Custom login pages

Most EKP sites will use a custom login page rather than the standard page that ships with EKP. This is done by creating a file named login.wm and placing it in the WEB-INF/conf/ directory. The contents of this page are essentially HTML, with some placeholders for dynamic content that use the Velocity Template Language (VTL).

The standard login page, which can be used as a guide, can be extracted from the file WEB-INF/lib/ekp.jar using a zip utility such as WinZip or WinRAR. The location of the page within the ekp.jar file is com/netdimen/tx/auth/login/login.wm for EKP 4.7 and above, or com/netdimen/tx/login/login.wm for EKP 4.6.

One important point that is easy to overlook is that the page should contain the code shown below immediately after the opening <form> tag of the login form.

  #if ($target != "")
  <input type="hidden" name="target" value="$target" />
  #end

This code will ensure that, if a user who is not logged in attempts to access a page that requires authentication (which would happen if the user's session had timed out, for example), EKP will "remember" which page the user was trying to access and forward the user to that page after prompting her to log in. If users are always forwarded to the default start page after logging in, even if they were prompted to log in while trying to access another page, it is most likely because the above code is missing from the login page template.

(Note that the default static index.html page simply redirects the user to the dynamic login page described above. We recommend leaving the index.html page as-is and simply creating a login.wm page as described above, to avoid duplicating the custom login page HTML code.)

If your EKP site is hosted by NetDimensions, these steps will normally be performed for you by our staff.

EKP 4.7 Courselets

We've just published the second of a two-part series of "courselets" covering the new features in EKP 4.7. This part specifically covers features related to exam authoring, management and delivery. (Features not specifically related to exam management were covered in part one.)

Automatic enrollments based on elapsed time since Join Date

A few weeks ago I wrote about the relationship between auto-enroll rules and prerequisites.

Here's another enhancement in EKP 4.7: it's now possible to define an auto-enroll rule based on elapsed time since the learner's Join Date.

This should be very useful to anyone looking to deliver staged orientation training using EKP. It could also be used to solicit feedback from new hires by assigning a short survey a month or two after they join the organization.

Quick Start buttons in Knowledge Centers

EKP's Knowledge Centers provide convenient access to all resources associated with a learning activity. Knowledge Centers are available for both modules and programs.

A Knowledge Center for a module can contain a single Quick Start buttons that is used to launch any associated course. A Knowledge Center for a program can contain Quick Start buttons for each of its constituent modules.

As with most other Knowledge Center items, a system-wide configuration options enables administrators to control whether these Quick Start buttons appear. In EKP 4.6 and earlier, Quick Start buttons could be enabled for both module and program Knowledge Centers, or disabled for both module and program Knowledge Centers.

In EKP 4.7, there is a third option—it is now possible to enable Quick Start buttons for module Knowledge Centers, but disable them for program Knowledge Centers. This can be used to simplify program Knowledge Centers, while enforcing the use of module Knowledge Centers as a single point-of-access for launching courses. (Note that the Knowledge Centers for the individual modules in a program will be accessible from the program's Knowledge Center.)

Automatic enrollments and prerequisites

EKP makes it possible to define auto-enroll rules for module and program sessions. These ensure that specified groups of learners will automatically be enrolled in the session the first time they log into EKP, even if those learners don't yet have accounts in the system.

In EKP 4.6 and earlier, auto-enroll rules would always override any prerequisites that had been defined for the module. In EKP 4.7, this behavior is configurable using the Ignore prerequisites for automatic enrollments property under Manage > System Administration Manager > System Configuration > System Configuration.

If this property is disabled, auto-enroll rules won't take effect until all prerequisites for the module are satisfied. This makes it possible to establish paths of learning. For example, an administrator could create an Advanced Project Management program or module, with an Introduction to Project Management program or module as a prerequisite, and define auto-enroll rules for the appropriate learner groups. Once a learner in one of the appropriate groups has completed the introductory program or module, she will automatically be enrolled in the advanced program or module the next time she logs into the system.

Batch importer for SCORM courses

EKP has long featured a batch importer for AICC-conformant courseware. Starting with EKP 4.7, the importer also supports SCORM-conformant courseware.

To use the batch importer, you'll need to create a new zip file that contains the individual SCORM content packages. (IMS content packages will work too.) Since these content packages are themselves zip files, you'll have a zip file that contains multiple individual zip files as entries. Then, go to Manage > Catalog Manager > Import Content Package, select the zip file you created, and click the Next > button.

EKP will display a summary of the courses that will be imported, and will walk you through the various import options. Just follow the on-screen instructions. (The process is pretty much identical to the AICC batch import process.) And, if you make a mistake, there's also a batch delete function that you can use to undo your changes.

More on elective program modules

In a previous post, I described how program sessions can contain both required and elective modules in EKP 4.7.

But what happens if a session contains a large number of elective modules? How does a learner keep track of which ones she is working on?

In EKP 4.7, an administrator can specify which elective modules are automatically assigned to learners who enroll in the program session. Learners can then add more elective modules to their list of active modules, or remove elective modules that they do not intend to complete, via the program's Knowledge Center. (Required modules are always assigned automatically.)

EKP displays a list of available elective modules at the bottom of the Knowledge Center's Main tab. The learner can click the appropriate Enroll button to add a module to her list of active modules for the program.

The list of active and completed modules indicates whether each module is required. The learner can remove incomplete elective modules from the list of active modules by clicking the appropriate Withdraw Enrollment button. The module is returned to the list of available modules. Required modules cannot be removed from the list of active modules.

Elective program modules in EKP 4.7

In EKP 4.7, it's possible to specify that some modules in a learning program session are elective, meaning that the learner is not required to complete the module in order to complete the program session.

It's also possible to specify the number of credit hours the learner needs to earn from elective modules before the program is considered to be completed. (That is, in order to complete the program, the learner needs to complete all the required modules, and also sufficient elective modules to earn the required number of credit hours.)

EKP can display three new columns on the Enrolled Learning Modules tab. These show, respectively, whether a program module is required or elective, the number of training/credit hours available for a module, and the percentage of a program that has been completed. (An administrator can choose whether to show each of these individual columns by going to Manage > System Administration Manager > System Configuration > System Configuration.)

The required/elective and training hours columns are also available in program Knowledge Centers.

(Note that, in order for EKP to automatically mark programs as completed when the appropriate requirements are met, the option Enable Automatic Completion of Learning Programs must be enabled under System Configuration.)