Course Builder
This guide explains how to build an online course in Community Quiz — combining lessons, videos, quizzes and assignments into a structured learning path — and what every tab and setting does, in plain language.
Audience: Course creators, trainers, and educators. No technical knowledge needed.
1. How the course builder works
A course is built across five tabs that you can move between freely:
| # | Tab | What you do here |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Curriculum | Add modules and lessons — the structure of the course. |
| 2 | Details | The course title, description, image, instructor, and what learners will gain. |
| 3 | Enrollment | How learners join (free / paid / members), capacity, pacing, and completion rules. |
| 4 | Certificate | Award a certificate when a learner completes the course. |
| 5 | Review & publish | Final checks, then make it live. |
Draft vs. live: while you edit, changes are kept in a draft and only saved when you click Save. Publishing creates a frozen version that learners follow; learners stay on the version they started, so later edits don't disrupt them. Published courses are updated by publishing a new version, not by editing the live one.
The header bar shows the course title, a status badge (New draft / Draft / Live), and live counts of modules and lessons.
Tip: Curriculum changes (adding or removing lessons) should be saved before you switch to another tab.
2. Curriculum tab — modules & lessons
Organise your course into modules (learning blocks), each holding a list of lessons. Drag lessons to reorder them within a module; modules are numbered automatically.
Module settings
Select a module to set its title, a summary (a short description of the block), and to delete it (which removes its lessons too). It also shows whether content drip (scheduled release) applies.
Lesson types
Every lesson has a title and an estimated duration (e.g. 12:40 or 15 minutes). The lesson type decides what content fields appear:
| Lesson type | What it holds |
|---|---|
| Video | A video URL (hosted on your CDN or a video platform) to embed. |
| Reading | Rich-text body content written directly in the lesson. |
| Quiz | A link to an existing quiz or exam (chosen from a searchable list; surveys are excluded). Learners open the assessment from the lesson. |
| Assignment | A prompt describing a task learners must respond to (uploads, project work). |
| Live session | A scheduled instructor-led session. |
| Resource | A URL to a downloadable file, document, or external link. |
Note: changing a lesson's type clears the previous type's content fields, so pick the type first.
Per-lesson settings
| Setting | What it does | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Free preview | Let people view this lesson before enrolling (great for samples). | Off |
| Required to complete | Learners must finish this lesson to complete the course. Turn off for optional extras. | On |
| Downloadable | Allow learners to download the content for offline use. | Off |
| Available | Day 0 = unlocked as soon as they enrol; Drip = unlocked later (reveals a Drip offset days field). | Day 0 |
3. Details tab — the course landing page
Everything here shapes how the course appears in the catalog and on its landing page.
| Setting | What it means | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Title | The course name shown everywhere. Required to save. | — |
| Subtitle | A short tagline under the title. | — |
| Category | Groups the course for browsing and filtering. | None |
| Level | Beginner / Intermediate / Advanced. | Beginner |
| Short description | A paragraph summarising the course and who it's for. | — |
| Promo media | A cover image or intro video URL shown on the landing page (with a "show on page" switch). | On |
| What you'll learn | A list of clear, measurable outcomes (4–8 works well). | On |
| Requirements | A list of prerequisites or things to prepare. | On |
| Instructor | The instructor's name, title/role, and bio (each with a "show" switch). | On |
4. Enrollment tab — access, pricing & completion
Controls who can join, how they're paced, and what "finished" means.
Access & pricing
| Setting | What it means | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Access model | Free, Paid (reveals Price + Currency), or Members only. | Free |
| Coupons & campaigns | Allow discount codes / promotions for this course. | On |
| Includes certificate | Award a certificate on completion (full setup is in the Certificate tab). | Off |
Pacing & capacity
| Setting | What it means | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Enrollment pace | Self-paced (each learner goes at their own speed) or Cohort (everyone moves together). | Self-paced |
| Seat capacity | Maximum number of learners (blank = unlimited). | Unlimited |
| Enrollment window | When people can enrol ("Always open" or specific dates). | Always open |
| Waitlist | Auto-promote waiting learners when a seat frees up. | Off |
| Content drip | Release content on a schedule instead of all at once; reveals a cadence (All at once / Weekly / Per module). | Off |
Completion rules
| Setting | What it means | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Prerequisites | Other courses/exams a learner must finish first. | None |
| Completion requires | What counts as "done": All lessons, 90% progress, or Pass the final assessment. | All lessons |
| Final exam | The capstone quiz/exam (used to gate the certificate if "Pass final" is chosen). | None |
| Issue certificate | Award a certificate when the completion rule is met. | Off |
5. Certificate tab — credentials
Turn Award certificate on to issue a credential when a learner completes the course. That unlocks the rest.
Completion criteria (combine as needed)
| Criterion | What it means | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Complete all required lessons | Every lesson marked "required" must be finished. | On |
| Pass the final exam | The designated final exam must be passed. | On |
| Submit graded assignments | All graded assignments must be submitted and passed. | On |
| Minimum time on course | Learners must spend at least a set time (stops skimming). | Off |
| Manual approval | A reviewer must approve before the certificate is issued. | Off |
Sharing & design
| Setting | What it means | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Open Badge 3.0 | Issue a portable badge that fits digital credential wallets. | On |
| Add to LinkedIn | One-click button to add the certificate to LinkedIn. | On |
| CPD / CE credits | Continuing-education hours/credits printed on the certificate. | — |
| Public verification page | A public link others can use to verify the credential. | On |
| Credential template | The certificate design: Modern – Indigo foil, Minimal – Ink, or Credential – Blue seal. | Modern |
| Edit in Template Designer | Opens an advanced tool to customise colours, fonts, logos and layout. | — |
6. Review & publish tab — going live
Readiness checklist
Five checks are shown with a Pass/Review status and a readiness percentage:
- Course details — a title and metadata are set.
- Curriculum — at least one module with one or more lessons.
- Enrollment — a valid access model is chosen.
- Certificate — optional; shows whether it's enabled.
- Version — draft or live status.
Version control
- Lock lessons after publish — published lessons can't be edited directly; updates need a new version. (On once live)
- Snapshot enrollments — learners are frozen to the course version they enrolled on, so updates don't disrupt them. (On once live)
- Version history — a list of every published version with its status and date.
- Release summary — a quick overview of lesson count, module count, access model, and catalog visibility for the version you're about to publish.
Press Publish to make the course live. To change a published course, edit the draft and publish a new version.
Related
- Quiz & Exam Builder — build the quizzes you attach to course lessons.
- Getting started with Community Quiz