Approvals and Roll-Out
New training is first prototyped in an Ability test site (Staging environment).
Staging
The Staging environment is not accessible through NetID login. The training program developer and associates are given an orientation to the Ability environment, navigation, functions and features that might be relevant to your group's needs. Guest login accounts and passwords will be provided.
During set-up, significant activity can be expected while issues with the new courses and discovered and corrected. ORRS prioritizes reloading new courses for stakeholders while the program is in the Staging environment. It is important that stakeholders fully vet content with SME prior to testing and that stakeholders fully verify functionality during testing. See also course development process.
Course Properties
The following details are set for each individual course prior to moving into the Ability production site.
- Title - See course standards
- Description - Typically includes mention of: mode, abbreviated version of learning objectives, audio/visual/mobility/trigger concerns, assessment, accessibility and/or subject contact method, a share-link if not a required course.
- Visibility, enrollment restrictions
- Duration
- Equivalent courses
- Pre-requisite courses
- Any additional workflow
- Other options - By default, learners can print/email certificate, can cancel, and can retake.
Requirements for Course Testing
All new courses and significant changes to elearning courses are required to be tested thoroughly to avoid unnecessary learner frustration and manual adjustments. Scheduled/Instructor-Led courses with unique enrollment or completion workflows also must be tested in both the staging and production environments.
We offer a course testing documentation template (DOC) for those who may not have their own or in addition to Quality Matters or other instrument. You are welcome to use a more robust or differently organized document. Time spent testing early and thoroughly will save everyone's time and ensure the course is respected as a quality product rather than a frustration or burden. In order to move your course into the Production environment, you must submit documentation of successful testing of your course back to your Ability team project lead and/or to orrs.train@Msu.edu.
Additional accounts and passwords will be provided. These accounts may be used consecutively by multiple users but additional accounts can be set-up as needed.
Track Settings
The number of tracks are limited to improve the learner's experience and management of training compliance programs. If your program warrants a track based on competing needs of other stakeholders, the following details will need to be verified prior to go-live for each agreed upon unique audience:
- How will the people for this training be identified and assigned and unassigned to the training?
- What course/s are required versus optional
- On-demand/online courses are due within 30 days of assignment for on-demand training. Training that required pre-enrollment (webinars and on-site classes) can be set as due within 60 days) to allow advanced scheduling.
- Retraining schedule - Typically subjects that are required will benefit from a periodic refresher. Standard retraining schedules will expire courses at 1 year, 2 years, 3 years, 5 years.
Data Integrations
Legacy data is provided by the originating unit and formatted to import into AbilityLMS. Once imported (as a partial import into Staging and then as a full import into Production) you'll need to view and approve the data as accurate and complete. We assist you with analysis procedures.
If the hosting agreement includes integration of training data with other systems, those are initiated using records from Staging and then moved into Production. An API must be tested in Production only after there are members of the related Track.
Coordination of Roll-out Communications
Throughout the project there will be need to identify stakeholders and to plan pre-roll-out announcements and to confirm understanding of Ability system emails and reports. The Ability team can assist with track links and course links as well as targeting automatic notifications for defined audiences.
Providing drafts of your email or website information can prevent confusion to your audience. Drafts of API prompts/responses are also requested. While not all misunderstandings can be eliminated, the Ability team has honed the instructions for access a course or a track or a report to be concise and consistent. Avoid specifying specific dates which can conflict with dates set for assignments, course due, and course expiration automatically set in the Ability training system. Some messaging may already be provided by default within the Ability system (about system emails).
It is a good practice to copy the Ability helpdesk (orrs.train@msu.edu) whenever you send out a mass email about training. This provides the Ability helpdesk with advanced context when we get questions "about an email I received from my department."
Production Environment
Final Tests and Administrative Control
When everything is correct in the Staging environment, your course or courses and any tracks will be added to the live production Ability environment. You will be required to again verify each aspect of your training program configuration and to run a couple more tests on any courses to ensure they are still working as expected to ensure limited problems for the learners.
A unit administrator must be identified to handle questions and daily workflow. This administrator and any trainers will be given additional access and orientation to the Ability system.
Final Approvals
You will be provided an opportunity to preview your training program from a learner perspective and from a trainer or compliance management perspective. Your Ability team may provide an email and/or other review of details (topics you'll approve(pdf) the project champion or other lead will record sign-off on general topics or record remaining issues for resolution (https://forms.office.com/r/7vie4hUcCy).
Following formal acceptance, your program will be moved into maintenance and support activities as agreed upon. Issues and change requests are submitted to the Ability team at orrs.train@msu.edu. After acceptance, new issues will be placed in the team's work queue and prioritized against other existing stakeholders and new projects.