How to assign content directly to specific users or audiences when you know exactly who needs it — the manual path through the Assignment builder.
A Direct Assignment is an explicit hand-off: you pick the content, you pick the audience, you set a due date, and Continu delivers the assignment to those specific people. Direct Assignments are the right choice when the audience is fixed and known — a one-off training need, a missed compliance deadline, a specific person who needs to take a specific course.
For the strategic frame on when to use Direct vs Automated, see Designing Assignments: Direct vs. Automated.
How to Create a Direct Assignment
1. Open the Assignment builder. Click Share in the left navigation, then Assignments.
2. Click + New Assignment.
3. Name the assignment. A descriptive name helps you find it later in reports and Bulk Editing. Example: "Q2 Sales Onboarding — EMEA Cohort" beats "Sales Training."
4. Confirm Direct Assignment is selected on the right side. Click Next.
5. Select the content to assign. Search or browse for the Article, Video, Workshop, Assessment, Learning Track, or Journey.
6. Select the audience. Choose individual users, Groups, Teams, Departments, Locations, or any combination. You can also use Smart Segmentation rules as audience filters.
7. Apply exclusionary logic if needed. Exclude specific users or groups even if they otherwise match. See Using Exclusionary Logic in Assignments.
8. Set the due date. Choose a specific date, or set "no due date" if completion isn't time-bound.
9. Configure notifications. See Assignment and Automation Notifications.
10. Review and activate. Confirm the assignment summary, then activate. The assignment is delivered to the audience immediately.
Direct vs Automated: Quick Reminder
Use Direct Assignment when:
- The audience is fixed and known (you can list them)
- The need is one-off (not a recurring program)
- Time-sensitivity matters and you want it out the door immediately
Use Automated Assignment when:
- The audience changes as user data changes (new hires, new partners)
- The trigger is an event (completion, hire date, Group membership)
- The program runs over time without manual intervention
See Creating an Automated Assignment for the Automated flow.
What Happens After You Activate
Each user in the audience receives the assignment on their Dashboard. If notifications are enabled, they also receive an email (and Slack/Teams notification if configured). The assignment moves through Not Started → In Progress → Completed as users engage with the content.
To make changes after activation — adjust due dates, remove users, send reminders — use Bulk Assignment Editing. See Bulk Assignment Editing.
Common Mistakes
Using Direct Assignment when the audience changes. If new users will join the audience over time, an Automated Assignment maintains the audience for you. A Direct Assignment is a snapshot and won't catch users added later.
Vague assignment names. Six months from now you'll need to find this assignment in reports. A clear name with audience and context saves time.
Skipping the audience preview. Always confirm the audience count before activating. A misconfigured Smart Segmentation rule can include far more (or far fewer) users than expected.
See Also
- Designing Assignments: Direct vs. Automated — strategic frame.
- Creating an Automated Assignment — the Automated alternative.
- Understanding Assignment Instances — how each delivery is tracked.
- What Are Named Assignments — why naming matters.
- Bulk Assignment Editing — managing assignments after activation.
- Using Exclusionary Logic in Assignments — narrowing the audience.
Share → Assignments → +New Assignment → Direct Assignment → name, content, audience, due date, notifications, activate. Best for fixed audiences and one-off needs.