Author: Mariela Alba

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Coaches News Referees Release Notes

Release Notes 2022.04

Global

What’s new

  • We are excited to introduce new landing pages. These posts include any news or announcements related to coaching education and the referee program.
  • We have implemented interactive tooltips for available courses.
  • In courses, in the group discussion thread, there will now be the capability to tag messages as important. In this case an exclamation mark icon will appear, as well as the ability to filter the messages by only those marked with is icon.

What’s Updated

  • We have made improvements to the UI in applications and assignments to make it easier for users.
  • Notifications: for events that have already ended users will get a message that says “the event has ended”.
  • We have added a feature to allow applicants to request permission to review their application when the status of the application is ”submitted”, “ready for review” or ”reviewed”.
  • We have added more filters to the group libraries in courses so users can find files more easily.
  • The course details button has been made more visible to help users understand that they can click this icon to learn more about a specific course.
  • Quizzes will show both the question and answer when answered incorrectly so users can review.
  • In the course assignments tab, where an icon indicates the type of assignment, we have added text to make it clearer.
  • In all course classrooms, we have made the general contact email address more visible.

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Coaches News Referees Release Notes

Release notes 2022.03

Global

What’s New

  • We are happy to introduce a digital ID card that is located on your LC profile. The ID card will display your name, USSF ID, the date the carded was generated and QR code that leads to the directory. This card is PDF downloadable.
  • We have added the ability for course administrator to reuse locations from past courses.

What’s updated

  • In course classroom, adjustments to the language in the ‘compliance assignment’ were made to make it clearer, to candidates, what happens if those assignments expire before the course is complete.
  • In the calendar view, we have replaced “course event” to the event title.
  • We have discontinued the ability to open past completed records of safety assignments in the archive. This includes SafeSport and intro to safety. There will be a warning message for those that want to access that information again.
  • The email requestor for a potential profile merge will receive an email if the request is canceled.
  • In the registration modal, there is now a clear message and checkbox with the cancellation and refund policy.
  • Profiles with no updates within 6 months will get a popup indicating if there are any changes they would like to make.

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Release Notes

Release Notes – 2022.02

Global

What’s New

  • The notification center will now notify you when there are chat video calls, you have any course surveys, if you are awarded a scholarship, if you have an upcoming event on a course or group calendar, when your assignments are due and for unread messages.

What’s Updated

  • Improved visibility for verified email addresses by adding a checkmark and a tooltip displaying the time it was verified.
  • In the supervised course list and admin course list there is now a filter to allow search by course number.
  • Added text to the welcome email which includes adding notifications@learning.ussoccer.org to your safe senders. This address is where all auto emails from the LC will come from.
  • We have added calendar functionality in standalone groups.
  • We have added help text to reports to give a better understanding of what the report includes, and how it is filtered.

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Coaches News Referees

U.S. Soccer Directory

Directory – Overview

The health and safety of anyone who participates in soccer is of paramount importance to us at U.S. Soccer. Licensing, regulatory training, and background checks are all part of how we ensure everyone is part of a professional, safe environment no matter their age or level.

To that end, U.S. Soccer is pleased to announce the expanded capabilities of the Learning Center to include the U.S. Soccer Directory, a public directory service. The Directory will show, for any coach or referee in the Learning Center, the status of their current licensure, SafeSport training, and background check (where applicable). This tool is a way to drive transparency and accountability across the landscape; we believe empowering the public, our members, their clubs, and their participants with this information will make the sport better for everyone. U.S. Soccer does not endorse coaches; this tool simply verifies if a coach or referee has taken educational instruction from U.S. Soccer.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Who is listed in the directory? 
A: Any coach or referee who has an active profile in the Learning Center. 

Q: What information will be displayed? 
A: The Directory will display all currently active licenses earned through U.S. Soccer, and any SafeSport and Background Check successfully completed through the Learning Center.

Q: Will using the directory require a Learning Center account 
A: No, anyone may access and search it. It is a publicly available tool. 

Q: Is any personally identifiable information (PII) included in the search results? 
A: No. Only general information (name and USSF ID) and current licensing / training / screening status are shown.  

