Overview

At the heart of the SkillTree platform is the SkillTree dashboard - a web-based user interface. The SkillTree Dashboard provides these main functions:

1. Enables creation and management of an applications' training profile
2. Provides corporate visibility of application expertise and offers metrics and various visualizations.
3. Enables trainees to take the training by completing skills, gaining points, achieving badges, passing quizzes, completing surveys and much, much more...

TIP

• If your organization is running the SkillTree platform, then you will be provided with its URL to get started.
• If you are installing the SkillTree platform from scratch (see Install Guide) then... well you just know where it's running.

Building Training Profile

Whether you are using SkillTree in a Learning Management System (LMS) fashion or integrating gamification training directly into a web application, you will first need to build a training profile. The initial step is to create a brand-new project. Projects are composed of Subjects which are made of Skills, and a single skill defines a training unit within the gamification framework.

Consider the following items when designing your training profile:

1. Subjects: Subjects are a way to group and organize skill definitions. They provide a theme for a group of skills and can have their own specific achievement levels.
   • Do your best to create subjects in multiples of 3. On a larger screen, the Skills Display renders up-to 3 subjects per row so 3, 6, 9, 12, etc., will look the best.
   • Design subjects to encourage your users to be able to achieve sub-specializations within your application. Subjects implement a levels model so users are awarded subject level achievements.
2. Skills: A Skill defines a single training unit within the gamification framework.
   • To complete a skill, users may need to perform the same action multiple times - repetition is important for retention after all. Each occurrence is called a Skill Event.
   • Description is optional and can be used to document training steps or additional references or information related to the skill.
   • Help URL can be used to point to additional resources.
3. Self Reporting: Self Report is a feature that empowers users to mark skills as completed directly in the SkillTree dashboard OR through the embedded Skills Display component. Training profiles can be crafted consisting of:
   • only self-reported skills OR
   • a mix of self-reported skills and skills that are reported programmatically OR
   • a project could have no self-reported skills at all
4. Quiz-Based Knowledge Checks: A quiz is a knowledge check composed of multiple questions with a passing requirement
   • Associating a Quiz to a skill will require successful completion of that Quiz in order to earn the skill and its points.
5. Surveys: A Survey is a data collection technique utilizing one or more questions.
   • Associating a Survey to an existing skill will require completion of that Survey in order to earn the skill and its points.
   • When associated to a skill, the survey is a method to gather feedback about that skill or collect some pieces of important data related to the skill.
6. Levels: Levels are users' achievement path - the overall goal of the training profile is to encourage users to achieve the highest level.
   • Levels are tracked for the entire project as well as for each subject which provides users many ways to progress forward, as well as frequent positive reinforcement opportunities.
   • The Skills dashboard supports two ways to manage levels: Percentage Based (default) and Point based. If you are not sure which to go with stick with the default.
7. Badges: Badges add another facet to the overall gamification training profile and allow you to further reward your users by providing these prestigious symbols of achievement.
   • Badges are a collection of skills and when all of the skills are completed that badge is awarded.
8. Global Badges: Global Badges are a special kind of badge that is made up of a collection of skills and/or levels that span across project boundaries.
9. Learning Path: Learning Path adds another facet to the overall gamification training profile, which forces users to complete skills in a specified order.
10. Cross-Project Prerequisites: Cross-Project Prerequisites facilitate cross-application training and enable users to become domain experts across several applications.
    • These dependencies are critical when actions are required to be performed in more than one tool in order to complete a task.

Browser Support

SkillTree is supported on all major browsers since the following versions:

Firefox

50+

Chrome

50+

Edge

16+

Safari

5.1+

Opera

60+