Managing Cohorts in an Academy

You can create a cohort for an Academy so a group of users can complete assignments together in the same period of time. Cohorts are not supported in public academies. To use cohorts, the Academy must be set to private. 

For answers to common questions about cohorts, refer to the Frequently Asked Questions.

• The Cohorts Page
• To Create a Cohort
• Details Tab
• Members Tab
• Due Dates Tab
• Managing Requirements and Reminders for Cohorts

The Cohorts Page

Use the Cohorts page in an Academy to view and manage all cohorts in your academy. This page displays a list of existing cohorts, their start and end dates, current status, and assigned members or groups. 

To Access the Cohorts Page

You must have the Edit Academy permission within Academies to manage cohorts. 

1. From the side navigation menu in Degreed Admin, select Catalog > Academies.
   The Academies page displays.
2. Click the Actions menu () beside the Academy you want to manage cohorts.
3. Select Edit Academy.
   The Setup page displays.
4. Click Cohorts from the left navigation menu of the Academy setup page.
   The Cohorts page displays.

Page Overview

Each row in the Cohorts table includes the following details:

• Cohort Name: The name of the cohort, shown in alphabetical order by default.
• Start Date: The first day the cohort becomes active.
• End Date: The final day of the cohort’s duration.
• Status: Indicates whether the cohort is Not Started, In Progress, or Ended.
• People: Shows how many members or groups are assigned to each cohort.

Available Actions

• Search: Find cohorts by name using the search bar.
• Filter by Status: Narrow results by cohort status (for example, Active or Archived).
• Create Cohort: Click + Create Cohort to set up a new cohort.

• Actions Menu (): Access Archive and Edit options for each cohort. 

  When you archive a cohort, the academy becomes view-only for all members of the cohort. Learners cannot submit or participate in any assigned content or activities. Learners can still access and view the content within the academy. The cohort is preserved for reporting and record-keeping purposes. Archived cohorts remain visible in the Cohorts list and can be reviewed or referenced by admins at any time.

Use the Copy Academy Link or Preview Academy buttons in the top-right corner to share or view the academy.

To Create a Cohort

1. From the side navigation menu in Degreed Admin, select Catalog > Academies.
   The Academies page displays.
2. Click the Actions menu () beside the Academy you want to add a Cohort to.
3. Select Edit Academy.
   The Setup page displays.
4. Click Cohorts from the left navigation menu of the Academy setup page.
5. Click Create Cohort.
   The Create New Cohort page displays.
6. Enter the Cohort Name.
7. Select a Start Date and End Date.
8. Click Save and Continue. 
   The Manage Cohort page displays with the Details tab open by default.
9. Modify the information in the Details, Members, and Due Dates tabs.
10. Click Save.

Details Tab

Use the Details tab to configure key information for your cohort. You can define the cohort name, start and end dates, choose whether to archive the cohort automatically, add an optional chat link for communication, and optionally send an invitation email when participants are added.

• Cohort Name (required): Enter a name that clearly identifies the cohort. This name appears in the Academy and related reporting.
• Start Date and End Date (both required): Define the duration of the cohort. These dates control when learners can engage with cohort content.
• Automatically archive cohort after End Date: Toggle this on to automatically archive the cohort after the end date has passed. Archived cohorts are no longer active but remain viewable for reporting.
• Chat Link (optional): Add a link to a chat tool (for example, Microsoft Teams or Slack) for cohort communication. This link is visible to participants.
• Send Invitation Email: Check this box to automatically send an invitation email when participants are added to the cohort. 

Invitation Email Preview

When the Send Invitation Email checkbox is selected, participants added to the cohort will receive an automated email invitation.

1. Click Edit & Preview to add a custom note and see a live update of the message. 
   The Invitation Email Preview (shown on the right side of the screen) displays what learners will see.
2. Optionally, click Add Note to add a custom note that learners will see.
3. Click Save Changes to apply updates.

Members Tab

Use the Members tab to add learners to the cohort. You can add individuals or groups by searching their names.

To Add Members

1. In the search field, enter the name of an individual learner or group you want to add.
2. Select the learner or group from the list of results.

3. Click Add Members to add the selected individuals or groups to the cohort.

   When you add a group to a cohort, the membership syncs automatically. Any updates made to the group in Degreed, such as adding or removing learners, will be reflected in the cohort membership. No manual updates are needed.

Participants added here will be enrolled in the cohort. If the invitation option is enabled on the Details tab, they will receive an email when added.

Due Dates Tab

Use the Due Dates tab to view and manage step-level due dates for the cohort. Assigning due dates helps guide learners through each part of the academy on a set schedule. 

To enable due dates, first add steps to the academy. Steps will then appear in this tab, and you can assign specific due dates to each one. If the academy does not contain any steps, this tab displays a message indicating that due dates cannot be assigned.

You can manually edit due dates from the Due Dates tab or directly from a step in the academy. To automate due dates, edit the step settings and choose a rule, such as setting the due date a specific number of days after the cohort’s start or end date. For more information, see To Edit a Step's Due Dates.

This tab displays the following information for each step in the academy:

• Section: The grouping or module the step belongs to (for example, "Week 1").
• Step: The specific learning item assigned.
• Type: The type of the step. For example, Basic Content, Discussion, Skill Rating, or Project.
• Due Date: The assigned due date for that step, if one has been set. All due dates follow the time zone set on the cohort Details tab.

Available Actions

• Use the filters at the top of the table to sort and view steps by section, type, or due date status.
• Use the Actions Menu () to edit the due date. 

To Edit a Step's Due Dates

You can edit a step’s due dates on the Due Date tab in a step. You can manage how the due date should be calculated for each cohort that includes the step.

1. From the side navigation menu in Degreed Admin, select Catalog > Academies.
   The Academies page displays.
2. Click the Academy you want to edit.
   The Setup page displays.
3. Click Overview from the left navigation menu of the Academy setup page.
4. Click a section to open it.
5. Click on the Project, Event, Discussion, Basic Content, or Skill Rating you want to edit.
6. Click the Due Date tab.
7. Configure the due date settings.
   • Set Due Date: Choose the rule for setting due dates. For example, a specific number of days after the cohort start or end date.
   • Number of Days: Enter the number of days for the system to use when calculating due dates. Weekend days are excluded from the calculation.
   • Calculated Due Date outside cohort dates: Check this option if you want the due date to fall outside the cohort’s start or end dates.

The table below the due date settings displays each cohort that includes this step, along with its start and end dates and the calculated due date based on your settings. Click the Actions menu beside a date to update or remove the due date.

Managing Requirements and Reminders for Cohorts

In each step of an academy, you can set completion requirements in the Requirements tab, such as marking the step as required, and configure email reminders in the Reminders tab to help keep learners on track. For more information, see Add Steps to an Academy Section.