The Update Assignment tool allows Managers to manually force Empath to reprocess a user’s assigned course or pathway. This is most useful in edge cases where content has been edited after assignment and progress or completion data does not reflect the current structure of the course or pathway.
When you modify content that is already assigned, such as adding lessons, quizzes, or courses, Empath normally updates assignments automatically in the background. In rare cases, that background process may not immediately reconcile those changes. The Update Assignment tool lets you trigger that reconciliation manually for a specific user.
This tool does not change user progress by itself. Instead, it ensures that all lessons, quizzes, and courses that should be assigned are properly attached to the user and reflected accurately in progress tracking.
When You Should Use Update Assignment
Use this tool when you encounter situations like:
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A course or pathway was edited after users were already assigned
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New quizzes were added to a course that previously had none
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Lessons appear completed but quizzes show as missing or incomplete
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A pathway milestone was updated and users are not seeing new courses
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Progress data looks inconsistent with the current content structure
This is especially common when:
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You are actively iterating on content that is already assigned
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You maintain role-based pathways that evolve over time
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You make frequent edits to large pathways with many assigned users
When You Probably Do Not Need It
In most cases, Empath will handle assignment updates automatically.
You likely do not need to use Update Assignment if:
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You have not changed the content structure
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You are willing to wait for the system to reconcile updates naturally
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Progress and assignments already look correct
Think of this tool as a manual override, not a routine action.
How Update Assignment Works (High Level)
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Requires at least the Manager role
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Operates on a single user at a time
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Forces Empath’s assignment worker process to re-run
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Re-evaluates:
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Assigned lessons
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Assigned quizzes
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Assigned courses inside pathways
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Does not delete progress
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Does not mark content complete automatically
Important Caveats
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Mark as Completed and Update Assignment serve different purposes
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Mark as Completed overrides progress
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Update Assignment reconciles structure changes
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This tool should be used sparingly
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Frequent use may indicate ongoing content changes that should be communicated clearly to learners
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If progress still looks incorrect after using Update Assignment, this may indicate a bug
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Open a support ticket via chat or email with details
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Good Operational Use Cases
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Large MSPs maintaining evolving role-based pathways
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Teams adding quizzes after rolling out lessons
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Admins validating changes before assigning content to more users
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Fixing one-off inconsistencies without reassigning content
Key Steps
1. Log into Empath 4:07
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Ensure you have at least the manager role to access the Members tab.
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Navigate to the Empath login page and enter your credentials.
2. Access the Members Tab 0:18
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Once logged in, locate and click on the 'Members' tab.
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This tab displays a list of users and their training progress.
3. Select the User 0:39
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From the list of users, select the user whose assignments you want to update.
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Ensure you are viewing the correct user by confirming their training progress.
4. Review Assigned Courses 0:54
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Scroll down to view the courses assigned to the selected user.
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Check for any discrepancies in the progress tracking, such as incomplete quizzes or lessons.
5. Update Assignments 2:22
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Click on the ellipses (three dots) next to the course or pathway you wish to update.
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Select 'Update Assignment' from the dropdown menu to force the system to refresh the user's assignments.
6. Confirm Changes 2:31
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After clicking 'Update Assignment', verify that the changes have been propagated correctly.
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Check if the user now has the correct assignments displayed.
7. Repeat as Necessary 3:06
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If you are making frequent edits to pathways or courses, repeat the update process as needed.
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This is particularly important for larger teams with many users.
Cautionary Notes
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If the progress tracking still does not reflect the expected results after using the Update Assignment tool, it may indicate a bug.
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In such cases, contact support through the chat feature for assistance.
Tips for Efficiency
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Regularly check and update assignments for users who are actively engaged in training to ensure accurate tracking.
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Use the Update Assignment tool proactively when making changes to courses or pathways to avoid discrepancies.