Caution ---- Pop-Up Blockers need to be disabled:

Your computer may have a “Pop-Up Blocker” within its various Anti-Spam functions.  This may prevent you from pulling up a report or seeing it displayed on your computer screen. 

·        The Pop-Up Blockers prevent unwanted ads and messages from appearing on your screen. Pop-Ups are certainly annoying when they occur.

·        The software within your computer may see the reports as another Pop-Up message that needs to be blocked.

·        You will need to disable this function in order to view the reports. Pop-Up Blockers are found in your Norton Anti-Spam software… in your Windows functions, in MacAfee Anti-Spam software. You must disable all of them if you find yourself with this problem.

·        If Pop-Up messages continue to be a problem while you are using other sites, you may wish to enable the function after you have finished with www.Your Company University.com 

·        To add www.Your Company University.com and our strategic alliance partner SkillPort to your approved list go to

·        Tools on your Tool Bar in Internet Explorer - Mozilla FoxFire is very similar.

·        Under the drop down menu you will find Pop Up Blocker Settings

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·        You will see:  Address of Web Site to allow    

·        Type the follow Your Company University.com  AND   skillport.com ---- do NOT add the “www.” in front of the address

·        Click “Add”

·        In the Filter Level area you should select Allow pop-ups from secure sites

Under the Tool Bar you also have an option to TURN OFF the Pop-Up Blockers entirely. The choice is yours if you wish to allow approved pop-up blockers or turn off the function.

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Welcome to Your Company University

Your Company University is a web-based e-Learning portal where you can access a range of training resources at work, at home, and on the road...whenever and wherever you have the need and time.

Your Company University allows you to:

• Access a variety of instructional and assessment learning events from the Your Company University Catalog
• Follow learning plans created for you by your manager or build your own in the My Plan area
• Add learning events that are outside your formal learning plan to My Favorites for quick access
• Use the My Report area to view your progress and test scores

Log In

To access Your Company University’s courses, log in to the Your Company University site:

Open your web browser

Type the appropriate URL for the Your Company University site in the address line.

Press Enter. The Login Page displays.

Enter your User ID and Password.

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Chose the course library

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Choose the course you want -- and add to the cart

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The list of courses are now added to your shopping cart

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The Checkout -- You will be prompted to choose your payment method

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You will be asked to choose which credit card company you want to pay with. Enter the credit card you require.  VISA -- MasterCard --- American Express.

When the transaction has been approved you will be taken to the Learning Center and the main pages where the courses can be taken.

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Your Company University FEATURES

Home Page (The Learning Center )

The Home page (The Learning Center) appears when you login to Your Company University. It presents summary information to help you develop your individualized learning plan and track your progress. You can access all of Your Company University 's various features and learning resources from this page. 

Along the left side is a Shortcuts menu that provides access to Your Company University features and informational pages related to your e-Learning program. The SEARCH-and-LEARN ^™ feature is located at the top of the screen. The most complete database of information on courses available is on the main Your Company University Home Page under Key Word search. The My Plan section contains links to the learning events that have been added to your formal learning plan, either by you or your administrator. The My Favorites area is where you can store links to certain types of learning events, such as SkillBriefs, Job Aids, and books, for quick access. The My Report section contains information regarding the courses you have started and completed. Below is an example of a typical Your Company University Home page or Learning Center .

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Catalog

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Your Company University presents learning events in an expandable catalog of assigned content. Content can be organized in standard curricula, by certification path, or in a Learning Program. Depending upon the size of your course library, the Your Company University catalog may contain thousands of learning events, including:

Courses
SkillBriefs
Simulations
Job Aids

Note: SkillBriefs and Job Aids are available from the Course summary page.

Learning events are organized into curricula that keep related subjects together. The curricula are organized by subject-matter, represented by a folder icon that contains additional sub-categories or the actual learning events. As you select a category, the contents of the selected item are displayed in the catalog.

To view the contents of the catalog, browse through the catalog hierarchy. A breadcrumb trail at the top of the course information panel will show you where you are. You can also select the View Expanded Catalog link to see the entire catalog; however, this may take some time to display, depending on the amount of content you have access to.

To access a learning event, select the hyperlink title text next to the icon.

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Shortcuts

Use Your Company University to link the areas Your Company University that you use most often. Shortcuts can be one-click links to other areas within Your Company University or to completely different web sites. Shortcuts appear in the left-hand column of the Your Company University interface. You can customize your own list of shortcuts within Your Company University.

 

	Shortcuts My Plan My Report Technical Support

 

 

 

 

                 

Search and Learn

---

Use SEARCH-and-LEARN™ to quickly find information on a specific subject using keyword searches. This will be found on the main page at Your Company University under Key Word Search. 

1.      Type a keyword or phrase in the field.

2.      Select a learning event category from the Category drop-down list. Alternatively, you can search all content categories.

3.      If content in more than one language is available to you, choose a language from the Language drop-down list.

4.      Select Search.

5.    The search results appear below the Key Word panel. If you earched for all categories, the results will be grouped by category.

 

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My Plan

My Plan contains items that are part of your formal learning program. You, your training administrator, or your manager can add learning events to your My Plan and assign them a goal and a completion date.

§         The My Plan Display can appear empty - with a user prompt to select and get help assigning courses to your plan.

§         My Plan contains only items that have scores tracked by Your Company University, such as courses and simulations,

§         The My Plan Display lists items by: "Learning Event" title, "Due" date, "Assigned" check (appears when an administrator or manager assigned the course to you).

• Select the Edit button to modify the due date, goals and reminders, or to remove a learning event from My Plan.

§         Select the Go button beside the learning event name to launch it directly.

§         Select the title to access a summary page where you can view details about the learning event.

• Select the Add New Folder to My Plan button to create a new folder in your My Plan view. Use folders to organize your learning events into related categories.

