Frontline Professional Growth

 

Review the sign-in steps and various system features.

Click Here to Print the Quick Start Guide

 

This panel explains how to browse and register for learning activities in the Catalog. It outlines how to locate activities, register through different options, and access your registered sessions on the My Growth Journey page.

Check out this short video for additional support

(You must be logged into Frontline to access)

Browse

Browse the catalog or use the filters and search bar to find available activities.

Select an activity from the list to view additional details and access activity registration options.

Register

Review the activity details. Registration options may vary depending on the activity.

Selection immediately processes the enrollment and opens the activity page.

Access Learning

Once registered, the activity will show under the "Activities In Progress" section of the My Growth Journey page.

 

How It Works

Professional Learning enables organizations to post blank forms relating to professional development. If an organization has configured Professional Learning to use these forms, they will appear on the left navigation bar under the Fill-In Forms heading. These blank forms are used for a variety of reasons including requesting prior approval to attend an activity that is not in the District Catalog (e.g., requesting prior approval to attend an out-of-town conference).

VIDEO

Check out this short video -  Forms: Submitting a Form - in addition to referring to this article.

Every organization will have their own procedures and processes for using these blank forms. For further guidance, please consult your organization's professional development coordinator or appropriate administrator for assistance.

Use these steps to Submit a Fill-In Form: 

Navigation: -> Forms
Upon logging in there will be a Forms option in the left navigation. Review the forms listed. Your organization may create online forms for various purposes. Some organizations will have multiple forms, while others will have only one (or none). Selecting the appropriate form is crucial. If the form selection is not obvious, contact your organization's professional development coordinator.

Click the form title that you wish to fill out. Review and complete the form. Some fields on the form are required. These are highlighted with a red outline. Values MUST be placed into these fields.

Example of required fields.

File Attachments

If your organization allows file attachments to forms, they can be added directly to the form. Files can be added prior to submitting a form and after using the Mark Complete button. The attachment section on each form will vary; however, there will be a list of files shown to check off.

Additional Resource
Adding a Personal File to the File Library
 

When the Submit button is clicked, the request will be submitted and forwarded for approval. When a form is submitted, the screen will show a summary of the approval process for the submitted request.

Note: If the approval process seems incorrect:

Find the activity title
Click Manage button
Click the Drop button
Re-submit the form
If you continue to experience problems, please contact MRH Central Office.

Every submitted request should appear in the My Requests area that is visible on the main workspace.

 Navigation: -> Learning Plan -> My Requests
Depending on the organization's approval process, the request will be listed under the status titled Awaiting Prior Approval or Approved and In Progress.

Denied Requests

Once a district approver chooses to deny a request, the approver has the option to add a reason for the denial in a field titled "Notes to requester." Reference this section for an explanation, but keep in mind this input field remains optional. The system does not require the approver to provide a reason. If you need more information on the approval status, consider contacting your district administrator.

 

How It Works: Activity evaluations help organizations assess the quality and effectiveness of professional development activities. *Some orgs may require the evaluation form to be completed before the activity can be marked complete.

Blended Learning is a new release that impacts system permissions and will gradually be rolled out to all orgs in the coming months. Click a tab below based on your current configuration (Blended Learning or Legacy).  MRH uses Blended Learning

Completing an Activity Evaluation
 Navigation: -> Insights -> My Growth Journey

Locate the activity with the evaluation under the My Requests section of your My Growth Journey page. Select the Manage button beside the activity.  Activities with an evaluation will display “Evaluation Required” in the summary.

Once all meetings have ended and/or steps have been completed, you can complete the evaluation. Select the Complete Evaluation button to get started.

Fill out the required fields within the evaluation and click Save once you are finished.

Once you have saved the evaluation, you will see a confirmation message. Select the Return button to go back to your activity.

Select the Mark Complete option to complete the request.

 

This panel explains how permissioned users can mark a Professional Learning activity as complete to initiate final credit approval once an activity has ended.

Navigation
Navigation: -> Insights
On your My Growth Journey page, scroll to the My Requests section. Click Manage beside an activity that has ended and shows a status of "In Progress." A new tab will open to the Learning page.

