Set up LMS365

Introduction

After the initial LMS365 installation, there are just a few things you'll need to set up in order to get started.

This guide will walk you through these steps.

 

 

Overview of steps to set up LMS365

Before you can start creating courses in LMS365 and rolling them out to your organization, there are a few things you need to set up first. 

Watch the video or read the overview below of what you need to do to set up LMS365 and start using it.

 

1. Create a course catalog: After the initial installation of the LMS365 app and activation of the subscription, you should have at least one LMS365 course catalog created by either your internal Microsoft 365 global admin or SharePoint admin. The course catalog will provide you with the necessary space to create and administer courses and training plans in LMS365.

2. Assign permissions: It's now time to assign permissions to other people in your organization who'll be administering the LMS365 solution.

3. Enable LMS365 notifications: To ensure messages are sent out to users with relevant learning events, you need to enable LMS365 notifications.

4. Set up the LMS365 Skills Framework (for customers with an LMS365 subscription plan that includes the skills framework): If you wish to grant learners specific skills and/or certificates when they complete training, you need to create certificates and/or set up a skills framework in each of the course catalogs where you want this to be an option upon training completion.

5. Create courses and training plans: At this point, you can start to create courses and training plans that you want to be available for learners in the course catalog.

6. Invite learners to LMS365: You are ready to invite learners to the course catalog so that they can be enrolled in training and start their learning journey in LMS365.

7. Enable training from mobile devices and from Microsoft Teams: Finally, you can offer your users the complete LMS365 learning experience from the LMS365 mobile app and from the LMS365 app for Microsoft Teams.

 

Step #1: create a course catalog

A course catalog is a space where you create and administer the various types of courses and training plans in LMS365. You may choose to set up separate course catalogs for each department in your organization (where the training needs differ across departments) or to separate content for internal and external audiences.

Role required to complete the step: Course catalogs in LMS365 can be created by either a Microsoft 365 global admin or SharePoint admin (these roles are Microsoft 365 roles that are managed in your Microsoft 365 Admin Center).

In order to start using LMS365, you should first create at least one course catalog.

This is done from the LMS365 Admin Center:

1. Go to Global Settings > Course Catalog Management > Add Course Catalog.

2. Complete the fields in the Add Course Catalog panel.

3. Save the catalog.

Now your course catalog is created, and you can start setting it up.

See this article for more detailed information about creating a course catalog.

 

 

Step #2: assign permissions

You should now assign permissions to the users at your organization who you want to be able to manage LMS365. These permissions are given with the LMS admin or the catalog admin role. 

 

Provide the LMS admin role

LMS admins will be able to manage global settings of LMS365, like deleting and configuring course catalogs, assigning catalog admins, and configuring the LMS365 mobile app for the organization. These settings will span all course catalogs in your LMS365 solution.

Role required to complete the step: The LMS admin role can be granted by either a Microsoft 365 global admin or SharePoint admin (these roles are Microsoft 365 roles that are managed in your Microsoft 365 Admin Center).

To grant users the LMS admin role:

1. From Global Settings, go to LMS Administrators > Add LMS Administrator at the top of the page.

2. Select the users you want to grant the LMS admin role to and configure the rest of the fields in the Add LMS Administrator panel if you'd like.

3. Save your changes.

Find more information on assigning LMS admin permissions in this guide.

 

 

Provide the catalog admin role

Catalog admins will be able to manage settings for and create training in the catalog they are admins of.

Role required to complete the step: The catalog admin role can be granted by a Microsoft 365 global admin, a SharePoint admin (Microsoft 365 roles that are managed in your Microsoft 365 Admin Center), or an LMS admin (LMS365 role that is managed in LMS365 Admin Center).

To grant users the catalog admin role:

1. From Global Settings of the LMS365 Admin Center, select Course Catalog Management.

2. Select the relevant catalog to open its Course Catalog Settings.

3. Under Catalog Administrators, select one or more users that you would like to grant the catalog admin role for the course catalog in question.

4. Save your changes.

Find more information about assigning catalog admin permissions here.

See this guide for more information about roles and permissions in LMS365.

 

 

Step #3: enable LMS365 notifications

LMS365 allows notifications to be sent automatically to users via email and Microsoft Teams, as well as push notifications in the mobile app. The catalog admin can customize these notifications and control which ones will be sent.

Role required to complete the step: To enable LMS365 to send notifications regarding training events, the catalog admin must first configure the Microsoft 365 Connection Settings of the catalog in question.

