New in Labs: Connected Packages

Connected packages is still in development and will receive updates as part of Labs. Functionality will change over time. Some options could be modified, while others may be removed based on feedback and feature stability. There is no guarantee that Labs experiments will become production features.

The Connected packages feature solves the ages-old headache of keeping your training up to date in your LMS. Now, instead of having to download a fresh package from Rise 360, then uploading it to your LMS every time you make a change, you can deliver updates to your content across LMS environments with just a few clicks.

Connected packages fulfills the dream of publishing once, then dynamically updating your content without re-uploading to your LMS!

Note: Currently, connected packages can only be exported from Rise 360 as SCORM 1.2 and 2004 files.

How to Use Connected Packages

Unlike with standard packages, connected packages let you quickly update your training and notify your learners of changes.

Publishing a Connected Package

Creating a connected package for training content is as simple as creating a standard LMS package.

1. Open the content you want to publish from your Rise 360 dashboard. Then click Publish in the upper-right corner of the screen and select LMS.
2. Choose an LMS standard. For connected packages, you must select SCORM 2004 or SCORM 1.2 (any edition).
3. Select Connected package.
4. Toggle the Notify learners option to display a banner to learners when you update the training.
5. After selecting any tracking, reporting, and advanced options, click Download.
6. Upload the package to your LMS as usual.

Updating a Connected Package 

After you’ve published your connected package to your LMS, all future updates happen right in Rise 360.

1. When you make changes to your content, an indicator displays on the Publish menu.
2. Click either the View Updates button or you can select Connected package from the Publish menu to jump to step 4.
3. Select Connected package. If you’ve published your content to Reach 360 or shared with Quick Share, you’ll be able to select those as well.
4. Click Update now. Rise handles the rest!

If you toggle or have previously activated the Notify learners option, your learners will see an update banner the next time they refresh or log in to the training.

Note: You can also download a copy of the last-deployed LMS package by clicking Download again.

Notifying Learners of Changes and Resetting Learner Progress

If you update your content and want to notify learners but didn't select the option when you initially published your package, you can enable it when you publish changes. 

1. In your updated content, click Publish in the upper-right corner of the screen and select LMS.
2. Toggle the Notify learners option. 
3. Click Update now.

With this option enabled, a banner displays for active learners whenever you update the training. Learners who've already completed the training don't receive any notification.

Sometimes, after making updates, you also need to reset learner progress so that active learners don't end up in a blank state when they resume the training. This functionality can now easily be enabled at any time when using connected packages. 

1. In your updated content, click Publish in the upper-right corner of the screen and select LMS.
2. Toggle the Reset progress after updates option. 
3. Click Update now.

This operates the same as the Reset Learner Progress option in standard packages and does not reset the progress or cancel quiz scores for learners who've already completed the training.

Connected Packages FAQs

When I deploy training to my LMS via Connected Packages, is Articulate the host for my content? If so, in which regional data center does it reside?

Yes, training deployed to LMS via Connected Packages is hosted on Articulate's systems and is subject to the same security and data policies as other data hosted on the platform, as outlined in our Terms of Service.

While regional hosting isn't a consideration at this stage of development, Connected Packages should be available in your regional hosting location when launched for general availability.

What happens when I delete training in Rise that's been deployed using connected packages? Will training work in my LMS if I turn off the Labs feature?

Content deleted from your Rise dashboard will still function in your LMS until you permanently delete the source training. You’ll be able to restore it from the trash and continue to update via Connected Packages without manually uploading a new package to your LMS. When permanently deleted, the connected package is also deleted.

If you disable the Labs feature, all connected packages are deactivated and deleted, but the source content remains untouched.

Permanently deleting associated Rise content or disabling Labs, will cause the training in your LMS to stop functioning. To restore, manually upload a standard package as a new version of the same training.

Can I use the same troubleshooting steps with Connected Packages as I do with Standard Packages?

Yes, while your content is hosted by Articulate, the same troubleshooting steps, such as resetting learner progress and hiding the LMS interface, can still be applied as detailed in the Rise 360 user guide.

Do Connected Packages send information to Articulate from my LMS?

While the Connected Packages feature is in Labs, we use a third-party data subprocessor, Datadog, to track certain information in order to identify and debug issues as they arise. In particular: Course ID, Learner ID (based on the Subscription ID plus an LMS Learner ID, if one is returned by the LMS), and your subscription ID. This information is not captured for every Connected Package.

Additionally, Allow usage data collection is enabled by default for all content exported to an LMS. This option provides Articulate with the course ID launched and non-identifiable learner usage data, as shown in our data collection details. It can be disabled on a per-package basis.

If I collaborate with other creators, can they update training deployed to my LMS?

Only content owners and collaborator managers with the feature enabled can send training updates via Connected Packages.

What content is best suited to connected packages? Is there content I shouldn’t use with connected packages?

Connected packages is best used for content that’s updated frequently or that you plan to iterate on once it’s live. Due to the nature of updates, we don’t recommend using connected packages with content that requires strict audit trails, enhanced compliance procedures, or LMS version history tracking.

Can I download packages after initially publishing via connected packages?

Yes. There’s a Download button at the top of the LMS publish screen. Keep in mind that you have access only to the last-deployed version of the package.

Do connected package updates count as versions? Can I revert to a previous version of my training?

When working with connected packages, your LMS will only count as versions the files you manually upload, not the updates you make in Rise. While you can revert to a previous Snapshot, then update the connected package as indicated in the steps above to see restored content in your LMS, this isn’t considered a new “version” by your LMS.

Will connected packages be available for other LMS export standards? Is it coming to Storyline 360?

We would love to hear your feedback on what export format you’d like to see next for Connected Packages! And while Storyline support isn’t planned at this time, if it’s something you’d like to see, please let us know.

Share Your Feedback

For this initial Labs release, we want to hear how connected packages perform across real LMS environments and whether the experience feels as intuitive. Your feedback will directly influence development, so consider sharing your thoughts on the following topics:

• Uses: Does the "publish once, update anytime" workflow sync with how you manage training content?
• Bugs. Is anything not working as expected? Do the updates behave as you’d expect with your specific LMS setup?
• Improvements. How could this feature be better? What changes, if any, would you like to see?
• Insights. How does this new publish-to-update workflow fit into your day-to-day?

You can enable and disable this feature from the Labs page in account settings. Share your thoughts in this Labs forum or use the feedback form directly within the feature.