What this is
What is an e-learning completion record?
What is an e-learning completion record?
An e-learning completion record captures that a specific person finished a specific online module: the score achieved, the time taken against expected duration, the number of attempts, and whether any required practical element was also completed. It is raised per person per course, not once for the workspace.
Why does time taken matter if the module was passed?
A pass mark can be met by guessing or by clicking through slides without reading them, particularly on modules with short quizzes. Comparing the time taken against the expected duration is the check that separates a genuine completion from one that only looks like it.
What does completing the module actually prove?
On its own, that the person engaged with the content long enough to pass the attached quiz. Where the module covers a physical task, it does not prove the person can perform that task; a separate practical assessment is needed before the matrix is updated.
Scope
When is an e-learning completion record required?
This record documents one person's completion of one course. Using it as a substitute for a practical competence check, or leaving it open when a required practical element is pending, overstates what has actually been verified.
Use this template when
- A learner has been assigned and has finished, or attempted, an online module
- A module's completion needs to be checked for plausibility against its expected duration before being accepted as evidence
- The course requires a practical element in addition to the module, and that follow-up needs to be tracked to closure
- A refresher or reassessment date needs to be set following a completion, pass or fail
- A linked record needs this one to exist: links training records, knowledge checks
Do not use it for
- Training Effectiveness Evaluation, which evaluates whether training changed anything using observation, knowledge checks and incident data, not module completion alone
- Training Material Review, which reviews course content for accuracy and currency rather than recording that someone finished it
- On the Job Coaching Record, which records informal workplace coaching, not a structured module with a score
- A specific knowledge check on procedure or emergency response, which tests recall of a particular procedure rather than general module completion
- Anything outside KnowTrain, which belongs in the workspace that owns that process
Compliance mapping
Which ISO 45001 cl.7.2 requirements does this satisfy?
ISO 45001 clause 7.2 requires competence to be determined, achieved through appropriate action, and evidenced, but it does not define what counts as sufficient evidence for a given module. That judgement has to be made in how this record is completed and checked, not assumed from the fact that a module was marked complete.
| Clause | Requirement | Where it lands |
|---|---|---|
| ISO 45001 cl.7.2(a) | Determine the competence necessary for a role or task, so the assigned course is a designed requirement rather than an arbitrary assignment | Header |
| ISO 45001 cl.7.2(c) | Take action to acquire necessary competence and evaluate the effectiveness of the action taken | Completion |
| ISO 45001 cl.9.1.1 | Monitor and measure whether the action taken actually produced the intended result | Completion |
| ISO 45001 cl.7.2(d) | Retain documented information as evidence of competence | Header |
| ISO 45001 cl.7.2(b) | Ensure competence is based on appropriate education, training or experience, not module completion alone where a physical task is involved | Quality of the outcome |
| ISO 45001 cl.7.2(c) | Evaluate the effectiveness of the action taken, including whether retraining or a refresher is needed | Quality of the outcome |
| ISO 45001 cl.8.1.1 | Operational planning and control of the actions arising from an inadequate result | Quality of the outcome |
What it does not cover
- Practical or skills assessment, which is needed wherever the course covers a physical task and is tracked separately by its own assessment record.
- Procedure or emergency response knowledge check, which verifies recall of a specific written procedure rather than general module completion.
- Training Effectiveness Evaluation, which uses observation, knowledge checks and incident data to judge whether training changed behaviour, not just whether a module was finished.
- Training Material Review, which judges whether the course content itself is accurate and current, a question this record cannot answer.
- On the Job Coaching Record, which documents informal coaching given at the workplace rather than a structured, scored module.
Global
E-Learning Completion Record requirements by country
The duty to ensure competence, rather than merely deliver training, is close to universal. What differs is how explicitly the law requires evidence of effectiveness rather than attendance.
OSH Act general duty and standard-specific training requirements
No general standard requires e-learning completion evidence; specific standards require documented training on particular hazards.
Where a specific standard applies, a completion record that cannot show engagement is weak evidence that the underlying training duty was met.
Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, section 2(2)(c)
Duty to provide such information, instruction, training and supervision as is necessary to ensure health and safety so far as reasonably practicable.
Training that was clicked through rather than absorbed does not discharge the duty, even where a completion record exists.
ISO 45001 cl.7.2
Competence must be determined, achieved and evidenced, with the effectiveness of actions taken evaluated.
Certification audits look for evidence that completion translated into competence, not only a completion timestamp.
How to complete it
How to complete an e-learning completion record, step by step
The record is straightforward to fill in. What makes it worth relying on is whether the numbers it holds were actually checked against each other before the outcome was accepted.
A module completed in a fraction of its expected duration has not been read, whatever the score attached to it. Time Plausible flags this, and a completion should not count as clean evidence of learning while it reads Fast or Implausibly fast.
