Discover What's New in Totara v19

We’re excited to share the latest new features and functionality available in Totara version 19. From embracing collaborative learning, to a new look and feel, there’s plenty to get excited about. Our OpenAI Integration opens Totara up to an exciting AI-driven future, plus there are a number of UI, UX and API enhancements to explore.  

• Download the ‘What’s new in Totara 19’ PDF
• Join our demo on 5th February to see what’s new

Go beyond compliance training and embrace the power of collaborative learning as Totara brings LXP features into its core LMS.

Add collaborative learning features into your learner journey 

Totara’s range of collaborative learning tools encourage learners to engage on core topics in meaningful ways. It’s now easier than ever to include the power of collaborative learning into your learner journey.

Knowledge sharing, connecting with peers, and providing safe spaces to practice all help learners contextualise their learning content.  

V19 now includes features that enable collaborative learning as standard, helping you drive skill development, support practical, on-the-job application and help drive meaningful behaviour change: 

• Workspaces: Dedicated spaces for cohorts to share knowledge, ideas, and resources  
• Forums: Encourage your learners to share their experiences and discuss topics with their peers 
• User-generated content: Let your learners share the content they value the most by sharing resources, curating playlists and surveys. 

Note – Totara users on older versions may be familiar with these features under the name of  Totara ‘Engage’. These features now come as standard in Totara ‘Learn’ (our LMS), and we’ve made a number of small (but important) UX and UI improvements to offer a seamless experience: 

1. Improved workspace visibility and enhanced search functionality   

• Updated workspace tagging functionality ensures that Workspace names and descriptions are searchable in the catalogue.  
• A shared taxonomy across workspaces, resources, surveys and playlists create a more intuitive user experience for both learners and site administrators.  
• Sites can now tag both public and private workspaces. Learn more about tagging in Totara 

2. Add courses to workspace libraries

Workspace libraries and article content can now link to courses, offering a cohesive approach and enhancing learning paths. See help documentation. 

3. Workspaces can have multiple owners

Workspaces can now have multiple owners, reducing key-person dependency and making it easier for owners to nurture the right environment and carry out admin tasks.  

4. Improved filter options 

Discovering content in our ‘Explore’ catalogue is now more intuitive than ever thanks to our new unified search and filter panel.

A modern look and feel with the launch of our new user interface 

With new intuitive navigation and improved content discovery, we’ve enhanced the learner experience of Totara.  

Fewer clicks to access most-loved features 

We’ve focused on making it easier for learners to access the learning they need by surfacing core features (the ones that are used the most and have high impact on the learner experience). This means fewer clicks to access: 

• Catalogue 
• Record of learning 
• Your library 
• Your workspaces 
• Team (manager only) 

Enhanced content discovery to find the learning you need, when you need it 

Our new-look ‘Explore’ catalogue builds on our ‘fewer clicks’ principle by giving greater control to site-admins to curate the landing view for learners. The default view on the Explore landing page shows most ‘recently created’ learning.  

However, admins can choose to show tailored content to personalise the learner experience instead of the default view. For maximum impact, this catalogue block can be added to learner dashboard so it’s visible upon login. 

For example, you can display a catalogue of tailored content for ‘new starters’, which will only display if the learner is assigned as a new starter using Totara’s extensive ‘Audience’ functionality.  

Other enhancements to the Explore catalogue include: 

• Consistent search and filter options – Previously, some filters were located in a column to the side of results, some in a bar above results, with ‘Search’ and ‘Sort’ options also appearing in disconnected locations. Now, all search and filter options are co-located in a panel above all displayed results. 

• Simplified admin on “additional actions” – Additional page actions such as ‘Customise this page’ and ‘Configure catalogue’ have been moved into a dropdown menu, which can also allow for additional actions to be added without deteriorating the simplicity of the Explore Catalogue’s UX. 

Enhanced mobile experience  

We know that learning doesn’t just happen on your desktop. Our new UI enhances the mobile browser experience, supporting your learners to access the learning they need, when and where they need it. 

Our Inspire theme has embraced design principles that offer a sleek look and feel. The resulting ‘cleaner’ layout not only looks good on the eye, it has also been designed to enhance how Totara’s interface works on multiple device and screen sizes.  

Our Inspire theme can be configured to support sites that are frequently used on mobile – for example by setting default views on whether navigation items are expanded or collapsed. 

A sleeker look and feel with our Inspire theme  

V19 sees the roll out of our inspire theme as default for new sites. This includes an updated colour scheme, imagery on login and new styling on cards. 

As well as introducing a modern look and feel, v19 also supports the merge of our collaborative learning features (formerly Totara ‘Engage’) into our core LMS. 

Updated navigation 

Our new-look navigation is now located on the left-hand side of the user display. It can be expanded and collapsed, with default options to configure according to preference by site administrators.  

This step frees up valuable browser space (reducing instances of multiple rows of navigation items across the top of the browser). This in turn offers a better site structure experience for languages with higher wordcounts (as these would frequently extend to 2 or more lines of top-bar navigation labels). 

Setting the groundwork for future UI enhancements  

Our approach to both the UX and UI enhancements in v19 release are part of a longer-term strategy that sets the foundations for further future enhancements. 