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Adding learning events to My Plan

1.      Find a learning event by browsing the Catalog or by specifying a word or phrase using KEY WORD search.

2.      Select the name of the learning event that you want to add to your plan.

3.      In the learning event summary page, select … Add this Course to My Plan. You will be presented with a Details dialog that permits you to enter Due Date, Goal, and Reminder information.

4.      Select the Submit button.

The learning event is now listed under My Plan.

Adding folders to My Plan

You can add folders to My Plan in which you can store related learning events.

1.      In My Plan, select the Add New Folder to My Plan button.

2.      In the Add to My Plan page, type a name in the Folder field.

3.      Enter a goal and select a due date for the folder.

4.      Select the appropriate e-mail reminder option.

5.    Select the Submit button.

The new folder should now be listed under My Plan.

Add learning events to a folder

1.      Find the summary page for the learning event, either by browsing the Catalog or by using SEARCH-and-LEARN.

2.      Select Add to My Plan.

3.      In the Select Folder page, select the Select this Folder link next to the name of the folder.

4.      Enter the goal, due date, and e-mail reminder.

5.      Select Submit.

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My Favorites

My Favorites is an area where you can store links to certain types of learning event for quick access. It supports SkillBriefs and Job Aids - learning events that are considered part of your informal learning and do not have scores tracked by Your Company University.

You can select the Go button to launch the learning event directly, or select the title of the event to view its summary page.

Adding an item to My Favorites

1.      Select a learning event by going to the Catalog tab or by specifying a word or phrase using Key Word Search.

2.      Select the learning event you wish to add to your favorites by selecting the underlined name of the event.

3.      Select Add to My Favorites.

4.      Select the Close this Window button

5.    Select the Home page tab.

The learning event now appears under My Favorites.

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My Report

My Report displays a record of all your learning event activity. Your Learner Records Progress Report indicates your status with items currently in your learning plan, as well as those completed in the past and no longer part of your plan. A summary of My Report is shown on the Home page. Click the Take me to detailed reports ... button or the My Report shortcut to view the full report.

Completed and Started Courses

The Completed and Started Courses section provides details on your progress with individual courses and simulations. You can generate a Completion Certificate for courses and simulations you have finished.

The Report Summary appears near the bottom of My Report. It shows the number Distinct Courses and Simulations you have accessed and your Total Training time, which is the sum of the course duration of all the courses you have completed and started.

The completion criteria set by you company or organization is explained at the bottom of My Report.

Report Field	Description
Learning Event title	Course number and title. If you click the hyperlink, you are taken to the course summary page.
First Access	The date and time you first accessed a learning event
Last Access	The date and time the learner last accessed a learning event
Times Accessed	The total number of times you accessed a learning event
Duration	The total amount of time you spent in a learning event
High Score	This is the highest score you have achieved in this course
Current Score	This is the most current score you have achieved in this course
Courses Completed	Total number of courses you have completed
Courses Started	The total number of courses you have started

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Completion certificates

When you complete a learning event that has a score, such as a course or simulation, you can print a certificate of completion for that event.

Note: Completion certificates are an optional feature and may not be enabled on your system. Certificates for Learning Programs can only be generated by an Your Company University administrator.

To print a completion certificate:

1.      Go to the My Report page and click the Create Certificate link next to the name of the completed learning event.

2.      Follow the on-screen instructions for printing the certificate.

 Taking Courses

Once you have located a course, select the underlined course or topic title to view the course summary page. In the upper left hand corner of the information page, are buttons that enable the following actions:

	Select this button to take a course live over the web. This will immediately launch the course in a separate browser window.
	Select this button to add a course to your My Plan page to take at a later time.
	Select this button to download a course to your PC, so you can take it off-line. The first time you choose this link, you will be prompted to install the Course Manager (SCM) to manage your off-line course content. Once the SCM is installed selecting this link will launch the SCM and enable you to download content.
	Select this button to display a list of related Job Aids and SkillBriefs.
	Select this button to access the online evaluation form associated with this course. (An Evaluation has to be created and assigned to the course(s) in order for the link to appear)

An Your Company University Course is web-based instructional content delivered to you on your computer. During the course you practice and are assessed on your mastery of skills and knowledge learned in the course. Instructional content includes business skills and information technology courses. The following course types are available on Your Company University: Business Skills courses and Classic courses.

You can view the Overview and Description of the course you want to take by clicking on the title

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Course Features and Navigation

Course Player Interface

When you first launch a course the Course Menu opens in the content area of the Your Company University Course Player.

The Your Company University Course Player is divided into three areas:

Title Bar

Content Area

Navigation Bar

Your Company University Course Player Window for a Business Skills Course

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Title Bar

The Title Bar is located at the top of the screen. It contains the course, lesson, or topic title, the Help button, and the Exit button.

Note: DO NOT use the button in the top right corner of the browser window or other Windows control functions to exit the course. Scores and bookmarks may be lost if you do not use the Player's Exit button.

Content Area

While displaying the Course Menu, the top of the Content Area displays the course goal, current course score, and a link to the Course Test. The main part of the Content Area displays the course menu including links to the lessons and topics, links to the tests, and topic status and scores.

While displaying a course content page or test page, the Content Area displays the content type of the course or test.

While displaying a test introduction or summary page, the top of the Content Area displays your name and your Course Score. The main part of the Content Area displays the content titles and scores. In some cases links are displayed so you can play content or retake the test.

Navigation Bar

The Navigation Bar contains several buttons that enable access to course resources and allows you to navigate sequentially through the course content pages. When instructional content or tests display in the Content Area, the Your Company University Course Player displays course navigation buttons, audio controls, and the topic status window in the Navigation Bar.

The Your Company University Course Player displays the Print Scores button in the Navigation Bar for Test Transition/Summary pages and the Course Menu.

Using the Course Menu

When you first launch a course or select the Course Menu button while viewing course content, the Course Menu opens in the content area of the Your Company University Course Player.

The left side of the course menu displays the hierarchy of the course down to the topic level. It contains links that allow you to go directly to a particular topic. The right side of the course menu provides information about each course component or allows you to take a specific test.

