The Compliance validity option Fixed Periods allows you to set custom compliance periods based on specific dates, ensuring all learners follow the same timeframe. At the start of the new period, the course resets for everyone, requiring all learners to retake it to maintain compliance.
When fixed periods are useful:
Annual Industry or Government Requirements: For regulations like annual anti-money laundering (AML) training that resets each year.
Coordinated Training Scheduling: Ensures all employees complete training within a set timeframe, like cybersecurity training before audits.
Efficient Administration: Simplifies compliance management by synchronizing deadlines, communication, reminders, and follow-up and reporting.
View video about Fixed Compliance Periods 🎬👇
How to set up Fixed Periods
Let's use this example: A compliance officer at a financial institution is setting up an Anti-Money Laundering (AML) compliance course using the Fixed Period feature. The compliance periods are six months long, running from January 1 to June 30 and July 1 to December 31, and repeating every six months. All finance team members must complete the course within each period to remain compliant. When a new period begins, the course will reset, requiring all team members to retake it to maintain compliance for the next period.
How to set up the periods:
Go to Course settings > Compliance and toggle on to activate, select Fixed Period.
Click Add Period to create Period 1 and set the dates. The first period you create will automatically be set as the Initial Period.
Click Add Period to create Period 2. In this period, a retake period of 7 days will be added.
Click Add Period to create Period 3. In this period, a retake period of 7 days will be added.
Messages for Fixed compliance periods
The first period, regular course enrollment and course reminder messages are sent. When coming periods begin, recertification reminders are sent.
Message for first time enrollment:
When learners are first added to the course, the message Learner enrolled in course is sent.
Messages when periods start:
To remind learners and managers about new certification periods in Fixed Periods, there are three messages available in the group Recertification in System Messages.
Certification Period Starts Notifications:
When a new period starts, all course progress will reset and to remind that it’s time to redo the course these message can be set up:When Notify Learner is set up, the message: “Certification period start - learner notification” is sent.
When Notify Team Manager is set up, the message “Certification period start - Manager and Admin notification” is sent, letting them know that team members are starting a new period.
Nag reminders: These are Reminders that can be used to periodically remind learners that they need to complete the course to be compliant. If activated, the message “Certification period reminder” will be sent.
Initial Period
The first period you create will automatically be designated as the Initial Period. It simplifies adding new learners and transitioning existing ones into the fixed-period schedule, ensuring alignment before the second period begins. To support this transition, the Initial Period can be configured with a start date in the past.
Purpose of the Initial Period:
Onboarding Learners: Facilitates the addition of new learners and the smooth transition of existing ones into the fixed-period schedule.
Flexible Dates: Allows the setup of start dates in the past to accommodate existing compliance records.
Data Consolidation: Ensures all prior compliance records are preserved while integrating learners into the new structure.
The Initial Period follows same rules as regular periods, except:
You can create an initial period with a start date in the past, but the end date must be in the future.
You can edit the start date if it's in the past, but editing the end date is not allowed if it’s in the past.
You can delete an initial period with a start date in the past, but deletion is forbidden if the end date is in the past.
Retake Periods
To give learners time to retake a course, two periods can overlap, creating a retake period. This is a timeframe during which a learner remains compliant (based on earlier course completion), but is also allowed to complete the course again. It provides learners with "breathing room" to retake the course without losing compliance status.
❗️In Fixed Period, it’s not a separate setting; instead, you can add extra days to the upcoming period to create an overlapping period (with a maximum of 14 days).
Rules for Fixed Periods
When setting up fixed compliance periods, keep the following rules in mind to ensure smooth scheduling and accurate management:
Periods are always ordered by the start date.
Period cannot be contained by another period - meaning that two periods
10 October 2024 - 1 December 2024and11 October 2024 - 30 November 2024are not valid.It's possible that two periods overlap - meaning that two periods
10 October 2024 - 1 December 2024and1 November - 1 Januaryare valid. Read about Retake Periods.Only two periods can intersect with each other.
It's not possible to create periods in the past.
It's not possible to delete periods in the past.
It's not possible to change dates (either start or end) for the period in the past. But if the date is in the future - it's still possible to change it.
Follow up – are your Learners compliant?
With the Compliance Course functionality, you have several ways to track whether learners are compliant. You can follow up directly in the course, in Learnster Teams for managers, or by using Analytics Reports and create reports.
Follow up in the course
When using the Compliance Course functionality, an extra column will be shown under the Learners tab in your course. This column says Compliant for and shows if, and for how long, your Learners are compliant. To download a report, click the report icon in the top right corner.
Follow up in Teams in Learnster U
Managers can follow up on fixed compliance periods in Learnster Teams:
In Learnster Teams, click Teams and select your team.
Go to the Courses tab and open the relevant course.
In the learner list, check the Compliant for column to view each learner’s compliance status. Active means the learner is compliant for the current period.
Follow up in Learnster Analytics Reports
To follow up compliance status in Reports, create a participant report and view the column Compliance status.
