Manage out of cycle certification changes

Available from Totara v20.3

Site administrators can apply certification changes outside the normal certification cycle, ensuring compliance updates are applied consistently across all affected learners without editing individual learner records. This supports audit, regulatory, and business-driven events such as content updates or compliance breaches.

Creating bulk tasks for learner management in Totara programs and certifications technical guide.

Access to the new completions tab depends on the Certification completion bulk actions setting, this needs to be enabled from: Development > New and experimental > Early access

If this setting is disabled, the site falls back to the previous completion tab.

There are two ways to apply out-of-cycle recertification window changes:

• Using the certification path settings page, which is a straightforward way to apply a recertification window change to all learners on a path.

• Using recertification bulk actions, which support more complex use cases where advanced filtering is required.

The path settings method is best suited to applying a single window change to every learner on a path. Bulk actions are intended for scenarios where only a filtered subset of learners must be updated.

Applying a recertification window change from the path settings

When an administrator edits the recertification window in a certification path, the edit path view provides options to control how the change is applied to learners.

1. Go to Quick-access menu > Certifications.

2. Select the name of the category (or subcategory) in which the certification sits.

3. Select the corresponding cog icon () for the required certification, or select the certification name to open it, then select Edit certification details.

4. Select the Requirements tab.

Or:

1. Navigate to the Catalogue via Explore.

2. Find and click on the certification you want to manage and edit.

3. Click the three dots () at the top right of the certification page and click Manage certification.

4. Select the Requirements tab.

Then:

1. Click on the certification path to edit the Recertification window.

2. Click the three dots () on the top right of the certification path and click Edit path details.

   

3. Edit the Recertification window length.

Where learners are assigned to the path, the administrator chooses one of the available apply options:

• Apply to future assignments — the change affects only future recertification calculations and does not modify existing learner recertification dates. This is the default behaviour.

• Apply to existing and future assignments — the change is applied to existing learner recertification dates as well as future calculations.

  

4. Once you have edited the Recertification window length, and selected how this applies, click Save.

Selecting the Apply to existing and future assignments option creates a bulk update task for affected learners and recalculates eligible learner recertification windows on save.

The apply options are only shown when learners are assigned to the path. When no learners are assigned, the recertification window change is saved without additional options.

How recertification windows are recalculated

When the Apply to existing and future assignments option is selected, the system recalculates recertification windows based on the following rules:

• Learners with unopened recertification windows have their windows recalculated using their baseline expiry date and the updated recertification window.

• Learners with active exceptions and current completion records are eligible for recalculation.

The following learners are excluded from recalculation:

• Learners whose recertification window has already opened.

• Learners who have never certified.

• Learners without an expiry date.

• Expired learners.

• Learners who are no longer assigned to the path.

If no learners are impacted, the operation completes without error. Un-assignment does not result in invalid or orphaned recertification window data.

Completion tab

The Completion tab uses an embedded report Certification Completion tab with a number of features which provide a more flexible and configurable management experience.

• Configure embedded report: By selecting the three dots ( ) the Certification Completion tab embedded report can be configured by either selecting:

  • Configure columns: Directs you to the Columns tab in the Edit Report 'Certification Completion Tab report page where the columns for the report can be edited.

  • Edit report: Selecting Edit report directs you to the General in the Edit Report 'Certification Completion Tab report page. The report can be edited using the General, Columns, Filters and Performance tab.

• Filters: Select the Filters option to view and set filtering criteria for the Certifications completion tab report including default filters: including Users fullname, Current path, Status, Window open date, Expiration date, Due date, Users organisation name, Assignment, and Users job title.

  You can edit the available filters by selecting Edit report and editing the filter under the Filter tab.

  Note: Some advanced text-based filters may affect performance on large data sets.

• Sort by: Use the Sort by dropdown menu to select the Sort by option to view the report, select the ascending and descending icon ( ) to change the order.

• Export: You can export the report by clicking the export icon ( ). When you export the report a message will appear advising your export has been queued and you will be notified when it is ready for download.

Applying certification changes using recertification bulk actions

Recertification bulk actions are performed from the certification's Completion tab, and allow a filtered subset of learners to be updated. Three bulk action types are available: Change certification path, Update expiry date, and Update recertification window.

Selecting multiple user’s

Multiple users can be selected by either:

• Selecting the check box by each user’s name.

• Selecting the all users checkbox located left of the column names. Note, this all selects all users on that page.

• By selecting the all users checkbox, you then have the option to click Select entire results. This will select all users in the report.