Q: What will display for minors? 
A: Any active licenses will display. For risk management it will state:
– Background check is not required for persons under 18
– SafeSport Training is not required for persons under 18

Q: What are the search terms that will be used? 
A: Anyone may search by USSF ID or Email or First Name, Last Name, and State. If the individual does not have this information, then the directory will be unable to return accurate results. If there are multiple matching results when using First Name, Last Name, and State search criteria, the Directory will return all matching results. 

Note: The email used to search the Directory must match the email address that was used by the coach / referee to register in the Learning Center. 

Q: What if I am not able to confirm a coach or referee by First Name, Last Name, and State? 
A: We recommend you search by U.S. Soccer ID or by email. Coaches and referees may live in a different state than they work in so be sure you have your search criteria accurate.  

Q: What are reasons I may not be able to locate the coach or referee in the directory?
A: There may be several scenarios for not being able to complete your search:

  • Incorrect Search Terms
  • The coach / referee may not have earned a U.S. Soccer license
    • A coach may have earned a license and not uploaded their license (this would only be for E or D levels) or the coach’s profile is different than your search criteria.
    • A referee may have earned a license and not uploaded their license or the referee’s profile is different than your search criteria. Or their license may not be active.

Q: Who can I contact if I am unable to confirm a coach or referee’s license?
A: We recommend contacting the member organization that registered the coach or referee: https://www.ussoccer.com/organization-members

Q: Who can I contact if I believe a search result and profile are missing information?
A:  If you are looking for yourself, please contact learningcentersupport@ussoccer.org. If you are looking for another individual, please contact that person to have them contact the Learning Center.

Q: Does the directory share if a coach or referee is, or has been, suspended before?
A: No. The directory only shows current data.

Below are FAQs specific to coaches and referees

Q: Am I able to see all licenses the coach or referee has earned?
A: All currently active licenses will display in the Directory.

Q: Does the directory list a license a coach or referee has earned outside the US?
A: No. The directory hosts data only on licenses earned with U.S. Soccer.

Q: Does the directory list courses a coach or referee is actively participating in?
A: No. The directory does not display information on active courses; it will only display completed and active licenses.

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Coaches Referees Release Notes

Release Notes – 2022.01

Global

What’s New

  • We are pleased to announce that with the release of 2022.01, the Learning Center has added a Public Directory. In the directory you will be able to search coaches and referees who have active licenses. The directory can be found at the top navigation bar on the homepage. We strongly encourage everyone to read the information here for more details and FAQs: https://cms.ussdlc.com/u-s-soccer-directory/
  • We have also added a notification center, this can be found on the top navigation bar, shown as a bell. Currently, only notifications regarding safety courses will appear. More notifications may be added in future releases.

What’s Updated

  • We’ve added a dedicated section for “My Applications” to provide better instructions and process tracking for users applying to courses.
  • There is now an option to create recurring events in course calendars.
  • The option to enter a middle name in the sign-up form is now available.
  • We have added additional backend resources to make reports more reliable.
  • The roster report can now be downloaded in course editor so it is easier to access for course administrators
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Coaches Referees Release Notes Safeguarding

Release Notes – 2021.05

Global

What’s New

  • We are pleased to announce that with the release of 2021.05, the Learning Center is now integrated with the new Learning Management System (Absorb) at the U.S. Center for SafeSport. While the primary work is complete, there will be some data processing that continues through this week, and we strongly encourage everyone to read the information here for more details and FAQs: SafeSport Transition
  • We have introduced a new directory for members who hold courses via the Learning Center. You’ll find it under the Info–>Hosts main menu. Member admins also have the ability to update this information as needed.

What’s Updated

  • We have improved the logic / messaging around the Introduction to Safe and Healthy Playing Environments course to to make it clearer when that needs to be re-taken and to prevent erroneous error messages from being displayed. As a reminder, that training is good for 365 days from the date is completed, and must be retaken to remain active on your profile.
  • Calendar events now show the timezone in which the event is scheduled.
  • The classroom assignment matrix has been updated with new colors and shading to make it clearer what status each assignment is in.
  • Assignments now respect the order in which they appear in the evaluation as a primary sort (when there are no due dates) or as a secondary sort (when multiple assignments share the same due date).
  • The “chatbot” features of the Learning Center have been deprecated, and users can link directly to the FAQs via the Help menu.