 

Mark Complete

Select Mark Complete to initiate the request for final approval. An Admin will Complete the request and award final credit.Some activities may not have the Mark Complete option. In these cases, a Catalog Admin or Activity Owner can award final credit on your behalf.

Required Evaluation

If an activity requires completion of an evaluation, you will see/select Complete Evaluation before the Mark Complete option is made available. Fill out all required information within the evaluation and then submit it.

 Additional Resources: Completing an Activity Evaluation

A confirmation message will let you know the evaluation has been saved. Select the Return button to go back to the Learning page.

You can then select the Mark Complete button to initiate the request for final approval. An Admin will Complete the request and award final credit.

 

Activity Completion Form

If your organization uses Activity Completion Forms, one may appear when you select Mark Complete. This form may include fields for expense tracking and comments for final approval. If no expenses were incurred or you do not wish to enter a comment, those entries may be left blank.

Click Submit to send the request for final credit approval.

 

This panel explains how to manage email notifications via the "My PG Profile" section of your application.

Note: Some or all notification options may not be editable based on your organization. Contact MRH Central Office for more information.
 Navigation: -> My Info -> My PG Profile

Email Notification Preferences

 

Notification Overview
Professional Learning Management sends a variety of email notifications:

 
Note: All of these emails are sent at midnight (Eastern Time) each night. You will receive one consolidated email based on the preference settings in your account profile.

Troubleshooting: Not Receiving Emails

Please check that you have a valid email address in your profile. To ensure that you receive system notifications, simply include the email address "notifications@mail2.frontlineed.com" to your contacts.

It is possible that you have not elected to receive system emails and/or the emails are going into your Spam/Junk folders. To see if this occurs:

• Please review your email notification setting in your “My PG Profile” area.
• Please review your Spam/Junk folders and notify your district IT department if our emails are in those folders.
• Note: For additional assistance with receiving email notifications, please reach out to your Organization Administrator or district IT department.
   

This panel explains how to add a personal file to the file library.

To upload a file to the file library, you must first save it locally to your computer/device.

• The file name must not contain any spaces.
• Only letters, numbers, and underscores are allowed as part of the file name.
• The file size limitation is 50 megabytes.

  Supported file type extensions include:
AVI, CSV, DOC, DOCX, DOT, FLIPCHART, GDOC, GIF, HTM, INK, JPG, JPEG, KEY, KID, KEYNOTE, MOV, MPEG, MPG, MP3, MP4, M4A, M4V, NOTEBOOK, NUMBERS, ODS, ODT, PAGES, PDF, PNG, PPT, PPTX, PSD, PUB, RTF, TIF, TXT, WAV, WMV, XLS, XLSX, ZIP. 

VIDEO
Check out our related video - My File Library (1:35) - as you review this topic.

Select My File Library from your side navigation. 

 Navigation: -> My Info -> My Information -> My File Library

The “All Files”, "My Files" and "Organization Files" sections are listed on the left side of the page.

• "My Files" includes any files you already uploaded
• "Organization Files" displays any district-provided material.

Each section lists a file's name, type, size, and file status (In Progress or Date Added). To add a personal file to your file library, click on the Upload a File button and select the file to upload.

The document then displays in the "My Files" list. 

Forms that allow attachments indicate the availability of the document and can be checked off to attach to the form.

 

Editing

To modify a file, click the  Edit icon that corresponds to it. You can then modify the file name, cancel, archive, or delete. To save your changes, click the green checkmark.

To view and subsequently make changes to archived files, select the  View Archived Files checkbox.

Sorting

Files can be sorted, as needed. Click the File Name (A-Z) dropdown to select a filter option.

 

Log in to Frontline and then Click here

PLM Orientation for Learners - VIDEO

This panel explains how to approve requests. This workflow is applicable once a staff member submits a request form and the system routes that request to the appropriate approver. The approver is then required to log in and review/approve the request, as described below.

 Access & Visibility: Access to approval queues requires a role assignment, such as the Approvers/EEM Observers preconfigured role. Contact your Organization Administrator for more information.
 

Navigation: -> Administration -> Pending Approvals

An Admin can potentially enable email notifications via an Approver's profile settings. If enabled, the system sends that Approver a daily email reminder about any remaining, pending approvals.
 

