Every once in a while, we get a question like this:
We have a learner that had trouble logging into Catalyst. When they tried to click on the link to reset their password, they didn’t receive the email to change it.
We’ve all been there at some point with all of the websites we access via email address these days. And, of course, checking the junk or spam folder is the first thing to check, but often that’s not the problem.
One Likely Source of the Problem
While it is still possible the password reset email could have been quarantined or sent to spam, there is another likely issue.
When assessments are sent out from EPIC, they typically go to the respondent’s work email address. When the respondent begins the assessment, they are asked to create an account using their email address. Here’s where the issue starts: The respondent is free to choose a different email for that account, which in EPIC is called the “Learner Account”.
If the respondent used a personal email to create the account, for example, they cannot log in with their work email. Typically, then, they try a password reset using the work email. But the system never sends a password reset email because there is no “Learner Account” under the work email address. For security reasons, Catalyst does not tell inform the user that no such account exists.
How to Verify the Issue
To verify if this is the source of the problem follow these steps:
- Log into EPIC and find their record
- I use the “Edit Existing Records” function for this kind of thing
- Once you can see the details, check the “Learner Account” email address.
- This is the address they must use to log into Catalyst.
Limitations
At present, there is no way to change the Learner Account email address via EPIC. The password can’t be reset by an admin either. However, the respondent can change the learner email address, once they are logged in to Catalyst using their current Learner Account email address. They simply go to their profile on Catalyst and their email there.