Totara 11: What’s New?

With the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) coming into force on 25th of May 2018 for all EU countries, it’s vital organisations can fulfil their requirements. Totara Learn 11 features a range of data protection features and user data management tools to ensure your organisation’s learning management system supports GDPR compliance. Totara Learn also offers a range of new functionality in this latest release for administrators, course managers and learners alike.

Site Policy

The new Site Policy feature will allow organizations to create a site-wide use policy that users must review and agree or decline — with all responses recorded. Versioning allows organisations to update policies as required, and users are able to visit a dedicated Site Policy page and amend their agreement if necessary.

Data Access and Import

Administrators will have the ability to export all data that is linked to a given user, with the option to review the data prior to transmitting to the individual.

This export file will allow the individual to review what type of personal data is processed within their Totara Learn site and reconcile this information with their version of the Site Policy. For example, from the exported file, a user will be able to see that the platform is processing items such as quiz answers, 360° feedback responses, course enrollments, progress and completions, site logins etc.

Data Portability

While the data export feature will provide all user data in a consistent format that allows for porting of data, existing functionality within Totara Learn allows key learning data to be exported in a more ‘human readable’ format, via the Report Builder and Record of Learning areas.

Data Retention and Deletion

Totara Learn will provide administrators with the ability to create and manage multiple ‘Purge Types.’ Each Purge Type will have an individual configuration, specifying the retention, deletion or anonymization requirements of various user data types throughout the system. Users may have a Purge Type applied to their account so their data will be processed in accordance with an organization’s data retention requirements.

Iain Napier, Director of Product Management at Totara Learning, said:

“Working closely with our Totara Partners across the EU, we have taken a proactive approach to supporting the rights mandated by the GDPR within the Totara Learn 11 release ahead of the regulation coming into effect in May. Organisations running our software will have the flexibility to control notifications to users about how their data will be used, give users access to the data held about them and also manage the scenarios where an organisation no longer needs to hold personal data.”

[Download the full info sheet here]