Creating Courses

Course Structure Concepts

Understanding the Hierarchy

COURSE (Container)
+-- Metadata (Name, Language, Level, Category)
+-- Course Lessons (Templates)
|   +-- Class Lessons - Interactive learning sessions
|   +-- Exercise Sets - Practice activities
|   +-- Homework Templates - Assignment patterns
+-- Student Lessons (Instances created from templates)
    +-- Individual copies assigned to each student

Key Insight: You create templates (Course Lessons), and the system generates individual instances for each student.

Course Types

Public Courses:

• Visible in Marketplace
• Can be purchased by anyone
• Generate revenue
• Build your reputation

Private Courses:

• Invitation-only enrollment
• For specific student groups
• Not visible in Marketplace
• Full control over access

Step-by-Step Course Creation

Step 1: Create the Course Container

Navigate to Courses

Click "Courses" in sidebar or go to /platform/courses

Start New Course

Click "Create New Course" button or "+ New Course"

Fill Basic Information

Required Fields:

• Course Name: Clear, descriptive title
  • Good: "Spanish for Beginners: A1 Fundamentals"
  • Avoid: "Course 101"
• Language: Target language students will learn (select from dropdown)
• CEFR Level: European language proficiency level
  • A1, A2 (Beginner)
  • B1, B2 (Intermediate)
  • C1, C2 (Advanced)
• Category: Subject area (Grammar, Conversation, Business Language, Test Preparation, etc.)

Optional Fields:

• Description: Detailed course overview
• Learning Objectives: What students will achieve
• Prerequisites: Required prior knowledge
• Duration Estimate: Expected completion time
• Cover Image: Upload a visual cover for the course (see below)

Set Visibility

• Public: Available in Marketplace
• Private: Invitation only
• Draft: Not visible while building

Save Course

Click "Create Course" -- course created and opened.

Uploading a Cover Image

After creating your course, you can upload a cover image that represents it visually. The cover image appears on course cards in the student's enrollment list, the marketplace, and the course detail page.

1. Open your course and click "Edit" or the settings icon.
2. In the Cover Image section, click "Upload Image" or drag and drop an image file.
3. Crop or reposition the image as needed.
4. Click "Save" to apply.

Tips for cover images:

• Use a clear, relevant image that reflects the course topic
• Recommended dimensions: 1200 x 630 pixels (16:9 ratio)
• Supported formats: JPEG, PNG, WebP
• Keep file size under 5 MB for fast loading

Course templates also support cover images, so if you create reusable course templates, the cover image carries over to courses generated from the template.

Step 2: Design Course Structure

Before adding content, plan your course structure:

Best Practices for Structure

Logical Progression:

Course: Spanish A1 Beginner
+-- Module 1: Introduction & Basics
|   +-- Lesson 1: Greetings
|   +-- Lesson 2: Alphabet & Pronunciation
|   +-- Lesson 3: Numbers 1-20
+-- Module 2: Personal Information
|   +-- Lesson 4: Introducing Yourself
|   +-- Lesson 5: Countries & Nationalities
|   +-- Lesson 6: Professions
+-- Module 3: Daily Life
    +-- ...etc

Lesson Type Distribution:

• 40% Class Lessons (new content)
• 30% Exercise Sets (practice)
• 30% Homework (assessment)

Creating a Course Outline

1. Open Course Page -- click on your new course and view the course dashboard
2. Plan Modules (optional organization) -- click "Add Module", name the module, add description, repeat for each module
3. Note Prerequisites -- identify which lessons depend on others, plan unlock sequences, consider branching paths

Step 3: Create Course Lessons (Templates)

Now build the actual learning materials:

Adding Your First Lesson

Click "Add Lesson"

Button in course page, or "+" icon.

Select Lesson Type

Class Lesson:

• Main learning content
• Mix of explanation and practice
• Can include live session
• Example: "Present Tense Introduction"

Exercise Set:

• Focus on practice
• Higher density of activities
• Reinforce specific skills
• Example: "Present Tense Practice"

Homework Template:

• Assessment-focused
• Assigned for completion
• Graded by teacher
• Example: "Present Tense Homework"

Adding Homework or Exercises to a Class Lesson

Class lessons can have child lessons — homework assignments or additional exercises that are attached to the parent class.

