In this article, you can read more about sessions: what they are, how admins can set them up and assign them, how trainers can create and manage event series, and how learners can register and complete them.
For admins:
What is a session?
A session is an activity that requires learners to attend one or more events (such as trainings or webinars) in order to complete it.
As an admin, you manage sessions in Control > Content > Sessions. Once created, sessions function like any other activity. This means you can:
Add them to journeys (via automations)
Show them in widgets (via the Stream)
Include them in the learner’s to-do list
And more!
What are event series?
Each session can include multiple event series...
...and each series consists of one or more scheduled events.
Each event has a specific date, time, location, and/or meeting link.
Learners register for a single event series and must attend all events in that series to complete the session.
Example:
Let’s say you want a session called “Leadership training”, and you want to offer different training schedules based on learner roles.
The session is “Leadership training”
The session contains multiple event series, one for each target group
Each event series contains several scheduled events (trainings)
Breakdown:
Session: Leadership training
Event series:
Series A: For store managers
Event 1: Communication skills: June 10, 10:00–12:00 (offline)
Event 2: Giving feedback: June 17, 10:00–12:00 (online)
Series B: For regional managers
Event 1: Strategic leadership: June 12, 13:00–15:00 (online)
Event 2: Team development: June 19, 13:00–15:00 (offline)
Series C...
Outcome:
Each learner only sees the event series assigned to their group.
For example, a store manager will only see Series A and must attend both events to complete the session.
Session:
A store manager may have access only to training A and B. He/she then may choose to register for training B and then needs to attend all the events in the series in order to complete the Session activity.
Events:
In the above example, Training B chosen by the store manager consists of 2 events:
Communication training on June 15, 2022 (offline)
Feedback training on July 26, 2022 (online)
How to set up sessions
1. Check if the session feature is already enabled
On the learning platform, go to 'More' in the navigation menu and check if 'Sessions' is shown. If it is not visible, the feature first has to be enabled.
2. Enabling the sessions feature
On Control, go to Settings > Features > and under "Content management & delivery", find and enable "Sessions".
3. Create Sessions in Studio
Go to Control > Content > Sessions
Click ‘Add new Session’
Fill in the details as you would when making a normal activity
Save and publish when ready!
The session can now be configured like any other activity, e.g. add them to a journey or widget, grant Upskill badges based on completion of the Session, etc.
Set up groups for sessions
There are two groups that are relevant for sessions:
'Attendee' or 'learner' groups: These are the users participating in sessions (who can register for and attend the event series).
'Trainer' groups: These are users with permissions to create and manage event series.
Check out this article for a detailed description of how to set up groups for sessions.
Unlock sessions for attendees and trainers with automations
Automations control who can:
See the session
Register for a specific event series
Host or manage the session
This ensures the right learners and trainers have access to the right content.
For large organisations there can be an infinite amount of sessions meant for different regions/offices/departments, etc. Therefore you don't want all Sessions to appear for all learners and all trainers.
Make sure to set up automations for attendees and trainers alike. This way trainers will only be able to create event series for specific sessions, and learners will only be able to register for the sessions made available to them.
Session visibility vs. event series visibility
If a Session activity is visible for a certain group, this is because of automation configuration in Control. It does not mean that all the event series in that Session are also visible for everyone who sees the Session. The visibility of event series depends on the selected target groups in the event series settings.
This is illustrated in the below diagram: a session called 'Leadership training' has been unlocked for the group 'store managers' and 'regional managers', which means that all store managers and regional managers can see this session.
Even when a session is visible to a learner, they’ll only see the event series connected to their assigned group.
For example:
‘Store managers’ may see only Training A and B
‘Regional managers’ may see only Training C and D
This makes it easy to reuse one session across different audiences.
You have created the Session activities and correctly set up the permissions and automations for your groups. Trainers and learners can now start using the feature!
For trainers:
How to create event series
Trainers create event series in LXP (not in Control).
For each series, they can:
Assign one or more target groups (you can only select target groups made available to you through permissions)
Add one or more events with times, locations, or links
Only learners in the specified groups can register.
How to confirm attendance
After each event, the host must submit the attendance list.
This step is required for learners to complete the session.
How to view feedback on sessions
As a trainer you can view learner feedback on different event series, collected at sessions level.
You can use this feedback to improve the format of your event series.
For learners:
How to attend a session
Learners ppen the session from the to-do list or within a journey or through the sessions tab in LXP
They can then register for an available event series
Once they have attended all events in that series, the session will be marked as completed
👀 Good to know
What if a learner cannot register for an event?
Registration usually closes at the time of the first event.
If a learner needs to be added after that point:
Admins:
Go to Control > Content > Sessions > Event series, select the event, and manually add the learnerTrainers:
In the LXP, use the ‘Add attendees’ button for the relevant event