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Coaches Referees Safeguarding

SafeSport Transition Info and FAQs

Overview

The US Center for SafeSport has implemented a new learning management system (LMS) called Absorb for tracking training records. We have completed the integration of the Learning Center with this new system, but there are some important things to understand as there are significant changes to how we can help you with data about your training records.

FAQs

Q: What is the new SafeSport system?
A: SafeSport chose Absorb, a commercial Learning Management System, to manage all the training records they track. Taking or updating your SafeSport training via the Learning Center will automatically update their records in the new system; you do not need to go directly through their website to do your training or refreshers.

Q: How can I take SafeSport training?
A: The best way to take training is still via the Learning Center. We integrate with SafeSport’s system directly, but you may notice some slight changes when you launch the training — most notably that it will now open in a new browser tab.

Q: The Learning Center says “we are awaiting receipt of enrollment data”; what should I do?
A: Please contact us by email at learningcentersupport@ussoccer.org.

Q: I previously did my training on SafeSport’s website or via a different soccer-related website; what should I do?
A: U.S. Soccer has access to all soccer user data in Absorb. If your Learning Center profile shows your past SafeSport training, then no action is needed until your next refresher is due. If your Learning Center profile does NOT show your past soccer-related SafeSport training, then please contact us by email at learningcentersupport@ussoccer.org.

Q: I previously did my SafeSport training for a different sport (e.g. – hockey, swimming, etc.); what should I do?
A: You will need to contact the Center for SafeSport directly, and request that they connect your data to U.S Soccer. You can find the Center’s helpdesk here: Request SafeSport Support or you can call them at (720) 676-6417.

Q: The Learning Center is loading the wrong SafeSport course; what should I do?
A: SafeSport training consists of the core course and three refreshers which are taken consecutively. Because there are multiple ways you can take SafeSport, your data may be out of synch in their new LMS. Please complete the course being provided via the Learning Center, and your training requirement will be fulfilled.

Q: I can’t download my SafeSport training certificate from the Learning Center; what should I do?
A: Please contact us by email at learningcentersupport@ussoccer.org.

Q: I am experiencing a different technical problem while trying to take SafeSport training in the Learning Center; what should I do?
A: Please contact us via email at learningcentersupport@ussoccer.org with at least the following information:
* Your name and email (matching your Learning Center login)
* The device you are using to access the Learning Center (e.g. – laptop, phone, tablet, etc.)
* The browser you are using to access the Learning Center (e.g. – Chrome, Firefox, etc.)
* The exact text of any error or informational messages you received
* Screenshot(s) or other supporting information about the issue

We may need to follow up with you for more information or to request a live troubleshooting session. It will be very important that you respond to those requests in a timely manner so we can assist you.

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Coaches Referees Release Notes

Release Notes – 2021.04

Global

What’s New

  • We are pleased to announce that with the release of 2021.05, the Learning Center is now integrated with the new Learning Management System (Absorb) at the U.S. Center for SafeSport. While the primary work is complete, there will be some data processing that continues through this week, and we strongly encourage everyone to read the information here for more details and FAQs: SafeSport Transition
  • We have introduced a new directory for members who hold courses via the Learning Center. You’ll find it under the Info–>Hosts main menu. Member admins also have the ability to update this information as needed.

