Totara version 13 is on its way and it’s got some new features and improvements we think our customers will benefit from.
The most important and frequently asked question is "when will version 13 be released by Totara?".
We are told that the code will be released to us in October 2020 ..! So very soon.
Once we get the code, we plan to give access to all customers to a 'vanilla' instance of Totara Learn, Perform and Engage, along with access to the App for initial testing and 'fact finding'.
Starting in the summer, we will run a series of short webinars showcasing the new features, and the Helpdesk team will arrange dates for your staging sites to be updated.
Are you excited yet ..?
So, let’s have a look at what's new in ....
Messaging and Notifications
A new centralised messaging library to solve several common problems (including managing workflow, localisation, event triggers, reporting, placeholders, and recipients), and to be applied to all components over time. A key objective is to ensure consistency across the platform as well as push notifications used by mobile apps. A related task is to fill in commonly raised gaps in messaging capabilities in various modules.
HR Import
Addition of temporary manager and expiry date to HR Import Job Assignment element.
Seminars
An array of highly requested improvements to Seminars, covering attendance tracking, grading, notifications and resource management are being introduced. And, good news, the ability to link trainers to events is coming back.
The Mobile App
There will be a brand new native app that focusses on a users learning. It will be downloadable from both the iOS and Android app stores and is initially focused on providing the following core functionality;
Secure login without frequent re-logins
Local branding capabilities (change colour, logo, icon)
Learner view of relevant learning items (e.g. enrolled/assigned courses, programs and certifications that are not yet completed) and progress in those items
Push notifications, with settings management in the LMS
Offline SCORM player capabilities
Ability to launch a mobile-friendly version of other course content from the app, without having to login again
SCORM
Totara have improved the performance of SCORM reporting by refactoring the database schema. The goal of this initiative is to 1. reduce time required to generate reports in large implementations and 2. to reduce disk space used for SCORM tables in the database.
Reporting
The Report Builder's graphical reporting capabilities will also be improved. The existing chart library has been replaced to enhance the look and feel of graphs oil reports and dashboards, and you will have the ability to create "canned (pre-built reports) reports" which will improve the usability of getting up and running with graphic report. There is also a new grid view of the reports screen which mirrors the course catalogue recently introduced.
Multi-tenancy
A long requested feature to allow multi-tenancy will be introduced, providing site administrators with the ability to delegate user account management to 'Tenant user managers', who would be restricted to viewing, creating, editing, and deleting user accounts in their tenant. However this won't include separate themes for different groups of users (yet).
But.
That's not all.
Once version 13 is live, there will be more incremental improvements introduced through the year.
Courses
There will be new course creation workflow improvements, a simplifed UX for creating new courses. This will include the ability to create courses from basic templates and add options for admins to elect existing courses to become new reusable templates.
Seminars
There is currently no consistent no way to use the seminar booking system to create, track, and manage virtual seminar events. So, in the new world of more online learning and resources, you will be able to add virtual classrooms as a concept which will share similar capabilities to seminar activities.
We know that there are a range of Moodle plugins for 3rd party virtual classroom software, however none are built into Totara and there is no integration with the seminar module which this key improvement will overcome.
We will be releasing more information on Totara Perform and Totara Engage in the upcoming weeks, so stay tuned.
Any questions in the meantime please keep raise a ticket on the Helpdesk or contact your Learning Systems Consultant.
Learning Management. Solved.
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