Choosing Between Absolute and Dynamic Learnlists

Overview

When creating a Learnlist, you choose how completion is calculated: Absolute or Dynamic. This setting determines what happens to a learner's completion percentage when you add or remove content from the Learnlist after they've started.

Understanding this choice helps you design Learnlists that behave as expected when content evolves over time.

Functionality Breakdown

Pre-requisites

• You set the completion type during Learnlist creation (Step 3: Tags & Structure)

• This setting can be changed later by editing the Learnlist

Role Requirements

• Owner – Full access within their company

• Admin – Administrative access within their company

• Learning Designer – Can create and manage learning content

• Curator – Can curate and manage content

Absolute Completion

How it works:

When a learner completes all items in an Absolute Learnlist, they receive a score of 100%. If you later add more content to the Learnlist:

• Their completion stays at 100%

• They are not required to complete the new items

• Their historical completion is preserved

Best for:

• Time-sensitive training with fixed content

• Compliance requirements where original completion must be honoured

• Archived or legacy programmes you may update but don't want to re-assign

Example:
A learner completes a 5-item compliance Learnlist and achieves 100%. You later add a 6th item. With Absolute completion, their score remains 100%—they've met the original requirement.

Dynamic Completion

How it works:

With Dynamic completion, the learner's percentage reflects their progress against the current content. If you add new items:

• Their completion percentage drops

• They need to complete the new items to return to 100%

• Progress is always calculated against the latest Learnlist content

Best for:

• Evolving learning paths that grow over time

• Skills development programmes with regular updates

• Evergreen content libraries where staying current matters

Example:
A learner completes a 5-item Learnlist and achieves 100%. You add a 6th item. With Dynamic completion, their score drops to approximately 83%—they need to complete the new item to reach 100% again.

Quick Start Guide

Setting Completion Type During Creation

1. When creating a Learnlist, navigate to Step 3: Tags & Structure

2. Under Completion calculation, select:

   • Absolute – Fixed completion based on items at time of completion

   • Dynamic – Completion adjusts when content changes

3. Continue with the remaining creation steps

Changing Completion Type Later

1. Click Manage in the sidebar

2. Navigate to Learning Content > Learnlists

3. Find your Learnlist and click the three dots menu

4. Select Edit

5. Navigate to the Tags & Structure section

6. Change the completion calculation setting

7. Save your changes

⚠️ Warning: Changing from Absolute to Dynamic may immediately affect existing learners' completion percentages.

Comparison Summary

FAQs

Q: Can I change from Absolute to Dynamic after learners have completed?
Yes, but their completion will immediately recalculate. Learners at 100% may suddenly show lower completion if new content has been added.

Q: Which is better for compliance training?
Usually Absolute—you want to preserve the record that learners completed the required content at the time.

Q: Which is better for ongoing skills development?
Usually Dynamic—you want learners to engage with new content as it's added.

Q: Does this affect certificates?
Certificates are awarded when completion reaches 100%. With Dynamic completion, if a learner drops below 100% due to new content, they won't lose their certificate but may need to re-complete to meet ongoing requirements.

Troubleshooting

Last Reviewed: 27/11/2025