Courses and Modules Overview
Courses and Modules are the two organizing layers inside a Learning Program, with Courses grouping related training around a workflow or role and Modules breaking each Course into single-objective sections.
What are Courses and Modules?
Courses and Modules are the two organizing layers between a Learning Program and the Lessons your Learners complete. A Course groups related training around a specific workflow, role, or knowledge area. A Module breaks that Course into smaller sections, each built around a single learning objective.
Together they give a Learning Program its shape, so content stays findable as a program grows from a handful of Lessons to a few hundred.
Level |
What it holds |
What it is for |
|---|---|---|
| Learning Program | Courses | The foundation. Holds all training for a team, and is where Users and their Assignments are administered. |
| Course | Modules | A learning path for a specific workflow, role, or knowledge area. |
| Module | Lessons | A single learning objective and the Lessons that support it. |
| Lesson | Steps and modes | One focused activity a Learner completes. |
Each level sits inside the one above it, so a Lesson always belongs to a Module, a Module always belongs to a Course, and a Course always belongs to a Learning Program.
Why does this structure matter?
For Learners, the structure makes training easier to follow, because related content arrives together instead of as a scattered list. For administrators and content developers, it makes a growing library manageable.
Benefit |
What it means for your team |
|---|---|
| Group by real work | Organize content by workflow, job role, or topic rather than by the order it happened to be built. |
| Keep objectives clear | Each Module targets one objective, so it is obvious what a Learner should be able to do afterward. |
| Update without disruption | Revise a single Module without reworking the whole Course, so training keeps pace as workflows change. |
| Assign at the right size | Assign a whole Course for onboarding or a single Module for a targeted refresher. |
Where do you work with Courses and Modules?
Both live on the Courses Overview screen, which you reach from the main menu.
Step |
Action |
|---|---|
| 1 | Select the menu icon (☰) at the top left. |
| 2 | Select your program name to expand it. |
| 3 | Select Studio. |
| 4 | Select Courses Overview. |
The screen shows three panels side by side: Courses, Modules, and Lessons. Selecting a Course in the left panel fills the Modules panel with that Course's Modules, and selecting a Module fills the Lessons panel. You stay on one screen and drill down in place rather than navigating away.
Each row shows the item's title, how many children it contains, and when it was last updated. The ... menu at the right of each row holds the actions for that item.
Courses are listed alphabetically and cannot be reordered. Modules and Lessons can both be dragged into whatever order you want Learners to meet them, and both can be moved or copied to a different parent. See Organize Modules and Lessons.
What actions are available?
Courses and Modules share most of their actions, and both menus open from the ... at the right of a row. Modules have two additional options because a Module can be relocated between Courses, while a Course sits directly under the Learning Program.
Action |
Courses |
Modules |
What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
| Edit | Yes | Yes | Change the title, description, and thumbnail image. Nothing else. |
| Translate | Yes | Yes | Open the translation options. Available when more than one language is enabled for the program. |
| Archive | Yes | Yes | Retire the item and remove it from the active list. Reversing it requires a support ticket. |
| Assign | Yes | Yes | Assign the content to Learners. |
| Duplicate | Yes | Yes | Create a copy in the same location. |
| Copy To | No | Yes | Place a copy of the Module in another Course. Lessons have this too, targeting another Module. |
| Move To | No | Yes | Relocate the Module to another Course. Lessons have this too, targeting another Module. |
| Publish | Yes | Yes | Make the content eligible for Learners. They reach it only when it is also in an active Assignment. Cascades to everything inside it. |
| Unpublish | Yes | Yes | Take the content back offline. Cascades to everything inside it. |
| Follow | Yes | Yes | Turn on notifications for the item. |
| Unfollow | Yes | Yes | Turn notifications off. |
Every action takes effect as soon as you select it. None of them opens a confirmation prompt, so check which row you are working on before you choose.
FAQ
What is the difference between a Course and a Module? A Course groups related training around a workflow, role, or knowledge area. A Module is a section inside a Course built around a single learning objective. Courses hold Modules, and Modules hold Lessons.
Do I have to create a Course before I can create a Module? Yes. A Module lives inside a Course, so the Course has to exist first. On the Courses Overview screen the option to add a Module stays inactive until you select a Course.
Where do I manage Courses and Modules? On the Courses Overview screen, which you reach from the main menu under your program's Studio section.
Can a Module belong to more than one Course? A Module lives in one Course at a time. Use Copy To to place a copy in another Course, or Move To to relocate it.
Why does the Modules menu have more options than the Courses menu? Because a Module can be relocated. Copy To and Move To let you place a Module in a different Course, and a Course has no equivalent since it sits directly under the Learning Program.
Why is Translate greyed out? Translation options become available when more than one language is enabled for the Learning Program. See Language Settings in Learning Program Settings.
Can I change the order Courses appear in? No. Courses are listed alphabetically. Modules and Lessons can be dragged into a new order within their parent.
Is anything ever permanently deleted? Archiving is not. It retires content and removes it from your active list, and Skyllful Support can restore it if you archive something in error. One thing in Skyllful is permanent: Delete Lesson Data removes a Learner's recorded activity and cannot be undone.
Skyllful Knowledge Base | Administrators, Content Developers