Custom course data: set up custom fields about courses

Custom course data: set up custom fields about courses

Intended Audience:  Administrators, Managers

Summary

Custom course data fields let you record additional information about courses. Use custom data to record course type, skill level, or topic.

Custom course data appears when you export the Course Status report, so you can use it in further analysis. 

If you do not see custom course data in your Settings > Courses options, contact the Support team to ask them to enable the settings.

Learners do not see these fields. Admins set them up for instructors and managers to use, to support reporting features.


Field types for custom course data

When you create custom course data fields, you choose which type of data to collect:

  • String: text and/or numbers
  • Decimal: only numbers, with decimals allowed
  • Integer: only whole numbers
  • String Choice: words or numbers, from a list you provide - no free text
  • Decimal Choice: numbers with decimals allowed, from a list you provide - no free text
  • Integer Choice: whole numbers, from a list you provide - no free text

Selecting a Choice type means you enter the choices the learner sees, in the Comma separated values field. You can edit these choices as required, but need at least one value to create the field.

Selecting a Choice type prompts an additional Selection type option.

  • Single Select allows users to make a single choice only
  • Multi Select lets users choose one or more options

Create a text data field

This type of field lets the user enter values directly.

  • From main navigation go to Settings > Courses > Custom Course Data. 
  • From action menu, select Create New Field.
  • Enter a name for the field in Name
  • Select a Field Type. The text options are:
    • String
    • Decimal
    • Integer
  • Save to finish.
Note: After you select a field type and save it, you can't change its type completely. For example, you can change a String field to String Choice, but not to Decimal

Create a drop-down data field

This type of field provides a list of values for the user to select.

  • From main navigation go to Settings > Courses > Custom Course Data. 
  • From action menu, select Create New Field.
  • Enter a name for the field in Name
  • Select a Field Type. The drop-down options are:
    • String Choice
    • Decimal Choice
    • Integer Choice
  • Enter the values for the drop-down menu, as comma-separated values.
  • Select Save.
  • In Selection Type, choose Single Select or Multi Select.
  • Save to finish.

The following screenshot shows a String Choice field with comma-separated entries, and the Selection Type field.

Tip: you can change the order of the fields by dragging and dropping the field names on the Custom Course Data page.

Add custom course data

  • Access the custom course data fields from Courses > your course name.
  • From the course's Info, select Custom Course Data.
  • From Custom Course Data, select the field entries that apply to the course.
  • Save to finish.


    • Related Articles

    • Set up course certificates

      Intended Audience: Administrators, Managers Summary Create your own certificates to assign to courses. Learners can download their certificates. Send learners their certificates by email. Using the certificate editor: overview Setting up course ...
    • Course notifications: set automated messages for course events

      Intended Audience: Administrators Send your learners email messages about enrollments, due dates and other events. Choose which events prompt messages to learners, for a particular course. Enrollment emails vs other course notifications By default, ...
    • Courses: set a pass mark

      INTENDED AUDIENCE: Admins, Instructors, Managers Summary For courses with 2+ scoring modules, set an optional pass mark for the whole course. When you add a second scoring module to your course, Safety Made Simple has additional options to manage ...
    • Course: set release dates for modules

      Intended Audience: Administrators, Instructors Summary Set release dates for certain modules, to manage when your learners access content. You enable the feature for the whole portal, and then set the calendar dates by module, within the course. ...
    • Course settings overview: details, learner access and messaging options

      Intended Audience: Administrators Summary Manage how learners access the course, how they can complete the course and get credit, and how they communicate with instructors. Note: Course-level settings are distinct from the portal-level settings for ...