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Onboarding large numbers of learners

This article describes the logic, methods, and data involved when onboarding large amounts of existing users into your Xen.Ed instance.

Table of content

Introduction
Methods to register Learner accounts
1. Self-registration
2. Invitation (manual registration)
3. Import
4. API
Registration types
Methods to Enrol Learner into a course
1. Self-enrolment
2. Manual enrolment
3. Live Chat
4. Service Desk
Enrolment types

1. Introduction

In situations such as migrating from another LMS or working with an organisation that has many Learners (Corporate Training, Schools, Universities), it may be best to import the users rather than creating them manually or expecting them to self-register.

There are several approaches to this and it is important to decide early on which you will favour, before you invite or create hundreds or thousands of learners.

The first step is to understand how Xen.Ed operates. This is important because your steps will differ slightly based on what you are looking to do.

Remember, accessing courses in Xen.Ed is effectively a 2-step process:

Register an account
You cannot enrol Learners who do not have an account in Xen.Ed.
Enrol into at least one course.
A registered learner can be enrolled in any number of courses.

The next sections detail the different methods for each step.

2. Methods to register Learner accounts

An account is required to interact with learning materials in Xen.Ed, even if the courses are provided for free. This is because learners can contribute submissions and are tracked against their progress.

There are 4 possible methods to register new learners in Xen.Ed:

1. Self registration optional
Learners can register themselves to your LMS, if you have opted to display the Registration form.

2. Invitation (manual registration)

An admin or instructor can manually register Learners in bulk, via the "Bulk registration" tab of you Instructor panel. This is preferred when onboarding existing users with an account in one of your properties.

3. Import

Alternatively, you can also upload a CSV file to import large amounts of Learners, via the "Bulk registration" tab of your Instructor panel.

Learn more about Data requirements for CSV imports.

4. API optional
Our team can integrate your CRM or Directory with the Xen.Ed API with your systems, allowing for automated registrations.

Please contact us to organise a quote.

3. Registration types

In addition to the methods outlined above, there are 3 different type of registrations that can influence your workflow.

1. Standard registration (user activation & welcome email).

You can invite users, so they receive a Welcome email inviting them to activate their account and chose a password.

This is the standard behaviour for most tenancies.

2. Alternative registration (no activation & welcome email).

If preferred, you can bypass activation by providing a default password to Learners (that they will never see or use).

In this scenario, the Welcome email sent to Learners contain a link to chose a new password, instead of activating the account.

3. Alternative registration (no activation & no email).

Instead, you can choose to completely deactivate the "send email" option and create a Learner's account silently, without alerting them.

You must provide a password which will be assigned to the account and you will need to provide Learners with their credentials separately, or ask them to use the Reset password link.
Please note that we strongly advise following best practices with regards to cyber-security. As such, you should never:
- Share or communicate passwords in plain text with your learners when using unsecured platforms (email, some online chat, public computers, ...).
- Use the same password for multiple learners.
- Use passwords that are easy to guess.

4. Methods to enrol Learners into a course

Once a Learner is registered, they can be enrolled into one or more courses.

Please note that the course must exist in Studio prior to enrolling anyone, and you will need to use this course's Instructor tab..

There are 4 methods available to enrol users:

Self enrolment optional
You can let Learners enrol themselves, if you have open courses and opted to display the Catalog pages.
This is typically used for free courses or to provide training materials.
Manual enrolment
- You can manually enrol Learners using their email or username, via the "Membership" tab of your Instructor panel.
  You can read more about Enrolling learners in your Xen.ed courses.
- You can manually enrol Learners in bulk, via the "Bulk registration" tab of your Instructor panel.
Import
If you opted to use Cohorts in the course, you can upload a CSV file to enrol large amounts of Learners.
You can read more about Using cohorts and Data requirements for CSV imports.
API optional
The Xen.Ed team can integrate our API with your systems, for automated enrolments.
Please contact us to organise a quote.

5. Enrolment types

In addition to the methods outlined above, there are 2 different type of enrolments that can influence your workflow.

Standard enrolment (with email notification).
When you enrol users they will receive an Enrolmentnotification email informing them that they were added to the course.
This is the standard behaviour for most tenancies.
Alternative enrolment (no email).
Instead, you can choose to deactivate the "send email" option and enrol Learners silently, without alerting them.
They will see the new course available from their Dashboard ("My Courses") upon their next login.

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