Disclaimer: Some content in this article outlines how to use functionalities that may not be available on all plans. Get in touch with your account manager (if your plan includes this option) or reach out to Docebo using your platform's Help center if you wish to upgrade your plan.

Introduction

Channels are curated collections of content that help organize how learners browse and access the material available to them on the platform. Channels can include a mixture of formal content (courses and learning plans) as well as informal assets (images, videos, PDFs, playlists etc).

Disclaimer: The upload of informal assets is not available on platforms without Discover Coach & Share. On those platforms, channels can include only courses and learning plans. 

Every platform comes with the following built-in channels:

• Continue to watch and learn. This channel includes all of the courses and learning plans that a learner still needs to complete or finish watching.
• 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, and all the assets they have already watched.

In addition to these, administrators can configure custom channels in which they manually curate what content is included. This makes it possible to create a stream of content focused on a specific topic or theme.

For both custom and built-in channels, it is possible to set which users (groups or branches) will be able to see that particular channel. Learners can browse their assigned channels in the All Channels built-in page.

Skills app and AI-based channels

On platforms with the Skills app, the following built-in channel is also available: 

• My Skills: This is an AI-based 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 about the My Skills channel. 

In addition, with the Skills app, administrators can configure other custom AI-based channels. Unlike the standard custom channels, which are manually populated, AI-based channels are automatically populated–either based on all the skills available in your platform, or with a custom selection of skill sets. For more information, see the article Creating and managing AI-based channels.

Overview of channel management

To configure or manage channels select Admin menu > E-learning > Channels. This opens the main Channel management page, which consists of three tabs: 

• Channels: a table listing all of the channels available in your platform
• Assets: Information about the informal assets shared in your platform
• Experts & Channels: a list of all the experts with the channels assigned to them

Disclaimer: The Assets and Experts & Channels tabs are available only on platforms with Discover Coach & Share.

Power User permissions for channels

Power Users need the Channels/View permission to access the channel management page, and in it they can see only the Channels tab.

• Inside the Channels tab they will see listed only the custom channels assigned to them as resource. Built-in and AI channels are not visible to them.

In addition, Power Users need the Channels/ Create and manage permission to be able to: create a new channel, open/view the page of an existing channel, edit an existing channel, or publish/unpublish a channel. When viewing a channel page: 

• Power Users will see listed only the courses and learning plans included in the channel. Informal assets in the channel are not shown to Power Users. 
• Any courses or learning plans not assigned as resource to the Power User are always shown in read-only mode, while the courses assigned as resource become clickable if the Power User has the Courses/ View permission.

For more information see the article Power User permissions > Permissions for channels.

View the list of channels

To view the list of channels configured in the platform, select Admin menu > E-LEARNING > Channels to open the Channel management page. Here, the Channels tab shows a list of all the channels (Built-in, AI-based and Custom). 

→ Power Users need the Channels/View permission to access the channel management page, and in the Channels tab, they will see listed only the custom channels assigned to them as resource. Superadmins will instead see all the channels.

In the Channels tab, 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 filter 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. 

Disclaimer: AI-based channels and the Skills sets column are visible only on platforms with Skills. The Upload permissions and Experts columns are visible only on platforms with Discover Coach & Share.

Every channel’s row shows the following columns: thumbnail, channel name and description, channel type, visibility, upload permissions, content, experts, 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 and Type columns you will see the channel’s name and description and the type of channel: built-in, AI-based, or custom.
• 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 Upload permissions column, you will see which users can upload content within the channel (everyone/everyone, with expert peer review/experts only). In order to give users permission to upload content within a channel, access the channel’s page by clicking on its name. Here, in the Properties tab, reach the Upload permissions subsection (in the Details section), where you can configure the channel’s upload permissions by defining who can upload and publish assets to the channel. 
• 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 Experts column, you will see how many experts are assigned to the channel. Press the expert icon to access the Experts subsection (in the Details section in the Properties tab), where you can assign specific experts to the channel. To manage experts, assign them to channels, and other options related to expert management, you can use the Experts & Channels tab of the page. Read more info in the dedicated section at the end of this article.
• 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 Published column to make the channel available. The green icon 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.

Please note: when you or your users edit an asset assigned to a channel and then save the changes, even if only the published channels are shown in the Channels box on the asset's edit page (and the published channels the asset is assigned to are checked), remember that the asset will still be assigned also to the unpublished channels to which you previously assigned the content (even if the unpublished channels are not shown in the Channels box on the asset’s edit page). When you as a Superadmin publish the channel to make it available into the platform, the channel will include all of the assets assigned to it when the channel was not yet published. 

Create a custom channel

→ Power Users need the Channels/ Create and manage permission to be able to: create a new channel, open the page of an existing channel, edit an existing channel, or publish/unpublish a channel.

To create a new custom channel, from the Channel management page, click the plus icon in the top right corner and select New channel.

In the panel that opens, enter the Channel name and under Channel type select Custom channel. Then click Create and edit.

Disclaimer: The creation of AI-based channels is only available on platforms with Skills. On platforms without Skills there is no Channel type selection because you can only create manually-populated channels.

