This article covers the steps to add your own custom resources, including SCORM packages, to your account by using Content Engine. The custom resources you add to your account are for your own use and are not available to other accounts.
Any user in an enterprise account can add custom resources and manage the custom resources they add. However, only administrators can publish the custom resources to make them available to use in learning paths.
This article contains the following sections:
- What Is a Custom Resource
- About Uploading Video Resources
- Where to Add Custom Resources
- How to Add Custom Resources
- How to Publish a Custom Resource
- How to Find Where a Custom Resource Is Used
- Archiving a Custom Resource
What Is a Custom Resource
A custom resource is a file that you create and upload through Content Engine. When you create a video custom resource, the experience for the learner is very similar to that of doing a delivered course from our training library. However, custom resources do not have to be videos; other kinds of files can make good resources as well.
You can add custom resources to your custom learning paths to help in training your own employees. The custom resources you add are available to users in only your own account.
A custom resource can be a .zip file of SCORM content or any text or image file. In addition, the following file extensions are allowed:
- .doc
- .docx
- .xls
- .xlsx
- .mp4
- .mov
For security, the system converts all files except for movies into PDFs, as you see in the image below:
When learners view the resources in the Cloud Academy PDF reader, they'll have access to several document tools to search, zoom, and download the PDF. If the PDF is part of a learning path, a Mark as Complete button appears in the upper right corner. The learner can click the button after reviewing the resource to move on in the learning path. SCORM and other non-text-based resources do not show this button.
A custom resource can also be a SCORM package. When you upload a SCORM package, you choose the SCORM Content tab on the screen where you add the custom resource, as shown in the graphic below:
When you upload a custom resource, you indicate which skills the content reinforces. You can publish the custom resource to your entire company or to only the teams you select. After you've updated the custom resource, you can include it when you create a custom learning path.
About Uploading Video Resources
If you upload a video as the content of your custom resource, the video should meet the following specifications for best quality:
- Resolution: 1080P (1920 x 1080)
- Format: H.264 mp4
The system will allow you to upload lower-quality videos, but the user experience of consuming lower-quality videos is much worse.
Note: Your video uploads are limited to 2 hours' worth of content per month. If you attempt to upload more than that, you will receive an error.
Uploading and processing video resources takes some time, and all file formats upload at approximately the same speed.
To make your video resources available faster, the system processes a lower-definition version of the video first. The low-definition version is available while the system continues processing the high-definition version. Once the high-definition version is available, the system defaults to using that version.
Where to Add Custom Resources
You can begin the process to add a custom resource in two places.
- You can add a custom resource as part of the process of creating a custom learning path, as you see below:
- Alternately, you can choose the Resources tab from Content Engine. See How to Add a Custom Resource below.
How to Add a Custom Resource
Any user in an enterprise account can add custom resources in Content Engine, but only administrators can publish the custom resources. Use the following steps to upload a resource through Content Engine:
- From the dashboard, click the building icon in the upper-left corner to open the management dashboard.
- Click Content Engine from the menu on the left, and then click Custom Resources.
The Resources screen appears. - Click the Create button in the upper right corner. A form appears where you upload your custom resource and enter information about it.
- Complete the fields:
- Title: Enter the name that identifies the custom resource.
- Content duration: Enter the number of minutes that you expect a user to need to complete the resource.
- Attachment: If you are uploading a SCORM package, click the SCORM Content tab. For all other resources, stay on the General tab. Choose the icon on the left to select a file to upload from your computer or enter a link to a file. Then choose or link to the file.
- Full Description: Enter the text to appear on the custom resource introduction page.
- Card Description: Enter the text to appear on the card that users see in the user dashboard and in the library.
- Difficulty: Choose the level of difficulty to appear below the resource title in the training library. You can choose one of the following options:
- Not defined
- Beginner
- Intermediate
- Advanced
- Skill Objectives: Type a skill name in the field to search for skills. Choose the skills that this resource builds. If you need a custom skill added, you can click the Request a custom skill objective link to contact customer support. Adding a custom skill objective requires at least 24 hours.
- Advanced Settings: Click this heading to open a section where you can change the Cover Image of the custom resource. Click the Browse button to choose a different cover image.
- Click Save when you are done.
A new Actions button appears. - Hover your mouse over the Actions menu and choose Permissions from the menu that appears.
The Select permissions window appears.
You can choose make the resource available to the entire company or to only specific teams. - Click Save.
How to Publish a Custom Resource
The following procedure picks up at the end of the How to Add Custom Resources procedure. You must be an administrator of an enterprise account to complete this procedure. Use the following steps to publish custom resources:
- Open the Drafts bucket in Content Engine.
Find the custom resource you want to publish and open it. - If the uploaded resource is a video or a SCORM package, Content Engine needs to process it before publishing. Click the Actions button and then choose Start Processing from the menu that appears.
Your video resource appears in Processing status.
- When processing is complete (time to process depends on the file size), Content Engine publishes it. Click the Published bucket to see a list of published custom resources.
- Double-check that your custom resource is listed as published. Published status means that the custom resource is available to include in your custom learning path.
How to Find Where a Custom Resource Is Used
When you have a custom resource open in Content Engine, you can use the List parents option on the Actions menu to see where the resource has been used.
A window appears showing the content items that include the resource.
Outdating or Archiving a Custom Resource
You cannot delete custom resources in Content Engine, but you can outdate or archive them. Open the custom resource and choose Outdate or Archive from the Actions menu.
- Outdate: The custom resource is available from direct links, such as a users' Completed Content dashboard tab or a browser bookmark. However, the resource disappears from the Continue Studying section on the Activity dashboard tab and it is not available to find in the training library.
- Archive: The resource is no longer available for learner to consume or for administrators to change. Note: You cannot reuse the resource name of an archived resource.
Whenever possible, you should outdate your resources rather than archive them. Outdating keeps the resource available to the historical and analytical functions of the platform.