Introduction

Channels are streams of topics that include courses and learning plans created by Superadmins. Channels are used to organize content in your platform, allowing users to easily and quickly access training content divided by categories. They can be shown as individual pages or as widgets on widget pages.

This article covers how to view, create and manage channels as a Superadmin. It focuses on how to manage channels in those platforms in which Discover, Coach & Share is not activated. If you want to learn more about channels used in platforms leveraging the informal learning approach with Discover, Coach & Share, refer to the article Creating and Managing Channels.

Types of Channels

In your platform, there are three types of channels:

• Built-in channels
• Custom channels
• AI-based channels.

Built-in channels are present by default in the platform and can be edited, but not duplicated or deleted. These are the built-in channels that you will find by default in your platform:

• My Skills. This is an AI-based built-in channel that will automatically be populated with content according to the skills selected by the learner, providing them with personalized, high-quality aggregated content with the help of artificial intelligence. Learn more on the My Skills channel.
• Continue To Watch and Learn. This channel includes all of the courses or learning plans that a learner still needs to complete.
• New Invitations and Subscriptions. This channel includes all of the courses or learning plans in which a learner is enrolled.
• My Learning Activity History. This channel includes all of the courses or learning plans that a learner has already completed.

Moreover, you can create your own custom channels or AI-based channels. You can use custom channels to populate them with content of your choice, while AI-based channels will automatically be populated either based on all the skills available in your platform, or with a custom selection of skill sets.

In the following chapters, you will find more information on how to create channels.

Please Note: All of the channels listed here are visible in every platform, regardless of whether Discover, Coach & Share is enabled or not. In these channels, only courses and learning plans in which the learner is enrolled will appear within the channels for a given learner unless the Show courses where users can self-enroll in channels setting in the Channels tab of the platform Advanced Settings menu is enabled (see the Self-Enrolling into Courses from Channels chapter of this article for more details).

Viewing and Configuring Channels

To create and manage channels, access your platform as the Superadmin, reach the Admin Menu, then select the Channels item from the E-Learning section. Remember that only Superadmins are in charge of creating and managing channels.

This is the main page of the Channel Management, listing all of the channels available in your platform.

You can filter the content of the table by clicking on the filter icon on the top left corner of the table to see the complete filters list and to make your selection. Filters are applied in real time.

You can also customize the table layout in order to show only the columns that are relevant to you. Click on the columns management icon on the top left corner of the table to select the columns you would like to include in the table view. Use the cross icon to drag and drop the columns in the list, sorting them according to your needs.

When you need to look for a specific channel, use the free text search area on top of the table.

Every channel’s row shows the following columns: thumbnail, channel name and description, channel type, visibility, content and skill sets assigned to the channel, and the channel’s publication status.

• In the Thumbnail column, you will see the channel’s thumbnail.
• In the Name, Description andType columns you will see the channel’s name and description and the type of channel: built-in, custom, or AI-based.
• In the Visibility column, you will see the channel’s association with groups and/or branches. In order to assign a channel to specific groups or branches, access the channel’s page by clicking on its name. Here, in the Properties tab, reach the Visibility section, where you can configure the channel’s visibility.
• In the Content column, you will see how many pieces of content are assigned to the channel. Press the content icon to access the content tab on the channel’s page, where you will see all the content that has been assigned to the channel, along with the details of each piece of content. This column will only be populated for custom channels.
• In the Skill Sets column, you will see the number of skill sets associated with the channel. Click on the skill sets icon to access the Details area in the channel’s page, where you can customize the skill sets based on which the channel will be populated. This column will only be populated for AI-based channels.
• In the Published column, you can choose whether you want to publish the related channel throughout your platform pages or not. Click on the checkmark icon in the channel’s Publish column to make the channel available. The green checkmark means that the channel is already visible and published, while an empty checkbox means that the channel is hidden and unpublished. You can press the checkbox again to hide (unpublish)/show (publish) the channel.

Creating Custom Channels

To create a new custom channel, select the Plus (New Channel) button in the top right corner of the channels management page. In the right panel that opens, write a name for your channel and select Custom Channel in the Channel Type section. Finally, press the Create and Edit button at the bottom of the page.