Now in the Properties tab of the channel, you can customize the appearance of the channel and set which users will be able to view it:

On platforms with Discover Coach & Share, you can also configure the following settings, pertaining to the upload and publishing of informal assets: 

Tip:
You can view and manage all the assets uploaded to channels from the Assets tab.
You can view and manage the experts assigned to all channels from the Experts & channels tab.

Finally, you can move to the Content tab to select what content you want to include in the channel. For more information see the chapter Configure the content in a custom channel.

When you have finished setting up the channel, click Save changes. You can click the Play icon (Learner view) in the top right corner to preview how the channel will appear to learners. Remember that your new channel will be visible only when published, and that only learners who are assigned visibility of the channel will be able to view it.

Set the visibility of a channel 

Channels can be made visible to all learners, or you can restrict their visibility only to certain groups and/or branches. To configure a channel’s visibility, from the list of channels, click the [channel name] to open its configuration page. Then, in the Properties tab, scroll down to the Visibility section.

→ Power Users need the Channels/ Create and manage permission to be able to open the page of an existing channel or edit an existing channel.

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. Moreover, by enabling the Cohorts option, you can customize the visibility of your groups and the content you share with them. 

Tip: Learners will be able to view their assigned channels in the All channels page, or in a custom page including a Channels widget. Remember to include one of these pages in the user main menu to make the channels available to your users. 

→ Power Users can assign visibility choosing only from the groups or branches assigned to them as resource. To be able to set a group, the Groups/View permission is also required. If a Power User turns ON the custom selection toggle, after saving they will no longer be able to revert to the situation with “all branches and groups”. To turn on the Custom selection toggle, Power Users must have at least one branch assigned, or at least one group assigned plus the Groups/View permission. 

Configure the content in a custom channel

The content assigned to a channel is the collection of courses, learning plans, informal assets and playlists that learners will see when they browse the channel. 

You can only configure the content in custom channels. For built-in channels and AI channels, the content is automatically assigned. When you view the list of channels, the Content column shows the total items currently assigned to that channel. 

View the content in a channel

To configure the content in a channel, from the list of channels click the [channel name] to open its configuration page, then select the Content tab. Here you will see a list of all the content currently assigned to this channel. 

→ Power Users will see listed only the courses and learning plans included in the channel. Any content not assigned as resource to the Power User is always shown in read-only mode, while the courses assigned as resource become clickable if the Power User has the Courses/ View permission.
Informal assets are not shown to Power Users.

For each item the list shows the thumbnail, name, type of content, its creation date, the contributor who uploaded the content (for assets), 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

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.

Add content to the channel

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 content to add to the channel: Superadmins can assign content from two tabs (Courses and learning plans, and Assets and playlists), whereas Power Users can add only courses and learning plans, choosing from those assigned to them as resource.

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.

Tip: The informal content (assets or playlists) that you include in a channel will be automatically visible to the learners who can see that channel. However learning plans will only be visible to users who are enrolled, and courses will only be visible if appropriately configured. See the chapter Visibility rules for courses and learning plans in channels. 

Please note that when assigning a playlist to the channel, each piece of content already included in the playlist will maintain its visibility settings. This means that if a user does not have viewing permissions on one of the assets or courses in the playlist, they will not be able to view the asset or access the course from the channel into which you added the playlist either.

Edit or remove content from the channel

If you need to edit or unassign a piece of content 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. 

→ Power Users can unassign only the courses or learning plans assigned to them as resource (the others are in read-only mode). The edit action for courses becomes available if the Power User has the Courses/View and Courses/Edit permissions.

Visibility rules for courses and learning plans in channels

While being granted visibility over a channel is sufficient for a user to see any informal learning content (assets or playlists) included in it, the same does not apply to formal content (courses and learning plans):

• Courses and learning plans in which a learner is already enrolled are always visible to them in channels.
• Non-enrolled learning plans are never visible in channels
• Non-enrolled courses can be made visible in channels if configured appropriately

More details are provided below.

Learning plans 

To be able to see a learning plan included in a channel they have visibility on, learners must be already enrolled in the learning plan. 
→ The learning plan setting Show the learning plan in internal and external catalogs does not affect the visibility of the learning plan in a channel. And there is no need for the learning plan to be included in a catalog visible to the user. It is enough for the learner to be enrolled.

It is not possible to show non-enrolled learning plans in channels. This means it is not possible for learners to self-enroll in learning plans from channels. 

Courses (already enrolled)

When you include a course in a channel, learners with visibility of the channel who are already enrolled in the course will automatically see that course in the channel. 

→ The course will be visible to enrolled learners even if it is set to not be visible in catalogs, even if self-enrollments are not available, and even if not included in any catalog visible to the user. 

Courses (non enrolled)

If you want to make non-enrolled courses visible in channels, you need to first of all enable, under Advanced setting > Channels the option Show courses where users can self-enroll in channels.

With this setting, learners will be able to see in channels non-enrolled courses that meet the following criteria: 

• The course is Published (not Under maintenance)
• The learner has visibility of at least one catalog that includes the course
• The catalog options of the course are configured to make it visible, as summarized below. 

