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 you to easily and quickly access training content divided by categories or topics.

This article covers how to view and benefit from channels as a user. It focuses on how to use channels in those platforms in which Discover, Coach & Share has not been activated by the Superadmin. Learn more about channels used in platforms leveraging the informal learning approach with Discover, Coach & Share.

Viewing Channels

To view channels, access the Main Menu of your platform, then select All Channels. While you may have specific channels created by the Admin in your platform, three channels are always available in your platform:

• Continue to Watch and Learn. This channel includes all of the courses or learning plans that you still need to complete.
• New Invitations and Subscriptions. This channel includes all of the courses or learning plans in which you are enrolled.
• My Learning Activity History. This channel includes all of the courses or learning plans that you have already completed.

Additionally, you may see the My Skills channel. When this channel appears in your platform, you’ll be asked to fill out your skills when you log into your platform. Learn more on the My Skills channel.

Both on the All Channels page and on the individual page of every channel, you can filter content using the Filters button. On a channel's page, use the dropdown menu on the right side of the page to sort your content.

As a learner, you can only view channels and content that your Admin has given you permission to view.

Following Channels

From your All Channels page, you can follow the channels you are interested in and then find them in the Followed tab of the same page.

Click the Follow button to start following a channel. If your Administrator has configured the notifications related to followed channels, a bell icon will appear. By clicking it, you will be able to choose which type of notifications to receive among the following (please note that your Administrator may have set only some of these options):

• All Notifications: you will receive a notification every time new content is added to the channel
• Digest: you will receive a single notification with a summary of the new content added to the channels you follow. Note that the frequency of your digest notifications is determined by your platform’s Administrator (hourly, daily, weekly or monthly).
• None: you will not receive any notification.

If your Administrator has not set any notifications, the bell icon will not be visible.

Please note: You will only receive notifications related to the moment a content is added to a channel. If a course that is not visible to you is assigned to a channel that you follow, and the visibility of the course is subsequently changed, you will not receive any notification.

To stop following a channel, click Following and confirm your choice in the pop-up that will appear.

Hiding and Unhiding Content in Channels

Not all content available in channels may be relevant to you, and you may feel overwhelmed by the time you need to organize and view all of it. Hiding the content not currently relevant to you can be an option to free your channels from unwanted content and to concentrate on what you really need.

You can hide any type of content from your All Channels and My Courses and Learning Plans pages, although you can’t hide content from catalogs. Please note that, depending on how your Admin set up the platform, you may not be allowed to hide courses and learning plans.

In order to hide content, click on the ellipsis menu on the content card, and then select the Hide option. The content disappears, and a message at the bottom of the page will inform you that the item has been successfully hidden. When content is hidden, it is not removed from the platform and you can still view it thanks to filters. To do so, click on the Filters item, from the Hidden Items section in the slideout panel, and either select Show Also Hidden Items, or Show Hidden Items Only.

You can recognize hidden items from the barred eye icon on the item’s card. Note that if a locked course has been hidden, you will see the lock icon instead of the barred eye icon on the item’s card. In order to unhide content that you previously hid, click on the ellipsis menu and then select the Unhide option.

Please note that the courses composing a learning plan are always visible in the channel, even if they have been previously hidden. For example, if you hide a course included in a learning plan and then you enter the learning plan, the course is still visible and available.

Marking Content as Outdated

Keeping the platform content updated is a daily activity for your platform Admin, and your help in identifying the outdated courses will be appreciated. This functionality will also help you keep your All Channels and My Courses and Learning Plans pages up-to-date. By doing so, the quality of the courses published in the platform will improve.

You can mark courses as outdated on the All Channels and the My Courses and Learning Plans pages, although you cannot mark learning plans as outdated.

In order to mark a course as outdated, click on the ellipsis menu on its card and select the Mark as Outdated option. A message at the bottom of the page will inform you that the content has been marked as outdated and that your platform Administrators will be notified.

Please note: You cannot mark the same course as outdated more than one time. If you do so, a message at the bottom of the page will inform you that you have already marked that content as outdated. Also note that you can’t remove your mark, because when you select the Mark as Outdated option, a notification is sent to all of the Admins of your platform.