Contents
People by Learning Plan report
Introduction & Purpose
Program Equivalents
This functionality offers an organization the ability to designate one or more programs as equivalent to another, such that completing one program (e.g., Program B) can fulfill the same learning requirement as another (e.g., Program A). This feature shows professionals equivalent alternatives based on availability, format, or preference, and ensures that the system recognizes either completion as satisfying the same rule or as a prerequisite. Additionally, it can help firms:
- Avoid duplicate training.
- Support diverse learning styles.
- Streamline curriculum updates.
Key Concepts
Below are some key concepts of the program equivalency workflow that are important to understand before getting started.
- Program Equivalency: A relationship between two or more programs where completion of one satisfies the requirements of the other(s).
- Bidirectional vs. Unidirectional: Determines if equivalency works both ways (A ⇄ B) or only one way (A → B).
- Retroactive: Defines whether an equivalency applies to completions before the equivalency was set. When False, equivalency only applies to completions at the effective date of the equivalency and beyond.
- Credit Worthy: Determines whether a user can complete and earn credit in both programs, or if they are restricted to earn credit for only one session, between the two programs.
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Equivalent Complete: This is a new status in LCvista, indicating a user has fulfilled a program requirement via an equivalent program. This status will be exhibited in reports for tracking purposes, and visible to professionals from:
- Program Preview
- My Learning > Programs
- Dashboard > Completed Programs
Workflow Overview
For Administrators - Set up
To set up an equivalent relationship, administrators with program read/write admin access or Default Administrator access will have exposure to a new program equivalent setting within Manage Training. Locate the program you wish to link to an equivalent. Select the row action menu (3 ellipses button) on the right of the program and select Program Equivalents.
For programs where equivalents have already been linked, you will be navigated to the Program Equivalents tab, which will showcase existing equivalent relationships. In the case where equivalents have not yet been linked, you will be navigated to the Find Programs tab to search and select your equivalents. After finding your desired equivalent program, select and choose Add as Program Equivalents. This action will direct you to the Program Equivalents tab, where you can define the type of equivalency relationship that should be applied.
When creating a program equivalent, administrators will be prompted to consider the following behaviors:
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What is the directionality of this relationship?
- Unidirectional: Completion of Program B fulfills Program A, but not vice versa.
- Bidirectional: Completion of either program fulfills the other.
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Should this relationship be applied retroactively?
- Retroactive: Past completions count toward equivalency.
- Not Retroactive: Only completions after the equivalent relationship are set, count.
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Can a user launch a session from both programs and earn credit? Or should there be a restriction?
- Yes: Users can earn credit for sessions in both programs.
- No: Users cannot earn credit for the equivalent session if they have already completed a session in the main program.
Note: Updates to existing equivalency relationships are prohibited. While administrators have access to delete and recreate an equivalency, it is recommended to ensure settings are correct before saving.
For a saved equivalency relationship, administrators will also have access to:
- The Effective Date of the equivalency relationship (coming soon!)
- Set an Expiration Date for the equivalency relationship.
For End Users
A professional can be exposed to program equivalencies in any of the following ways.
Program Preview
Program Preview will expose a new tab labeled Equivalencies, which will highlight any programs that have been deemed equivalent and can be used to fulfill the program’s assignment.
If a user has a session completion, the Equivalency tab will highlight this status (specific to the user viewing the form), and they will also see a new Equivalent Complete badge on the Program Preview Page to highlight their status in that program.
In cases where the equivalency relationship is one where a user cannot earn credit for the equivalent, informational messaging will appear for the user on the new Equivalency tab, as well as within the session tab of the program, when credit has already been earned for the equivalent.
My Learning
From My Learning > Programs tab, if your firm has enabled this feature, professionals will see a badge for an Equivalent Complete status on a program card when they have been assigned to a program that is now fulfilled through an equivalency.
Dashboard- Completed Programs
Firms can also choose to enable a dashboard widget for Completed Programs. This widget would highlight the most recent completed items, either completed directly or through an equivalency, with the appropriate status shown (complete vs equivalent complete). This widget can be selected to show more, at which point a professional will be navigated to their My Learning, with the status filter defaulted to Completed items.
Program Assignments
Professionals have exposure to program assignments through their My Learning menu via the Programs tab. It is here that any completed programs will be exposed and where a professional has visibility to an assignment fulfilled through an equivalency. Fulfilled program assignments through equivalencies will also be exposed on the assigned program’s preview page when viewing as that user. In these cases, the user will see a badge indicating an Equivalent Complete status.
Learning Plans
Equivalencies have been incorporated into the existing learning plan logic. For a professional engaging in a learning plan, they will now have additional exposure to available equivalent options through the following learning plan pages:
- Learning Plan Registration: A professional engaging with a learning plan’s registration workflow will now be exposed to a new “View Equivalents” button as well as the existing “View Sessions.” This will allow a professional to choose between the valid sessions that were originally linked, alongside valid sessions for programs deemed equivalent. Similarly, if a professional already has a status in a valid equivalent session, the system will track that record and count it towards the registration process.
- Learning Plan Details: The learning plan details view showcases the sessions a professional has taken or has chosen to take towards their learning plan requirements. This behavior will now consider equivalencies such that if a professional has taken, or chosen to take, an equivalency option, the session will be visible for them on their learning plan details page.
Reporting
Exposure to program equivalencies for administrators is visible through the following reporting options:
Program Equivalencies
Provides details about program equivalencies and their settings. Use this report to understand the equivalent relationships that exist, what their expected behavior is (in reference to directionality, retroactive, and creditworthy) when they were effective, and if they might expire.
This report provides complete details of a program, including description, learning objectives, Field of Study, and Credits, the catalogs it belongs to, and more. This detail is also accessible for the equivalent program within this report. For example, you may wish to use this report to see all program equivalencies that currently exist with a comparison between the Field of Study and Credits, and the description, between the two programs.
Assigned Programs report
This report returns information on a user’s program assignment. Use this report to identify users who have been assigned to programs and their current status towards completing that assignment. This report will detail whether an assignment was met by completing the program directly or through an equivalency. If completed through an equivalency, the specific program and session will be tracked.
People by Learning Plan report
This report provides detailed information about an individual's status in a learning plan. Each row within this report represents a combination of a person and information for the learning plan specified. This report will detail whether a learning assignment was met by completing a linked program directly or whether a requirement was fulfilled through an equivalent. If completed through an equivalency, the specific program and session will be tracked.
FAQs & Troubleshooting
Q: Can a user access the content of a program marked as "Equivalent Complete"?
A: Yes, users can still view the content of a program even if they have completed an equivalent.
Q: Can I update an existing equivalency?
A: No, you must delete and recreate the equivalency with new settings.
Q: Where is "Equivalent Complete" status visible?
A: On program-focused pages like My Learning, Program Catalog, and Program Preview—not on session-focused pages like Transcript.
Q: What happens if I delete an equivalency?
A: All equivalent completions are removed, and affected learning plans are recalculated. This action cannot be undone.
Q: Can equivalencies be managed in bulk?
A: Bulk management is currently not available; however, we are interested and welcome any feedback or use cases surrounding this functionality!