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Course Hierarchy

Overview (Business Skills Courses Only) - Launches the overview for the course.

Lessons - Lessons are containers for related topics. Lesson titles are displayed in bold text on the course menu.

Topics - Topics contain the content in Your Company University courses. Topic titles act as links to the specified content.

Note: If you downloaded individual topics from a course using the Your Company University Course Manager (instead of downloading the entire course), some of the links in the course menu may not be available to you.

Course Menu for Business Skills Content                              BACK TO TOP   Course Menu for IT Skills Content

Goal (IT Skills Courses Only) - Displays a general description of the high-level goals of the course. Goals may not be displayed for all courses.

Course Score - Displays your current score for the course. This score is an average of the current score on all tests in the course, based on the tests you have completed. All the tests that you have not attempted display as "---" and are scored as 0% until you take them.

Type

This column describes the topic type. The topic types are described below.

Overview (Business Skills Courses Only) - Gives introductory information for the lesson including the learning objectives covered in that lesson.

Instruction (Business Skills Courses Only)- Gives instructional content and assessment questions to reinforce the instructional material.

Instruction with RolePlay - Presents instructional content and includes a RolePlay simulation. It is identified with the RolePlay icon.

Test - Assesses the learner's knowledge of the learning objectives.

Software Simulation (IT Skills Courses Only) - Gives you the opportunity to practice the tasks and procedures taught in this course in a simulated software environment.

Article (IT Skills Courses Only) - Gives an abstract, narrative text, and a summary.

Exercise (IT Skills Courses Only) - Reinforces the content taught in this course with practice tasks. Includes hardware exercises, conceptual and problem-solving exercises, and coding exercises.

Mentored Exercise (IT Skills Courses Only) - Presents a series of tasks to complete, usually relating to using software. You submit your results of the exercise to a mentor, who then replies with a solution.

Self-Assessed Exercise (IT Skills Courses Only) - Similar to Mentored Exercises, except the learner self-evaluates their performance against a course-supplied best practice answer.

Status

This column indicates your progress navigating through each topic. A not started icon displays if you have not opened any of the pages in the topic. A started icon indicates that you have opened at least one page in the topic. A completed icon indicates that you have opened and navigated through all pages in the topic.

Current Score

This column displays your current score for each lesson or topic. N/A means the content associated with that entry is not tested anywhere in the course.

Take Course Test

This is both an active link, as well as a column heading. The entries in this column each launch the test for either the entire course, an entire lesson, or a single topic within a lesson. Take Course Test launches the test for the entire course. In a Business Skills course, Take Test launches the lesson test for the associated lesson. In an IT Skills course, Take Test launches a topic level test for the associated topic.

Notes: Topic-level tests are available in IT Skills courses. For Business skills courses you may take a topic-level test from the summary page of any test by selecting the re-take test link (Available on all levels except pre-tests). Lesson-level tests are only available in Business Skills courses.

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Navigation Controls

Button	Description
Turn Audio On/Off	Turns the audio On or Off for the entire course during the current course play session.
Play Audio/Stop Audio	Plays or stops the audio for the current page.
Previous Topic	Displays the previous topic in the course.
Previous Page	Displays the previous page in the course.
Course Menu	Displays the Course Menu in the Content Area.
Next Page	Displays the next page in the course.
Next Topic	Displays the next topic in the course.
Status Box	In Business Skills courses, Displays your location in the topic or test by showing the current page number and the total number of pages.
Learning Points Dialog Box In IT Skills courses, you can use the Learning Points dialog box to navigate to each learning point in a topic by clicking the appropriate link. To open the Learning Points dialog box, click the Learning Points button in the middle of the Navigation Bar. You can close the Learning Points dialog box by selecting the ALT + F4 buttons. Learning Points Button in the Navigation Bar

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Topic Intro Page

At the beginning of every topic, the Your Company University Course Player displays the objectives of the instructional content in the Topic Intro page (except LOT courses). This screen lists the learning objectives that are presented in the lesson or topic. The screen also displays your current score for the lesson or topic, if applicable, and the Topic Type, such as Instruction, Software Simulation, or Exercise.

In IT Skills courses, the Topic Intro page also displays the learning points for the topic and gives links to navigate to the learning points.

 

                 

To begin the topic, select the Next Page button, or for IT Skills courses, you can select one of the links to the learning points in the topic.

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Business Skills Content

Instructional pages in Business Skills courses present information in a variety of formats. Some pages present instructional content alone while others are interactive, e.g. requiring you to answer questions, select graphics, advance the course with content buttons, etc. Instructions for working with these various pages are indicated within the content.

Practice Questions

Practice questions are pages used to reinforce your knowledge of the course content. There are several types of practice questions including multiple choice, matching, and case studies. Instructions for working with these various pages are indicated within the content. You can change your answer to any question as many times as you want before you click the Done button or otherwise advance the content.

Practice questions in the course are for practice, and are not counted toward your course or lesson test score. You can choose to skip the practice questions.

RolePlays

A RolePlay presents instructional content within a business context, in the form of a scenario or situation. You are led through a series of choices that can lead to several possible endings. You have the choice of entering a RolePlay in either Explore or Score mode.

Explore mode provides feedback about the choices you make during the course of the RolePlay before you make a final choice. Choice feedback appears when you select one of the available answer choices. In this mode, you can also navigate back to previously viewed pages in the RolePlay and select alternate choices to experience a variety of different outcomes.

Score mode allows you to test your skills within the RolePlay. In Score Mode, you receive feedback only after you select your final answer. Unlike Explore Mode, you can not return to previously viewed pages. At the end of the RolePlay, a summary page appears that displays the Learning Points associated with the RolePlay and a count of your appropriate, inappropriate, and fair choices.