When a request form requires attention, it will automatically appear in that Approver's appropriate pending approval section (i.e.: Forms Pending Prior Approval). These forms can be approved in one of two ways.

Option 1: Full Form Approval (Recommended)

To fully review the request, click the title of the activity on the Forms Pending Prior Approval list. (*Selection of the submitter's name will show that user's portfolio).

The request form will open. Review the request form and make edits, as needed. The following are a few important areas to note:

Expenses

In the "Administrator’s Section" under Financial Summary, expenses can be reviewed. Any fees associated with the request are input by the submitter and shown in the "Requested" column. These fees are automatically populated in the "Approved" column and can be reviewed and updated, as needed.

The descriptions listed in the "Financial Summary" and "Expenses" sections can differ depending on how the fees are configured on the form.

Final Approval

The final approver can review the "Requested" and "Approved" columns and make final adjustments as needed before approving the request for final credit.

Notes
At the bottom of the form, notes can be written to other Admins, as well as the requester.

Request-related actions items can then be selected. These options include the following: 

Action Items

Once finished, a confirmation screen will indicate that the form was successfully processed.

Option 2: Quick Approve

A small green "A" icon indicates that the request form is eligible for one-click Quick Approval. This "A" icon enables request approval without having to view the form.

Quick approvals are not generally recommended in most cases. Each district can choose whether to provide a quick approval, and Final approvals will never offer this option. In addition, the quick approval will not work if you have integrated it with the Absence Management solution.
 

This panel explains how to view your recent approvals using a "View History" option on the Pending Approvals page. This will allow you to review your recent approval history and the status of associated requests. 

Access & Visibility: Access to Pending Approvals requires the Approvers role. Contact your Organization Administrator for more information.

VIDEO
Check out our related video -  Approval Queue History & Preferences (1:13) - as you review this topic.

 Navigation: -> Administration -> Pending Approvals

• Locate "Forms Pending Prior Approval."
• Click the  Gear icon in the top right of the table.
• Click the View History link.

This selection will open the Approval History page. From here, you can:

Use an approval type dropdown, an approval date range, and an optional last name to review your recent approval history and the status of the associated requests.
Click Search to locate the approval and view results.

 

Dr. McGee Never Makes Mistakes. :-)

The Professional Learning Management system determines who receives forms for approval based on the requester's building/department settings, in conjunction with possible static approvers on the form itself.

VIDEO
Check out our related video -  Redirecting Approval Requests (1:52) - as you review this topic.

How a Problem Occurs

• If the requester has the incorrect building/department settings in their User Profile, their forms will be routed incorrectly.
• If the submitter completed the wrong form, the submission may follow a different approval process than intended.

Consider the following solutions to address these scenarios:

Resolving a Request Received in Error
If you receive an approval request from someone in error, we recommend you resolve it in one of two ways:

Option 1: Deny the Request

When denying the request, leave comments in the "Comments to the Requester" section to indicate that they need to update their User Profile and then resubmit the request.

Option 2: Forward the Request

If you know who the approver should be, use the Add a One-Time Approver feature located in the Administrator's section of the approval request form.This option would still require you to approve the request; however, you are adding the correct approver to the route after you approve the request.

• The "Before Me" selection will prompt the system to temporarily bypass you and send the request to the selected approver. Once that person then approves, the system will return the request to you for approval.
• The "After Me" selection requires that you provide approval first. Once this is complete, the system will route the request to the approver you have selected (via the dropdown). 

*Be sure to leave comments in the "Your Comments to Administrators" section (at the end of the form) to inform the appropriate Admin that they need to advise the requester to update their user profile (so future requests will route correctly).

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Videos for Approvers

This panel explains how to view the details for an activity in which you are designated as the Instructor.

 Navigation: -> Activities -> Instructor Tools
From the Instructor Tools page, reference the list of activities in which you are designated as the Instructor and select an activity from the list. Access: If you do not see any options, or an activity is not listed, it is most likely because you were not added as the Instructor. Contact your organization's professional development office for assistance.
 

The selection of an activity will cause the Attendance tab to open where you can take attendance.