For example, the styling on cards in v19 has been simplified for a cleaner look. They now support a wider range of common image sizes, making it easier to scan information ‘at a glance’, while creating a consistent look and feel between Library and Catalogue. 

We’ve also reworked the mechanics so they load faster – a small change that will make a big difference to larger sites.  

But it doesn’t stop there – these changes to cards have been made with future roadmap items in mind, such as rolling out the card formats to other areas on the site (programs, certifications etc.), and will also support further improvements to the cards themselves, such as bookmarking and adding in further custom actions. 

This is all part of a dedicated, long-term push to enhance the UI and UX across Totara. 

Reimagine your LMS experience with Totara’s OpenAI Integration. 

Totara and our Partner network are here to support your organisation’s AI strategy. Our OpenAI Integration is the first step in unlocking an exciting AI-driven future. Our plugin allows OpenAI’s LLM processor to work its magic using specified content and data within Totara’s LMS.  

AI has the power to drive L&D efficiencies and enhance the learner experience. There are endless possibilities of how this integration could be used in practice – you can see our prototype ‘course tag generator’ example on our Approach to AI page. This page also includes FAQs and explores our ‘human-centric AI principles’ in more detail. 

For inspiration, catch this webinar clip that shows how MaibornWolff and Totara’s Platinum Partner LearnChamp are developing an AI Learning Assistant that sits within Totara. 

Certification & Program improvements 

The learner view of programs and certifications has a fresh look. This makes it easier for learners to tell at a glance what actions are needed to complete a program or certification. 

We’ve also made some improvements that streamline admin workflows.  We’ve updated the workflow for handling fixed expiries on certifications, saving time from the manual workarounds that were previously required. 

You can also now duplicate an exisiting certification. This allows you to take a pre-existing certfication that is working well for you, duplicate and edit to quickly set up a new one. 

Learn how to clone a certification in our help guide. 

New course enrollment workflows 

We’ve enhanced the approval workflow to offer greater control to managers and supervisors who want to approve a request, before access is granted.  

This is particularly useful when there is a cost associated with the course, allowing the line manager to manage budget more efficiently. 

Learn more in our help documentation 

API enhancements that improve HRIS data flow 

Connecting your LMS to other systems and platforms in your learning ecosystem is key, with HRIS data playing a crucial role in offering personalised learning at scale.  

Our new APIs allow the people, position and organisation data in Totara to be automatically and accurately adjusted in line with your starters, movers and leavers (see PDF for further details). This reduces admin time by keeping learner profile information up to date, ensuring your automated workflows remain accurate.  

Next up, we’ll create corresponding actions and triggers for Workato to support HR and e-commerce integrations in v19. 

Improved goal functionality and Perform UX enhancements  

Empower your learners to achieve their goals with improved learning pathways 

Our goal enhancements help learners achieve their goals by providing clearer structure with easy access to required courses, while making it easier for managers to monitor, report and feedback on progress. 

Goals can now be broken down into tasks, providing a managed structure that can help your learners achieve their goals. You can link each task to relevant courses, which helps to embed goals into personalised learning pathways. Both learners and managers can now add comments to Totara goals, enabling better collaboration, feedback, and progress tracking. 

We’ve also made this easier to report on, with a new ‘report source’ of goal tasks and linked courses. This provides greater insights into progress and learning impact, including metrics such as goal completion rates and course utilisation. 

For pre-existing Totara Perform customers, the new Totara ‘goals transition mode’ makes it easier to make the switch, allowing you to start using the enhanced features of Totara goals, while preserving access to your legacy goals. 

Improved workflows for performance management reviews 

We’ve improved the workflows for both learners and administrators to make performance reviews more flexible and fit into the flow of daily work.  

Flexible editing enables progress to be updated ‘as you go’, making for a smoother review process (some of these fields were previously compulsory and non-editable after submission). This allows for status updates to be amended following manager feedback, with options to ‘manually close’ items upon completion.  

This manual closure option makes it easier for learners to skip ‘optional items’ and return to update actions at a later date. This allows users to provide updates or correct mistakes in their submitted competencies and goals, ensuring that performance activities are always accurate and up to date.   

Learners also have more flexibility to add or remove items like competencies, goals, and courses from performance activities that have been created and submitted, prior to the review process starting.  

We’ve also enhanced the administration flow for creating performance activities. The new flow reduces the number of clicks, with a revamped navigation panel that echoes the learner display and is more instinctive to follow.  

Additional Perform reporting enhancements 

• Question response reporting allows administrators to view and download response data for specific users, activities, or reporting IDs. 
• In addition, the enhanced multi-selection filter in the ‘Competency status’ report addresses the need for more efficient learner analysis. 
• We’ve made it simpler for you to identify groups of learners who share specific competencies, helping you to facilitate targeted support plans. 

Learn more on these Perform updates with our help guides: 

• How to add tasks to Totara goals 
• How to comment on Totara goals 
• Totara goals transition mode 
• Reporting on Totara goals 

Excited to explore how Totara can help transform your learning programs? Book a demo to learn more, or if you’re an existing customer and would like to upgrade, please contact your partner.