Events can be used to organise meetings, training sessions, conferences and other group activities. They are designed for training that takes place at a specific date and location, with the option for trainees to confirm their attendance.
Events are subject to the notifications configured in Spark. We recommend reviewing your notifications and testing them before distributing an event to trainees.
Before you start
There are three parts to setting up an Event:
- Event Type - Defines the terminology used for your events, such as course, conference or training session.
- Event Group - groups related events together, such as all First aid training sessions running throughout the year.
- Event - the individual session that trainees can attend, with it's own date, time, venue and available spaces.
Note: You need to create an Event Type before you can create an Event group or Event.
Creating an event type
Event types can be accessed from the Settings menu.
From the dashboard, select the Settings tab, then select Event Types.
Select + Create new event type.
- Enter the following details:
- Singular name - the name used for an individual event e.g. Course.
Plural name - the name used for multiple events e.g. Courses.
- If required, enter the terminology for each enabled language on your LMS.
- Select Create new event type.
The event type will now be available when creating an event group.
Creating an event
Once you have an Event Type, you can create your event.
- From the dashboard, go to the Library tab.
- Select Events.
Select + Create new event.
- Enter the following details:
- Display name - automatically generated form the Event Name and Event Group.
- Event Group - select an existing group or create a new one.
- Event Name - enter the name of the event.
Creating a new event group
If you need to create a new Event Group, select Add new.
Enter the following details:
- Name - Event group Name.
- Event Type - This is linked to the Event Types created in the Settings Tab (meeting, conferences etc.).
- Backdrop - Image to be displayed on Training Dashboard.
- Tags - Tags can be used to group or label training.
- Status - The status of the Event Group is controlled here (available, restricted or disabled).
- Limit to - The Event can be linked to a specific Organisational Unit or it can be available to everyone.
Folder - The folder you would like the Event to appear.
Select Save to create the Event Group.
If your instance uses multiple language, you can also add translated titles and descriptions for the Event Group. Select the required language, enter the translated title and description, then save your changes.
Note: Translations can only be added for languages enabled on your LMS.
Adding event Details
Once you have selected or created an event group, add the details for the individual event.
Add any relevant information such as instructions for trainees.
Enter the Venue.
Enter the maximum number of spaces available. Spark will automatically manage the available spaces.
Select the Date or dates for the event.
Enter the start and end time for each date.
Select the appropriate time zone, if required.
If required, select the Organisational Unit the event should be available to.
Create event.
The event has now been created and can be distributed as a training item.
Allocating and managing events
Now that you've created your event, you can allocate it to trainees, manage Event Groups and make changes to individual events.
Allocating an Event Group
Trainees can be added to an Event Group and choose which session they would like to attend
The Event Group will appear as an invitation on the trainee dashboard, where trainees can select the event they would like to attend.
Managing Event Groups
Event Groups can contain multiple events, making it easier to manage sessions that are part of the same course/activity.
- From the dashboard go to the Library tab, and select Events.
- Select the relevant event type.
- Select the event group you want to manage
The event group displays a summary of the events, including Active, Completed and Cancelled events.
Select Edit event group to update the event group.
You can update:
- Name,
- Event Type
- Backdrop
- Tags
- Status
- Limit to
- Folder
Managing individual events
To manage an individual event, select it from the event group.
From here you can:
- Edit event - update the event details.
- View enrolled - see the trainees enrolled on the event.
- Mark the event as complete
To update the event, select Edit event.
This will open an overview of the event details, where you can make the required changes.
Note: If you cancel an event, trainees will not be automatically notified by Spark. Trainees should be personally notified of any event cancellation.