The Uncanny Owl Blog

Uncanny Groups: New Edit Group Wizard

August 15, 2023/0 Comments/in LearnDash/by Ryan Moore

The Uncanny Groups for LearnDash 5.3 release is now available! This update to our popular group management plugin for LearnDash adds 1 key new feature: a way to edit LearnDash groups in the front end. It’s an optional new tool that will make group edits a lot easier for many sites (and reduce the need for admin support). Edit LearnDash Groups in the Front End Uncanny Groups has supported front end LearnDash group creation for several years. Group editing was a much more difficult piece to tackle, as we had to consider implications for groups created via ecommerce, how to limit course access, what fields should and shouldn’t be available for editing, etc. In the 5.3 release, we’re adding a new shortcode and a new Gutenberg block to make group editing possible. Here’s the shortcode and the attributes it supports: [uo_groups_edit_group group_name=”show” total_seats=”show” group_courses=”show” category=”” course_category=””] There’s a lot to explain here, so let’s tackle each attribute. The first attribute, group_name, determines whether or not the user editing the group (i.e. the Group Leader or admin) can modify the group name from the group edit page. If the group supports seats, the total_seats attributes determines whether or not the user […]

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Tin Canny Update: New Uploader

July 24, 2023/0 Comments/in News, Tin Can/by Ryan Moore

Over the years, a common challenge elearning course authors have had with WordPress is uploading and managing really large files. It’s not uncommon to see xAPI and SCORM file sizes in the hundreds of MB, and a few weeks ago, we helped a user with a file that was over 5 GB in size. The WordPress upload system wasn’t really designed for files of this size, so a few months ago we started building a completely different upload system for our Tin Canny users. Introducing the new Tin Canny Uploader We’re excited to include the new uploader in our Tin Canny 4.3 release. This is what it looks like: How it works is very different than the uploader in previous versions. Instead of relying on WordPress to upload a huge file to the website, then unzip and process it, the new uploader uses your browser to inspect files in the zip folder and upload them individually. For large files, they are uploaded in chunks. This approach ensures that all files, regardless of size, and even if the web server doesn’t support unzip extensions, should work without issue. The new uploader works in all editors and page builders we currently support, as […]

Toolkit Pro 4.1: Drip topics & Autocomplete with Formidable Forms

June 1, 2023/0 Comments/in LearnDash, News/by Ryan Moore

We’re excited to announce another big release of our most popular premium plugin, Uncanny Toolkit Pro for LearnDash. The 4.1 update adds 3 completely new modules for LearnDash users: Drip Topics by LearnDash Group, Autocomplete Lessons & Topics on Fluent Forms Submission and Autocomplete Lessons & Topics on Formidable Forms Submission. There are also a few enhancements for existing modules that we’re excited to share. Drip Topics by LearnDash Group Current Toolkit Pro users will already be familiar with our popular drip module for lessons, “Drip Lessons by LearnDash Group“. As you might expect, this new module is effectively the same thing as what we offer for lessons–except for topics. The settings will all be familiar, and there’s even support for the LearnDash Notifications plugin. Autocomplete Lessons & Topics on Form Submission The 2 new modules for Formidable Forms and Fluent Forms mirror what we have for Gravity Forms and WPForms. With the new tools, we can detect when a Formidable Form or Fluent Form appears on a lesson or topic page, hide the Mark Complete button, and require the users to submit a form entry. In Formidable Forms (and other other form integrations), the user will be advanced to the […]

Uncanny Owl Turns 10

May 22, 2023/6 Comments/in News/by Ryan Moore

Ten long years ago, on May 29, 2013, Ken and I (Ryan) cofounded Uncanny Owl. With absolutely no experience starting or managing a business, no clear direction, and 4 children under the age of 3 between us, walking away from our stable, mid-level jobs at great companies somehow seemed like a good idea. Here we are in our Toronto office in June 2013 (we ended up abandoning a physical office in 2018): The first 3 years of the company largely consisted of experimenting with a lot of elearning ideas and taking on any consulting projects we could find. We had grand visions and aspirations, and we worked hard trying to build Uncanny Owl’s reputation in the elearning space. It wasn’t until almost a year after we started the company that we began focusing on WordPress and LearnDash. That journey started when we built a website to showcase our course development expertise, but instead of asking us to build courses for them, visitors wanted us to build a copy of the website. We started showing a “Want us to build a site like this for you?” banner for visitors from LearnDash and our website, and the rest is history. Uncanny Owl Timeline […]

