Home Groups and Their Impact
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Home Groups and Their Impact

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Article summary

A user’s home group controls what learners and users can view, edit, and do in SmarterU. Home groups have an impact on the following: 

The various aspects within each area are detailed below and include links to related sections.

Learner Interface

Group Logo

If home group branding is enabled for the account, you can display a group-specific logo in the learner interface. 

Learner UI - Group Logo 20221223

To do this, you’ll need to upload the group’s logo and configure the dashboard set used by the group to show the logo

Related sections: 

Group Message

If home group branding is enabled for the account, you can display a message to users with that home group. The group-specific message displays at the top of each page in the learner interface. 

Learner UI - Group Message 20221223

To do this, you’ll need to specify a message for the group.

Related sections: 

Group Name

If home group branding is enabled for the account, you can display the group’s name in the learner interface. 

Learner UI - Group Name 20221227

To do this, you’ll need to specify the location of the group’s name in the dashboard set used by the group. 

Related sections: 

User Help Text and Email

If user help is enabled for the account, you can customize the email address and text for the group

Learner UI - User Help Link 20221227

Related sections:

Leaderboard Point Ranking

If the user’s dashboard set displays a leaderboard page, the point ranking widget can be configured to display information for the user’s home group. 

Learner UI - Leaderboard Point Ranking 20221227

To do this, you’ll need to include a leaderboard page in the dashboard set used by the group, then select the Leaderboard Type setting’s Home Group option. If you’re creating a custom page and using the point ranking widget, select the widget’s Leaderboard Type setting’s Home Group option

No special configuration is needed for the point tracker to have it display the point ranking by home group.

Related sections:

External Course Pages

If the account allows for external course submissions, you can specify whether the enrollment occurs through the user’s home group

Learner UI - External Course Page 20221227

Related sections: 

External  Storefronts

If a new user purchases a course from an external storefront, their home group will be set to the group that’s configured for the storefront when they’re added to SmarterU. This is similar to how the first group selected is set as the user’s home group when a user is added through the Users Dashboard

Related sections: 

Account

Home Group Branding

Account - Home Group Branding 20221223

If home group branding is enabled for the account, you can:

Related sections:

Home Group Reporting

Enabling the account’s Home Group Reporting setting expands what a user with reporting permission can view without having to grant the user additional permissions. It lets the user view all course enrollments for learners whose home group is the one where they have reporting permission, regardless of the group that the enrollment occurred. 

Supervisor Access

If the account’s Supervisor Access setting’s Enroll Supervisees option is enabled, supervisors will be able to enroll supervisees in courses. However, if the supervisor does not have other permissions, the enrollment can only occur through the supervisee’s home group.

Account - Supervisor Access - Enroll Supervisees 20221227

Related sections:

Course Manager Access

If the account’s Course Manager Access setting’s Enroll Learners option is selected, course managers will be able to enroll learners into courses through the learner’s home group, or through a specific group.

Related sections:

Customizing Grids

To display a user’s home group in the grid of the Users Dashboard or ILT Attendance Dashboard, edit the account and include the Home Group column.

Account - Customize Grid Columns 20230110

Custom User Fields

If you’ve added custom user fields to the account, you can specify what permission a user needs on the home group (i.e., GM, VLR, or MU) in order to view or edit the custom user field’s data.

Account - Custom User Field Permissions 20221227

Related sections: 

Enrollment Automation for Learning Plans and Certifications

If Learning Plans & Certification Enrollment Automation is enabled for the account and a learning plan is NOT automatically assigned to a group, the course must be assigned to a learner’s home group since enrollments will occur through the home group. (If the learning plan is automatically assigned to a group, automated course enrollments for the learning plan will occur through that group which does not necessarily have to be the learner’s home group.)

Account - Enrollment Automation 20221227

Related sections: 

External Course Submissions

You can specify whether the account allows for external course submissions. If enabled, you can specify whether the enrollment occurs through the user’s home group

Account - External Course Submissions 20221227

Related sections: 

User Help Text and Email

You can specify whether a link to request help is displayed for the account

Account - User Help 20221227

You can customize the help link’s email address and text seen by each user based on their home group.

Related sections:

Courses

Task Completion Notifications

The completion notification email for an online course’s task can be sent to a learner’s home group contact

Online Course Task - Send to Home Group Contact 20221227

Related sections:

Dashboard Sets

Availability

You can control the dashboard set that’s used by learners with a specific home group by selecting the Availability setting’s Home Group option, then selecting the group. In the example below, the dashboard set’s availability is the Manufacturing group; learners whose home group is Manufacturing will see this dashboard set.

Dashboard Set - Scope of Availability 20221228

Group Logo

If home group branding is enabled for the account, you can display a group-specific logo in the learner interface. To do this, you’ll need to upload the group’s logo and configure the dashboard set used by the group to show the logo

Dashboard Set - Home Group Logo Location 20221227

Related sections:

Group Name

If home group branding is enabled for the account, you can display the group’s name in the learner interface. To do this, you’ll need to specify the location of the group’s name in the dashboard set used by the group. 

Dashboard Set - Home Group Name Location 20221228

Related sections: 

Leaderboard Point Ranking 

If the user’s dashboard set displays a leaderboard page, the point ranking widget can be configured to display information for the user’s home group. 

To do this, you’ll need to include a leaderboard page in the dashboard set used by the group, then select the Leaderboard Type setting’s Home Group option

Dashboard Set - Category - Leaderboard Type 20221228

If you’re creating a custom page and using the point ranking widget, select the widget’s Leaderboard Type setting’s Home Group option

No special configuration is needed for the point tracker to have it display the point ranking by home group.  

