How to build modules in the Module publisher

Summary Learning modules are created and configured in the Module Publisher. From Module Admin, in the Learning Management System, you start a new module in the Module Creator Wizard: choose its module type, Process Owner and process category, and give it a name. The Module Publisher then opens, where you set up the module: its precedence order, department and role, purpose, metadata, training videos, study frequency and content, and in its toolbar the version, certification, escalation and refresher settings.

Steps

Step 1

Click the toggle, the black switch in the row of icons at the top right of the screen, second from the left. PaT switches to the tile view of your dashboard.

Step 2

Scroll down to Learning Management System (LMS), below the tiles, and click it. Its tiles open below it.

Step 3

Click the Module Admin tile, the fourth tile in the row, with the gears. The module list opens.

Step 4

To add a new module, click the + at the top right of the module list, at the right end of the column headings. The Module Creator Wizard opens.

The Module Creator Wizard

Step 5

The wizard sets up the framework behind the scenes that manages how modules are filed. Don't worry if you make a mistake or change your mind later: you can fix it at any time. In Step 1: Select a Module Type, at the top left of the wizard, select a module type: - SOP (how to) - Policies (our laws) - Concepts (values we believe in) - H&S Policies - H&S SOPs - Customer/Other (customer-specific SOPs) - 3rd Party

Note. A process and a system are different. A system is a core business function, such as Sales, Finance or Customer Service: an ecosystem of interrelated processes, resources and technologies, for example a Sales System or a Knowledge System. A process is a set of instructions that produces a repeatable result. Processes can include sub-processes: for instance, the Order to Cash process has sub-processes such as Sales Order and Invoicing. Whether something is a process or a sub-process depends on perspective. For the Finance department, Debtors Management is a process, while the General Manager sees Order to Cash as the main process and Debtors Management as a sub-process. So Order to Cash is the highest-level process, or Process Owner.

Step 6

In Step 2: Select a Process Owner or enter a new one using the plus, at the top right of the wizard, choose a Process Owner. This is usually a department that categorises the types of work in a business, such as Sales, Operations or Finance. Businesses use different terms and customs for their processes: some names are well thought out, while others have grown over time, and it's essential to update them as the business evolves. The Process Owner represents the highest level in the filing structure for categorising modules, with someone ultimately responsible for it. Don't worry about making the wrong choice: it's easy to adjust later. Select an existing Process Owner, or create a new one with the + at the bottom of the list.

Tip. For PaT training modules, you might choose PaT as the Process Owner, so that all related training modules are filed under it. This reflects that PaT works as a Culture Management System, overseeing standards, beliefs, attitudes and behaviours. Someone else might choose a Process Owner called Training, Learning and Development, or Culture. The main point is that the Process Owner is the highest-level bucket for organising related training modules.

Step 7

In Step 3: Select an existing Process Category or enter a new one using the plus, below Step 2, choose a process category. Categories give a more detailed filing structure. For example, a sales process might have the categories Prospecting and Presentation Skills; a finance process might have Order to Cash and Procure to Pay, or more specific categories such as Debtors, Creditors, Bank Reconciliation and Payroll. Choose an existing category for the Process Owner you selected, or create a new one with the +.

Step 8

Type the module's name in the enter new module name here ... box, below Step 3.

Step 9

Click Open Module Publisher, below the name box. The Module Publisher opens.

The Module Publisher

The Module Publisher is your hub for building and maintaining knowledge resources, and for connecting them to the people who need them to succeed in their roles. In it, you set how often users should study, review and pass tests, so that knowledge truly sticks. The first frequency you set is a best estimate, and can be adjusted to real-world use. You also create tests and comprehension audits, to check that users not only learn but can show mastery of essential skills. Unlike traditional LMS systems that only record completion, PaT's approach emphasises real understanding and a commitment to deep learning. This is how teams achieve genuine growth and excellence.

Note. In PaT, knowledge or training material is usually called IP (Intellectual Property), because that's what it is: the intellectual property your business creates, which makes it successful in its market and is unique to it. It is the knowledge that makes you competitive and special. Because you developed it (your intellect) and you own it (your property), it has value: hence it is called your IP.