Customize Your Uncanny Groups + LearnDash Course Reports

May 18, 2023/0 Comments/in LearnDash, Uncanny LearnDash Toolkit/by Brendan Da Costa

Add your own columns and data to Uncanny Groups and LearnDash course reports and empower your Group Leaders with the tools they need. As an e-learning educator or administrator, you know how important it is to have accurate and detailed course reports. And while LearnDash has some built-in reporting tools, oftentimes, you need additional information. Custom data fields such as a user’s job title, age, department/organization or even last login date can be invaluable for administrators, instructors and LearnDash Group Leaders. So, if you’ve been looking for a way to add more columns and custom data to your Uncanny Groups and LearnDash course reports, then you’ve found the right page. In this article, we’ll show you a few simple ways to customize your Uncanny Groups and LearnDash course reports. We’ll also show you how to make those reports visible right from your WordPress dashboard so that Group Leaders can access them. Trust us, this will be the easiest course you take all day. Custom Columns in CSV Files for Administrators For WordPress and LearnDash administrators, one of the simplest reporting tools available are LearnDash’s native CSV reports. These reports provide administrators with the ability to export basic information on users’ […]

Tin Canny 4.2: LearnDash Lesson & Topic Reports

April 19, 2023/0 Comments/in News, Tin Can/by Ryan Moore

We’re excited to announce that Tin Canny 4.2 is now available. It’s a big release with several new reports, performance improvements, new options for SCORM and xAPI users and some behind-the-scenes enhancements. Lesson and Topic Completion Reports We know that LearnDash site owners have faced challenges for years getting consolidated records for lesson and topic completions. For course completions, there are reports everywhere; we have different types of course completion reports in 3 of our plugins alone (Uncanny Groups, Tin Canny and Uncanny Continuing Education Credits). There’s no shortage of ways to find out whether or not a student has completed a course. For lessons and topics, we offered a few ways to look up completions by user, but never for a group of users or all users. That’s what we’re adding in today’s Tin Canny 4.2 release. To use the reports, just drop [uotc_lesson_report] or [uotc_topic_report] shortcodes onto a new page. Once that’s done, you’ll see something like this: It’s as easy to use as it seems. Administrators or Group Leaders can just select a group, course and lesson (or topic) to see a list of everyone that has access to that lesson or topic and their completion status. Need […]

Toolkit Pro 4.0: Generate LearnDash Certificates in Bulk

April 11, 2023/0 Comments/in LearnDash, Uncanny LearnDash Toolkit/by Ryan Moore

It’s here! The Uncanny Owl team is thrilled to announce that version 4.0 of the Uncanny Toolkit Pro plugin for LearnDash is now available. The latest update to the most popular third-party premium add-on for LearnDash adds 1 new module and a huge number of new features and improvements. Let’s jump right in to what’s new. Generate LearnDash Certificates in Bulk It’s a question LearnDash users have been asking for years: How can my Group Leaders and I download certificates for all of our students? Until today, you couldn’t. You had to look up records for one user at a time, find the right course or quiz, then generate a new certificate. It was time-consuming to the point of being completely impractical for large groups of users and courses. With the new Download Certificates in Bulk module, grabbing a large batch of certificates is as easy as adding a shortcode to a page. When viewed by an admin or Group Leader user (the Group Leader must, of course, be the leader of one or more groups), it’s possible to download a zip file with Group, Course or Quiz certificates. To get started, add [uo_download_certificates] to a page and choose the […]

Better Notifications for LearnDash

February 5, 2023/0 Comments/in LearnDash, Marketing, Uncanny Automator/by Brendan Da Costa