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Feedback

Feedback is the response to correct and incorrect answers you give during the RolePlay. The availability of feedback depends on the instructional mode (Explore or Score). Feedback for RolePlay:

Feedback is the response to correct and incorrect answers you give during the RolePlay. The availability of feedback depends on the instructional mode (Explore or Score). Feedback for RolePlay:

For a good answer, the feedback appears in a green box.

For a fair answer, the feedback appears in a blue box.

For an inappropriate answer, the feedback appears in a pink box.

For a catastrophic answer, feedback appears in a pink box and you are warned that the RolePlay is about to end.

IT Skills Content

Instructional pages in IT Skills courses present information in a variety of formats. Some pages present instructional content alone while others are interactive, e.g. requiring you to answer questions, select graphics, advance the course with content buttons, etc. Instructions for working with these various pages are indicated within the content.

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Guided Practices and Demonstrations

These instructional sequences that include text and questions. You can move through demonstrations either by using the Next Page button in the navigation bar or by clicking hot spots in the demonstration's content area.

Practice Questions

User-selection and user-input questions appear at intervals throughout the topic, together with the controls to allow you to answer them. These exploratory questions require you either to select an answer from a number of options or to enter the text yourself. Types of questions include multiple choice, matching, and case studies. You can change your answer to any question as many times as you want before you click the Done button or otherwise advance the content. Once you have completed a question, you are given feedback on your response.

Software Simulations

Simulations require you to perform tasks in a simulated environment. When you complete a task, the Player judges whether you did so correctly and allows you proceed to the next task. If you perform the task incorrectly, you can repeat it or move on to the next part of the simulation.

Buttons display between the Forward and Back buttons during simulations. These include:

Task - allows you to view the task statement (you can open or close this information at any time during the software simulation)

Steps - allows you to view a complete list of the steps in the simulation (you can open or close this information at any time during the software simulation)

Done - triggers the Your Company University Course Player to judge your performance when you have finished a task

Show Me - ends the simulation and launches an animated sequence that performs all the steps in the simulation and displays accompanying text

Skip - skips this task and navigates to the next learning point

Try Again - allows you to try task again. This option is available after you click Done

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Additional Supporting Content

Resources/References

All courses contain a link to a Resources or References page that displays links to supporting information related to the course. For IT Skills courses, this page is called the Resources page, for Business Skills courses, it is called the References page. Select the Resources/References button in the Navigation Bar to open this page in a browser window. Select the links to access the information.

Course Objectives

Objectives define the instructional intent of the course. The page shows the course title, the lesson titles, and the related topic-level objectives. Test questions are used to measure your achievement relative to the course objectives.

Glossary

The Glossary gives definitions of terms that appear in the course.

Job Aids (Business Skills only)

The Job Aids page lists links to all of the Job Aids available for the course.

Job Aids are tools and forms that complement and support the content presented in the course. They are designed for use after the course has been taken, and can serve as a guide for application of the skills learned in the course.

Examples of Job Aids include:

guidelines

checklists

reusable forms and templates

step-by-step procedures

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Learning Aids (Business Skills Courses Only)

Learning Aids are documents that support course content presentations or practices. Learning Aids are designed for use during course play.

Examples of Learning Aids include:

worksheets

charts and tables

financial statements

Follow-on Activities (Business Skills Courses Only)

A Follow-on Activity (FOA) provides learners with the opportunity to extend instruction beyond a course. FOA's typically describe specific activities that learners can do to transfer learning from the learning environment into their daily work lives and jobs.

Additional Resources

Additional Resources are a list of published resources related to the content of the course.

SkillBriefs (Business Skills Courses Only)

The SkillBriefs page lists links to all of the SkillBriefs available for the course.

SkillBriefs are single-page, condensed summaries of the instructional content of a course topic. SkillBriefs are designed to be used as an instant reference. Select the SkillBriefs button to open this page in a browser window, and then select a link to access the information.

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Mentoring (IT Skills Courses Only)

Your Company University 's mentoring service offers the learner individual attention from vendor-certified professionals. This service is delivered through email, online chats, and threaded discussion groups and is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. To access this service, click the Mentoring button in the Navigation bar. This opens a new window, where you can access Ask My Mentor for the topic or course you are currently playing.

Ask My Mentor is available only if you have purchased this facility from Your Company University and are taking the topic online on MySmartForce or Your Company University. If the Mentoring button does not display on the Navigation Bar, you cannot access mentoring for that topic.

Transcripts (IT Skills Courses Only)

To view a transcript of the topic, click the Transcript button in the Navigation Bar of the Your Company University Course Player. The transcript launches in a separate window. If the Transcript button does not display in the Navigation Bar or is grayed out, you cannot access a transcript for that learning content. To print the transcript, select the Print link in the Transcript document.

Business Skills Tests

You can take a test at either a course level or lesson level to assess your knowledge of the course learning objectives. These links, Take Course Test and Take Test (for lesson level tests), always appear on the right hand side of the Course Menu. You can access these tests either before or after you go through the instructional content. 

In addition, your organization might elect to display pre or post test links within the instructional sequence on the Course Menu. If these pre and post test links are displayed, you'll also encounter the option to either start or skip the test while you're navigating through the content.

               

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Launching a Test

Whether you select a test link from the Course Menu, or you navigate through the instructional content, you'll always encounter a Test Transition/Summary page from which you'll launch the actual course test. The topic titles are not selectable.

Launching a Test

To begin the test, select the Begin Test button.

You can exit a test at any time and return to the course menu by selecting the Course Menu button. Your scores are not recorded if you exit a test before finishing.

Taking a Test

After you select the Begin Test button, the test begins. The Your Company University Course Player gives you a series of questions. For each question, you can choose to answer the question at that time, or you can choose to answer the question later.

To answer a question, check the appropriate answer(s) (in multiple choice type questions) or drag and drop the appropriate answers (in matching questions). When you are satisfied with your answer, select the Done button. The correct answer then displays. Select the Next Page button to proceed to the next question.