Self-enrolling in courses from channels

If you want users to be able to self-enroll in courses from channels, you need to enable the setting Show courses where users can self-enroll in channels in the Channels tab of the platform Advanced settings menu. 

• When this option is enabled, learners will be able to see in channels the included courses that are available to them for self-enrollment.
• Please note, however, that learners will not see learning plans available for self-enrollment in channels. 

For more information see the chapter Visibility rules for courses and learning plans in channels

When browsing a channel, learners can apply the Enrollment status filter to Show only courses in which I’m not enrolled. 

• This filter is visible only when you have enabled the advanced setting Show courses where users can self-enroll in channels.
• Please note that 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.

My channel

The My channel page allows your users to view all of the content that they have uploaded in the platform and any playlists that they have created. You can add this page to the user menu to allow users to access it.

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

→ Power Users cannot duplicate any channels, and they cannot reorder the channel list, or access the Move to top action. Power Users can Delete channels if they have the Channels/Delete permission, but only if the channel does not contain informal assets. 

When duplicating a channel, in the right panel that opens set if you want to assign to the new channel the same content and the same experts of the channel you are duplicating. Use the Assign the same visibility option to determine whether the new channel will be visible to all groups and branches or will inherit the same visibility settings of the source channel. Click Duplicate at the bottom of the panel to create a new channel starting from the one you chose to duplicate. Refer to the Creating custom channels chapter of this article for any further information about configuring channels.

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 in 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.

Please note: when deleting a channel you can move its content to another channel, however the questions and answers related to it cannot be moved to another channel and will be lost.

Channel view

When the channel configuration is over, click the Learner 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.

Manage the assets uploaded to channels

In order to manage the assets uploaded by users and experts, you need to reach the Assets tab on the Channels management page. Here, you’ll see a table listing all the assets uploaded in your platform. Each asset row displays the following information:

• Asset thumbnail
• Asset name
• Asset type (image, video, PDF, link…)
• Creation date
• Name and surname of the person who uploaded the asset (the contributor)
• How many channels the asset has been shared with
• How many users the asset has been shared with
• If the asset has been published or not.

Disclaimer: The Assets tab is available only on platforms with Discover Coach & Share

By clicking an asset’s name, you will be redirected to the edit page for that asset.

In the General vertical tab of the edit page, you will be able to edit the asset’s details defined by the contributor when sharing the content. You will also find two additional settings (not available to users but only to Superadmins) to configure in order to allow users to add questions, answers and comments related to the asset (this setting is also available to experts) and to allow users to download the asset file.

In the Shared with People and Shared with Channels vertical tabs of the edit page, you will find the list of users and channels the current and old contributors shared their asset with. If you want to share the content with new people or channels, press the Share button in the top right corner of the section. More about the Shared with people and Shared with channels vertical tabs. Let’s come back to the Assets tab on the Channels management page. If you click on the icon in the Channels or the people column, showing how many channels and people the asset has been shared with, you will be redirected to the Shared with People and Shared with channels tabs on the asset’s edit page.

If you want to edit, assign to or unassign from channels, delete an asset or change its contributor click the ellipsis icon on the right side of the asset row in the table, then select the corresponding option. You can also select multiple assets with a single action, by selecting the checkboxes next to the assets’ names or flagging the checkbox in the top row to select all of the assets on the page currently shown, and then clicking Choose action in the bottom right corner to perform the same action on all of the selected assets.

Please note: When changing the contributor of an asset, the new contributor will be able to edit the asset while the old one no longer has these permissions.

You can also 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.

Manage the experts assigned to channels

In order to manage the experts assigned to your channels, you need to reach the Experts & Channels tab on the Channels management page. Here, you’ll see a table listing all the experts in your platform, and each expert row displays their username, full name, email address, and the channels assigned to them.

In the Assigned channels column, you see how many channels are assigned to the expert. Press the channel icon to open a right panel where you will see the list of channels that have been assigned to the expert, along with the details of each channel. By clicking on the ellipsis icon on the right side of each row, you can jump to the channel to browse it or you can unassign the channel currently assigned to the expert.

Disclaimer: The Experts & channels tab is available only on platforms with Discover Coach & Share

If you need to assign one or more experts to one or more channels, select the expert from the table of the Experts & Channels tab, click the ellipsis icon at the end of its row and choose the Assign to channels option (or select more than one expert using the corresponding checkboxes, then choose the same option from the Choose action button at the bottom of the page). In the right panel that opens, select the channels you want to assign to the expert or experts you selected, then confirm your choice with the Assign button.

If you want a user to no longer be an expert, you can press the ellipsis icon at the end of the expert’s row and choose the Unselect expert option (or you can also select more than one expert using the corresponding checkboxes, then choose the same option from the Choose action button at the bottom of the page).

On the contrary, to make one or more user experts, select the add button (New channel/Experts) in the top right corner of the channels management page, then press the Select experts button. From the list in the right panel that opens, select the user or users that you want to make experts, then confirm your action with the Select button. The users you selected are now experts, and they are added to the table listing all of the experts.