To add a child lesson, open the class lesson's menu and click "Add homework or exercise". A help banner explains: "Add homework or additional exercises. Homework will be assigned to a student as part of Class lesson."

Child lessons appear nested under their parent in the course lesson list and on the calendar. When a class lesson is assigned to a student, you can also assign or unassign its child lessons directly from the calendar (see Homework Management).

Name Your Lesson

Clear, descriptive title. Include topic and type if helpful. Example: "Lesson 1: Greetings and Introductions"

Set Lesson Properties

• Order/Position: Where in course sequence (can reorder later)
• Duration: Estimated completion time (helps students plan)
• Prerequisites (optional): Previous lessons required (locks until completed)

Open in Editor

Click "Create & Edit" -- the Lex Editor opens and you begin building content.

Building Lesson Content

See Lex Editor Guide for detailed content creation instructions.

Quick Start:

1. Add learning objectives
2. Create engaging introduction
3. Present new material
4. Add practice exercises
5. Include summary/conclusion
6. Save lesson

Step 4: Organize and Reorder

Arrange Lesson Sequence:

1. View Course Structure -- course page shows all lessons with a visual drag-and-drop interface
2. Reorder Lessons -- click and drag lesson cards to rearrange them. You can drag lessons between parents to reorganize the hierarchy (e.g., move an exercise from one class lesson to another)
3. Organize into Modules (if using) -- drag lessons into module folders, create logical groupings, name modules descriptively

Step 5: Configure Course Settings

General Settings

Access Settings:

1. Click "Settings" on course page or gear icon

Configure:

• Enrollment Settings:

  • Open enrollment vs. invitation only
  • Maximum students (if limiting)
  • Waitlist options

• Progress Settings:

  • Sequential completion required
  • Unlock prerequisites automatically
  • Allow skipping

• Collaboration:

  • Student discussions enabled
  • Peer review options
  • Group projects

Advanced Settings

Grading and Assessment:

• Default grading scale
• Pass/fail thresholds
• Certificate requirements

Notifications:

• Auto-notify on new content
• Enrollment notifications
• Completion alerts

Integrations:

• External tools
• API access
• Webhook settings

Step 6: Preview and Test

Test Before Publishing:

1. Preview Mode -- click "Preview" button, see student view, navigate through lessons, test all exercises

2. Test with Dummy Student -- enroll a test account, experience as student, check all functionality, verify mobile view

3. Review Checklist:

   • All lessons complete
   • Exercises work correctly
   • Media loads properly
   • Navigation is clear
   • Instructions are clear
   • No broken links
   • Mobile-friendly

Step 7: Publish

Make Course Available:

1. Final Review -- proofread all content, check formatting, verify settings
2. Publish Options
   • Publish Now: Immediate availability
   • Schedule: Set future date
   • Draft: Keep editing
3. Set Pricing (if public course) -- Free, Fixed price, Subscription model, Token-based access
4. Confirm Publication -- click "Publish", course goes live, students can enroll

Course Management

Editing Existing Courses

Access Course:

1. Go to "Courses" page
2. Click on course name
3. Enter edit mode

What You Can Edit:

• Course information (name, description, etc.)
• Lesson content
• Lesson order
• Settings
• Pricing

Overwriting Student Lessons

When you fix a mistake or update content in a Course Lesson, you may want to push those changes to lessons that have already been assigned to students. The overwrite feature lets you do exactly that.