Answer Later

To skip a question and try it later, select the Answer Later button. When you are ready to answer the question, you must open the status screen and select the link for that question. Access the status screen by selecting the Status buttonduring the test or selecting the Return to Status buttonin the dialog box that displays when you finish the test. If you skip a question and end the test without answering it, you are scored a 0% for that question.

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Status Page

The status page indicates the progress that you have made in a course or topic test and is accessed by selecting the Status button during the test. Questions that were skipped display the answer later icon. The status screen has links to each test question allowing to retake skipped questions and review questions that you already answered.

To exit the Status screen and return to the test, click the Close Status button.

Course Level Tests

You have several options for accessing course-level tests, depending on how your course player is configured. Regardless of configuration, you'll find a link to take a course-level test in the Course Menu. 

Course Pre-Test

The course pre-test assesses your knowledge of the learning objectives that are covered in this course before you play the instructional content.
To launch the course pre-test, select the Take Course Pre-test link in the Course Menu page. To begin the test, select the Begin Test button.

Note: Once you start any other test, the link changes to Take Course Test and the course pretest option is no longer available

Course Post-Test

The course post-test assesses your knowledge of the learning objectives that were presented to you in the course.

To launch the course post-test, select the Take Course Test link in the Course Menu. This link replaces the Take Course Pre-test link (if enabled) after you take any test.

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Lesson-level Tests

Note: Depending on how your Business Skills Course player is configured, some of the options described below may not be available to you.

Lesson Pre-Test

The lesson pre-test assesses your knowledge of the learning objectives that are covered in this lesson before you play the instructional content of a lesson.

To access the lesson pre-test:

Select the Lesson Pre-test or Take Test link for the appropriate lesson in the Course Menu.
 
Or
 

Take the course sequentially. You'll encounter a Test Transition/Summary page immediately following the lesson overview giving you the option to either take or skip the test. 

Note: Once you start any other test, if any of the following conditions are true, the lesson pretest is no longer available: 

You have already taken the specific lesson level pretest.

You have taken the Course level pretest.

You have taken one or more lesson-level pretests, and then decide to try the Course Level test.

Lesson Post-Test

The lesson post-test assesses your knowledge of the learning objectives that were presented to you each lesson. 

To access the lesson post-test:

Select the Lesson Post-test link or Take Test link for the appropriate lesson in the Course Menu.

Or
 
Take the course sequentially. You'll encounter a Test Transition/Summary page immediately following the last page of the lesson giving you the option to either take or skip the test. 

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Test Summary

When you finish a test, the Test Transition/Summary page displays again showing your updated scores for the test you just completed. The topic titles are now selectable so that you can review a topic. You can also retake the test unless it was a pretest; You can only take a pretest once.

You may also have the option of retaking the questions in the test for a specific topic by selecting the Retake Test link next to the applicable topic. When you retake questions for one topic, you are scored for your new attempt along with the score you got for the other topics in your last attempt.

On the Test Transition/Summary page you can select the Print Scores icon to display the Test Scores Report that you can print.

Test Scores

The Test Transition/Summary and Test Scores pages contains your scores for the test. The scores are broken down by the topic level. Each question in the test is related to a lesson topic. The topics scores are the total of all the applicable questions for that topic in the test.

A value of "--" in the score column indicates that you have not yet taken that test. A zero in the score column indicates that you took the test and did not master any of the assessment objectives. The scores are divided into three columns:

Pre-Test Score

Displays the score for your pretest of this course or lesson. You can only take the pretest once. If pretests are not enabled, the name of this column changes to First Score and displays the score for the first time that you took this test.

Highest Score

Displays the average of the highest scores you received for each individual objective.

Current Score

Displays the score for the last time that you took this test.

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IT Skills Tests

In IT Skills Courses, the Your Company University Course Player tests the learner's knowledge of the course learning objectives at the course and/or topic level.

Course Level Tests

The course test assesses your knowledge of the learning objectives that are presented to you in the course.

To launch the course test, select the Take Course Test link in the Course Menu.

Topic Level Tests

The topic tests assesses your knowledge of the learning objectives that were presented to you in each topic.

To launch the topic test, select the appropriate Take Test link for that topic from the Course Menu

Note: Tests can be taken at anytime, if you have viewed the content for that topic or not.

Proficiency Mode

When you launch a test in an IT Skills course, you are assessed in Proficiency Mode. Proficiency Mode tests allow you to assess your competence before or after you take a course or topic. Answers you give will be marked correct, incorrect, or partially correct, and you can check your score at any time against a specified mastery level by selecting the Status button.

During a test session, you can review all your answers but you cannot change any answers. However, once you have ended the test, you may return to the questions that you answered incorrectly and retake them. By comparing your score against the required mastery level, you can easily assess your competence in any course or topic.

Your test score is saved and you can return at any time to retake the test.

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Launching a Test

Whenever you launch a test, a Test Transition/Summary page opens. This page contains the test scores for the course or applicable topic and the minimum percentage you need to reach to achieve mastery for that test.

Select the Start Test button to begin the test.

Select the Course Menu button to exit the test and return to the Course Menu. 

When you select Start Test button on the Test Transition/Summary page, the test begins.

Taking IT Skills Tests

When you answer a question, click the Done button to submit your answer.

You will receive feedback telling you whether your answer is correct, incorrect, or partially correct. If you do not answer a question, it is marked as incorrect. Click the Next button to display the following question. When you click Next after you have received feedback for the last question in the test, a message displays indicating that the test is ending. You can select Return to Test to complete the test or review any questions or End Test to return to the Test Transition/Summary page.

Use the Previous button to review the questions that you have already answered or marked for review. Note that you cannot change any of your completed answers during a test session. Once the test has ended, however, you may choose to retake those questions that you did not answer correctly.

If you do not want to answer the question immediately but want to return to it after answering some other questions, click the Mark For Review button

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Status Page

You can select the Status button at any time to review your progress on the status page. To exit the Status screen and return to the test, click the Close Status button .

