Courses

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: | Video Source | Description | |-------------|-------------| | Bunny Stream | Upload directly from the admin panel. Supports resume-from-where-left-off and auto-completion. | | YouTube | Embed a YouTube video by URL. | | Vimeo | Embed a Vimeo video by URL. | | Wistia | Embed a Wistia video by URL. | | Generic Embed | Embed from any other source by URL. | 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 | Setting | Description | |---------|-------------| | Course type | Free (open enrollment) or Paid (requires product/plan purchase) | | Course status | Draft, Published, or Archived | | Featured | Marks the course as "Recommended" in listings | | Lesson preview | Makes individual lessons accessible without enrollment | | Learning outcomes | Displayed as "What you'll learn" on the detail page | 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

Managing Enrollments

Status: Available How course enrollment, access statuses, completion tracking, and expiry work. Overview When members gain access to a course -- either through a purchase, subscription, or free enrollment -- they create an enrollment record. This article explains how enrollments work, the different access statuses, and how progress is tracked. How Members Enroll The enrollment path depends on the course type: Free Courses Any registered member can enroll in a free course directly. No purchase is required. Members simply click "Enroll" on the course page. Paid Courses For paid courses, the enrollment follows a multi-step process: 1. The member must first have a valid permission from purchasing a product or subscribing to a plan that includes the course. 2. If auto-enrollment is enabled for the course in the product or plan, the enrollment is created automatically upon purchase. 3. If auto-enrollment is not enabled, the member sees a "Join Course" button and must enroll manually. Enrollment Access Statuses Each enrollment has an access status that determines what the member can do: | Status | Meaning | Member Experience | |--------|---------|-------------------| | Active | The member has valid access and can fully participate. | Full access to all lessons and resources. Progress is tracked. | | Expired | The member's permission has expired, but they remain enrolled. | A "Renew Access" prompt is shown. Previous progress is preserved. | | Suspended | An admin has manually blocked the member's access. | A suspension message is shown. Cannot access any content. | Important Rules - Expired members are still counted as course members. The member count includes both active and expired enrollments. - Suspended members cannot regain access automatically. Even if they repurchase a product or renew a subscription, the suspension remains until an admin manually lifts it. - When suspending a member, a reason must be provided. This is recorded for accountability. Access Expiry Access expiry is checked automatically every 6 hours. When a member's permission expires: - Their enrollment status changes from "active" to "expired." - They can no longer access lesson content. - Their progress is preserved -- if they renew, they pick up where they left off. - They see a prompt to renew their access. Lifetime Access If a member purchased a product with lifetime access, their enrollment never expires. The system skips expiry checks for lifetime enrollments. Progress Tracking Lesson Completion Members can track their progress through a course. Lesson completion works differently based on the lesson type: | Lesson Type | Completion Method | |-------------|-------------------| | Bunny Stream video | Auto-completes when the video finishes. Members can also manually mark it as complete. | | YouTube/Vimeo/Wistia/Embed video | Manual "Mark as Complete" button only. | | Text lesson | Manual "Mark as Complete" button only. | | File lesson | Manual "Mark as Complete" button only. | Members can also un-mark a lesson as complete if they want to revisit it. Completion Percentage Each enrollment displays a completion percentage calculated as: Completed Lessons / Total Lessons x 100 This percentage is updated automatically whenever a lesson is marked as complete or incomplete. It appears on the course detail page and in the "My Courses" sidebar on the newsfeed. Video Resume For Bunny Stream video lessons, the system saves the member's playback position every 30 seconds. When the member returns to the lesson, the video automatically resumes from where they left off. What the Member Sees Depending on their enrollment status, members see different things on the course page: | Situation | What They See | |-----------|---------------| | No permission, paid course | A prompt to purchase a product or plan | | Has permission, not enrolled | A "Join Course" button | | Active enrollment | Full access with progress tracking | | Expired enrollment | A "Renew Access" prompt | | Suspended enrollment | A suspension message | | Free course, not enrolled | An "Enroll" button | Key Settings | Setting | Description | |---------|-------------| | Auto-enrollment | Automatically enroll members when they purchase (configured per product/plan) | | Expiry check frequency | Every 6 hours | | Playback position save interval | Every 30 seconds (Bunny Stream only) | | Completion percentage | Automatically calculated and updated | Tips - Enable auto-enrollment on your most important courses to reduce friction for new purchasers. - Encourage members to use the "Mark as Complete" button to track their progress, especially for non-video lessons. - If a member's access expires, their progress is preserved. When they renew, they can continue from where they left off. - Use suspension sparingly and only for serious issues. It is a strong action that requires manual admin intervention to reverse. - Monitor the "My Courses" sidebar widget -- it helps members stay engaged with their active courses. Related - Creating Courses - Course Certificates - Member Access and Permissions - Setting Up Products

Course Certificates

Status: Available How certificates are generated when members complete a course. Overview TribeCrafter automatically generates a certificate when a member completes all lessons in a course. Certificates provide tangible proof of completion and add value to your course offerings. How Certificates Work Automatic Generation Certificates are generated automatically when a member's completion percentage reaches 100%. No manual action is required from the admin or the member. The system: 1. Detects that all lessons in the course have been marked as complete. 2. Generates a branded PDF certificate. 3. Stores the certificate and records the issue date on the enrollment. 4. Makes the certificate available for the member to download. Certificate Contents Each certificate includes: - Community logo -- Your community's logo as configured in Site Settings. - Brand color -- Your community's primary brand color. - Course title -- The name of the completed course. - Member name -- The name of the member who completed the course. - Completion date -- The date the certificate was issued. One Certificate Per Enrollment Only one certificate is issued per enrollment. If a member completes the course, receives a certificate, then un-marks a lesson and re-completes it, a new certificate is not generated. The original certificate remains valid. Downloading Certificates Once generated, the certificate PDF is linked to the member's enrollment record. Members can download their certificate from the course page. Key Settings | Setting | Description | |---------|-------------| | Certificate generation | Automatic at 100% completion | | Certificate format | PDF | | Branding | Uses community logo and brand color from Site Settings | | Re-issuance | Not generated again if already issued | Tips - Make sure your community logo and brand color are configured in Site Settings before members start completing courses -- these are used on the certificate. - Certificates are a great selling point for your courses. Mention them in your course descriptions and product listings. - The certificate uses a basic branded template. Custom certificate designs are planned for a future update. - Certificates are stored securely and cannot be edited by members. Related - Creating Courses - Managing Enrollments - Site Settings