Challenge
How might we prevent duplicate LMS accounts from being created? How might we create an LMS account without using an employee ID?
Potential solutions
How might we make creating an LMS account easier to understand so we don’t need to modify the LMS?
- Provide better sign up instructions for creating an LMS account
- For students
- Add instructions onto the sign up page for an LMS account
- Use a combination of written, verbal, and visual instructions to explain how to create an LMS account
- Provide instructions on how to create an LMS account in different languages for ESL learners
- Explain to students why we need their LMS account set up correctly
- For instructors
- Provide better instructions/resources for instructors
- Introduce non-technology QA mechanisms
- Generate a QA checklist of considerations for learners as they create an LMS account
- Use a buddy system to have learners help each other set up their LMS accounts
- For students
How might we use a unique identifier other than email to create an LMS account?
- Provide a unique identifier instead of asking for one
- Issue student IDs instead of employee IDs
- Use an LMS-issued identifier instead of one generated by the company
- Add a new category for students to the payroll system
- Use other personal identifiers to create an LMS account
- social insurance numbers (less likely to be duplicated)
- healthcare numbers (less likely to be duplicated)
- drivers licenses (less likely to be duplicated)
- social media accounts (less likely to be forgotten)
- photo recognition software/retina scans
How might we change how the company uses email as the unique identifier for LMS accounts?
- Validate email addresses for LMS accounts
- Create a new sign up form that bridges the gap between existing technologies
- Modify other data collection forms (e.g., payment collection, class scheduling) so email addresses can be validated
- Change the point in the process where email information is collected
- Collect learner email addresses earlier
- Verify learner emails before the first day of class
- Provide a unique identifier instead of asking for one
- Issue student emails to learners instead of requesting an email address for their LMS account
- Issue company email aliases that link to personal email addresses
- Link a personal email address to a different unique identifier
Broader technology considerations
- Reconsider your LMS
- Remove the need for an LMS account altogether
- Change the LMS provider to one who better supports the company’s requirements
- Challenge the need for having a unique identifier
- Learn from other institutions that have a mix of students and employees about how they transfer students to employee status
- Address specific failure points in the process
- Check to see if learners already have an existing LMS account
- Address how to recover a user ID or password/change the password recovery option