Activity Functions     

Activity Function	Description
Bulk Actions Dropdown	Bulk Mark Attendance: Allows you to apply hours in bulk for all or specific meeting dates for selected users. Email Participants: Send an email to all or selected participants directly from the Attendance tab.  Managing Attendance as an Instructor | Emailing Participants as an Instructor
Activity Options Dropdown	Preview Activity: Allows you to see the activity as it is published in the activity. Evaluation Results: Review activity evaluation status and feedback.  Accessing Activity Evaluation Results: Instructor
Print Sign-in Sheet	Allows a PDF sign-in sheet to be created and printed.  Printing a Sign In Sheet as an Instructor
Team Room	This feature is enabled by the Catalog Admin and allows you, the Instructor, to participate and review dialogue and documents shared in the shared space for that activity.   Team Room Usage
Add Participants	This feature is an additional permission assigned to your role by your Organization Administrator and allows you to add participants to the roster on or after the activity date. *An additional preference is also needed to add participants before the activity start date, which is determined by your organization.  Adding Participants to an Activity as an Instructor

 

This panel explains how Instructors can print sign-in sheets to track attendance and participation for an activity. The sign-in sheet can be customized to include specific participant details and meeting information.

 Navigation: -> Activities -> Instructor Tools
On the Instructor Tools page, select the activity related to the sign in sheet you want to print.

After selecting the activity, you will be directed to that activity's Attendance tab. Select Print Sign-In Sheet.

Select the Meeting Date(s) dropdown to display the meeting date(s) on the sign-in sheet. Then, choose the data to display on the sign-in sheet.

• Staff ID: The staff/employee ID of the participant, as it is set up in their User Info form.
• Certification ID: The certification ID of the participant.
• In/Out: The participant's check in/out time if they used the check in/check out feature on a mobile device/computer.
• Job Title: The participant’s job title as it is set up in their PG User Info form.
• Signature: A line available for the participants signature, if applicable.
• Custom: A custom line if additional information is needed on the sign in sheet.

 
A blank sign-in sheet can be printed if no participants are enrolled.
Click the Confirm button to generate a PDF. The PDF can be saved or printed, as needed.

 

Navigation
To get started, go to the Instructor Tools page.

Navigation: -> Activities -> Instructor Tools

On the Instructor Tools page, you will see a list of activities where you are assigned as the Instructor. Select an activity to begin.If you do not see any options or a specific activity listed, review the date range and update as needed, or reach out to your Organization Administrator for assistance.
 

 

Taking Attendance

After selecting the activity, you will be directed to the Attendance tab where you can review and update attendance.

The attendee list is pre-populated with the number of hours per meeting. Review and adjust, as needed, by entering the updated hours directly into the field. Your entries will save automatically.

 

Bulk Adjustments

To make bulk adjustments, click the checkbox beside participants, or, select all users by clicking the checkbox beside the Name column. Then, click the Bulk Actions dropdown and select Bulk Mark Attendance.

By default, the Meeting Date(s) dropdown is set to All meeting dates; select specific dates, if needed. Enter the meeting duration; then, click Apply Changes to save.

 

Confirm Attendance

Once attendance has been reviewed and adjusted (if needed), select the Review Complete button to confirm.The Review Complete button will not appear until after  the meeting date(s). For activities with multiple meetings, only select this option once attendance has been reviewed and updated for all  meetings.

The Attendance tab will display a    checkmark to indicate that attendance has been completed.

Additional Resources:

• Adding Participants to an Activity as an Instructor
• Managing Activities as an Instructor

Accessing Activity Evaluation Results
 Access & Visibility: Access to Evaluation Results requires a PG Role, including the Meeting Management permission. Contact your Organization Administrator for more information.
As an Instructor, you can access an activity's evaluation results through the Meetings tab.

 Navigation: -> Activities -> Instructor Tools

Click the activity title affiliated with the results you want to view. Once opened, select the Activity Options dropdown (located to the right of the activity title) and select Evaluation Results.

This selection opens a new page. Select the Results button to view evaluation results.At least two responses must be submitted to view evaluation results.

Select the Completion Status button to view each participant's completion status for the activity.

