AARP CyberTax TY2020-02 – Learning Management System and E-Learning Courses

AARP Foundation Tax-Aide CyberTax
October 16, 2020

To: All AARP Foundation Tax-Aide Volunteers (with a valid email address in the Volunteer Portal)
From: Lynnette Lee-Villanueva, VP and National Director, AARP Foundation Tax-Aide
Subject: CyberTax TY2020-02 – Learning Management System and E-Learning Courses

Tax-Aide officially kicked off its new season planning with its annual Regional Meeting working with state volunteer leaders to provide updates and guidance about Tax-Aide’s service delivery for 2021, as well as about technology, recruitment and outreach, operations, and training.

As your local volunteer meetings and trainings begin, your leaders will start to reach out to you and share their ideas and direction for the upcoming season. You will begin to learn more about the new and exciting ways that Tax-Aide is evolving to ensure we can serve taxpayers regardless of the current state of COVID-19 in your area. Whether it is virtually or in-person, there is a role for everyone, and we look forward to having you volunteer with us again.

In the meantime, Tax-Aide is sending this communication to make you aware of updates to its Learning Management System and available e-learning courses.

Learning Management System and E-Learning Courses
The new Learning Management System (LMS) is now on the Volunteer Portal; following are some of its features. Also, we encourage you to take part in the online learning currently available on the system.

What is changing?
The new LMS will include:

• An updated Training tab layout and navigation
• Mobile-friendly access to learning content
• Badges and achievements for learning completion
• New reports for reviewing learning completion

What is not changing?

• Logging in will remain the same
• Volunteers will continue to use the Training tab to access learning management features
• Volunteer Portal data will not be impacted, though reports and dashboards will be different
• Key features, such as reports, global search, and volunteer contact records will remain available and easily accessible

Where are the e-Learning courses located?
The Learning Management System is housed within the “Training” tab of the Volunteer Portal. Select the “Training” tab to view courses assigned to you on the “Home Page” of the system. When clicking on a specific training tile you will see details of the course or learning path.

For step-by-step details on how to access the Learning Management System, reference the tip sheet on the Volunteer Portal > Learning Management System (LMS) – Litmos > Tip Sheet – Access Learning Content.

What e-Learning courses are available?
The new LMS currently houses the following courses:

• Introduction to Tax-Aide
• Introduction to Tax-Aide Technology & Security
• Introduction to Chromebooks Getting Started
• Session Management

Courses to be added in the coming months include Security Essentials, Tax-Aide Policy and Procedures, Local Coordinator Training, State Coordinator Training, Tax Software Configuration Management, and an additional Session Management course.  

While most courses will be assigned, some are role specific and will only be assigned to volunteers with an applicable Tax-Aide assignment (e.g., Local Coordinator, State Coordinator, and Tax Software Configuration Management).  

If a course is required or optional, this will be indicated when viewing details of the course within the Learning Management System. For more in-depth training details on course requirements, reference the tip sheet on the Volunteer Portal > Learning Management System (LMS) – Litmos > LMS e-Course Description and Training Details.

What do I do if I have questions about the LMS, the courses, or accessing the Volunteer Portal?
Contact your volunteer supervisor with any questions you have navigating the new system or accessing the Volunteer Portal.If they are unable to answer your questions, submit a One Support Ticket to Tax-Aide using the following topic and sub-topic, Operations > Other.

As part of the Tax-Aide program, information including the latest updates and program guidance is regularly sent via email to all volunteers. Please click here if you are not a volunteer in the Tax-Aide program and therefore should be deleted from receiving further emails. If you are a Tax-Aide volunteer with a question, please first contact your volunteer supervisor or members of your volunteer leadership team. Replying to this email puts your response directly into Tax-Aide’s National Office ticketing system.