Note: Should a user be assigned to a certification through more than one means of assignment i.e. based on audience membership and organisation membership, that user will appear listed within the report for each one of their assignments.

However user duplicates are not counted as individual rows in the bulk selection count or the updated records count, so if the user appears three times within the bulk selection, they will only be classed and noted as one selection.

Change certification path

1. From the Completion tab select the learners to apply certification path changes to.

2. Click Bulk actions and select Change certification path.

3. From the Select new certification path dropdown, select the certification path to change for the learners.

   

4. Click Update records.

Use case: change assigned learners to another path, so that they can repeat training that might be required due to a breach or legislation change.

• Current certifications will remain valid.

• Expiry dates will remain unchanged.

• Upcoming due dates will remain unchanged.

• Current learning and progress will be retained.

• Learners outside their recertification window: the recertification window may open immediately.

• Learners inside their recertification window: the recertification window will remain open on the new path.

What happens next when the certification path is changed?

What happens depends on whether the learner is already in their recertification window.

Update expiry date

1. From the Completion tab select the learners to apply certification path changes to.

2. Click Bulk actions and select Update expiry date.

   Note: those users’ who do not meet the criteria for the action selected will be excluded.

3. Select to either:

   1. Adjust current expiry date

   2. Set fixed expiry date

4. If you choose Adjust current expiry date, under Effective expiry date select to Extend or Reduce the expiry date, then select by how many Days, Weeks, Months, or Year(s).

   

5. If Set fixed expiry date is selected, use the drop down options to set the Effective expiry date.

   

6. Click Update records.

Certification remains valid until the adjusted expiry date.
Selected learners may have different expiry dates. Recertification windows will be updated to align with the new expiry dates.

Use case: update a certification expiry date to meet new deadlines set out by the law or the business.

• Adjust the current expiry date, or set a fixed expiry date.

• Extend or reduce the effective expiry date by a specified number of Days, Weeks, Months, or Year(s).

• Certification remains valid until the adjusted expiry date.

• Selected learners may have different expiry dates.

• Recertification windows will be updated to align with the new expiry dates.

Update expiry date requires an existing certification expiry date and current assignment to the certification. Learners not meeting these conditions are excluded from the update.

Existing extension requests are discarded when the expiry date is updated. Learners need to reapply for an extension based on the new expiry date if required

Update recertification window

Updating the recertification window changes when existing certified learners become eligible to renew. You can either:

• Change the recertification period (for example, from 90 days to 180 days before expiry), or

• Open recertification on a specific date for the recertification window to open for all eligible learners.

To update the recertification window:

1. From the Completion tab select the learners to apply certification path changes to.

2. Click Bulk actions and select Update recertification window.

3. Select to either:

   1. Update the recertification period

   2. Open recertification on a specific date

4. If you choose Update the recertification period under Recertification period select the updated recertification window period by number of Days, Weeks, Months, or Year(s).

   The recertification window opens automatically based on each learner’s expiry date and the configured recertification period. Newly assigned learners start their assigned path immediately.

   

5. If you have selected Open recertification on a specific date, under Window open date select the date for the recertification to open.

   Recertification can begin on this date. This does not change the certification expiry date. Ensure enough time has been set to allow for recertification.

   

6. Click Update records.

Use case: update the window opening date for all assigned learners, due to changing recertification requirements, audit failure, or non-compliance, so that learners must complete training earlier.

• Update the recertification period, or open recertification on a specific date.

• The recertification window opens automatically based on each learner's expiry date and the configured recertification period.

• Newly assigned learners start their assigned path immediately.

What happens when the window is updated?

Eligible learners have their recertification window recalculated using the updated settings. The system:

• Recalculates each learner's recertification window using their existing certification expiry date

• Applies the updated recertification period or specified opening date

• Updates only learners who are eligible for recalculation

Learner outcomes

The table below describes the outcome for each learner status.

Tracking scheduled bulk update tasks

When a recertification window change creates a scheduled update task, the certification page displays indicators so the site administrator remains aware of the status of pending changes.

• A pending updates warning banner is displayed when at least one scheduled update task exists. The banner informs the site administrator that updates will be applied during the next scheduled run and that any additional changes will be queued.

Note: For any updates with less than 200 records, these will be processed immediately. Any updates which have over 200 records will be queued and updated via scheduled task.

• A Success banner is displayed when scheduled updates complete successfully.

Once the update has run and the Completion tab is still open the page will refresh automatically, the page will retain the filtered records (unselected) so you can view the changes.

Certification changes may affect learner progress, completion records, and pending tasks. The administrator should review which learners will be affected before saving an out-of-cycle change.