 

Monitoring Evaluation Statuses in a Roster

To track the progress of activity evaluations, navigate to the Roster tab within the selected activity.

 Navigation: Activities -> Enrollment Tools
Click the gear icon and add a new column to include Evaluation Status.

Updating the column will apply the change across all your rosters.
The column title displays as "Evaluation Status" and contains a green check mark for anyone who has submitted their Evaluation Form. Hover over the check mark icon to display the completion date (if completed).

 

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Videos for Instructors

This panel explains Activity functionality for Catalog Admins. Focus areas include activity creation, permission/visibility options, navigation, and other important settings.

 Quick Navigation Tips:

   To create activities, Catalog Admins will go directly to Activities > Add/Edit Activities; select Create Activity.

Blended learning

This term describes the combination of two legacy activity types: Online Learning Programs (OLPs) and face-to-face Meetings. Blended learning offers a more linear path to manage all activity types.

The following permissions are required for Catalog Admins to access the options mentioned below. Please reach out to your Organization Administrator if you require assistance with permissions or access.

Permissions	Actions	Access
Activity Management	Can Create Activity   Can Edit Activity	Activities > Add/Edit Activities
Meeting Management	Can View Meetings   Can Mark Attendance	Meetings tab in an activity   Attendance tab in an activity
Roster Management	Can Update Status   Can Award Hours/Credits	Roster tab in an activity
*Register	Can Add Participants	Attendance tab in an activity   Roster tab in an activity

    *The ability to pre-register is based on a District Profile setting.

Adding Activities

Access the Add/Edit Activities option in your application's side navigation to create or manage activities.

 Access & Visibility: Access to Add/Edit Activities requires a role that includes the Activity Management permission.

1.  Navigation:
2. Activities
3. Add/Edit Activities

The Published tab opens by default. From here, you will see a list of activities created by any users at your organization who also have the Activity Management permission. The page also includes a Drafts and Archived tab, which will host your related drafts or archived activities. 

You can either create an activity or select an existing activity link from the list to manage the activity's details, as needed. Remember to use the filter options to narrow activity results (e.g., Date Range, Program, Building, Activity Format, etc.).

Creating an Activity

Click the Create Activity button in the upper right. Enter an activity name, along with the start and end date. Then, select the program where the activity should be listed in your catalog and click Create.

Once the activity has been created, you will add your activity details. These are organized by tab:

• Activity Settings: Details about the overall activity
• Steps: Resources for asynchronous learning
• Meetings: In person or virtual meetings

Required fields will be marked with an (*) asterisk, and these must be completed before the activity can be published. Click the tabs below to for more information on each.

 

Activity Settings Tab

On the Activity Settings tab, select the following dropdowns to understand each section of an Activity Profile form.

Some sections may differ based on the program and/or organization's preferences.

Activity Information Section

 

Session Dates and Information Section

This section allows you to determine the date(s), time(s), and location(s) for the activity session(s).

Start Date of Blended Learning End Date of Blended Learning	Blended Learning must have a Start/End Date range. Face-to-face meetings should be created in the Meetings tab. The Start Date will be locked once registration begins.

 

This section allows you to determine when the activity is visible to learners in your catalog.

Start/Stop Showing On	These dates allow you to control when the activity will appear in the catalog. It may be helpful to think of it as when registration opens and ends. *Note the default time is midnight.

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Provider Information Section

This section allows you to determine provider information.

Provider*	Choose from the dropdown to indicate the Provider affiliated with this activity. If the provider is not on the list, you can either add them to your Providers list or mention them in your description.

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Registration and Approval Settings Sections

This section allows you to manage registration and approval settings.

Process Registrations On*	Determines the registration form for the activity. The dropdown lists available registration forms in your organization. Sample forms include: In-District PD Request Form (no subs) In-District PD Request Form (subs needed) Online Content Registration Form
Form Approval Required*	Determines registration approval options for the activity.  Toggled Off: Can register immediately w/ no approval.  Toggle On: Needs approval in PLM to fully register. Note the following: Approval process/routing are set on the form you selected in the "Process Registrations On" field. Form Approval Required MUST be toggled on when using Absence Integration. Pre-Registration will bypass the approval process.
Allow Quick Approval*	Allows approvers with the Quick Approve permission to use a "one-click" approval without having to open the form.
User Can Edit Form*	Allows learners to view and add information to the registration form, as needed.