Where Practical Element Also Required is Yes, the e-learning completion is the prerequisite, not the outcome. Practical Completed has to close, against a linked assessment record, before the matrix should reflect that the person can do the task.
A pass reached on a second or third attempt after failing the first is a different finding from a first-attempt pass, particularly where the gap is short. Attempts in quick succession suggest the person is working through the answer options rather than the content.
Refresher Due and Competency Matrix Updated keep the record current after the initial completion. An Action Required flag left open with no CAPA reference lets a known gap sit with no visible owner.
What auditors find
Most common e-learning completion record findings
The record is almost always present, because completion is usually logged automatically by whatever platform delivers the module. The findings are about what happens once that raw completion is checked.
| Finding | Clause | What fixes it |
|---|---|---|
| Completed marked Yes with Time Taken far below Expected Duration, and no follow-up recorded. | ISO 45001 cl.9.1.1 | Set Time Plausible honestly and route anything Fast or Implausibly fast to supervisor review before accepting the completion. |
| Practical Element Also Required is Yes but Practical Completed stays Pending indefinitely. | ISO 45001 cl.7.2(b) | Link the record to the practical assessment and hold the matrix update until Practical Completed reads Yes. |
| Passed is No, or Score Percent is low, with Competency Matrix Updated left at No and no refresher scheduled. | ISO 45001 cl.7.2(c) | Set Refresher Due and raise Action Required at the point of a failed or marginal result, not at the next audit. |
| Refresher Due date has passed with no linked action or reassessment record. | ISO 45001 cl.7.2(c) | Treat a lapsed refresher date as an open finding and raise it through Action Required rather than leaving it silent. |
| Completed In Work Time, Completed Without Interruption or Language Suitable recorded No or Partly, with the record otherwise closed as a clean pass. | ISO 45001 cl.7.2(b) | Treat a Partly or No answer on any quality field as a reason to question genuine engagement, regardless of the score. |
| Action Required is Yes with CAPA ID and Action Owner left blank. | ISO 45001 cl.8.1.1 | Do not allow Action Required to be set to Yes without both the CAPA reference and an owner populated at the same time. |
Case in point
Case in point: the completion rate that measured clicking
A logistics operator reported a ninety-eight percent completion rate on a mandatory manual handling module, with a near-universal first-attempt pass. Time Taken was logged automatically but never compared against Expected Duration, and Practical Completed sat blank on most records despite the course needing a practical element.
A later manual handling injury review found a cluster of affected workers had completed the module in under three minutes against an eighteen-minute expected duration, none with a linked practical assessment on file. The e-learning had been treated as sufficient competence evidence for a physical task it was never designed to verify alone, and the plausibility check that would have caught the fast completions had never been applied.
The template
The template, field by field
The form exactly as it installs. Every field, option, score and conditional rule is editable, and the links to other templates come with it.
3 sections
- Reference
- TRN-082
- Archetype
- Record
- Record ID
- ELR-2026-000
- Scoring
- Completion rate
- Direction
- High is good
- Singleton
- No
- Basis
- ISO 45001 cl.7.2
- Links
- Links Training records, Knowledge checks
- Tags
- Training, Delivery
- Sections
- 3
- Fields
- 37
- Follow up fields
- 3
- Repeating sections
- 0
- Links out
- 5
Header
12 fieldsRecord ID*
Auto sequence. Format ELR-2026-000.
The record's own ID. Other templates point at this value.
Status*
Drives who this goes to next.
- Planned2 pts
- In progress2 pts
- Complete3 pts
- Deferred0 pts
- Open0 pts
- Closed3 pts
- Overdue0 pts
Date and Time*
Completed By*
Site*
Site ID*
Format SITE-000.
Links to FDN-001 Site ID
Worker*
Person ID*
Format PER-0000.
Links to FDN-003 Person ID
Three Minutes Is Clicking, Not Learning
Completion time tells you whether somebody engaged. A module completed faster than it can be read has taught nobody anything.
Course*
Platform
Assigned Date*
Completion
9 fieldsCompleted*
- Yes3 pts
- Partly1 pt
- No0 pts
Completion Date
Days To Complete
Time Taken Minutes*
Expected Duration Minutes*
Time Plausible*
- Yes3 pts
- Fast1 pt
- Implausibly fast0 pts
Score Percent*
Attempts*
Passed*
- Yes3 pts
- No0 pts
Quality of the outcome
16 fieldsCompleted In Work Time*
- Yes3 pts
- Partly1 pt
- No0 pts
Completed Without Interruption
- Yes3 pts
- Interrupted1 pt
Language Suitable*
- Yes3 pts
- Partly1 pt
- No0 pts
Practical Element Also Required*
An online module alone rarely proves competence for a physical task.