Congratulations, you have created your new custom channel! Now you can proceed with its configuration in the two tabs of the channel’s page, Properties tab (where you can customize the channel by changing/adding its name, description and thumbnail, and by defining the channel’s details and visibility) and Content tab (where you can add content to the channel).

Properties Tab (on the Channel Page)

Start from the Properties tab, General section. In the Channel Info subsection, you can add a description for the channel (and change its name, if needed). You can translate the channel name and description text fields in multiple languages using the multi-language selector tool, which is accessible from the globe icon in the top right corner of the section. Learn more about using the multi-language tool to create multi-language content. Remember that the selected language does not determine the language of the content in the channel, but just the language of the channel details. In this section, you can also see the type of channel, but you cannot edit it.

In the Thumbnail Composer section, you can compose your channel thumbnail by selecting an icon and color. Press the Change Icon button to browse the icons catalog and select your preferred one.

Please note that a new icons catalog is available for your platform. Don’t worry, if you are using an icon included in the old catalog, you can continue using it. Instead, if you choose and save a new icon from the new catalog, you cannot use your old icon anymore.

To customize the color of the icon and the background, press the pen icon in the corresponding box, then choose a color from the color wheel. Select the tone by clicking on the square. You can also write the color code in the related box if you already have a specific color in mind.

Scroll down to the Details section in the Properties tab. Here, in the Sorting field, choose how you want to sort the channel items, either by item name (A-Z or Z-A) or creation date of the content (newest to oldest or vice versa).

Finally, in the Visibility section, define who can view the channel, all users or specific ones (selected groups or branches). Please note that you cannot associate a channel to a single user. If you want to choose specific groups or branches of users who will be able to view the channel, activate the Custom Selection toggle, then type or select groups and/or branches in the corresponding fields. Also, remember to configure the All Channels page or the page including a Channels widget into the user main menu to make it available to your users.

Users who are not assigned to any course or learning plan that appears in a channel will not see that channel on any pages. Remember that users cannot give themselves visibility to a channel. Only Superadmins can assign users to channels.

Content Tab (on the Channel Page)

Switch now to the Content tab, where you will be able to assign content to the channel. Select the Plus (Assign Content) button in the top right corner. A right panel will open, where you can select courses and learning plans to assign to the channel. Once you have selected the desired content, confirm your action by clicking the Assign button at the bottom of the panel. The content you selected is now assigned to the channel.

You will find all of the content that is assigned to the channel listed in the Content tab, where you can also view the content details: thumbnail, name, type of content, its creation date, and finally its status (published or unpublished). By clicking on the content’s name, you will access its page to view its details and edit it.

If you need to edit or unassign a course or learning plan from the channel, click the ellipsis icon at the end of the content row in the table listing the content, then select the corresponding option. You can filter the content of the table by clicking on the filter icon on top of the table to see the complete filter list and to make your selection. Filters are applied in real time.

If you need to look for specific content, use the free text search area near the filter icon.

To publish the channel and make it visible to users, use the publishing bar at the bottom of the Properties tab, or press the corresponding checkmark icon in the Published column on the channels management page. Once finished configuring your channel and assigning content to it in the Properties and Content tabs, save your changes by selecting the corresponding button at the bottom of the Properties tab.

Creating AI-Based Channels

To create a new AI-based channel, select the Plus button in the top right corner of the channels management page, then press the New Channel button. In the right panel that opens, write a name for your channel and select AI-Based Channel in the Channel Type section. Finally, press the Create and Edit button at the bottom of the page. You will be redirected to the channel settings page.

In the Channel Info section, you can add a description for the channel (and change its name, if needed). You can translate the channel name and description text fields in multiple languages using the multi-language selector tool, which is accessible from the globe icon in the top right corner of the section. Learn more about using the multi-language tool to create multi-language content. Remember that the selected language does not determine the language of the content in the channel, but just the language of the channel details. In this section, you can also see the type of channel, but you cannot edit it.

In the Thumbnail Composer section, you can compose your channel thumbnail by selecting an icon and color. Press the Change Icon button to browse the icons catalog and select your preferred one. 

Please note that a new icons catalog is available for your platform. Don’t worry, if you are using an icon included in the old catalog, you can continue using it. Instead, if you choose and save a new icon from the new catalog, you cannot use your old icon anymore.

