Announcements


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Every LatitudeLearning® LMS comes with a set of system-facilitated messaging tools, allowing portal administrators to manage automated notifications and create ad-hoc announcements for their users. The availability of these messaging features is dependent upon both the setup of your LMS (e.g. Certification Management, User Import, eCommerce) and the types of courses you make available in the catalog (e.g. eLearning, Classroom, Assessment).

UNLIMITED ANNOUNCEMENTS FEATURE

Portal Administrators can use the Announcements feature, located at the top of their left navigation menu or via the Announcements  icon on the Navigation page, as a platform to write custom announcements, promotions, or ad hoc training notifications to LMS users system-wide. The search function built into Announcements operates with the same robust capability as the User Search and there is no limit on the number of recipients. For portals using the Navigation page with the Announcements icon enabled, managers with subordinates will also have access to create announcements scoped to those employees.

  1. Enter a Subject and Note to create your custom email and/or Message Center notification.
  2. Conduct a user search to build the recipient list. Select a combination of Criteria, Comparisons, Values, and Operands in order to define a specific LMS population for this message. Or leave the default "User Status Is Active" query to target all LMS users.
  3. Click Submit and Continue to execute the search. Administrators will have an opportunity to review and edit the results list before sending the message.

    The example below shows a search for users who (1) are Active in the portal, (2) have a Position that is Computer Sales, and (3) are in the Organization Hierarchy of Midwest Electronics Ohio, which is a Division in this portal.


    While Search results are display only, users can be added or removed from the recipient list by expanding the section and refining your Criteria or Search Pattern. Follow this link for further instructions: Advanced User Search.
  4. If necessary, use the drop-down Language menu to provide translated messages for users with a Preferred Language other than English.
  5. When you are ready to trigger the announcement to listed users, click Send.



The message template that controls the background configuration of the Announcement message is "General - Announcement Made" and is found in the list under Site Management > Edit Messages. By default, the only configuration in this message is the parameter for [AnnouncementText]. This parameter pulls any text entered during the creation of the Announcement into the message at the time it is sent. Do not remove the [AnnouncementText] parameter or the Announcement will not function properly. Note that any additional text entered for "General - Announcement Made" under Edit Messages will become part of the template the Announcements feature uses for ALL announcements sent. Only add texts to the configuration if you want that text to appear in every announcement.

System Generated vs Ad Hoc Messaging Tools

The LMS includes more than 30 customizable messages that will automatically notify students, managers, and administrators when certain system events occur and when specific user or training activities take place.

This document focuses on the tools that allow administrators to communicate directly with LMS users, en masse or individually. The “Classroom Offering Messages” and “Announcement” features function separately as on-demand messaging systems, using content settings on the Site Management > Edit Messages page and adding custom notes submitted by the administrator upon message creation. For more information on managing notification settings and content, please see related document: Edit LMS Messages and Manage Automated Notifications.


Class-Specific Messaging

Class-specific messages are automated notifications triggered by Classroom or Virtual Classroom course enrollments. They send students reminders and updates about their upcoming training events. Additionally, LMS Instructors and Administrators who manage classroom courses have access to Roster Messaging tools that work to target students enrolled in a specific class Offering.

Scheduled Offerings include a Messages tab, which allows administrators to generate ad hoc reminders and general announcements about the upcoming class.


Reminder Message

Use the Reminder Message option to write an Additional Note, then schedule the number of Days prior to offering to send reminder message to enrolled students. This includes the ability to define multiple reminder messages by simply entering commas between the number of days (e.g. 30, 10, 5, 3). As soon he robust LMS messaging service will use these settings to generate both email and homepage messages to the targeted roster recipients, including the Instructor if selected.


Class Announcement 

Use the Class Announcement feature to generate an instant, ad hoc message to individuals enrolled in the selected offering. To do so, simply enter a Language, Subject and Note. If you enter a message in language other than English, you must save an English version first. As soon as you click Send, the message will be delivered via email and/or homepage messaging services.