How admins and managers manage existing assignments — editing due dates, reminding learners, manually marking complete. The override mechanics for assignments after they've fired.
After content has been assigned (via Direct Assignment or Automation), assignments need management. Learners need reminders, due dates need adjustment, and occasionally an admin needs to manually mark something complete (technical issue, exceptional case, etc.).
This article covers the day-to-day management actions on existing assignments. For the strategic frame on assignment design, see Designing Assignments: Direct vs. Automated.
Where to Find Assignments
Admin Assignments view. Navigate to Admin > Assignments. A list of all assignments appears. Use the search to filter by user or content.
Learner Profile. From a learner's profile, select the Assigned Content tab to see all assignments for that specific learner.
Managing an Assignment
Edit. Change the due date or escalation contacts. If custom notifications were added at assignment time, you can edit or remove them here.
Remind User. Send a reminder to the learner that their assignment is outstanding. Useful as a manual nudge between scheduled notifications.
Mark As Completed. Manually set an assignment's status to complete. Use sparingly — this overrides the actual learner activity.
When to Manually Mark Complete
Technical issues that prevented completion. Learner finished the content but a SCORM signal didn't fire, a VPN interrupted the completion event, or a browser issue prevented the click. After verifying the learner did the work, manual completion records the outcome accurately.
External equivalency. The learner completed equivalent training elsewhere (a vendor-led session, an external certification). Manual completion records that they meet the requirement.
Documented exceptions. Medical leave, role change mid-program, or other specific documented reasons.
What manual completion doesn't fix: Learners who simply didn't do the work. Marking complete without verification undermines the audit trail and the assignment's purpose.
Configuration Pitfalls
Manual Completion Without a Documented Reason. Manual overrides without notes erode the audit trail. Track manual completions externally (program management tool, simple log) with the reason so the team has visibility.
Reminding Repeatedly Without Escalation. Multiple reminders that don't change the learner's behavior tell you the reminder isn't the issue. After 2-3 reminders, escalate to manager or change the approach.
Editing Due Dates Without Communicating. Changing a learner's due date silently is confusing. If you extend a due date, send a note to the learner explaining why.
Treating Manual Completion as a Substitute for Investigation. If many learners need manual completion for the same content, the content has a problem (broken SCORM, unclear completion criteria, browser issue). Investigate the root cause before manually clearing the backlog.
Forgetting Manual Completions Show Up in Reports. The Assignment Summary Report and Content Completion Report include manual completions. For accurate engagement analysis, filter out manual completions when you're analyzing learner behavior.
Where This Fits
You're here because you need to manage existing assignments. For tracking completions across reports, see Assignment Summary Report. For the strategic frame on assignments, see Designing Assignments: Direct vs. Automated.
See Also
- Designing Assignments: Direct vs. Automated — the strategic anchor.
- Automation Design Best Practices — Automation design.
- Assignment Summary Report — per-assignment audit data.
- Manager Summary Report — aggregated team view.
- Admin Reports in Continu — running reports.
Manual completion is for technical issues and documented exceptions, not for learners who skipped the work. Track manual completions externally with the reason. Investigate root causes before bulk-overriding.