The Microsoft 365 Connection Settings need to be configured on a catalog level, so if you have several catalogs in your LMS365 solution, this will need to be done for all catalogs you want notifications to be sent from.

The Microsoft 365 Connection Settings are configured with the following steps:

1. From the LMS365 Admin Center, on the catalog settings level, go to Catalog Settings > Notifications > Microsoft 365 Connection Settings.

2. Toggle Enable LMS365 to send email notifications, book Rooms and create meeting invitations to the On position and connect a cloud-based email account.

Connected account license requirements are:

• A Microsoft Exchange Online (Plan 1 minimum) to be able to send notifications and book rooms.
• Microsoft Teams to create meetings in Teams. 

A shared mailbox can't be used as the connected account.

3. Save the settings.

Read this guide for more information about enabling LMS365 notifications. 

See this guide for an overview of notifications that are sent with training events and how to manage them.

 

 

Step #4: set up the LMS365 Skills Framework

As well as awarding certificates, the LMS365 Skills Framework is an additional way of rewarding users for completing a course or training plan.

Role required to complete the step: Before you can start rewarding users with skills when completing courses or training plans in a course catalog, a catalog admin of this catalog will need to set up the LMS365 Skills Framework in the catalog.

 

 

Follow the steps below to set up the Skills Framework:

Create skills

First, to create Skills (the name of the skills users can be awarded with for completed courses or training plans): 

1. From the LMS365 Admin Center, on the catalog settings level, go to Catalog Settings > Skills Framework > Manage Skills > Add Skill.

2. Complete the fields in the Add Skill panel.

3. Save the skill.

 

 

Create skill level sets

Then, to create Skill Level Sets (the levels that are possible to achieve for the different skills, for example, average, above average, and outstanding):

1. From the LMS365 Admin Center, go to Catalog Settings > Skills Framework > Manage Skill Level Sets > Add Skill Level Set.

2. Complete the fields in the Add Skill Level Set panel.

3. Save the skill level set.

Find more information about the LMS365 Skills Framework in this guide. 

 

 

Step #5: create courses and training plans 

Now, you can start creating the learning content. 

Role required to complete the step: This is done by the catalog admin from the course catalog where you want the courses to be available from.

1. Go to LMS365 Admin Center on the catalog settings level > Training Management > Create Training.

2. Select one of the following options:

• E-Learning. Selecting this option, you'll create an online, self-paced course. Users enrolled in an e-learning course can conduct it anywhere, anytime at their own pace. See this guide for more information about how to create e-learning courses in LMS365.
• Instructor-Led Training. Selecting this option, you'll create a course that allows for instructor-led standalone sessions and session groups, held either online or in a set location. See this guide for more information about how to create instructor-led training in LMS365.
• Training Plan. Selecting this option, you can combine courses into training plans and create unique training programs for learners. See this guide for more information about how to create training plans in LMS365.

 

 

Step #6: invite users to LMS365

You're ready to start inviting users to take part in the learning in your LMS365 solution.

We recommend adding all people who will be taking training in a course catalog, to the Users list of the catalog in question before enrolling them in respective courses or training plans. This will allow employees to view all course and training plan home pages of the course catalog and prevent users from encountering an access denied message from SharePoint when they navigate in the course catalog.

After this, users can be enrolled in specific courses and training plans.

 

Add users to the Users list of a catalog

Role required to complete the step: A catalog admin must add users to the Users list of their catalog. 

To do this:

1. From the LMS365 Admin Center, on the catalog settings level, select Users > Add or Invite User(s).

2. Enter and validate the required email addresses in the Add or Invite User(s) panel.

3. Add the users.

See this guide for more information about inviting learners to LMS365.

 

 

Enroll users in courses and training plans

Role required to complete the step: In order for users to be enrolled in specific courses and training plans, they can either be enrolled by a catalog admin or a course admin or, if this is enabled for the course or training plan in question, users can enroll themselves in courses and training plans.

See this guide for information about how users enroll themselves in courses and training plans.

See this guide for information about how catalog admins and course admins can enroll users in courses and training plans.

 

Step #7: Enable training from mobile devices and from Microsoft Teams

Finally, you can make the full learning experience available to your users from the LMS365 mobile app, which offers offline consumption of downloaded courses, and from Microsoft Teams, which offers corporate training directly available anywhere, anytime, with the LMS365 app for Teams.