To customize the color of the icon and the background, press the pen icon in the corresponding box, then choose a color from the color wheel. Select the tone by clicking on the square. You can also write the color code in the related box if you already have a specific color in mind.

Scroll down to the Details section. In the Skills Sets subsection, select whether you want to assign all skill sets or a custom selection of skill sets to your channel. Remember that the same skill set can be assigned to multiple channels. It is also possible to associate channels to the skill set directly from the aggregator channel of the skill set itself. Learn more about how to associate channels directly from the aggregator channel.

Please note: when you choose to add all skills sets, remember to refresh your page after saving your changes.

Finally, in the Visibility section, define who can view the channel, all users or specific ones (selected groups or branches). Please note that you cannot associate a channel to a single user. If you want to choose specific groups or branches of users who will be able to view the channel, activate the Custom Selection toggle, then type or select groups and/or branches in the corresponding fields. Also, remember to configure the All Channels page or the page including a Channels widget into the user main menu to make it available to your users.

Users who are not assigned to any course or learning plan that appears in a channel will not see that channel on any pages. Remember that users cannot give themselves visibility to a channel. Only Superadmins can assign users to channels.

Self-Enrolling into Courses from Channels

If users can self-enroll in some courses, and those courses are published in channels, they will be able to see them even if they are not enrolled. In order to see those courses, enable the Show courses where users can self-enroll in channels setting in the Channels tab of the platform Advanced Settings menu. When this option is enabled, learners can filter the courses included in channels using the Show only courses in which I'm not enrolled filter in the Enrollment Status filter area. When this option is disabled, that filter is not visible. 

Learners can self-enroll into courses from channels only if:

• the course enrollment policy is set to free
• learners have visibility on at least one catalog the course is assigned to.

Remember that

• the courses under maintenance are not shown in the channels
• learners cannot see learning plans available for self-enrollment in channels
• the courses imported from the Content Marketplace and made available in channels are not filtered by the Show only courses in which I'm not enrolled filter even if they're available for self-enrollment.

Managing Channels

You can manage or modify any of the settings that you configured when originally creating a channel at any time by clicking on the name of the channel or selecting the ellipsis icon and then choosing the Edit option in the channel’s row on the channels management page. In both of these cases, you will access the channel’s page, where you can manage all of the settings related to the channel and edit them.

If you need to duplicate or delete your channel, click the ellipsis icon at the end of the channel row in the table listing the channels, then select the corresponding option, Duplicate or Delete. Remember that you cannot duplicate AI-based channels and you can neither delete nor duplicate built-in channels.

When duplicating your channel, in the right panel that opens you will be asked if you want to assign to the new channel the same content of the channel you are duplicating. Once you have configured these options, press Duplicate at the bottom of the panel to create a new channel starting from the one you chose to duplicate. The channel’s page will open, where you can set your new channel’s configuration. Please refer to the Creating Custom Channels section in this article for any further information about how to configure the channel.

When deleting a custom channel, if your channel contains one or more pieces of content that are assigned only to the channel that you are deleting, a right panel opens, where you are warned about this situation. In fact, if you delete your channel, the content that is assigned only to it will be lost. In the right panel, you will see a table listing all of the channels to which you can move your content before deleting the channel. In this way, you can delete the channel without losing the content assigned only to this channel.

Channel View

When the channel configuration is over, click the Channel View button on the channel page to see how learners will see the channel. You can share the channel URL with all of the users of your platform. They will be able to access the channel as long as they have visibility permissions for it.

Content Visibility Rules

Every channel created in a platform where Discover, Coach & Share is not activated can only hold formal learning content (courses and learning plans) and not informal learning content (assets and playlists).

To be able to see a learning plan published in a channel they have visibility on, users have to be enrolled in the learning plan.

Users will only be able to see a course published in a channel they have visibility on if you have configured the Catalog Options section of course’s advanced options as follows:

• You have selected the Self-enrollment option in the Course Enrollment Policy section
• You have not selected the Show the course only to enrolled learners option in the Course Visibility in Catalogs section
• You have not selected the Self-enrollments are not available option in the Course Self-Enrollment section.