Rise course not returning to start when using refresh in Safari (iPad)

Oct 23, 2018

Hi, I have a course and have set the navigation to 'Restricted'. The issue is when I view the course on my iPad, if I am half-way through the number of topics (menu items) and I hit the refresh in the browser, the 'completed percentage' resets to 0% however the page still remains on the same page/topic and all the menu items above are 'Locked-out'.

Using iPad pro with IOS 12.0.1 and current version of Safari.

cheers

Gerry

22 Replies
Alyssa Gomez

I've got some answers for you, Gerry!

When you view a Rise or view the web output, each lesson has it's own unique URL. This means that you'll remain on the same lesson if you refresh the browser.

Here's an example to explain what I mean:

  • If you're viewing Lesson 4 in a course and you refresh the browser, you'll stay on Lesson 4, but the course progress will be reset to 0%.
  • If you're viewing Lesson 4 in a course and you close the browser then reopen the course using the original link, you'll start the course from the beginning, and the course progress will be reset to 0%.

Progress will only be retained if you're viewing the course from an LMS. 

Let me know if you have more questions about that!

Jim Muirhead

Hi

Just wanted to add to this discussion. We are getting reports back from users - primarily using iPads and Safari - that their progress is not being saved. Our courses are hosted within the Moodle LMS.

We seem to have a real inconsistency of experience, which is of course frustrating to the user. We advise them to use the 'exit course' link at the top but I would think that - even when simply closing the new tab/window - progress should be saved.

Anyone else experiencing this? Really stuck with what to do.

Thanks.

Crystal Horn

Hi, Jim and Karl. Thank you for letting me know that you're having issues with progress being saved when the course is launched from your LMS on an iPad.

Testing a sample course in our instance of Moodle, I found that I was able to return to the lesson where I exited, and the sidebar menu showed the correct percentage complete. I realize the issue is inconsistent, but we're happy to have a look with you!

Karl Muller

Should have mentioned that our LMS is TopClass, not Moodle.

The problems with iPads are predominantly related to LMS functionality, although there have been some Rise progress tracking issues as well. We have about 4% of users using iPads, and most have no problems. We've not been able to determine why some have issues while others do not.

Allison LaMotte

Hi Karl,

Have you tried uploading your course to SCORM Cloud to see if you experience the same behavior?

That's what we generally recommend doing to determine whether the problem stems from the course or the LMS. Here's an article that walks you through how to do that.

If it works correctly on SCORM Cloud, then the problem is coming from the LMS and you'll need to talk to your provider.

If you see the same issue on SCORM Cloud, then the problem is likely coming from the course itself. If that's the case, please reach out to our support team.

In the meantime, if there's anything else I can do to help, please let me know!

Alyssa Gomez

Thanks, Robert! 

When you resume the course on the iPad, does it start over from the beginning of the course?

If so, have you tried hosting the content in SCORM Cloud (an LMS testing tool) to see if the same problem happens there? This will help determine if the issue lies within your LMS or the actual project file. If you are able to replicate, be sure to send the LMS output file to us to take a peek. Click here to open a case. 

Robert Sniady

I am sorry that I did not write back for so long, but I was waiting for the appropriate device (iPad) to verify the course.

I checked if the package is working properly SCORM (RISE) in SCORM Cloud and it is working properly. The problem appears if the package is placed on our Moodle platform (3.8.2+) and runs on the mobile version of Safari on the iPad.
After running, there is an entry in mdl_scorm_scoes_track that the course has started (x.start.time), but after the course has finished or exited, no communication is sent to the database.

In the debug window (SCOMR API Activity log) all the course communication is visible and the status and result (and others) are sent correctly (LMSSetValue), but finally nothing goes to the database on exit.

As you can see, the combination of three items (Moodle, Mobile Safari and RISE course) causes this problem. I will look for the reason, but maybe it's a matter of the right settings in Safari - maybe someone managed to find a solution?

Alyssa Gomez

Hi Robert! Thanks for following up!

Does your Rise 360 course contain an Exit Course button? Some LMS's won't receive completion data unless you include an Exit Course link inside your Rise 360 course. Crystal shared more detail about that in her post here.

There are two ways you can add Exit Course functionality to your course:

  1. Add a button block, and set the button destination to "Exit Course."
  2. Publish the course for LMS, and on the publishing screen, toggle the "Exit Course" link to ON.

Test the course again after adding the Exit Course button or link, and let me know if that resolves the issue!

Robert Sniady

Hi Alyssa! Thanks for your help, your hint helped ! :)

Do you provide for the possibility of adding a similar button in the RISE course so that it is possible to force communication with the LMS without leaving the course?
Currently, with long courses (over 3 hours), there are cases of losing progress, and unfortunately it turns out after completing the entire course.


Or maybe there is a way to force communication with the LMS during the course?

 

Alyssa Gomez

Hi Robert! Rise 360 courses should communicate with the LMS each time the learner opens a new lesson. However, some browsers like Chrome have deprecated a technology that was used by many LMSs to allow a course to communicate back to the LMS when the course window is closed.

If your LMS hasn't upgraded their system, or if you're using an older version of your LMS that doesn't include an update to address this change, the course cannot communicate progress or completion properly. This causes learners to start over from the beginning instead of resuming a course or recording completion after they close the browser window.

If your LMS is up to date, you shouldn't need the Exit Course button to force communication -- it'll just happen automatically.