1. Open the Course Lesson in the editor and make your changes
2. Click "Save and overwrite for students" (next to the regular Save button)
3. Choose the overwrite mode:
   • Not started lessons only -- updates only lessons that students have not yet opened (safest option)
   • All lessons (except canceled) -- updates all assigned instances, including those in progress or completed
4. Review the count of lessons that will be affected
5. Confirm to apply

Duplicating Courses

When to Duplicate:

• Creating similar course
• Different CEFR level of same content
• New semester/year version
• Translation to another language

How to Duplicate:

1. Open course
2. Click "Duplicate"
3. Name new course
4. Choose what to copy:
   • Content only
   • Content + settings
   • Everything
5. Create duplicate
6. Edit as needed

Archiving Courses and Lessons

Both courses and individual lessons can be archived. Archiving hides content without deleting it, making it easy to restore later.

Archive a Course:

1. Go to course settings
2. Select "Archive"
3. Choose archive options:
   • Keep student data
   • Export data first
   • Notify enrolled students
4. Confirm

Archive Individual Lessons:

1. Open the course and find the lesson you want to archive
2. Click the lesson's menu (three dots) and select "Archive"
3. The lesson is hidden from the course lesson list but remains in the system

Restoring Archived Content:

• Go to course settings and look for the "Archived" filter or tab
• Select the archived course or lesson and click "Restore"
• Restored content returns to its original position and becomes visible again

Deleting Assigned Lessons

Teachers and org admins can delete lessons that have been assigned to students. The rules depend on the lesson type and your role:

• Homework and Exercise lessons can be deleted at any time, regardless of status or scheduled time. This applies to both individual and group sessions.
• Class lessons (for teachers) can only be deleted if scheduled more than 12 hours in the future. Lessons within 12 hours or in the past can only be canceled. Teachers can also delete class lessons that have already passed.
• Organization admins and platform admins can delete any lesson regardless of the 12-hour restriction or schedule status.

To delete an assigned lesson, go to the student's enrollment detail page or the homework page, open the lesson's action menu, and click "Delete".

Course Analytics

View Performance:

Dashboard Metrics:

• Total enrollments
• Active students
• Completion rate
• Average time to complete
• Revenue (if applicable)

Detailed Analytics:

• Student progress tracking
• Lesson completion rates
• Exercise performance
• Engagement metrics
• Drop-off points

Advanced Course Features

Prerequisites and Unlocking

Set Prerequisites:

1. Edit lesson settings

2. Find "Prerequisites" section

3. Select required lessons

4. Choose unlock condition:

   • Viewed: Just open the lesson
   • Started: Begin the lesson
   • Completed: Finish the lesson
   • Passed: Complete with minimum score

5. Set minimum score (if using "Passed")

Branching Paths

Create Alternative Routes:

Use Cases:

• Remedial track for struggling students
• Advanced track for fast learners
• Interest-based paths
• Skill-focused branches

Setup:

1. Create parallel lesson sequences
2. Set conditional unlocks
3. Use assessment to direct students
4. Allow teacher override

Troubleshooting

Can't Create Course

Solutions:

• Check role permissions
• Verify required fields filled
• Ensure stable internet
• Try different browser

Lessons Not Saving

Solutions:

• Check connection
• Look for error messages
• Try manual save
• Clear browser cache

Course Not Visible to Students

Check:

• Published status
• Visibility settings (public/private)
• Enrollment permissions
• Student access rights

Media Won't Upload

Solutions:

• Check file size limits
• Verify file format
• Check internet connection
• Try compressing files

Next Steps

After creating your course structure:

• Lex Editor Guide - Master content creation
• Exercises & Activities - Build interactive content
• AI Lesson Generation - Speed up content creation
• Managing Enrollments - Get students enrolled

Q&A

How many courses can I create?

There is no limit on the number of courses you can create. Build as many as you need for your teaching practice.

Can I share courses with other teachers?

Yes. OrgAdmins can grant other teachers access to courses. You can also publish courses to the Marketplace for other teachers to purchase and use.

Can I import courses from other platforms?

Currently, direct course import is not available. However, you can copy and paste content from other sources into the Lex Editor, which handles formatting conversion automatically.

How do I set different costs for different courses?

Each course can have its own lesson cost, homework cost, and exercise cost settings that override the organization defaults. Configure these in the course settings.