In addition to manually enrolling users into training, you can also use enrolment rules to enable automated enrolment of users into training via a training catalogue.
Enrolment rules dictate which topics or articles are made visible to each user in their catalogue. They allow you to create and manage separate training catalogues for different types of users.
In this article, we discuss how to create and apply auto-enrolment rules (automated), which automatically enrol new users who match rules into topics, articles or pathways. The process has three steps:
Create a rule which defines the subset of learners the automation should apply to.
Save that rule to the selected topics, articles or pathways.
Edit the saved rule to enable automated enrolments.
After creating an automated rule, you can delete it at any time to stop the rule from automatically enrolling any new users.
In this separate article, we discuss how to create self-enrolment (catalogue) rules as well as the Run Rule feature to immediately enrol explorers who match a self-enrolment rule.
CAUTION! Any automated feature requires careful use. Automations will run based on the rule you set. If you set the wrong rule (you use the wrong filter or set of conditions), the rule will still run and you will need to manage the outcomes. Check your automated rules carefully and start slowly, testing just one rule first before creating more.
Start by filtering your users
TIP: Consider reviewing this article which have detailed information about Custom Fields, which are typically a key part of creating a rule.
The first step in creating an enrolment rule is to go to the People view in your Admin area and use the various filtering options on that page to create the set of users you would like to have automatically enrolled.
Example: If you wanted to automatically enrol all staff in a topic, you would click on the All People filter and then filter by 'Type equals Staff'.
Example: Let's say you had a custom field for Location and you only wanted learners in, say, Sydney to be automatically enrolled in a topic, then click on the All People filter and then filter 'Location equals Sydney'.
Example: Let's say you wanted to automatically enrol Team Leaders from Sydney. So now you can use the All People filter with two filters - 'Team Leader equals Yes' and 'Location equals Sydney'.
You can use any of the filter buttons on that Admin/People page to create your rules - including roles and creation dates.
After you run the filter, you will see all existing people who match that filter. This is a good time to check that the users from the filter are good representations of the users you want for this rule!
Save your enrolment rule
When you are happy with your search, click the 'Save Rule' button. Then, select the topics, articles or pathways you want to apply the rule to. Your rule will then be added to the selected topics, articles or pathways (visible on the 'Access' tab).
Manage your enrolment rules
When viewing your topics or articles on the Knowledge page, you can see which topics or articles have an automated rule applied by checking the 'Access' column. Topics or articles with one or more automated rules will have 'Automated Rules' in this column.
You can filter for topics or articles with automated rules by clicking the 'All Access' drop-down button and selecting 'Automated Rules'.
Furthermore, when you examine a specific topic, article or pathway, you can see if any enrolment rules have been applied on the 'Access' tab, in the 'Manage rules for automated or catalogue enrolments' area.
Topics, articles and pathways can have multiple rules. Each rule can be either:
Automated. This means the rule is checked automatically every two hours and any explorers who match the rule will be enrolled into the topic, article or pathway if they are not already enrolled. Learn more about automated rules in this article.
Catalogue (Enrol). This means the topic, article or pathway will appear in the catalogue of any matching explorers IF that explorer is not already enrolled in that topic, article or pathway. The button the explorer sees will be 'Enrol'.
Catalogue (Buy). This means the topic, article or pathway will appear in the catalogue of any matching explorers IF that explorer is not already enrolled in that topic, article or pathway. The button the explorer sees will be 'Buy'. When configuring a catalogue option to be available for purchase, you must enter a URL to direct learners to make their purchase.
Any rule can be BOTH automated and catalogue (although this is largely unnecessary since the automation will enrol the explorer at the next check which will remove it from the catalogue since the explorer will now be enrolled).
A few notes about enrolment rules
Rules are immediately active. You do not need to enable them any further. NB: 'Run Rule' does NOT enable a rule - it immediately enrols matching explorers (see below for how Run Rule works).
An explorer only needs to meet one rule in order for the topic, article or pathway to be visible in their catalogue.
While the rules are presented in a numbered order (for easy reference), there is no priority to the rules. They all apply equally.
Within the Access panel, you can delete any existing rule if no longer needed.
You cannot edit a rule. If you need to make changes, delete the rule and recreate the search settings for a new rule.
How does automated enrolment work, exactly?
Every two hours, we check all automated self-enrolment rules in your portal. For each of your automated rules we:
We find all explorers who match that rule.
Check each explorer is already enrolled in the matching topic, article or pathway.
If an explorer is not enrolled, we enrol them.
Given the rule runs every two hours, automated enrolment will therefore typically find explorers who are:
Newly created within the last two hours.
Newly updated in the last two hours with changed information which means they now match this rule (e.g. a Job field is updated or a Location field is updated).
NOTE: Automated enrolments are only for new enrolments. They will not trigger a retake (which can be managed through re-certification) or reset enrolment.
NOTE: Automated enrolments are also based on explorer profiles - people with a certain job, location or title can be automatically enrolled in specific training - not the completion of other training. The use of the 'Next enrolment' feature can be used to manage automated enrolments after the completion of topics, articles and pathways.
Removing an automated rule from a topic, article or pathway
To remove a rule from a topic, article or pathway:
Navigate to the topic, article or pathway and click the 'Access' tab.
Scroll to the section called 'Manage rules for automated or catalogue enrolments'.
Click 'Delete' next to the rule you no longer want to run.
Confirm the rule deletion in the dialog box which appears. Once confirmed, the rule will no longer apply and new users won't be automatically enrolled into the training. No other changes will be made to the topic, article or pathway, or to existing enrolments.