What's New in Totara 17

We’re thrilled to announce the release of version 17 of Totara’s Talent Experience Platform!

This latest release brings a whole host of improvements to Totara Learn, Totara Engage and Totara Perform, as well as sitewide improvements applied to the full Talent Experience Platform.

The latest version of the Totara Talent Experience Platform includes a number of exciting usability and user experience improvements, as well as a number of behind-the-scenes technical updates to help future proof your Totara site and ensure it can evolve and grow alongside your organization.

So without further ado, let’s get stuck in!

Performance UI/UX

User experience has been a key focus for Totara 17, with a number of updates to the performance activity dashboard. Users and managers can now see a quick overview of all their current performance activities or access more information with a single click.

Navigating through multi-stage performance activities such as appraisals and feedback forms is even easier with an enhanced navigation side panel, showing your current stage, the next stage and any key visibility settings.

Administrators also now have easy access to participant response data with exports available in csv or Excel format or the option to view responses within a live report. Further analysis of the exports can help identify trends across an organisation as well as opportunities for further supporting learning and development activities.

Bulk create competency achievement paths

The updates across Totara Perform also include a new feature for site administrators to outline the requirements for users to achieve proficiency levels in an assigned competency, in bulk.

Using the new copy/clone option, admins can replicate an achievement path from one competency to any others within the same framework.  This incredible time-saving tool has been designed to run on a scheduled basis, preventing any system slow-downs when setting up new or updating existing competencies.

New layout options

Creating easy-to-read and visually appealing content is now even easier within Totara Engage with updates across the Weka text editor. Featuring multiple column layout options, a simple image resizing and captioning feature and new text layouts and styles, users can keep breaking down knowledge silos through social learning and collaboration while flexing their creativity and design skills.

The Featured Links block, designed to help administrators quickly and easily create dynamic, graphical navigation and interest points has also been updated. A new alignment option provides the flexibility to arrange one or many navigation points or images across dashboards, site pages and courses, to ensure an attractive and professional-looking result.

Centralised Notifications

First introduced last year, the centralized notification system has seen a range of updates across our most recent updates and continues within version 17. Our modern approach to notifications creation and management sees the new option of multiple recipients of a single notification, providing streamlined administration of personalized messages.

The notifications system now also includes a range of logging tools allowing you to record, track audit and report on which notifications have been sent and received across the system. View event and delivery logs across the site, or drill down into an activity or to the user level to ensure admins, managers, trainers and learners are being kept up-to-date with the most relevant information.

Performance notifications

In order to take advantage of the flexibility, multi-language options and automation available within the centralized notifications system, we have migrated over all the messages and reminders previously created within Totara Perform.

As well as now being able to create system-wide defaults, site administrators can build customized and personalized notifications relating to specific performance activities to help guide users through their ongoing and tailored learning and development tasks.

Technical updates

Our latest release includes a new API to help build powerful connections between the Totara TXP and other business critical systems to ensure efficient administration of user information and a seamless learner experience.

Totara v17 also sees the next generation of the popular recommendations engine – the Machine Learning Service take over personalized course, workspace and microlearning recommendations for learners, while offering improvements across system efficiency and site performance.

As you can see there is still a lot to be excited about in version 17 of the Totara Talent Experience Platform! You can read more details on all of these improvements and new features in our Totara help documentation