Using Period-based Settings

Objective

After completing this lesson, you will be able to explain how event-based and calendar-based period settings are used in a curriculum.

Period-Based Settings

Period-based settings in a curriculum are used to establish initial due dates and schedule recurring learning activities at specific intervals. This helps ensure that learners complete their training on time.

Period-based settings involve creating a structured schedule for organizing educational materials into various timeframes or periods. When implementing period-based settings, administrators must consider several key questions:

How much time should be allocated for learners to initially complete the curriculum?
Are there specific deadlines for completing certain curriculum items, regardless of when they are assigned?
Should curriculum items be reviewed or repeated to enhance learning?
If a user needs to complete an item on a recurring basis, must it be included in the curriculum and have a retraining period?

Period-Based Settings Fields

The following fields must be considered and changed to establish period-based settings:

Initial Assignments:

Initial or Retraining Number and Periods: The values that you set for the Initial or Retraining Number fields in combination with a selected Initial or Retraining Period, determines how often and when to set the required date for the item in the curriculum.
Initial or Retraining Basis: The Event Basis option is used when training is due a certain amount of time from when it was assigned or from the learner's hire date. (Ex: Training is due 10 days after it is assigned, or training is due 30 days after the learner is hired). The Calendar Basis option is used when training is due by a certain date (Ex: Training is due by 31 December).
Threshold: (For Calendar based settings only) The threshold feature allows the administrator to set up training periods that impose a deadline for users to complete their training within a certain number of days from the assigned due date. These periods, also known as grace periods, ensure that users complete their training on time. Additionally, the threshold can be configured on an entire basis, removing any grace period and making the training due by a specific date regardless of when it was assigned.

Previous Completions Field:

When a curriculum is assigned, the system looks at the user's past learning history. If the system finds that the user has completed the curriculum before, it marks it as complete. If the user completed a part of the curriculum a long time ago, it may show as overdue when retraining is required yearly. To prevent this, select the Ignore Previous Completions Older Than checkbox to ignore completions that are older than a certain number of days. For example, if you enter 365 days, the system will ignore any completions older than one year in its calculations.

Retraining Assignment

The amount of time users have to retake and complete the item after initial completion.

Basis Date (For Calendar based settings only):

Defines the beginning point of the time-periods for Calendar basis only. The system will create periods starting from the Basis Date and lasting for the duration specified in either the initial assignments or retraining assignments section. Customers will typically use calendar basis when they want to define their own fiscal or business year. Most commonly, 1 year is used for initial assignment and/or retraining. Depending upon the threshold settings, users will either need to complete the item initially by the end of the current fiscal year, or the end of the next one, or this may depend on the number of days into the period they are when they receive the assignment. Retraining will always give the user until the end of the next period to complete their retraining.

Effective Date:

The Effective Date grandfathers changes in the curriculum. If you add a new assignment to the curriculum, and if you set the effective date into the future, then SAP SuccessFactors Learning allows users' curricula to remain complete until the effective date. Before the effective date, users who have a complete curriculum remain complete even if they haven't completed this assignment. After the effective date, if users have not completed the assignment, they are incomplete for the curriculum.

Assignment Type:

Required, Optional, or Customized related types. These values can be in multiple languages. Priority levels can also be set for Assignment Types to help users prioritize their item assignments.

Event vs Calendar-Based Settings

When setting initial and retraining assignment dates, there are two options available: event basis and calendar basis. Each option has its own method of determining the initial and retraining due date.

Event basis: Uses the assignment date of the item or the user’s hire date to determine the initial required by date. For retraining, the most recent date of successful completion is the event and will be used to calculate the next required date.
Calendar basis: Uses a basis date to create periods that last for the duration specified in either the initial assignments or retraining assignments section. Depending upon the threshold settings, users will either need to complete the item initially by the end of the current fiscal year, or the end of the next one, or this may depend on the number of days into the period they are when they receive the assignment. Retraining will always give the user until the end of the next period to complete their retraining.

The diagram below shows the decision tree to decide whether you need event-based settings or calendar-based settings.

Here are some examples of when you should choose Event versus Calendar based settings:

The course is due 10 days from the day it was assigned (EVENT).
The course is due 90 days from your hire date (EVENT).
The course is due on 24 September (CALENDAR).
The course is due at the end of the year (CALENDAR).

Summary

Period-based settings define due dates and recurring schedules for curriculum items, ensuring timely training for learners.
Two basis options exist: Event-Based, where dates are tied to assignment or hire events, and Calendar-Based, which uses predefined time periods like fiscal years.
Key settings include initial and retraining periods, deadlines, grace periods known as thresholds, and effective dates for implementing changes.
Administrators can ignore older completions, specify retraining intervals, and customize assignment types and priorities to align with organizational goals.

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