With the LearnDash Notifications add-on and Uncanny Automator, students and staff can stay in touch, communicate more and learn together. In self-directed elearning courses, it can be difficult for instructors to stay engaged with their students. While reports help instructors gather summary-level details on their students’ progress, they don’t keep educators in the loop as the learning unfolds. The LearnDash Notifications Add-On, however, addresses some of the challenges associated with real-time feedback. Even so, the LearnDash Notifications Add-On can’t quite always accommodate the needs of both students and instructors. For example; how do students become aware of new course availability, new feedback from instructors, or new group discussions? To promote engagement and increased learning, elearning websites require a way to reach out to students beyond the website itself. Whether you’re looking to enhance the LearnDash Notifications Add-On or replace it altogether, you’ve found the perfect solution. LearnDash Notifications Add-On In the LearnDash ecosystem, the easiest and most common way to send notifications to students and instructors (typically “Group Leaders” in LearnDash) is by email using the free LearnDash Notifications Add-On. It’s a powerful add-on that allows key LearnDash events, like course completion or assignment approval, to trigger email notifications to […]

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How to Create & Sell LearnDash & WooCommerce Promo Codes

December 23, 2022/0 Comments/in Best Practices, LearnDash, Uncanny Automator/by Brendan Da Costa

In this step-by-step guide, we’ll show you how to create and sell LearnDash and WooCommerce promo codes. Use them for course registrations, to sell event tickets or to unlock special features on your website. So you want to be a master codebreaker, do you? Well, you’ve come to the right place. With Uncanny Codes, you can create and customize unique codes to sell, unlock or promote just about anything on your website. Whether you want to use codes for event registration, product tie-ins, or to run limited promotions, Uncanny Codes has you covered. In this quick guide, we’ll show you how to create and sell promo codes and feature some of the best ways to use them. Don’t worry, you won’t actually need to know anything about cryptanalysis in order to follow along. What You’ll Need If you want to “crack the code”, you’re going to need a supercomputer— or a cipher machine and a lot of time. But if you’re trying to make some unbreakable codes of your own, all you’ll need are these awesome WordPress plugins. Uncanny Codes Uncanny Codes is the best code management plugin for WordPress. Auto-generate dozens (or thousands) of codes with your own prefix, […]

Uncanny CEUs: Archive quiz results

November 17, 2022/0 Comments/in Continuing Education, LearnDash/by Ryan Moore

The Uncanny Continuing Education Credits plugin for LearnDash is perhaps the #1 tool for archiving LearnDash course records. Out of the box, LearnDash on its own can only track the current attempt for a course. If users retake a course after a progress reset, all records of earlier course activity, including certificates, is wiped out. Uncanny Continuing Education Credits (a.k.a. Uncanny CEUs) was born out of a need to keep a record of all course activity. Introducing quiz record archives We have archived LearnDash course records for years. The completion records could be included in transcripts to give a complete record of a user’s learning activity as well as in admin and front end reports. For compliance and other periodic training, these permanent course records were invaluable, but they were just that–course records. With the release of Uncanny Continuing Education Credits 4.0, we’re adding support for quiz record archiving to the mix. Need to know how some students performed in final course quizzes 3 years ago? No problem. Concerned that our Quiz Question Analysis Report in Tin Canny has invalid results because it doesn’t captured archived quiz records? Not any more! Generate historical records Now that Uncanny CEUs can archive more […]

The Uncanny Blog

Uncanny Groups: New Edit Group Wizard

Tin Canny Update: New Uploader

Toolkit Pro 4.1: Drip topics & Autocomplete with Formidable Forms

Uncanny Owl Turns 10

Customize Your Uncanny Groups + LearnDash Course Reports

Tin Canny 4.2: LearnDash Lesson & Topic Reports

Toolkit Pro 4.0: Generate LearnDash Certificates in Bulk

Better Notifications for LearnDash

How to Create & Sell LearnDash & WooCommerce Promo Codes

Uncanny CEUs: Archive quiz results

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