Category: Coaches

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Coaches News Referees Release Notes

Release Notes 2023.03

What’s New

  • On the user profile background check block, we added a downloadable PDF of the background check consent form.
  • In the classroom assignments tab, we added a progress bar above the assignment timeline. This bar will include completed assignments, remaining assignments, and an overall percentage of completion.
  • On the user profile page, we added a “group” tab for all non-course groups. This tab will show all groups user is a member or leader of and the date they were added.

What’s updated

  • We have extended the certification API to include total years as a referee license holder.
  • New dashboard widget for referee administrators labeled Referee Attrition. Please contact the referee department for further information.

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Coaches News Referees Release Notes

Release Notes 2023.02

What’s new

We are pleased to introduce the dashboard. The dashboard allows users to view upcoming actionable items in one place. This currently includes unread chat, expiring license and compliance. New widgets will be added in future releases.

  • To navigate, after login click on desired discipline -> on the right hover over name -> Click on “Dashboard”.

What’s Updated

Users can update their gender on their profile. To update:

  • Hover over your name,
  • Click on profile,
  • Click on the red “Update Profile” icon
  • Look for gender, update your choice and click save.
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Coaches News Referees Release Notes

Release Notes 2022.05

Global

What’s new

  • Added a checkbox to confirm no middle name when submitting a background screening
  • The Info/hosts menu is now visible to the public without logging into the Learning Center

What’s Updated

  • The instructions for resetting a password have been improved
  • For application-based courses, when a user is not eligible, there will be a pop-up stating what specific requirements they do not meet.
  • Users can now freely edit their middle name on their profile
  • In courses, each assignment block in the assignment tab are now fully clickable to improve user experience on mobile
  • The menu buttons have been made more obvious in the mobile site

Coaches

  • In assignments, session plans may now only be submitted as PDFs.
  • A background screening block now appears on the user profile. Coaches are not required to complete a background screening in the Learning Center at this time.
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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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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.

Categories
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.