Assign media items

You can assign individual media items, such as videos, PDFs and links, to people with start, due and end dates, so learners get access for the period you set and you can see who has viewed them.

What it does

Assign media as an admin

Go to Learning > Standard Assignments and create a standard assignment. Under Assigned content there is now a third choice, Media items, next to Courses and Learning paths. Pick the items under Media item selection, then choose who gets them under Assign to users: User groups or Specific users. You can set three dates:

• Start date — assigned content becomes available to users on this date.
• Due date — the date used for notifications.
• End date — assigned content stops being available to users on this date.

Media is always assigned. Unlike courses and learning paths, a media item cannot be set to Recommended.

What learners see

• During the standard assignment window, the learner can open the media item even if it would otherwise be hidden from them by its category visibility, access level or price.
• In the media list, an assigned item shows an Assigned label. After the learner opens it, the label changes to Viewed.
• When the end date passes, the extra access ends. The learner can still open the item if they would have had access to it anyway.

Let team leads assign media

Go to People > User Teams, open a team and, under Team lead permissions, turn on Assign media items. Then use Assignable media items to choose the approved list of media the leads may assign. Leave it blank to allow every media item they can see. Team leads then get an Assign Media link in their standard assignment tools, with an Assign Media Items form: a title, the media items, and user groups or specific users. Leads can only assign items they are allowed to see. 

Notifications and reporting

• Two notification types become available under Communications > Auto Notifications: Media assigned and Media assignment due. The due reminder is sent by a daily job.
• In Analytics > Activity Reports, a new data point called Viewed media item shows Yes or No for each assigned item. It does not apply the report's date range.

Why admins switch it on

• Make required viewing, such as a policy video or a PDF handbook, a standard assignment with dates, without wrapping it in a course.
• Give a team access to items that are normally hidden from them for a set period.
• Know who has opened what, with reminders for people who have not.

Before you switch it on

• If you turn it off later, standard assignments of media items stop working. You can no longer save a standard assignment of media items (you see "Media item assignments are not enabled"), the reminder job stops, and learners lose the access that came from existing standard assignments of media items. Media given through Dynamic Assignments keeps working. 
• Who can get media through a team lead: only teams where you turned on Assign media items.
• Dynamic Assignments. If you use Dynamic Assignments, Media appears as a content choice in that wizard only when this feature is on. 
• Viewing is tracked from the first open. For assigned items that are not videos (PDFs, audio, links), opening the item is what marks it viewed.

Related optional features

• Dynamic Assignments — the newer Dynamic Assignments wizard, which can also assign media.