What’s Updated

  • We have improved the logic / messaging around the Introduction to Safe and Healthy Playing Environments course to to make it clearer when that needs to be re-taken and to prevent erroneous error messages from being displayed. As a reminder, that training is good for 365 days from the date is completed, and must be retaken to remain active on your profile.
  • Calendar events now show the timezone in which the event is scheduled.
  • The classroom assignment matrix has been updated with new colors and shading to make it clearer what status each assignment is in.
  • Assignments now respect the order in which they appear in the evaluation as a primary sort (when there are no due dates) or as a secondary sort (when multiple assignments share the same due date).
  • The “chatbot” features of the Learning Center have been deprecated, and users can link directly to the FAQs via the Help menu.
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Coaches Referees Release Notes

Release Notes – 2021.02

Global

What’s New

  • Payments made by credit card via the Learning Center now require the card CVV code and we have implemented the validation logic associated with that number.
  • Member admins can now view, process, and pay for discount codes used during the administration of their courses.
    • The new Admin–>Discounts menu shows discount codes in their various statues and Completed codes can be bundled together to create invoices.
    • Once an invoice is created, ACH payments can be made via the Admin–>Member Payments menu.
    • There are also methods for filtering codes by status, course, campaign, category, and more.
    • Discount codes campaigns beginning or after April of 2020 are available now to be processed / paid via the Learning Center. We will publish FAQ articles with more details on the features / functions of this tool in the coming days.
  • Inside course classrooms, candidates can now be assigned / re-assigned to instructors more effectively with the addition of a per-candidate “Assign” link. The assign link is available for any unassigned candidate and as a re-assign feature for any candidate who does not have a completed evaluation.
  • Member admins can now bulk update candidate statuses when they close courses. All candidates in the course who have not completed it when it is closed can be marked as either canceled or no-show automatically. If other statuses apply, those will still need to be managed on a candidate-by-candidate basis.

What’s Updated

  • Member admins will now see a total count of matching records on the Admin–>Licenses page. It is displayed above the filter block next to the Clear and Close buttons.
  • Users who create or update their profile will now have the zip code they enter validated against their country / state. Invalid codes will result in a message to the user to update it appropriately.

Referees

What’s New

  • The user profile now contains a “Download Certification History” link that will output a PDF list of all historical licenses with dates. The report lists
    • Certification year
    • License
    • Issuer
    • Issue Date
    • Expiration date
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Coaches Referees Release Notes

Release Notes – 2021.01

Global

What’s New

  • User Calendar – an all new calendar feature has been implemented for both the user and in courses. You’ll find it as a new tab in the course classroom and under the Profile menu. This calendar:
    • Automatically shows upcoming assignments, meetings, and course events
    • Automatically shows upcoming expiry or renewal dates for licenses (if applicable) and safety certifications
    • Allows course instructors to create course specific events and schedules from inside the classroom
    • Allows users to synchronize the calendar with their mobile device.
    • NOTE — mobile device synchronization is very specific to the user’s choice of platform and they will need to set that synchronization up themselves. It’s also common for updates to calendar events to have delays in synchronization — this is a function of the external calendar providers (Google, Apple, etc.) and not the Learning Center. We strongly recommend candidates refer to the course calendar as the most up to date information.
    • The Resources–>Schedule and Planning Tools calendars have been disabled.
  • User Email Control – on each user’s profile, in the notifications tab you are now able to selectively unsubscribe from emails generated by the Learning Center.
    • There are some emails that cannot be unsubscribed from because they are regulatory or transactional in nature
    • They are:
      • Receipts for any payment a user makes
      • Notifications regarding compliance requirements such as:
        • SafeSport training
        • Background screenings
      • Time-sensitive notifications such as:
        • Assignment deadlines
        • Status changes in a course
        • Notifications when your action is required

What’s Updated

  • New user sign up – a confirmation dialogue will now appear asking them to confirm their name, email(s), and date of birth. This should help eliminate any data entry errors and cut down on account duplication. The system also automatically checks for duplicate email(s) and will flag the user if a matching account is found.
  • User profile – a list of the allowed file types for profile pictures is now displayed to the user. They are: .png, .jpg, .jpeg, .bmp, and .tif
  • Course search – now includes an option to search by the language flag set when the course was created.
  • Groups tool – group admins who start a new conversation now have the option to make it “Announcements Only”. This means the conversation is one direction, and only group admins can post messages there. No replies are allowed.
  • Course editor – a warning is now shown if the course does not have a valid price package.

Referees

Whats Updated

  • License report – now includes an option to show suspended licenses only.