Question

Google Calendar via ILT Session

  • 19 January 2022
  • 25 replies
  • 462 views

Hello!

  1. I see that it is possible for a user to add an ILT session on their Outlook calendar but I don’t see Google Calendar as an option. Has anyone been able to automatically add an ILT from Docebo on to their Google Calendar? If not, do you have users sign-up for ILTs in Docebo and manually add it to their calendar?
  2. When an ILT is set to self-enrollment, and a user goes in and enrolls in an ILT, is the only way to let the user know that they are enrolled is via a notification? Are there any other ways to communicate that?

Thanks in advance!!!


25 replies

Userlevel 7
Badge +7

you can try adding the calendar link to your google calendar. If you use the calendar widget, users can download a link to sync it with Google

 

 I was able to save a calendar attachement in google without any issues

Thank you so much! So helpful.

Userlevel 2

@lrnlab 
Is there a solution (AFAYK), that Sync the google calendar with the ILT session for all users?(create the sync in a system level and not in a user level).

Userlevel 7
Badge +7

@oferkenig as far as I know from testing this is user-initiated so there is no solution that can push a sync out to all your users...perhaps others have had different experiences with the calendar?

Userlevel 7
Badge +3

No, that’s my my understanding too @lrnlab and most users we have don’t understand the sync especially when it makes a second calendar for them so they ignore it. 

Userlevel 2

@lrnlab @Bfarkas 
So how your users “knows” / “remember” that there is a session starting soon?
Only with email notifications?

Userlevel 7
Badge +7

@oferkenig yes for the most part. It really depends on how the user uses the LMS...some access it daily while others rely on what's in the calendar...there is also a notification template called, ILT Session starting you can configure to send out a reminder x # days or hours before the start of the event. This is very useful if you find users are not getting into your sessions on time.

Userlevel 7
Badge +3

Yup notifications, they use the ics files heavily to add to their calendars which even with the non-update ability people seem to prefer over having two calendars to manage (I don’t believe in this and use dozens of sub calendars, just the consistent feedback of common users. 
 

Something I should note is for the core sets so about 89% of iLTs my custom scheduler is used to schedule them, and this has reminder notices built in and uses a real outlook calendar invite which is managed so they get the best of both worlds, changes get pushed and they simply accept the invite and it is on their real calendar with relevant attachments and reminders.  This is a super fun but very customized solution. 

Userlevel 7
Badge +7

Also note that there are some improvements coming this year so hopefully we’ll see this area getting some help soon.

Userlevel 2

@Bfarkas Thank you.
 Can you please elaborate on the customized solution? What does it includes?

Yup notifications, they use the ics files heavily to add to their calendars which even with the non-update ability people seem to prefer over having two calendars to manage (I don’t believe in this and use dozens of sub calendars, just the consistent feedback of common users. 
 

Something I should note is for the core sets so about 89% of iLTs my custom scheduler is used to schedule them, and this has reminder notices built in and uses a real outlook calendar invite which is managed so they get the best of both worlds, changes get pushed and they simply accept the invite and it is on their real calendar with relevant attachments and reminders.  This is a super fun but very customized solution. 

 

Userlevel 7
Badge +3

Sure @oferkenig , basically I have a Qualtrics form embedded on a page so that instructors who want to schedule go there instead of to course management. The form is a bit wizard like collecting what course, date/time, what GOs(these are our branches), and some misc options and info like when to enroll, mark attendance on join, and to send notifications or not. When they submit it processes all the info and takes care of creating the session, event or events, enrolling appropriate users, blocking self-enrollment, sends instructors email from outlook calendar with a CSV of those who were enrolled, a QR code for users to join from if in person, and links to teaching materials, sends anyone enrolled as a learner a calendar invite with links to course materials. A second enrollment happens to catch anyone who is appropriate to enroll 3 days prior to the session and the morning of. Another process runs on the day of the event to look at all instructors of the session, look at everyone who is enrolled and give the instructors temporary power user rights of them for 7 days so they can adjust attendance for everyone who attends outside of their assigned branches. 
There are a couple of webhooks monitoring for these sessions to be updated or deleted and if so automatically update the calendar invite directly and that update is sent to all users. An old video of the form is here, this was v1 of it so not quite accurate at this point but you will get the general idea: https://cdnapisec.kaltura.com/p/2536222/sp/253622200/embedIframeJs/uiconf_id/44015112/partner_id/2536222?iframeembed=true&playerId=kaltura_player&entry_id=1_o8wjxz0n&flashvars%5BstreamerType%5D=auto&flashvars%5BlocalizationCode%5D=en&flashvars%5BleadWithHTML5%5D=true&flashvars%5BsideBarContainer.plugin%5D=true&flashvars%5BsideBarContainer.position%5D=left&flashvars%5BsideBarContainer.clickToClose%5D=true&flashvars%5Bchapters.plugin%5D=true&flashvars%5Bchapters.layout%5D=vertical&flashvars%5Bchapters.thumbnailRotator%5D=false&flashvars%5BstreamSelector.plugin%5D=true&flashvars%5BEmbedPlayer.SpinnerTarget%5D=videoHolder&flashvars%5BdualScreen.plugin%5D=true&flashvars%5Bhotspots.plugin%5D=1&flashvars%5BKaltura.addCrossoriginToIframe%5D=true&&wid=1_67odopn3

Userlevel 2

Wow @Bfarkas  - Amazing process!
So all the processes of creating the course + Enrolling the user + Creating the notifications - Are automatically, by using the API?

