How to use Smart Lists to create custom course recommendations

Smart Lists provide you with instant, tailored recommendations by using artificial intelligence and machine learning to suggest courses based on your preferences. The algorithm also takes into account your organization’s previous course selections, completions, and learner ratings, when available. (If you are unfamiliar with Lists and want to learn more, this post is a good place to start.)

If you prefer videos, here is a walkthrough on creating a Smart List:

Creating a Smart List

To make a Smart List, log in to your OpenSesame account then select "Lists" from the account menu at top right:

This will bring you to your main Lists page. Next, select the “New Smart List” button at right:

This will open a window asking about your preferences, such as topics, content languages, course length, and whether you only want courses that are included in the OpenSesame Plus subscription catalog:

If you wish, you can click the orange “Create your List" button as soon as you enter a topic. If you opt for the “advanced options” link below, you can also select specific publishers and course features, such as audio narration, assessments, and activities:

Once you’re satisfied with your answers, click the “Create your list” button to receive custom recommendations in the form of a new Smart List. For easy organization and tracking, a Smart List's title will default to the date and time it was created. If you prefer, you can edit that along with the description.

Smart List recommendations will be grouped by each topic you submit. Each Group starts out with a maximum of 5 courses, and you can easily add more, which we'll cover next:

As with standard Lists, you can share Smart Lists with others to collaborate, gather feedback, preview courses, or—if you use a Learning Management System that is integrated with OpenSesame—send courses to your LMS.

Adding recommendations with Smart Groups

If your training needs are greater than five courses per Group, or if you have a standard List to which you’d like to add recommendations, you can put the Smart Lists algorithm back to work with the “Add Courses” button to the far right of each Group:

This will open the Smart Groups panel. Here you can browse additional course recommendations for the selected Group. If you began with a Smart List, the courses that appear here will be based upon the keyword (Group name) and preferences you’d submitted earlier:

If you want to adjust your preferences, you can change the keyword and filters to refine your results. To do this, click the "Show filters" link above the top course result to reveal this panel:

These are the options you may be familiar with from our catalog. If they are new to you, there is a thorough guide to each of them here.

When you see a course you like, add it to your Group by hovering your cursor over the course image and clicking the "Add to List" button that appears:

You can also quickly add multiple courses at once by clicking the "Select courses" link up top:

Once that option is clicked, choose your courses then click "Add to Group" up top. And if you have second thoughts, you can exit this view by clicking the X at top right:

If you have further questions, our Support team is here to help via email at support@opensesame.com or via live chat and phone. Feel free to reach us at (503) 808-1268, ext. 2, or at +44 203 744 5541 in Europe.