Ending a Test

When you finish taking the test, the Test Transition/Summary screen displays. You can review any topic covered in the test by selecting the appropriate link. You can retake the entire test or a topic test by selecting the applicable Retake Test link. If you are finished with the test, you can return to the Course Menu page by selecting the Course Menu button.

Test Summary

When you finish a test, the Test Transition/Summary page displays again showing your updated score(s) for the test you just completed and the minimum percentage you need to reach to achieve mastery for that test.

To take any questions in the test that you marked for review or retake any questions that you answered incorrectly, click the Take Incomplete/Failed Parts button .

To view the Status page for this test, select the Status button.

To retake the entire test, select the Start Test button.

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IT Classic Content Features and Navigation

You launch a course from your Learning Management System. The following features and navigation items are found in all courses.

When you launch a course, the course map is displayed to the left of the screen. The course map is arranged by units. You can choose to start the course at the beginning, or at any of the units.

The course map displays the structure of a course. Each course is divided into units. Each unit is made up of topics. Topics are divided into a series of screens.

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Course Navigation

When you first start a course, the course map is displayed. From the course map, you can choose to run the course from the beginning, or jump into the course at any unit, topic, or screen of your choice.

§         Select the unit title to view the topics within the unit.

§         Double click the topic title to start the topic at the beginning screen for that topic.

§         Double click a screen number to start the topic at that screen.

Course Map Control Panel Buttons

Along the bottom of the course map, are control panel buttons.

The  button returns you to the beginning of the topic last visited. This applies even if you have exited and reentered the course. This button is only available if you have accessed at least one unit.

The  button displays your progress through course units and any test scores.

The  button starts a selected topic or screen number.

The  button launches your web browser and provides access to the Course Resources web page, which contains all the web links belonging to the course. Web links are provided to supplement and complement the course, as well as to enhance your learning experience. They are not intended to fulfill course objectives.

The  button exits the course after a confirmation screen.

The  button displays the Course Help System.

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Course Navigation Features

Once you enter a topic, the Smart Controls are displayed by default in the right-hand side of the screen – either fixed or as a floating control palette. The control palette can be maximized by using the maximize/minimize button. You can return to the course map from any point in the course by selecting on the Navigate button.

The  buttons enable you to navigate through a course.

The button takes you to the course map screen.

The  button displays a Web links dialog box with a link to the Course Resources page on the Internet. Selecting the link will launch your browser and bring you to the page.

The  button allows you to launch a text editor, copy the on-screen text to a text editor, or copy the text of the entire topic to a text editor. Once you have copied the text, open the application you want to paste it to and save as normal.

The  button displays extra information relevant to the point being discussed in the course. When a footnote is available, a small yellow icon appears to the right of the text. Select the icon or Footnote button to access the information.

The <Audio> button allows you to take an audio-enabled course in one of three different ways – text and audio, text only, or audio only.

The  Displays the Course Help System.

The  button exits the course after a confirmation screen.

The  button maximizes or minimizes the Smart Control palette.

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Course Features

There are a variety of features in the courses ranging from Notes and Web Links to Lab Exercises and Simulations. Not all courses contain all the features listed.

Unit Aim and Objectives

This screen displays the unit aim and learning objectives for the unit.

Notes

Notes appear on screen in a note box separate from the regular text. Notes are used to include additional, useful, interesting, or aside information about the text immediately preceding them. They are also used to refer to relevant sources of information—other SmartCourses, manuals, online Help, and so on.

Footnotes

Footnotes are used for nonessential information relevant to the text being discussed. Sometimes they are used when the information that would normally be included in a note is too long. They are indicated on screen by the icon appearing at the end of a paragraph. The icon stays enabled as long as the information in the footnote is relevant. Selecting the icon displays the footnote on screen.

Web links

Web links are used to access helpful information on the Internet from within a course – these types of web links are referred to as embedded web links. An embedded web link has specific relevance to the information under discussion and is inserted in the course text itself.

Demonstrations

You are guided through a demonstration of tasks that apply the concepts to practical situations. In the case of a software application, this is illustrated by a screenshot, with the relevant feature clearly indicated. This improves your understanding of how to use a given tool in a real-world environment.

Course Questions

Course questions (or "discovery" questions) encourage you to think about the material and anticipate the correct answer. Unlike the course or unit tests, no record is kept of your answers to questions in the course, and you are only scored on your performance when you choose to take a test.

There are nine different types of course question, such as true/false, yes/no, and multiple-choice.

Unit Summary

Each unit ends with a unit summary screen. When you enter the unit summary screen, a brief account of what you have covered in the unit displays. If you want to view the full summary for the unit, select the Summary button.

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Exercises

Exercises offer a thorough interactive practice session appropriate to the learning points covered previously in the course.

Both lab exercises and coding exercises are indicated in the list of topics in the course map by a pointing-hand symbol.

A Lab exercise offers you an opportunity to work in a simulated version of an application.

A Coding exercise gives you an opportunity to analyze and write code or commands. This type of exercise uses a simulated version of a realistic programming environment. This allows you to become actively involved in building one or more coding statements on screen by answering special coding questions throughout the exercise. Appropriate feedback is always given after each question. In all coding questions you can choose to access a question hint by selecting the Hint button.

A Simulation allows you to practice using the application. They differ from other exercises because they are integrated into the course text rather than appearing in a separate dialog box.

A DecisionPath exercise simulates the process of making complex decisions. You are presented with a business problem and asked to come up with a solution by answering a series of questions. Each time you answer a question, your decision—and its consequences—is recorded in the log window. There is no single right or wrong answer, although one decision is generally better than the others. Every decision you make receives feedback. In addition, if you wander too far in the wrong direction—that is, continue to make bad choices—you receive feedback prompting you to move back in the right direction.

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Assessment

Test results provide important information on whether you have successfully assimilated the course content and learned the intended skills. You can take a test at either a unit or a course level. You can choose to take a test on a piece of learning content at any point before, during, or after launching the content.

You can see your score by selecting the Status button in the test question box.

