
PathA = Path1 + Path2, Path1 = Course1 + Certificate1, Path2 = Course2 + Certificate 2

Q: When assigning a master path, when will it assign automatically the sub paths without notifying the learner?

This is planned.

Q: When the feature above will be available, will it make the sub paths linear automatically (it would seem logical for the client as the option "linear or not" is still available)?

This is also planned.

Q: Will the path URL be the same as the course URL?

No, the URL will change. We will add a banner with a link to the corresponding path on the program homepage (learner view).

Q: What will happen to program sessions with an End Date after Sept 2023?

If the program template was modified after launching the session, then during migration the session will also be modified to reflect the program template. With paths, it will not be possible to have a different path session and path model.
It is possible to output the list of sessions with an end date beyond Sept 2023.

Q: Why couldn't a learner change his answer when he didn't finish is course?
In the real conditions of an exam, people can change their answer before giving their copy to the instructor + it was possible with programs.

This is possible if, in the path editor, in the course option, on the "Correct answer" option, you select the mode "show answers at the end of a course" (if successful or not).

Q: It seems to me that when a course contain a question, I have to redo all the activities in the linear order when I redo the course. When the course doesn't contain any question, I can select the activity I want in the order I want. Why are the 2 behaviors different?

They are not different. As of April 5th, we will implement the option: Mandatory Replay.

• When this option is activated, the learner will always have to replay the course in the path session context
• When this option isn't activated, the course will be completed no matter if it was played from the catalog, another path or the given path context.

Either way, if the option "x attempts" is not activated on the course, the learner will always be able to replay the course from the path.

Q: Do people assigned to a path containing only completed steps also receive a notification when they are assigned?

No, the learner won't receive the notification.

Q: What happens for programs with more than 50 steps? How will they be migrated?

The 50 steps limitation for paths is only in the interface : you can't add more than 50 steps by hand but there is no issue for the migration, the migrated path will work with more than 50 steps

Q: Could you please clarify the completion and progress rules when a course is included in a path and it has already been completed outside of this path?

Normally, the option puts the progress & completion back at 0 for this path, meaning you have to replay every course in the context of the path (past attempts data is not taken into account).

Q: When will a path that's been duplicated not be linked to its original path, so that the changes made on the copied path don't impact the original path?

The duplicated path is not linked: you can change steps, title, description without impacting the original path.

Q: When an in progress program is migrated to a path session, how will overall session stats be impacted?

The program session stats will be migrated in path session stats, and the learners will be able to continue their training in the path. If learners had started a course inside the path but not finished it when the migration happens, they will have to restart the course (not the whole path).

Q: When an in progress program is migrated to a path session, can it be migrated without an end date? Even though the program session had an end date set?

Programs will be migrated into paths as they were as programs: if they had an end date, it will be kept, but the path authors can remove it afterwards.

Q: For programs added in some groups libraries, will the migrated paths already be added in those libraries?

Yes.

Q: Do learners receive a notification when a path session starts?

Currently, they do not. Learners receive an email when they are enrolled in a path session. We are currently making a change to this functionality so that learners will receive a notification when the path sessions starts.

Q: Will I be able to revisit my programs to view historical statistics?

Data and statistics from programs will all be migrated to paths. Given the different way paths and programs were built, there can be discrepancies between the progress in the 2 components if the template was edited after a given session was created in programs:

• In programs, once created, sessions could not be edited
• In paths, it adapts to the template changes, allowing updates
  

We are adding a column in path stats that will indicate the state of migrated programs. Immediately following the migration, programs are just archived (so they can still be viewed and you can still pull reports). Once programs are fully hidden from the platform, you can use path reports to access the historical data.

Q: Will comments left in a course forum within a program be migrated?

Yes, comments will be migrated to the path forum.

Q: Will programs that are shared in a group library become paths that are shared in the group library?

Group library sharing will be kept during the migration.

Q: Will the cover picture illustrating the program be migrated?

Unfortunately, those images cannot be migrated. Migrated paths will use one of the default cover images.

Q: How will email blocks migrate? Will the text and attachments be migrated also?

Yes, emails will be migrated with options, text, and file. However, they will not keep the fixed date option (it is not available on paths), the dates will become relative dates.

Q: Are the options "mandatory retake" and "reminders" activated by default with the migration?

Mandatory retake: Yes, but we do have the ability to quickly remove them.

Reminders: No (same as on the program).

Q: Why is progress not the same between programs and paths for a given learner?

The progress in programs was static, reflecting the progress in the courses which were part of the program at the moment the session was created.
The progress in paths is dynamic: if the program template content (courses, classrooms, etc.) was changed after the program session was created, the path stats will reflect the learner progress in the courses/steps of the current template.