Your own courses
Empath Learn
MSP team
Every Empath Learn seat includes the authoring tool and YouTube import, on every plan.
MSP: assign + trackBuild Your Own Courses, Plus YouTube LMS Import
Turn your MSP's escalation process or any SOP into a course with Empath's authoring tool, or import a YouTube playlist into the LMS. Set due dates and track completion. Included with every Empath Learn seat.
Start Here: Build Your MSP's First Course in Three Steps
Choose one SOP that new staff need, then have your content owner build and check a short course.
- How to Use and Administer Empath Empath, 75 min Learn the authoring controls.
- Tiny Course DIY Empath, 32 min Turn that SOP into lessons.
- Writing Quizzes That Work Empath, 44 min Check that learners understand it.
Place the finished SOP course in the new-hire pathway so new staff get it with their onboarding.
How Does the YouTube Playlist Import Work?
To turn YouTube videos into a course, anyone with the Content Admin role goes from playlist to assigned course in five steps.
- In Empath, choose Create, then Course and Start; next, choose Import, then YouTube Playlist.
- Paste a public playlist link. It must contain the word "playlist"; a single video or channel link will not work.
- Empath makes one lesson per video, in the playlist's order, with titles and descriptions from YouTube, in one draft course.
- Review the lessons, then add quizzes or your own lessons.
- Preview and publish it to your team, then assign it with due dates and track completion.
Full steps: how to import a YouTube playlist to create a course, or how to import a single YouTube video. For ideas, see Empath's list of MSP YouTube channels worth your watch time.
“I've subscribed my techs to a handful of training platforms over the years with mostly negative results. When I found out I could create my own training with Empath, and hold people accountable, that was a game-changer in my opinion.
So far, I've recorded about 9 hours of training videos covering tech, sales, operations, and marketing.”
Tom Wyant
CEO of Wyant Technologies
Three Ways to Start a Course
One course can hold an SOP lesson, imported videos and a quiz. Assign your escalation SOP course alongside Empath's own course on ticket escalations.
Text Lesson
Your SOPs
Paste an SOP from your IT documentation, a PDF or a Word file into a text lesson. Add screenshots and attach the PDF.
Draft Course
A YouTube Playlist
Mix videos from several channels into one public playlist, and Empath turns it into a draft course.
Video Lesson
A Single Video
Import one YouTube or Vimeo video as a lesson, with its title and description, then add it to any course or pathway.
What Can You Add to Your Own Courses?
A course you build works like any other Empath course. You can add:
- Video, text and embedded lessons, with SOP PDFs attached as resources
- Multiple-choice quizzes with feedback on each answer, a passing score and a time limit
- A title, thumbnail, description, skill areas, level, roles and tags
- Due dates when you assign it, with progress and completion tracking
Nucleus Networks uploaded its existing training into Empath and redesigned parts of it; read Jennifer Roy's story.
“We've been using Empath MSP Training with our team and have seen real value in your tools.”
Eric Parker
Network It Easy
What Are the Limits?
Empath does not host YouTube videos. It plays them under YouTube's embedding rules, so:
- The video must allow embedding. If the creator turns embedding off, it will not play, and Empath cannot override that.
- If the creator removes or revises a video, the lesson built on it may stop working.
- Playback can differ by viewer: YouTube sign-in, age limits, region, network, browser extensions or a virtual desktop can stop a video.
Test an imported lesson from a typical employee's device before you assign it widely.
Courses That Help You Build Your Own
Five of Empath's 200+ courses built for MSPs, for whoever runs training.
- How to Use and Administer Empath. Dean Trempelas shows how to create, assign and manage content, with a companion guide. 75 minutes.
- Tiny Course DIY, Empath. How to turn your ideas into a simple course that teaches one clear skill. 32 minutes.
- Writing Quizzes That Work, Empath. How to write quizzes that teach, including drafting them with AI. Handout included. 44 minutes.