Step 10

The Module Publisher has two main sections: - the header, at the top, where you configure the module: its ownership, target audience, study frequency, timing and importance; - the large white area below it, where you manage the content. PaT supports four content management methods. The Module Publisher Content Options module covers them.

Step 11

The first row of the header shows, from left to right, the four choices you made in the Module Creator Wizard: the module type, the Process Owner, the process category and the module name.

Step 12

Prec* Order, at the top right of the header, to the right of the module name, sets the Precedence Order (or Order of Precedence): the sequence in which modules are released to students. Modules can be released in batches, or buckets: typically up to 100 buckets, each holding around a dozen modules, so students aren't overwhelmed. PaT releases modules sequentially, moving to the next bucket only after completing the previous one. When this module was written, in August 2024, buckets were to be managed with a spreadsheet until an admin screen was added. Consider buckets 1 to 5 for PaT training modules, buckets 6 to 10 for high-priority topics such as H&S, and later buckets for department-specific training, such as leadership and staff development.

Step 13

In the second row of the header, under the module name, choose the module's department in the first dropdown (it reads Select Content Owner until you choose). Once a department is selected, the Select Role dropdown, to its right, shows only the roles linked to that department. Choose the right role for the module. The PaT System Administrator links roles to departments: if the roles you need are not there, ask a System Admin to set them up.

Step 14

The role links the module to job titles, through PaT's Module-to-Role-to-Job Title Architecture, which lets PaT automate staff skill development paths. For example, if the module is assigned to the PaT Administrator role, users with the PaT Administrator job title automatically receive the module.

Step 15

Give the module a purpose: click in the Purpose box, on the left of the header. An editor opens.

Step 16

Write a description that helps students understand why the module is relevant, format it with the editor's toolbar, then click Save at the bottom right of the editor. Students see this text, to help them understand the purpose of the module.

Step 17

Metadata (data that explains data) goes in the Metadata box, in the middle of the header. Enter alternative words or phrases that users might search for when looking for this module, even if they differ from its title. For example, for a module called How to Enter an Order, users might search for Order Entry, Data Entry or Sales Order Entry, so you would include Sales and Data as metadata. Update the metadata over time, as you see how users struggle to find the module.

Step 18

To add training videos to the module, click the + at the top right of the Training videos box, on the right of the header. A box opens, with a Video Name column and a Url column.

Step 19

In an empty row, type the video's name under Video Name, and paste its link under Url.

Step 20

The video can be a Loom video: paste its Loom share link.

Step 21

It can be a YouTube video: paste its YouTube link in the next row.

Step 22

It can even be an interactive demo: paste the demo's share link. When you have added your videos, click Submit, at the bottom right of the box.

Step 23

Then choose how often the module occurs, with Recertification Cycle, under the department and role, and Freq Count, to its right. You can choose any frequency from 1 to 100.

Step 24

Then it's time to add your IP, the training content, in the large white area below the header. The four content options are at the left end of the toolbar, the dark grey bar between the header and the content: PaT, Custom, Html and SD. The Module Publisher Content Options module covers them.

The toolbar

Step 25

Version control is in the toolbar, to the right of the content options: a new module shows version: 0.

Step 26

To the right of the version, the number before the members icon (two people) and certified shows how many people are certified in the module; a new module shows 0. To see who they are, click the members icon.

Step 27

A window opens with a table listing the members who are certified.

Step 28

Tick global to let SaaS admin users copy this module to another tenancy.

Step 29

With the auto escalate tick box, to the right of global, the author decides whether this module escalates or not.

Step 30

With annual refresh, the author can specify that once a user has completed all repetitions of learning, PaT will require them to resit the test as a refresher once a year after their last passed date.

Step 31

The first number, before (a) days until escalation, is how many days a user has to certify in the module for the first time before an escalating task is created.

Step 32

The second number, before (b) days until escalation, is how many days a user has to certify in the module for subsequent times before an escalating task is created.

Step 33

Whenever you update any of the values in this toolbar, you must save them: click save, near the right end of the toolbar.