Userlevel 7
Badge +3

Yeah, the notifications I do native outlook notifications via office365 api which lets me make actual calendar invites for each event and update them, but the rest are all docebo api based.  

Hi All,

A few more questions from me to add to the thread;

  1. Similar to @sydneyberger, I’m trying to automatically add an ILT from Docebo to the user’s Google calendar. Does anyone have any workarounds aside from a) the learner adding their my Docebo calendar as a separate Google calendar which isn’t visible to others b) the learner adding the session to their main Google calendar via an email notification with the calendar attachment shortcode?
  2. I’ve created an ILT with a session with multiple events. Using an email notification including the add calendar shortcode, the learner is only able to add the first event to their Google calendar and not the subsequent ones. Do you know a workaround for this? I've tested with Windows and Mac users with the same result. 
  3. Do you know if/when Docebo plan any updates to improve the clunky ILT and Google calendar integration?

Look forward to hearing your thoughts @lrnlab @Bfarkas @oferkenig and others.

Thank you in advance

Userlevel 4

Following cause we’re experiencing the same things as @Annabel Moniram 

 

Userlevel 7
Badge +5

From what I’ve seen it’s only possible to get a webcal of ALL of the events in the user’s docebo calendar, and it is impossible to get a single .ics for a single event if that is what the user prefers and desires. Am I wrong?

I can’t find a way to email users their customized calendar link either; I’d have to instruct them as to what to click etc.

 

Updates to clunk always appreciated!

Userlevel 4

Coming back to this thread to see if anyone has any new ideas! I’ve created a ILT course with several sessions. I was able to add the first event I enrolled into my calendar but when I unenrolled it didn’t remove the calendar invite. I then enrolled in a different event and the steps I took to link to my google calendar did not sync to the new event. Any ideas?

 

Userlevel 7
Badge +3

Coming back to this thread to see if anyone has any new ideas! I’ve created a ILT course with several sessions. I was able to add the first event I enrolled into my calendar but when I unenrolled it didn’t remove the calendar invite. I then enrolled in a different event and the steps I took to link to my google calendar did not sync to the new event. Any ideas?

 

I mean the real solution from docebo is to invest and setup connect to do this. Other than that it’s building other custom solutions. 

Userlevel 4

Agreed @Bfarkas - this was the only thing I miss about our last platform. What type of custom solutions are you implementing if any?

Userlevel 7
Badge +3

Agreed @Bfarkas - this was the only thing I miss about our last platform. What type of custom solutions are you implementing if any?

Using the API combined with Outlook or Google API’s lets me generate true calendar invites based on a shared calendar account, which then the event lives and can be edited which sends updates. Basically the same as Connect is doing, just without paying for Connect.

Userlevel 4

Ok - I would have to loop in my IT group for that one as I don’t have the right levels of access to these.

Being able to add an event to a calendar is pretty basic.. Why is this not available to all users? Enrollment to VILTs being an automated process was a key use case we were seeking through an LMS. Instead, while not even out of implementation we are finding it to be full of friction and not usable as a solution. 

 

lrnlab You posted a year ago that there would be a solution coming in the next year. Has anything developed?

Hello - +1 to previous posts on this.  I find more and more Enterprise clients are using Google eco system than ever before and this is quickly becoming a differentiator across LMS vendors.

 

@Docebo - has there been any improvements to Google Calendar and ILT event integrations ?  Is this on a roadmap that we can have visibility of?

Agreed @Bfarkas - this was the only thing I miss about our last platform. What type of custom solutions are you implementing if any?

Using the API combined with Outlook or Google API’s lets me generate true calendar invites based on a shared calendar account, which then the event lives and can be edited which sends updates. Basically the same as Connect is doing, just without paying for Connect.

Hey @Bfarkas A year on now that the fun has no doubt subsided from your custom api… fancy sharing any of the code so I can get a head start in building something similar? 😍

Hello - +1 to previous posts on this.  I find more and more Enterprise clients are using Google eco system than ever before and this is quickly becoming a differentiator across LMS vendors.

 

@Docebo - has there been any improvements to Google Calendar and ILT event integrations ?  Is this on a roadmap that we can have visibility of?

Answering my own question.

 

No.

 

 

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