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Participants Section

This section allows you to determine participant parameters for the activity.

Max Participants*	Upper limit for registration; activity registration will close once reached.
Min Participants	Optional field for information/reporting purposes.
Max # Wait List	Total allowed on wait list for full activities. When selected, PLM automatically adds learners from the wait list as registrants drop the course. *Be generous with the maximum, as it cannot be increased later.

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Event Section

This section allows you to determine event affiliations.

Event this activity is part of	Select the event related to this activity.

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Activity Resources Section

This section allows you to select activity-specific evaluations, in addition to your form-specific evaluation.

Activity Evaluation	Select the applicable activity evaluation.
Enable Team Room Discussion	Select the toggle to enable team room discussion.
Enable Team Room File Sharing	Select the toggle to enable team room file shares.

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Activity Owner/Instructor(s) Section

This section allows you to designate instructors and/or activity owners for the activity.

Activity Owner	Provides access to the activity from the Enrollment Tools List view. Only users who possess the Roster Management permission will appear in the dropdown. An Activity Owner has the same activity access as an Instructor, with two additional abilities: Can complete activities, granting credits. Can archive the activity, once complete.
Instructors	Provides access to the Instructor Tools List view for this activity, including ability to view rosters, print sign-in sheets, and designate attendance for learners. You do not have to designate an instructor if there are no associated meetings with the activity.

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Purposes Section

This section allows you to designate if the hours/credits should be applied to a configured purpose.

Purposes	Indicates reportable reasons users are engaging in the professional learning. Purposes are "buckets" that will calculate the total hours/credits earned thus far. Examples include:   Recertification   Salary Movement   Compliance   District Required PD

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Goals and Objectives Section

This section allows you to determine options related to goals and objectives.

Select Objective(s)	Activities can be aligned to your organization goals; this helps learners connect with activities related to goals and is also reportable in PLM.

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 Pro Tip

The act of aligning goals to activities enhances the My Growth Journey view for users, allowing visibility into how activities align with organization goals.

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Restriction Sections

These sections allow you to designate restrictions for the activity.

Building(s) Restrictions	Check the buildings for which this activity is targeted. If open to all staff, leave all options unchecked.
Department(s) Restrictions	Check the departments for which this activity is appropriate. If open to all staff, leave all options unchecked.
Grade(s) Restrictions	Check the grades for which this activity is appropriate. If open to all staff, leave all options unchecked.
Group(s) Restrictions	Check the groups for which this activity is appropriate. If open to all staff, leave all options unchecked.

 

 

 

 Note on Annotations

Annotations can be added after  an activity is published. Annotations appear in a catalog and call attention to your activity. To add an annotation, click the Activity Options dropdown on the Activity page (upper right) and select Add/Edit Annotations. In the pop-up, click +Add and choose the Order, Annotation, and Color. Then, click Update. Once added, annotations will appear in the Catalog, in the Activity Creation workflow, and on a user’s Launch Page.

Publishing Activities

Before publishing, please review the activity information, including any steps and/or meetings. This is recommended, as some items such as steps are not editable once learners enroll. *If you are not ready to publish, you can alternately save the activity as a draft and return to it at a later time via the Drafts tab on the main Activity page.

Once you have configured all the settings and added all the Steps and Meetings to your satisfaction, click Publish Activity. The activity will be made available in the catalog based on the Catalog Start Showing Date, determined in Activity Settings.

Editing Activities

Published activities can be managed from the Published tab on the Add/Edit Activities page. Select an activity link to review the activity details.

If changes are made following enrollment, Super User Actions may be required.

A selected Activity will include a series of options and tabs which host activity-related tasks.

• Activity Options: Preview Activity, Add/Edit Annotation, Cancel Activity, Archive Activity, View Evaluation Results, View Change Log, and Super User Actions.
• Activity Settings, Steps, Meetings, Attendance, and/or Roster tabs: Manage activity-related fields.