Related sections:

Emails

Certification Completion to Home Group Contact

When a learner completes a certification, the certificate’s selected certification completion email template can be sent to their home group’s contacts. 

Related sections: 

Enrollments

Automated Enrollments for Learning Plans and Certifications

If Learning Plans & Certification Enrollment Automation is enabled for the account and a learning plan is NOT automatically assigned to a group, the course must be assigned to a learner’s home group since enrollments will occur through the home group. (If the learning plan is automatically assigned to a group, automated course enrollments for the learning plan will occur through that group.)

Related sections:

Enrolling by Home Group

When enrolling learners by home group, the course or subscription must be assigned to their home group.

External Course Submissions

You can specify whether the account allows for external course submissions. If enabled, you can specify whether the enrollment occurs through the user’s home group

Related sections: 

Historical Course Enrollments

When adding historical training to a learner, the course must be assigned to the learner’s home group.

Learning Plan Course Enrollments

In order to enroll a learner in a learning plan's courses, the courses must be assigned to the user's home group when you assign the learning plan from the following:

Course Manager Enrollments

If the account’s Course Manager Access setting’s Enroll Learners option is selected, course managers will be able to enroll learners into courses through the learner’s home group, or through a specific group. 

Related sections: 

Supervisee Enrollments

If the account’s Supervisor Access setting’s Enroll Supervisees option is selected, supervisors will be able to enroll supervisees in courses. However, if the supervisor does not have other permissions, the enrollment can only occur through the supervisee’s home group.

Manual Enrollment - Home Group Only 20221114(1)

Related sections: 

Groups

Group Logo

You can upload a logo for each group.
Group - Group Logo 20221227

If home group branding is enabled for the account, you can display the group’s logo in the learner interface. To do this, you’ll need to upload the group’s logo and configure the dashboard set used by the group to show the logo

Related sections:

Group Message

You can specify a message for the group

Group - Group Message 20221227

If home group branding is enabled for the account, you can display the message to users with that home group. The group-specific message displays at the top of each page in the learner interface. 

Related sections: 

Group Name

You must specify a name for each group.

Group - Group Name 20221227

If home group branding is enabled for the account, you can display the group’s name in the learner interface. To do this, you’ll need to specify the location of the group’s name in the dashboard set used by the group. 

Related sections:

Home Group Contact

The specified email addresses in the Send Completion Notifications To field in the Group Information accordion will receive the Certification Completion to Home Group Contact email

Group - Home Group Contact Emails 20230110

Related sections:

User Help Text and Email

You can override the account’s user help text settings and customize the help link’s email address and text seen by each user based on their home group

Group - User Help 20221228

Related sections:

Learning Plans

Automated Enrollments

If Learning Plans & Certification Enrollment Automation is enabled for the account and a learning plan is NOT automatically assigned to a group, the course must be assigned to a learner’s home group since enrollments will occur through the home group. (If the learning plan is automatically assigned to a group, automated course enrollments for the learning plan will occur through that group.)

Related sections:

Certification Completion Notification to Home Group Contact

You can control whether the Certification Completion Notification to Home Group Contact email for a certification is sent to home group contacts.

Related sections:

Permissions

Group Manager Group Permission 

The enrollments visible to a user (e.g.,Enrollment Report, dashboards, etc.) with the GM group permission will depend on whether the account's Home Group Reporting setting is enabled.

Related sections: 

View Learner Reports Group Permission 

The enrollments visible to a user (e.g.,Enrollment Report, dashboards, etc.) with the VLR group permission will depend on whether the account’s Home Group Reporting setting is enabled. 

Related sections: 

Create New Group Account Permission

If home group branding is enabled for the account, users with the Create New Group account permission will be able to edit the group’s home group message

Related sections: 

Global Reporting Account Permission 

Users with the Global Reporting account permission will be able to view data in all custom user fields regardless of the home group permission settings specified for the custom user fields

Related sections:

Reporting

Enrollment Report 

The enrollments included in the Enrollment Report will depend on whether the account’s Home Group Reporting setting is enabled. 

Related sections:

Filtering by Home Group

Users can filter the following reports by home group:

Related sections:

Including Home Group in Reports

You can create a custom Enrollment Report or custom Learning Plan Report that includes the learner’s home group. To do this, you’ll need to include the Home Group column that’s in the User Columns section.

Reports - Column Home Group 20230102

When the Home Group column is included in the report, it is included when you export to CSV or XLS (i.e., the Export to CSV or Export to XLS export option). 

Supervisors Dashboard

What's included in the Supervisors dashboard for users with the Group Manager or View Learner Results permission will depend on whether the account's Home Group Reporting setting is enabled.

If the Supervisors Dashboard is the default landing page for course managers, what’s included in the Supervisors Dashboard will not be affected by the Home Group Reporting setting. 

Related sections:

Users

Assigning a Home Group

Each user must be assigned one — and only one — home group. When adding a user through the Users Dashboard, the first group selected will be set as the user’s home group. However, the home group can be changed by selecting the radio button beside the desired group. 

Users - Home Group 20230102

You can specify a user’s home group when importing users, adding users from the Groups Dashboard, with the API, or through Just-in-Time user creation (SSO).

Custom User Fields

Access to view or edit custom user fields will depend on the permissions specified for the field at the account level

Users - Custom User Fields 20230102

Related sections: 

Displaying Home Group

You can display the home group in the Users Dashboard’s and the ILT Attendance Dashboard’s grid. To do this, you’ll need to customize the account’s grid columns to include the Home Group column.

Account - Customize Grid Columns 20230110(1)



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