Understanding Due Dates
The learning environment calculates a due date for learners when courses are mandatory. This due date is shown in the Compliance Overview and email notifications may be sent to learners to remind them of upcoming deadlines.
Below is an explanation of how due dates are calculated.
No Learning Records
If the user does not have a learning record associated to the course in question (e.g. the user has never done the course AND no equivalency or learning record was imported for the user), then the calculation is as follows:
Due Date = Start Date + Days to Complete
where:
Start Date = The greater of either (a) when the user is added to a program OR (b) when the course is added to the program
Days to Complete = The "Days to Complete" in the program settings (if greater than 0)
If the "Days to complete" is set to 0 AND the learning record for the course never expires, there is no due date.
If the "Days to complete" is set to 0 AND the learning record expires, the due date will line up with the expiration date / time.
Let's take a few examples:
A program called "All Staff" contains a course called "WHMIS". The "Days to complete" in this program is "0". The “Expiration” setting in the course’s settings is set to “The learning record never expires”. Abigail is added to the program on January 10, 2020. In this example, Abigail does not have a due date.
A program called "All Staff" contains a course called "CPR". The "Days to complete" in this program is "0". The “Expiration” setting in the course’s settings is set to “Expire the learning record after 1 year”. Sanjeev is added to the program on January 10, 2020. In this example, Sanjeev’s due date will be January 10, 2021.
A program called "All Staff" contains a course called "WHMIS". The "Days to complete" in this program is "30". Bea is added to the program on January 10, 2020. In this example, the Due Date for Bay is February 9, 2020 (January 10, 2020 + 30 days = February 9, 2020). This is true whether or not the “Expiration” date in the course is set to never expire, or to expire by date / lapse time.
Charlie was added to the "All Staff" program when he was hired back in 2015. The "Days to complete" in this program is "30". On January 10, 2020, the "Prevention of Workplace Violence" is added to this program. In this example, The Due Date for Charlie is February 9, 2020 (January 10, 2020 + 30 days = February 9, 2020).
If a user is in multiple programs with multiple "Days to complete" values, the calculation of due dates may return a conflict. When that is the case, then the system will display the earliest of all due dates. For example:
Danika is hired on January 10, 2020. On this day, she is added to two (2) separate programs, both of which have the "WHMIS" course:
The "New Hires" program has "Days to complete" set to "15".
The "All Staff" program has "Days to complete set to "30"
Based on the scenario above, Danika would have a due date of January 25, 2020 because this is the earliest of the two due dates.
Existing Learning Record
If a user has an existing learning record for the course (e.g. they have completed the course before, have an equivalency for the course, and/or a learning record was uploaded to the learning environment), then the calculation depends on the expiration method for the course.
Condition 1: No expiration
If the course does not have an expiration condition, it means the course is not a recurring course. As such, once a user completes a course, they will no longer see a due date.
Condition 2: Expiration by Date
If the course is set to expire on a specific date (e.g. December 31st every year), then the due date is calculated as follows:
Due Date = Expiration date + 1 year
where:
Expiration by Date = The date set in the "Expiration" course’s settings
In the example above, if "every year" is "every 2 years", then the due date is calculated as follows:
Due Date = Expiration date + 2 years
where:
Expiration by Date = The date set in the "Expiration" course’s settings
Condition 3: Expiration by Lapse Time
If the course is set to expire based on lapsed time (e.g. 365 days), then the due date is calculated as follows:
Due Date = Completion Date + Lapsed Time
where:
Completion Date = The last time the user completed the course, as indicated in their learning record or progress report
Lapsed Time = The date set in the "Expiration" course’s settings
Let's take a few examples:
A program called "All Staff" contains a course called "Hand Hygiene". The course’s “Expiration” setting is set to “The learning record never expires. Evelyn last completed the course on January 10, 2020. Evelyn does not have a due date because this is a non-recurring course.
A program called "All Staff" contains a course called "Privacy". The course’s “Expiration” setting is set to "December 31st every year". Frank last completed the course on January 10, 2020. Frank's due date is now December 31, 2021. (Frank's learning record will expire on December 31, 2020 but he has a full year to renew his certification, thereby giving him until December 31, 2021.)
A program called "All Staff" contains a course called "Privacy". The course’s “Expiration” setting is set to "March 31st every 2 years". Sanjeev last completed the course on April 15, 2020. Sanjeev's due date is now March 31, 2024. (Sanjeev's learning record will expire on March 31, 2022 but he has two full years to get renew his certification, thereby giving him until March 31, 2024.)
A program called "All Staff" contains a course called "WHMIS". The course’s “Expiration” setting is set to "Expire the learning record after 1 year". Gerry last completed the course on January 10, 2020. Gerry's due date is now January 9, 2021.
Important Notes
Instructors can modify and/or remove the expiration condition on a course. Modifying the expiration on a course does not update the expiration of learning records that were already issued. If you want to change due dates for existing learning records, read the Updating Learning Records After Changing the Expiration Dates article.
Related Articles
Understanding Expiration and Due Dates for "Expiration by Date"
Updating Learning Records After Changing the Expiration Dates