This article highlights the capabilities and flexibility of the Learner Access Widget, a default feature on the learner dashboard. This versatile widget empowers learners by providing easy navigation through their content, quick access to certificates, efficient event management, and so much more. Discover how this powerful tool can enhance the learning experience and simplify daily tasks for all learners.
To read more about the characteristics of smart widgets, click here.
Use Case Information
The learner dashboard is an invaluable area for learners since it is their jumping off point to their learning journey. A small-but-crucial component of the dashboard is the Learner Access Widget, which helps learners know what content options exist and how far they’ve progressed through their content, for example.
When enabled or configured properly, learners can view and manage the following:
- In-progress content
- Learning paths
- Completed content
- Bookmarked content
- Earned certifications
- And more!
Warning
We never recommend removing the Learner Access Widget. Since the widget is essential to the learner's experience, reach out to your Account Team first if you are considering removal of the widget so you may discuss implications and alternatives.
Anatomy of a Learner Access Widget
The Learner Access Widget allows the learners to have control and insight into the following:
My Learning
A list of all content (except events and learning paths) that a learner enrolled in or purchased. Learners can start or continue most content items from here.
Events
A list of the ILTs and VILTs a learner has enrolled in or purchased.
Learning Paths
A list of all learning paths that a learner enrolled in or purchased.
Completed Content
All content that a learner has completed by meeting specific criteria.
Archived Content
Content archiving allows automatic archiving of learner-facing content when the learner’s content access has expired before completing it. Optionally, you may enable manual content archiving for learner accounts by going to Design > Layouts > Dashboard > Actions > Edit > Turn on Archive Content? > Yes > Save. This allows learners to archive content at will.
Content Archiving is behind a feature flag.
Contact your Account Team to have content archiving enabled.
Bookmarks
Bookmarking allows learners to bookmark pages within courses so they can refer back to them later.
Bookmarking is behind a feature flag.
Contact your CSM to have bookmarking enabled.
Certifications
All certificates a learner earns upon meeting specific content criteria.
Tip
You can also optionally enable learners to upload third-party certificates, which helps learners think of your platform as a home base for their learning. You can enable this feature in Settings > Certification > Allow learners to upload third-party certificates? > Yes > Save.
Waitlisting
Once a learner clicks to join the waitlist for a piece of content, they will see a confirmation modal that they are being placed on a waitlist. The content is then added to the learner’s access widget in the Waitlisting tab of the Learner Access Widget.
Badges (for Credly integration)
Learners can view all issued Credly Badges in the Badges tab of the Learner Access Widget. This tab exclusively displays Credly Badges and does not include any native Thought Industries badges.
Other Notable Features
Add to Queue
Allow learners to add free content to the Learner Access widget from the catalog, widgets or detail page. This is helpful since learners do not need to click the detail page and enroll in the content, which helps them minimize distractions and maintain their momentum when they are looking for other content.
Path: Courses > Settings > Organization & Display > Enable Add to Queue Functionality? > Yes > Save.
Tip
Learners can click the button next to a content item to expand content information (thumbnail, description, content type, and source field), content progress details (total hours spent, number of passed assessments, percentage complete), and more.
How to Configure the Learner Access Widget
To view the configuration options for the Learner Access Widget, follow these steps:
- Navigate to Site > Site Builder > Layouts.
- Find the Dashboard Layout, then click Actions > Edit.
- Click the pencil icon on the Learner Access Widget.
- Optionally, you can:
- Select specific content for this widget by choosing individual content items or writing a search query.
- When you add this widget to pages in other layouts, you can use the Content to Display in Widget setting to filter which content will display in the widget.
- Allow learners to collapse the widget.
- If this feature is enabled, you can also decide if you'd like the widget to be collapsed on the dashboard by default. This is helpful if your learners have a tremendous amount of content in progress.
- Allow learners to manually archive their content.
-
Allow expired certificates to display on the widget.
- Apply CSS.
- Select specific content for this widget by choosing individual content items or writing a search query.
- Click Save.
Tip
You can add the Learner Access Widget to other pages on your site (except detail sidebar pages and content page layouts) by visiting Site > Site Builder > Layouts and adding the widget to the desired layout.
Note
The Learner Access Widget sorts content in the order the user enrolled in the content. This is not currently customizable.
CSS Resources
You can use the below CSS to self-style select elements of the Learner Access Widget.
Disable the Activity Widget's Ability to Expand
Under custom scripts on the learner dashboard:
$('.dashboard-access-list-item button').on('click', function(e) { e.preventDefault(); return false; })
Paired with custom CSS to hide the expansion button:
.dashboard-access-list-item a.btn { display: none; }
Hide Content Type
.dashboard-access-list-item .medium-3 strong {display:none;}
Access Widget Classes
All share a class of .dashboard-access-tab. The active toggle has a class of .dashboard-access-tab--active, therefore, inactive is dashboard-access-tab--inactive.
The new classes added give them all individual classes.
.dashboard-access-tab--current
.dashboard-access-tab--event
.dashboard-access-tab--learningPath
.dashboard-access-tab--completed
.dashboard-access-tab--archived
.dashboard-access-tab--bookmark
.dashboard-access-tab--certificate
Note
Thought Industries cannot troubleshoot custom code since it is a customer-led effort on your individual instance. As such, CSS should be implemented at your discretion by your team's internal web designer or front-end developer.
If you do not have a design resource on staff and would like to scope a design package from our Professional Services team, please contact your Account Team.
Tip
If you would like to modify the text found on the Learner Access Widget, go to Translations > Platform Translations, then search for the text you'd like to change.