Custom Learning Profiles

Ashley Falloure

I am working with our Student Services dept to get Learning profiles set up for our support plans (IEPs essentially). However, I have a few questions and seeking support (cannot find this on the help threads):

1. LPs are requiring us to select a diagnosis and an area being affected, however this is a limited list. Can we customize this or create an “other” option for us to manually enter the diagnosis and area(s) affected?
2. Who is able to access these learning profiles-- ALL teachers on campus, or only teachers of record (and admins, etc)?
3. does it create an indicator on the roster for the teacher to quickly identify whether a student is being supported by a Support Plan (IEP)?

I have manager access, but do not know where to start with this. Thank you in advance!

Shannon Krise

@Ashley Falloure

1. You can edit the list available by going to Academics>Learning Center>Learning profile form fields (on the right under “Settings.”) Scroll down to the diagnosis area and then edit to make changes to that list.
2. “Teacher” here refers to any teacher with that student on their roster not “All School Teacher.”
3. There is a blue LP indicator on the student's roster tile (similar to the medical one) when they have an active learning profile.
   

Ashley Falloure

@Shannon Krise Thank you. I have it all set up now, however we had our learning specialist upload an IEP to the learning profile, but I am having trouble with teachers being able to see the uploaded file. They are only able to see the learning profile (not attached documents). Do you have any experience with this?

Michael Morrissette

Hi @Ashley Falloure -

I can comment on this.

For the time being, uploaded files are only visible to Learning Profile Managers and Learning Profile Staff. Uploaded files are not yet sharable, but we do have plans to eventually add an option to make these files visible to faculty. No timeline on a release of that given feature, but it is the next step in the evolution of our learning profile module. For now, faculty can only generate the actual learning profile itself, not any attachments.

Mike Morrissette
Product Manager, LMS

Ashley Falloure

@Michael Morrissette
Thank you for clarifying-- maybe you can help me with a workaround? I need to be able to upload a file somewhere that is only available to be viewed by certain permissions (teacher of record, advisors). We can still use the Learning Profiles to “tag” the students in Blackbaud, but we do not have a way to have teachers view their Student Support Plans (IEPS) that are PDFs within Blackbaud. Any ideas?

Shannon Krise

@Ashley Falloure If the access you need to grant is something simple like Teacher or Advisor, then you should be able to set up user files in Core for this. Here are some guidelines/instructions:

I believe you could also upload a file in the testing area. I haven't done this, so I'm less certain about how the permissions would be handled. I don't know if there are access options when you set up a test type or if you would need to control access to files uploaded there through Roles & Tasks. I do know that we were unable to use this option for ERB tests because we could not publish files uploaded there to parents. Some information if you want to pursue this option (uploading a file is mentioned under “Enter test scores for an individual student”):

Kristi Romanik

@Ashley Falloure Hi Ashley! We have a specific Folder setup under Manager user files for Testing and Evaluations that only a certain group has access to. I cloned the Attendance Manager role and killed all access except to People > Academic Profile > View Performance and that works for the user to view Files & Forms under the Faculty persona > Directory > Progress. I hope this helps!

Jaime Guarnaccia

@Michael Morrissette Thank you for this update and we are really excited for when it rolls out that faculty can generate the learning profile and the attachments.

Zara Berger

I’m fairly new here, but I’ve been following this thread because it relates closely to something my family is dealing with. My brother recently started managing a small nonprofit initiative, and one of the biggest challenges has been keeping volunteers engaged through proper training and knowledge sharing. We’ve tried using basic tools, but they don’t scale well. Has anyone here looked into custom learning platforms or LMS solutions for nonprofits? I’d really value any insights or recommendations.

Maryann Cummiskey

Has there been an update to allowing teachers to view Uploaded FEPs for a students under Learning Profiles? The "uploading documents" became a feature last spring but it looks like only Learning Profile Managers can view these documents, even if Teacher View is checked off. Our teachers need to be able to view these attached documents.

Any assistance you can offer would be appreciated.

Robert Hanson

https://community.blackbaud.com/discussion/comment/306716#Comment_306716

In my experience with nonprofit training,the key is designing a clear structure before layering technology.Start by mapping the volunteer journey from onboarding to advanced roles,then create short repeatable modules with clear outcomes.Include practical case studies and reflection tasks,not just theory.Assign mentors to reinforce learning and schedule regular feedback loops.Once this foundation is consistent,you can choose tools that support modular design,track completion,and allow scaling without overwhelming volunteers.

Stasy Forester

I completely relate to what you’re describing. Nonprofits often face the challenge of keeping training consistent and engaging without overwhelming staff or volunteers. A structured journey and bite-sized modules are definitely the right approach. At some point, though, it helps to explore custom LMS options that can adapt to the unique needs of a nonprofit. If you’re curious, you might want to check this out: https://aristeksystems.com/industries/custom-lms-development/ — it gives a good sense of how tailored solutions can support growth.

piter Paterson

I completely agree that defining the volunteer journey before choosing tools is essential. In our organization, we initially focused on technology and quickly realized it didn’t solve the deeper issue of inconsistent learning paths. Once we mapped out each stage — from onboarding to advanced engagement — everything started to make more sense. Volunteers now have a clearer understanding of expectations and growth opportunities, and our retention rates improved.

Thomas Williams

That’s such an important discussion. From what I’ve seen, the biggest success factor in nonprofit training is keeping learning both structured and personal. We started integrating storytelling into our training modules — short real-life examples from experienced volunteers — and it made a huge difference in engagement. People connect more deeply when they see the impact of their work reflected in stories. Combining this with simple progress tracking tools keeps the process human yet organized, even as the program grows.

piter Paterson

I completely agree that defining the volunteer journey before choosing tools is essential. In our organization, we initially focused on technology and quickly realized it didn’t solve the deeper issue of inconsistent learning paths. Once we mapped out each stage — from onboarding to advanced engagement — everything started to make more sense. Volunteers now have a clearer understanding of expectations and growth opportunities, and our retention rates improved. A well-structured plan truly sets the stage for any LMS or training tool to work effectively