Note that no Cancel button is available in test questions. This means that you must attempt every test question. You can, however, choose to exit the test at any point. If you do opt to exit, you will abandon the test completely and you will have to start from the beginning the next time you take the test.

Unit tests are designed to assess your knowledge of a particular unit. Depending on your performance in the unit test, you may or may not want to complete the actual unit. Your score displays when you finish the test.

The Course Test covers material on the entire course. This test can serve as a pretest when taken before going through the course, or taken after you have gone through the course to assess your knowledge. The Course test questions are randomized from a bank of test questions.

FastTrack assessment creates a personalized learning path tailored to your particular needs. When you have mastered the questions for a unit, a check mark appears beside that unit title in the course map. If you are unsuccessful in questions for a unit, an X will appear beside the unit. A dash appears beside the unit when no test has been taken.

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Your Company University Simulation (SkillSim)

A Your Company University Simulation (SkillSim) is a technology-enabled simulation which puts you in an authentic business or professional situation.

You will play a major role in a variety of simulated interactions where your decisions will have a direct impact on the course of events and result in realistic consequences. The SkillSim is designed to help you practice or assess your mastery of skills and knowledge learned in a series of Your Company University courses. As you progress through a series of scenes, you will receive feedback on your performance. To assist you, the simulation incorporates links to context sensitive Your Company University course material.

Playing a Simulation

Simulations are started within a web browser. The way you enter into a simulation will depend on the specific setup of your company's on-line training environment. Regardless of the exact system, each simulation will start from a summary page that provides:

§         An overview/description of the simulation

§         Target Audience

§         Suggested Prerequisites

§         Expected Duration

§         Lesson Objectives

Select the Play link on the summary page to launch the simulation.

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Introducing a Simulation

Simulations begin with an introduction page that allows you to either view the introductory material or begin the Sim.

Note: If you are taking this Sim for the first time, we recommend that you read through the introductory material. Make sure you read and become familiar with the introductory information. This will assist you in your performance during the simulation!

Introductory Material

All simulations have an introduction page that provides overview information about the simulation. For example, the introduction page may include information about:

• The company you work for.
• The characters you will interact with.
• The resources that are available to you during the simulation.

The specific information available on each introduction page depends on the simulation content. You can review the information from the introductory page (along with other important pieces of information) after the simulation begins by selecting Reference Info from the Simulation Player Menu.

Note: Some older simulations do not allow you to skip the introductory material and go directly to the Sim. In the future, all Sims will have this functionality.

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Explore Mode, Score Mode or Test Mode

When you enter a simulation, you are given the choice to take the simulation in either Explore mode or Score mode. Place the mouse over each button to get a brief description of each mode.

Explore Mode

Explore mode provides helpful feedback about the choices you make during the course of the simulation. Choice feedback appears when you roll your mouse on one of the available answer choices. You can also navigate back to previously viewed pages and select alternate choices to experience a variety of different outcomes. You will not receive any assessment scores for simulations taken in explore mode.

Score Mode

Score mode allows you to test your skills within the simulation. Unlike Explore mode, you will not receive any Choice Feedback about the choices you make until you complete a scene within the simulation. You are also restricted from returning to previously viewed pages. Your performance will be assessed against the simulations objectives (introduced in the simulation's summary page).

After you complete the simulation, your score is recorded in the learner management system database. Choices in the simulation are rated "Appropriate," "Fair," or "Inappropriate." The Simulation Player uses these ratings to determine your score.

§         You complete the simulation making all "Appropriate" choices. Your score is 100.

§         You complete the simulation and some of the choices are rated "Fair" or "Inappropriate." Your score is less than 100 but greater than 0.

§         You fail the simulation. Even though you may have made "Appropriate" choices, you selected an "Inappropriate" choice that terminated the simulation early. A Final Summary feedback page is displayed and you are not presented with the remaining material in the simulation. Your score is 0.

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Test Mode

Test mode allows you to test your skills within the simulation. Test Mode is nearly identical to Score mode. However, in Test mode you do not have access to course materials in the simulation and Course Links are not available from the drop down menu. You will not receive any Choice Feedback about the choices you make until you complete a scene within the simulation. You are also restricted from returning to previously viewed pages.

The simulation’s objectives will not appear in the simulation's summary pages. The simulation's objectives appear with the summary text which describes your performance at the end of each scenario.

After you complete the simulation, your score is recorded in the learner management system database. Choices in the simulation are rated "Appropriate," "Fair, " or "Inappropriate." The Simulation Player uses these ratings to determine your score.

Scoring Examples:

§         You complete the simulation making all "Appropriate" choices. Your score is 100.

§         You complete the simulation and some of the choices are rated "Fair" or "Inappropriate." Your score is less than 100 but greater than 0.

§         You fail the simulation. Even though you may have made "Appropriate" choices, you selected an "Inappropriate" choice that terminated the simulation early. A Final Summary feedback page is displayed and you are not presented with the remaining material in the simulation. Your score is 0.

Navigating through a Simulation

There are several ways to advance through a simulation:

• Select specific choice text.
• Choose to use an active resource on the desktop or from the Simulation Player Menu.
• Select the previous button located near the top-right of the simulation interface. The button allows you to page back through the simulation screens.

Note: The previous button is unavailable throughout a simulation if you are in Score Mode. This prevents the student from scrolling back and re-answering questions they may have answered incorrectly. In Explore Mode, the previous button is inactive on the first page of a new scene. You can only return to a previously played scene by exiting the SkillSim Player and restarting from the beginning.

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Simulation Player Menu

All the commands necessary to complete a simulation are available from the SimPlayer Menu.

Client, Phone, Course, Document, Computer	Resources used throughout the simulation to aid you in making decisions. Sub-menus will appear if there are several choices available under each resource (e.g. there are several computer files for you to reference during the simulation).
Reference Info	Reference information is available throughout the course (it is always available on the menu). Reference information is background information or other pieces of data that you would always have available (e.g. information on the various characters that appear during the simulation).
Audio On	Toggle button that allows you to turn simulation audio on or off.
Print	Allows you to print simulation feedback.
Exit	Exits the simulation.
Help	Opens the web-based help utility for the Simulation Player.