- So, You're a Learning Manager?, Empath. For the person who owns training, on turning it into measurable results. 40 minutes.
- Getting From Knowing to Doing, Empath. Practice, feedback, coaching and simple learning plans that turn knowing into doing. 40 minutes.
The full course list has all of Empath's own courses built for MSPs, plus Microsoft Learn and the Curated Collection, with its hands-on labs and AI roleplays: more than 19,000 courses, learning paths and modules in the Empath course catalog.
Before you build a course on a vendor's tool, check Empath's vendor and platform training.
Empath Learn, Grow and Grow Lite
Choose by who learns and whether your MSP needs assignments and reporting.
For each Grow client
Empath Grow
Client teams
Courses and pathways your team builds in Empath can be passed down to your clients, next to any premium catalogs you add for them. If you add the Curated Collection, its hands-on labs and AI roleplays come with it.
MSP: assign + report
Watch Only
Empath Grow Lite
Client viewers
Grow Lite has the same premium catalog choice but no assignments or reporting. Ask your Empath account executive about a Grow Lite trial.
No; watch only| Empath Learn | Empath Grow | Empath Grow Lite |
|---|---|---|
| Who it is for | ||
| MSP team | Client teams | Client viewers |
| What's included | ||
| Empath, Microsoft Learn, Collection | Collection or Bigger Brains | Same base catalog |
| Who can assign and track | ||
| MSP: assign + track | MSP: assign + report | No; watch only |
| Free trial | ||
| All Learn content | AE sets up case by case | Ask your AE |
Empath Learn includes your own courses and pathways. Its Curated Collection has Bigger Brains courses. For each Grow client, choose the Curated Collection or Bigger Brains as the premium catalog; Clip Training and Inspired eLearning are add-ons. Grow supports client pathways, custom content, assignments and reports. Grow Lite has the same premium catalog choice but no assignments or reporting. Ask your Empath account executive about a Grow Lite trial; Grow trials are set up case by case.
Questions About Your Own Courses in Empath
Short answers for whoever runs training.
Can I add my own SOPs and courses to Empath?
Yes. Empath Learn has a built-in authoring tool for your own processes. Paste an SOP into a text lesson or import videos from YouTube, then group lessons and quizzes into a course and assign it with due dates, like any other Empath course.
Can I use Empath as a YouTube LMS?
Yes. A Content Admin pastes a public YouTube playlist link, and Empath builds a draft course with one lesson per video, in order, with titles and descriptions from YouTube. You add quizzes, then publish and assign it. Single YouTube or Vimeo videos import as lessons too.
What happens if a creator removes a YouTube video?
A lesson built on a YouTube video may stop working if the creator removes it. Empath does not host YouTube videos; it plays them under YouTube's embedding rules. A video the creator revises or blocks from embedding can also break the lesson, and Empath cannot override YouTube's blocks. For a process your team must know, a text lesson from your SOP does not depend on YouTube.
Is building your own courses on every Empath Learn plan?
Yes. Every Empath Learn seat includes the authoring tool and YouTube import, on every plan. Your own courses sit alongside Empath's own courses built for MSPs, Microsoft Learn, live streams and the Curated Collection with its labs and AI roleplays, all in the same seat.
Can my clients use the courses I build?
Yes, in Empath Grow. Courses and pathways your team builds in Empath can be passed down to your clients, next to any premium catalogs you add for them. Assigning needs the Grow plan, because Grow Lite is watch-only. Empath Grow is the LMS an MSP resells to its clients.
Can we bring our training over from another LMS?
Yes. You can bring courses, SOPs and training files over to Empath. SCORM uploads can be turned on. Completion history stays in your old LMS and does not move over. Empath's implementation services can build training pathways aligned to your job descriptions, for one role at a time or for your whole organization.
Want to See It With Your Own SOPs?
Book a demo and we will walk you through the authoring tool and the YouTube import. Bring an SOP or a playlist your team needs.