Once you've created a certification and added content you can start assigning the learners who will need to complete the certification. You can do this using the Assignments tab. Users can be assigned by organisation, position, audience, management hierarchy, and/or individually.
Once learners are assigned to a certification, they they will be able to enrol in each selected course.
When adding learners to a certification, open the Assignments tab in the relevant certification and follow the steps below.
Before assigning users to a certification, we strongly recommend reviewing the associated notifications. Some notifications may be triggered immediately upon assignment, potentially resulting in a large number of messages being sent. To avoid this, ensure you're aware of which notifications are active and how many users will receive them.
Adding learners by organisation
One way to assign learners to certifications is based on your organisation's hierarchies.
Navigate to the certification and select the Assignments tab.
Select Organisation from the Add… dropdown menu.
Select the required organisational framework from the dropdown box.
Within the Add organisation to certification pop-up, browse through the user list or search for a specific organisation.
Select the name of each organisation to be added. Organisations from different frameworks can be selected. The selected organisations(s) appear under the Selected items.
Select Ok, then select Ok from the Add assignment pop-up to complete the selection of organisations, or Cancel to exit.
Select Include all below to include all users in the hierarchy structure below the selected organisation.
Enter an Assignment due date.
Repeat steps 1-8 to add another organisation(s).
Select Save changes.
A delete icon to remove an organisation from the selection will appear on hover over.
Adding learners by position
Another way to assign learners to certifications is based on the position hierarchies you've set up.
Navigate to the certification and select the Assignments tab.
Select Audience from the Add… dropdown menu.
Select the required position framework from the dropdown box.
Within the Add positions to certification pop-up, browse through the position list or search for a specific position.
Select the name of each position to be added. The selected position(s) appear under the Selected items.
Select Ok, then select Ok from the Add assignment pop-up to complete the selection of positions or Cancel to exit.
Select Include all below to include all users in the hierarchy structure below the selected position.
Enter an Assignment due date.
Repeat steps 2-6 to add another position(s).
Select Save changes.
A delete icon to remove a position from the selection will appear on hover over.
Adding learners by audience
If your users are already assigned to audiences, you can choose to assign entire audiences to your certifications.
Navigate to the certification and select the Assignments tab.
Select Audience from the Add… dropdown menu.
Within the Add audiences to certification pop-up, browse through the audience list or search for a specific audience.
Select the name of each audience to be added. The selected audience(s) appear under the Selected items.
Select Ok, then select Ok from the Add assignment pop-up to complete the selection of individuals or Cancel to exit.
Enter an Assignment due date.
Repeat steps 2-6 to add another audience.
Select Save changes.
To learn more about creating audiences, please see the following pages:
Adding learners by management hierarchy
You can also assign learners based on their position in a management hierarchy to your programs and certifications:
Navigate to the certification and select the Assignments tab.
Select Management hierarchy from the Add… dropdown menu.
Within the Add managers to certification pop-up, browse through the managers list or search for a specific manager.
Select the name of each manager to be added. The selected manager(s) appear under the Selected items.
Select Ok, then select Ok from the Add assignment pop-up to complete the selection of positions or Cancel to exit.
Select Include direct team or Include all below to include all users based on the hierarchy structure selected.
Enter an Assignment due date.
Repeat steps 2-6 to add another position(s).
Select Save changes.
Please see Job assignments for more information.
Adding individual learners
Finally, you may want to add individual learners to programs and certifications.
Navigate to the certification and select the Assignments tab.
Select Individuals from the Add… dropdown menu.
Within the Add individuals to certification pop-up, browse through the user list or search for a specific individual.
Select the name of each individual to be added. The selected individual(s) appear under the Selected items.
Select Ok, then select Ok from the Add assignment pop-up to complete the selection of individuals or Cancel to exit.
Enter an Assignment due date.
Repeat steps 2-6 to add another individual(s).
Select Save changes.
Adding groups (self-enrolment)
The Group (self-enrolment) assignment option allows learners to add themselves to a certification when a Site Administrator has enabled self-enrolment for a group within the certification. This option supports both enrolment and optional withdrawal, depending on the group’s settings. Learners enrolled through other assignment methods, such as audiences or organisations, can still self-enrol into an available group, but cannot withdraw from their non-group assignment.
Group assignments operate alongside other assignment types and follow the same behaviours for due dates, exceptions, and certification rules. Administrators can manage group membership directly, and self-enrolled users are added to the group automatically. Reporting on group assignments is supported through certification-based report sources, with columns available for assignment type and assignment name.
Warning on assignment changes in programs/certifications
When adding or removing assignments from a program or certification, Totara displays a warning message to help you understand how the change may affect learner enrolments.
Adding assignments
When you add one or more assignments, such as a audience or organisation, a prompt is displayed:
'Adding this/these assignment(s) will enrol X learners to this program/certification except where they are enrolled already.'
You can choose to Ok or Cancel the change before it takes effect.
Removing assignments
When removing an assignment, a confirmation warning prompt will be displayed:
'This will withdraw X learners from this certification except where they have another assignment.'
You can choose to Remove the assignment or Cancel the change before the assignment is removed.
These warnings will apply to all assignment types:
Organisations
Positions
Audiences
Management hierarchy
Groups (for removals only)
Note that the warning does not calculate whether learners in the selected assignment(s) are also enrolled via another assignment type. For example, removing an audience assignment may display that it will withdraw learners, even if some of those learners are still assigned via an organisation or another assignment type.
Next steps
The Totara Academy has a whole course dedicated to using Programs and certifications in Totara Learn. Here you can learn more on how to use programs and certifications, see best practice, and give it a go yourself.
Join the Totara Community for more resources to help you get the most out of Totara.
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