Practical Completed
- Yes3 pts
- Pending1 pt
- No0 pts
Assessment Record ID
Links to TRN-021 Assessment ID
Competency Matrix Updated*
- Yes3 pts
- No0 pts
Refresher Due*
Action Required*
Raise the action record, then enter its reference here.
- No2 pts
- Yes0 pts
Priority
- High0 pts
- Medium1 pt
- Low3 pts
CAPA ID
Format CAPA-2026-00000.
Links to FDN-014 CAPA ID
Action Owner
Training Lead*
Signature*
Supervisor*
Second Signature*
TRN-082 · record IDs look like ELR-2026-000 · Links Training records, Knowledge checks
Open in KnowellaRun it with agents
From a document you fill in to a programme that runs itself
The completion record is generated by whatever platform delivers the module. What actually determines whether it is trustworthy is whether the timing was checked, the practical follow-up closed, and the refresher date acted on before it lapses.
Flags completions where time taken is implausible against expected duration, and tracks practical follow-ups through to closure before the competency matrix updates.
Picks up manual handling and physical task courses specifically, so the practical element required alongside the module routes to the right assessment rather than being assumed.
Watches refresher due dates and open Action Required flags across the training library, and surfaces lapsed ones before the next audit rather than after it.
This template lives in KnowTrain — training and credentials. Induction, competency, toolbox talks, refreshers and expiry tracking.
Meet KnowTrain→Glossary
E-Learning Completion Record definitions and key terms
- Completion rate
- The proportion of assigned learners who have finished a module, used here as the scoring basis but not a measure of whether learning occurred.
- Time plausible
- A check on whether the time taken to complete a module is consistent with genuine engagement, given the module's expected duration.
- Competence
- The ability to apply knowledge and skill to achieve intended results, per ISO 45001, which module completion alone does not establish for a physical task.
- Practical element
- A hands-on or observed component required alongside a module for any course covering a physical task, tracked to closure separately from the e-learning score.
- Refresher due
- The date by which competence needs to be re-evidenced, distinct from the original completion date and requiring its own action if it lapses.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about e-learning completion record
Does a high score always mean the module was learned?+
No. A high score reached in a fraction of the expected duration, or after several quick attempts, is a different finding from the same score reached over a plausible amount of time. Time Plausible separates the two, and should be checked before the completion is accepted as evidence.
Is the e-learning module enough to update the competency matrix?+
Only where the course carries no practical requirement. Where Practical Element Also Required is Yes, hold the matrix update until the linked practical assessment has also closed, because the module alone does not demonstrate the task can be performed.
What should happen when a learner fails the module?+
Attempts and Score Percent should be read together, a refresher date set, and Action Required raised with an owner and CAPA reference, not left as an isolated failed attempt.
Why does the record ask whether it was completed in work time and without interruption?+
Because a module completed outside work time, or in short interrupted bursts, is more likely to have been rushed or half-attended, even where the pass mark was met. These fields flag that context alongside the score.
How is this different from a knowledge check?+
This record documents that a specific module was completed, with its own score and timing. A knowledge check tests recall of a specific procedure, independent of any course, and is usually shorter and more targeted.
Who reviews the completion record?+
The training lead, with a supervisor signature also captured. The review is where time plausibility, practical follow-up and any refresher requirement should actually be checked, not just where the record is filed.
Keep going
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More in Training Delivery
Training Effectiveness Evaluation
Evaluates whether training changed anything, using observation, knowledge checks and incident data rather than attendance
Training Material Review
Reviews course content for accuracy, currency and whether it reflects how the job is actually done now
On the Job Coaching Record
Records short coaching given at the workplace, what was covered and how the person responded
Skills Gap Forecast
Forecasts where competency will be short in the coming year from retirements, growth, turnover and new equipment
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Records what was planned, committed and spent on training over a period, by type and area
Written and reviewed by
Siddarth Singh
Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Knowella
Certified Safety Professional and industrial and systems engineer with more than a decade inside food supply chain, freight and manufacturing operations. This page was written against the current text of the standards it cites, not against secondary summaries of them.
- Certified Safety Professional (CSP), Board of Certified Safety Professionals
- MBA, University of Chicago Booth School of Business
- MS and BS, The Ohio State University, Industrial and Systems Engineering
- Six Sigma Black Belt
Sources and last review. Reviewed 16 August 2026 against:
- ISO 45001:2018 clause 7.2 — Competence
- ISO 45001:2018 clause 9.1.1 — Monitoring, measurement, analysis and performance evaluation
- Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, section 2(2)(c) (UK)
This page is general guidance, not legal advice. Confirm requirements with your jurisdiction’s regulator.