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AEA Learning Online - Update for the Directors - May 2021
 
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AEA Learning Online - Update for the Directors - May 2021

(This message is being sent out to the AEA Chief Administrators, Media Directors, Instructional Service Directors, Special Education Directors, Governance Council Members, and Communication Directors.  Please forward to other appropriate personnel within your AEA.  While this information is appropriate for LEAs, this information is not intended to be forwarded “as is” to LEAs; please take care to reword when using for external communication).

Quick Review: Mandatory Training Resources

This is a review from several updates in the past few months, so nothing new here.  Just pulling together the resources available if you or your staff receive questions regarding the AEA Learning Online opt-in:

What does a district get by opting-in?  And other FAQs
DE document on Mandatory Trainings (while not all require a literal training, we will have all that do with the exception of Bus Driver training by August)
The AEA Learning Online working document -- Those above the gray line are current, while those below the gray line are in development.

AEA Login Update

Another monthly update on the AEA Login overhaul.  We have completed the setup steps for the work and now are in development.

You can see our current wireframe here.  Note: A wireframe shows you the functionality of the system (i.e. you can click on the buttons to see where it goes, in some capacity), but doesn't have all the final design like the colors or fonts finalized.

Some important things to note:

• Our wireframe highlights two workflows with the login.  1) What is it like for a participant to create a new account, and 2) If a person chooses instead to login with Google, how do we connect that to their existing account?

• With these workflows, we wanted to make the process simpler and more intuitive for the first-time user, despite how complex it might be.  We also want to eliminate the number of errors or support tickets that occur with these processes.

• What you see above will be an embeddable widget that we can add to other systems (or use as a pop-up), so that they are not taken off that system to sign in.

• We have had quite a bit of conversation about Terminology.  I'm going wonky for a second.  We need a new description for this system.  We have two terms ("AEA Login", "Single Sign-On") that are confusing to users.  If you think of "AEA Login" vs. "Google Login", that makes them seem like two different options.  You wouldn't say "Login with Google into your AEA Login". 

Also, "Single Sign-On" gets confused with ClassLink, which we also want participants to use (especially classroom teachers and students).  In fact, as long as they have an account, users can use ClassLink and skip the login prompt altogether.

This system is really about the account or identity rather than the login process.  That is, you can login with your Google login, your AEA Login, or potentially other logins to prove you are who you are, and all of them go to the same identity for our systems.  We have termed this new widget IdentAEA for the purposes of a working name, and while that isn't a finalized name, you get a sense at how it emphasizes a different aspect to try to eliminate the login/sign-on confusion.

Authentication within your own AEA

This isn't new information, but it might not be something widely known.

AEA Learning Online resources are available for you to use within your own AEA.  While that includes any of our services, which can be customized in a number of ways for you to have full ownership of them within your AEA, let me highlight two that might be of interest.

1. Our Single Sign-On (I mean... IdentAEA) is available for AEAs to use with their own systems.  While most of the systems we support are "statewide", we also now provide the login/authentication for systems like the LearnPlatform system or Heartland's Creative Services.  Benefits include:

• Familiarity - it is a process that users use on a regular basis already, whether it be Training System, Registration System, Scout, etc.

• Simplicity - Users already have an account and don't have to create a new one

• Established support - We handle the support tickets for mundane things like login and passwords, so you don't have to

• Universal support - We support both OAuth and SAML systems... I know, alphabet soup, but your IT/IS engineer knows what these are.

• ClassLink-able - With IdentAEA, we build in the connector to ClassLink on the back end, making it a snap to add that app to your employees or LEA's dashboards.

• Data & Permissions - We have the ability to get very customized with how you setup the inheritance of permissions from the login process.

• Excellent customer service - The best thing I can say is that Nick, our individual who will work with your local expert to setup the system, is excellent to work with.  Those that have worked with him have been very impressed with the speed and the ability to find solutions.

Contact me if you have some interest.

 

Micro-Credentials within your own AEA

We also have the ability to help you deliver micro-credential professional learning through our Training System.  It's not a problem if you prefer running them through a Google site and Google forms, but we wanted to at least make sure you knew this was a possibility.

We offer over 200 credits and 3000 hours of micro-credential professional learning per year through our system.  Why do we prefer using the Training System over a simple Google creation?

• Visibility - We have thousands of users go to the system each day.
• Automation - The catalog makes it possible for participants to register, navigate, and complete micro-credentials without any necessary response from an instructor
• Customization - While it can be fully automated, we can also insert steps where an instructor interacts/assesses the work of the participants
• Progress Tracking - The system has its built-in dashboard to show progress through the modules, both for the participant as well as for the instructor.
• Connection to the payment, registration systems - Participants can pay fees and access their transcript upon completion all in the same place

Same as above, contact me if you have some interest.

CRESST: A National Partner

Finally, though this won't impact you directly within your role within the AEA, we want to share a project with you that we have been engaged in for a few years.

We are working with the National Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards, and Student Testing (CRESST).  They helped Iowa develop the current ELPA assessments and trainings that we utilize.  CRESST is contracting with the AEAs to utilize our Training System software to deliver their trainings to 11 other states.

Essentially, this is a clone of our existing server that we are branding for them, at an annual licensing cost.  Proceeds from the sale go towards future development of the system.

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