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Active Resources

Several resources are made available to you during the course of the simulation. Resources that are available to you at a given point in the simulation are called active resources. They appear as selectable items in the interface (a picture of a phone, computer, folder files, etc.) or you can access them via the Simulation Player Menu. The availability of a particular resource is dependent on where you are in the simulation or on a specific event. There are five different resources available in simulations: Computer, Document, Client, Phone, and Course.

Note: Not all resources are available during a given simulation.

Computer	Access to simulated e-mails and other computer files used during the course of the simulation.
Document	Access to various documents that support simulation content (e.g. a company policy memo).
Client	Represents interaction with characters throughout the simulation (i.e. clients, coworkers, managers, etc.).
Phone	Allows you to have telephone conversations with characters in the simulation.
Course	Links you to Your Company University course content that addresses one of the instructional objectives of the simulation.

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Choice Text

Choice text options are available to you as you progress through the simulation. Usually, the response choices are either actions you can take or dialog to respond to another character. Once you have made your decision, select the choice text to continue the simulation. Depending on the situation, you may get a response from a character in the simulation through character dialog.

Choice Feedback

Choice Feedback is only available in Explore Mode. Choice Feedback appears as you roll your mouse over the various choices you have available during that point of the simulation. The Choice Feedback text box is color coded to help you identify if a choice is good, fair or inappropriate.

§         Feedback for an appropriate choice is displayed in a green text box.

§         Feedback for a fair choice is displayed in a blue text box.

§         Feedback for an inappropriate choice is displayed in a pink text box.

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Events

Events are timed actions that occur at a specific point in the simulation. You have no control over events; their occurrence is predetermined. You will be prompted to respond to an event through graphics and audio (e.g. the phone starts blinking or a message saying "You've got mail" appears on the computer screen), pop-up text, or a combination of the two.

Note: It is up to you to choose whether or not to respond to certain types of timed events. However, be aware that the choice you make may impact the final outcome of the simulation.

Feedback Pages

You will receive feedback for the choices you at the end of each scene on a Feedback Page, and at the end of the entire simulation on the Final Summary Feedback page. Each of the responses you made during the scene are rated as either Appropriate, Fair, or Inappropriate. A list of the objectives covered in the scene also appear at the bottom of the feedback page. You can print a copy of the feedback page by selecting Print from the Simulation Player Menu.

After each scene, you will receive feedback based on the selections you made during that portion of the simulation. The options you are presented with on the Feedback pages depend on the mode you selected when you first began the simulation.

Explore Mode Feedback

After completing a scene in Explore Mode, you are presented with four options on the Feedback Page:

§         Continue - Begins the next scene in the simulation

§         Retry Scene - Restarts the scene you just completed

§         Retry Simulation - Restarts the simulation at the very beginning. You will again be given the option of choosing between Explore and Score mode.

§         Exit - Exits the Simulation Player

The same options are available on the Final Summary Feedback page (however, the Continue option will not be available because the simulation has ended).

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Score Mode Feedback

After completing a scene in Score Mode, you are presented with three options on the Feedback Page:

§         Continue - Begins the next scene in the simulation.

§         Retry Scene - Restarts the scene you just completed.

§         Exit - Exits the Simulation Player.

The same options are available on the Final Summary Feedback page (however, the Continue option will not be available because the simulation has ended).

Continue/Restarting a Simulation

You may exit a simulation at any point by selecting Exit from the Simulation Player Menu or from a Feedback Page. When you return to the simulation, you are given the option of continuing or restarting the simulation.

• Continuing a simulation will place you back at the beginning of the scene you were in when you originally exited the simulation, not on the exact page. Your previous scores will be retained.
• Restarting a simulation will place you back at the beginning of the simulation. Your scores will be reset.

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Express Guides

While e-learning courseware can help organizations master new technologies effectively, cost-efficiently and on a globally dispersed basis, there is usually a time gap of several months between the announcement of new technologies and the first emergence of quality e-learning courses.

Your Company University Press Express Guides close that time gap, delivering a cost-effective means of learning new technologies within just a few weeks of the availability of important new technology and certifications.

Express Guides are electronically-delivered equivalents of the student guides that IT professionals receive when they attend instructor-led training classes. They consist primarily of text and graphics and do not contain interactive practice questions or assessments.

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Instructions for Bundles

Bundles - Bundles are defined as a grouping of 5 courses bought at the same time. When courses are bought in “bundles” of 5 there is a substantial discount provided. A few restrictions do apply:

1. The Shopping Cart system automatically creates a bundle when your purchases reach a total of 5 courses. When you buy a sixth course and continuing on to purchase through 9 courses, the single course price will apply for each of those courses until you reach the 10^th course when a discount for a “bundle” will again be credited.
   
2. If you buy 4 courses at the single course price and then purchase another course at a separate time, the system will not apply the “bundle” discount. Please be sure to include all your courses at the time of purchase to receive your discount.
   
3. All courses must be taken within one year of the time of purchase. After one year the rights to access these courses are discontinued unless you pay for them again and renew.
   
4. You may mix and match any of the courses in the Course Library to create a “bundle” of 5 courses and receive your discount with the following exceptions.
   
   
   1. Environmental, Safety, Health, and Transportation courses can not be combined with any other courses. You may buy a “bundle” of five (5) these courses and receive the “bundle” discount, but you may not add these courses to another 4 courses in other categories to create a bundle of 5.
      
   2. Legal Compliance courses can not be combined with any other courses. You may buy a “bundle” of five (5) these courses and receive the “bundle” discount, but you may not add these courses to another 4 courses in other categories to create a bundle of 5.

 

For technical support email info@yourcompanyuniversity.com or call 973-378-8456.

Thanks.