Creating Courses

Status: Available How to set up courses with sections, lessons, and different content types.

Overview

The Courses module is TribeCrafter's built-in learning management system (LMS). It allows you to create structured educational content with video lessons, text materials, and downloadable files. Members can enroll, track their progress, and earn certificates upon completion.

Course Structure

Courses in TribeCrafter are organized in a three-level hierarchy:

1. Course -- The top-level container with metadata, description, and settings.
2. Sections -- Ordered groupings within a course (e.g., "Module 1: Introduction").
3. Lessons -- Individual content units within each section.

Creating a Course

To create a course, set up the following in the admin panel:

Course Details

• Title -- The course name displayed to members.
• Subtitle -- A brief description shown below the title.
• Slug -- URL-friendly identifier (used in the course URL: /courses/your-slug).
• Description -- Full course description with rich text formatting.
• Learning Outcomes -- A list of what members will learn, displayed as "What you'll learn" bullet points on the course detail page.
• Featured Image -- The course thumbnail used in listings and the detail page.
• Type -- Free or Paid. Free courses allow any registered member to enroll without purchasing.
• Status -- Draft, Published, or Archived. Only published courses are visible to members.
• Featured -- Mark as featured to highlight the course on the landing page and in sidebars (labeled as "Recommended").

Adding Sections

Sections organize your lessons into logical groupings. Each section has:

• Title -- Section name (e.g., "Getting Started").
• Description -- Brief description of the section.
• Sequence -- Controls the order of sections within the course.

Adding Lessons

Lessons are the individual content units within a section. Each lesson has:

• Title -- Lesson name.
• Slug -- URL-friendly identifier (used in the lesson URL).
• Type -- Video, Text, or File.
• Sequence -- Controls the order of lessons within the section.
• Preview -- If enabled, the lesson is accessible without enrollment (free preview).
• Description -- Brief lesson overview.

Lesson Types

Video Lessons

Video lessons support several hosting options:

Bunny Stream videos offer the best experience for your members -- they support playback position saving (members can pick up where they left off) and auto-complete the lesson when the video finishes.

Text Lessons

Text lessons display formatted content directly on the lesson page. The content field must contain the lesson material.

File Lessons

File lessons provide downloadable resources. You must attach at least one file to a file-type lesson through the resources field.

Lesson Resources

Any lesson type can have additional downloadable resources attached. These are supplementary files (PDFs, worksheets, reference materials) that members can download alongside the lesson content.

Free Preview Lessons

You can mark any lesson as a "preview" lesson. Preview lessons are accessible to everyone -- even members who are not enrolled in the course. For video lessons hosted on Bunny Stream, the video visibility is automatically updated when you toggle the preview setting.

Free preview lessons are a great way to give potential students a taste of your content before they purchase.

Course Detail Page

The course detail page (/courses/your-slug) displays:

• Course title, description, and featured image
• "What you'll learn" section (from learning outcomes)
• "This course includes" section showing counts of video lessons, text lessons, and downloadable resources
• Section and lesson outline in a sidebar
• Enrollment CTA or progress information
• Authors

"This Course Includes" Counters

The course detail page automatically displays counts of:

• Video lessons
• Text lessons
• Total downloadable resources

These counts are updated automatically when you add or remove lessons and resources.

Course Authors

Courses can have multiple authors. One author can be marked as the primary author. Authors are displayed on the course detail page.

Key Settings

Tips

• Structure your courses with clear, logical sections. Members appreciate well-organized content.
• Use Bunny Stream for video hosting when possible -- it provides the best experience with resume-from-where-left-off and auto-completion.
• Mark 1-2 lessons per course as "preview" to give potential students a compelling sample of your content.
• Keep learning outcomes concise and specific -- they help members decide whether to enroll.
• Publishing a course does not automatically make it accessible. Paid courses still require members to purchase a product or plan that includes the course.
• You can delete a course even if members are enrolled. Their enrollment records will be removed.

Related

• Managing Enrollments
• Course Certificates
• Setting Up Products
• Setting Up Plans