Totara app for Microsoft Teams

You can integrate your Totara site with Microsoft Teams (note that you will need a licence for MS Teams), providing access to your Totara content via an app within Microsoft Teams. The app includes tabs for Find learning, Current learning, Your library, and Totara notifications (including tasks and alerts). From within the application, users can interact with user-generated content, such as resources and playlists, and formal learning content, such as courses, programs/certifications, and activities.

Integrating your Totara site with Microsoft Teams provides additional features, including the following:

• A messaging extension which allows users to search the catalogue from the chat interface and send an item to other users in the conversation
• Pinning Find learning items (e.g. courses or playlists) to a tab in a Teams Channel

In order to use the Find learning tab in Microsoft Teams you need to ensure that the Catalogue default view is set to Grid. You can do this by navigating to Quick-access menu > Configure features > Catalogue default view, then select Grid from the dropdown list.

Additionally, if you want to use Current learning functionality in the Microsoft Teams app you need to enable the Current learning block. You can do this by navigating to Quick-access menu > Plugins > Blocks > Manage blocks, then ensure that the eye icon in the Hide/show column is open for the block.

Messaging extension

The messaging extension feature allows users to find and share any content from the catalogue into their chats. As with any other MS Teams messaging extension, the user can find the Totara messaging extension in the chat toolbar ().

You can also pin the messaging extension app to the side panel by right-clicking it and selecting Pin.

Formal learning

Firstly, the Find learning tab allows users to access the catalogue. Here users can browse, search and filter for courses, programs, certifications, resources and playlists (depending on which content types you have enabled). Each item in the catalogue is represented by a card showing the resource title and image, as well as the type of item (e.g. course or resource). Clicking each item will reveal more information, and then users can go to the selected item.

Alternatively, users can view any learning they are enrolled on in the Current learning tab. If the logged-in user isn't enrolled on any courses, programs or certifications then this tab will be empty.

If you do not wish to display the Current Learning tab, ensure that the Current Learning block is disabled prior to uploading the manifest file.

Course activities

Users can access learning activities, such as SCORM activities and quizzes, within the app. All course activities are fully functional in the Microsoft Teams app, with a few exceptions. Due to the dynamic nature of the wiki and external tool activities, it is recommended that these activities are opened in the browser. This ensures that all functionality is available. An Open in browser button in the navigation panel allows users to open any page in a browser window at any time. For these activities a note will recommend that users open the activity in their browser.

SCORM activities can be accessed within Microsoft Teams. When editing the settings of a SCORM activity, the Display package setting (in the Appearance section) will affect how the activity displays in Microsoft Teams. The Current window setting will ensure that the SCORM activity opens within Microsoft Teams.

External URLs

When using the URL activity you need to ensure that the activity uses either the New window or In pop-up setting. This ensures that external URLs are opened in a browser, as Teams applications do not support external URLs within the application itself. You can ensure that the New window option is enabled by navigating to Quick-access menu > Plugins > Activity modules > URL, then selecting New window for the Available display options setting, then Save changes.

If a URL is included using the text editor (such as in labels or topic summaries), you need to ensure that you select the Open in new window (target="_blank") setting.

Libraries and resources

Users can access their library and resources via the Library tab. Here they can create, edit and share resources and playlists, or see user-generated content that has been shared with them.