CA State - Administrator Guide for Configuring the Learner Dashboard and Course Catalog- Enterprise Legacy/Custom

*Please note that if you have customized your instance of Genius, your site might operate differently.

This article outlines how administrators can configure the Learner Dashboard and Course Catalog in Genius. These settings control the learner-facing layout, visual branding, available options, and help text.

1. Shared Display and Branding Settings

Some visual and contextual elements are shared across both the Learner Dashboard and the Course Catalog. These can be managed under: Administration > Themes > Front End Pages.

• Contextual Help in Themes > Front End Pages - Helper Text

Genius allows you to display help text directly on the learner interface. Help text supports both plain text and basic HTML formatting.

These help links appear only if content is added and are displayed as contextual help icons or information blocks.

These messages are useful for providing guidance on form fields, request processes, or general navigation.

• Branding and color options

From the same Themes > Front End Pages section, administrators can update various visual elements including:

• Menu backgrounds and hover highlights
• Button colors (default, hover, selected)
• Font and text colors across buttons and search areas
• A default image for courses without custom thumbnails in the catalog

These options allow agencies to align the user interface with their internal branding guidelines.

2. Learner Dashboard Configuration

The Learner Dashboard includes various modules that can be shown or hidden depending on your agency's use case. These elements are largely configurable under:  Administration > Themes > Front End Pages – Learner Dashboard

Menu Access and Labels

Administrators can control which menu items are available to learners based on their role.

• Enable or disable menu items under:  Administration > Access Setup > Learner Role

• Rename menu items under:  Administration > Themes > Front End Pages – Labels

• External Training menu has additional tooltips that can be displayed on the External Training Request form, if the menu is enabled. Managed via Administration > Custom Texts: TRAINING_REQUEST_HELP_TEXT

This provides a flexible way to simplify the dashboard for different user groups or tailor it to agency-specific language.

Dashboard Widgets

Widgets represent the content blocks visible on the learner dashboard, such as course summaries, announcements, and compliance progress. These are managed under: Administration > Themes > Front End Pages – Widgets.  Administrators can enable or disable individual widgets and rename widget headers. At this time, widget positioning and resizing are not supported — their layout is fixed.

Commonly used widgets include:

• Announcements Module
  Enables administrators to post updates directly on the dashboard. These can appear as login pop-ups or remain visible within the dashboard content. See Announcement Module article for setup guidance.
• Mandatory Leadership Training Status
  Displays completion progress for the 80/40/20/20 leadership training requirement. Controlled by the parameter: SHOW_MANDATORY_LEADERSHIP_TRAINING_STATUS_WIDGET . A value of 1 enables the widget; any other value hides it.
• Competencies Module
  Shows learners which competencies they must complete based on their affiliation. The module only appears if the learner is assigned to an affiliation with competencies configured. Controlled by the parameter:
  LEARNER_DASHBOARD_SHOW_COMPETENCIES.  A value of 1 enables the widget; 0 disables it.

3. Course Catalog Configuration

The Course Catalog controls how learners find, browse, and register for available courses. Visual presentation and workflow options can be managed from: Administration > Themes > Front End Pages – Course Catalog (Registration)

Catalog Visibility and Layout

• By default, all active courses appear in the catalog unless limited by: Affiliation rules (set at the course or section level) and Self-registration settings (configured by the course creator)
• Administrators can choose to enable additional table view format. Use the parameter ENABLE_CATALOG_LIST_VIEW.  A value of 1 enables table view; 0 disables it.

The Advanced Filters within the catalog can also be configured to appear collapsed or expanded by default in Administration > Parameters > REGISTRATION_AUTO_EXPAND_ADVANCED_FILTERS, allowing agencies to manage how much filtering learners see at a glance.

Default Catalog Image

If a course does not have a specific catalog image uploaded, a fallback image can be applied for visual consistency. This default image is managed under: Administration > Themes > Course Catalog (Registration)

Course Cart and Registration Flow

Genius offers two registration flow options: a cart-based experience or one-click enrollment. The parameter ENABLE_ONE_CLICK_REGISTRATION controls this; when set to 1, learners bypass the cart and enroll directly upon clicking "Enroll". In this case the cart icon disappears from the catalog and the button simply says 'Register', instead of 'Add to cart'.  When set to 0, the cart process is enabled, allowing learners to review selections before registering. This parameter impacts how self-paced, open-enrollment courses behave during the checkout process.

Course Request Form Customization (with EntHR Integration)

If your agency is using the EntHR integration, the course request form includes additional configuration options related to training justification options or reasonable accommodation configuration.

• The training justification list cannot be managed, as it's set by the EntHR integration requirements, however, an admin can update the corresponding labels in Administration > Lists > Course Request Form, to make it match the agency internal policies.

  

• The menu for  “Reasonable Accommodation” options is managed under Administration > Lists > Reasonable Accommodation, where an admin can define and manage the drop-down list options available to learners submitting a request.

  

• Text blocks and labels can be customized under Administration > Custom Texts in text strings COURSE_REQUEST_PROFILE_INFO and COURSE_REQUEST_REASONABLE_ACCOMMODATION.

These settings ensure compliance with accessibility policies and improve the clarity of the request workflow for learners.

Use the settings outlined above to align the system with your agency’s branding, accessibility needs, and registration policies. For detailed configuration steps or troubleshooting, consult the Genius support documentation or reach out to your implementation team.