Course Management Guide

Complete Guide to Creating and Managing Courses in PulseLMS

This comprehensive guide covers everything instructors and administrators need to know about creating, configuring, and managing courses in PulseLMS.

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Table of Contents

1. Creating a New Course
2. Course Settings
3. Course Formats
4. Course Sections
5. Editing Mode
6. Adding Content
7. Course Visibility
8. Course Categories
9. Course Enrollment
10. Course Completion
11. Activity Completion
12. Restrict Access
13. Groups and Groupings
14. Course Reset
15. Backup and Restore
16. Import Course Data
17. Course Reports
18. Activities Overview

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Creating a New Course

For Administrators

1. Navigate to Site Administration > Courses > Manage courses and categories
2. Select the appropriate category
3. Click Create new course
4. Fill in the required settings
5. Click Save and display or Save and return

Quick Course Creation

1. From the front page, click Add a new course (if visible)
2. Complete the course settings form
3. Save the course

Bulk Course Upload

Administrators can upload courses in bulk via CSV: 1. Go to Site Administration > Courses > Upload courses 2. Prepare a CSV file with required columns 3. Upload and process

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Course Settings

General Settings

Setting	Description
Course full name	The complete name displayed throughout the site
Course short name	Abbreviated name used in navigation and breadcrumbs
Course category	Organizational container for the course
Course visibility	Show or hide from course listings
Course start date	When the course begins
Course end date	When the course ends (optional)
Course ID number	Optional identifier for external systems

Description

Setting	Description
Course summary	Brief description shown in course listings
Course summary files	Images or files to display with the summary
Course image	Thumbnail image for course cards

Course Format Settings

Setting	Description
Format	How the course is organized (Topics, Weekly, etc.)
Number of sections	How many content sections to create
Hidden sections	How to display hidden sections to students
Course layout	Show all sections on one page or one per page

Appearance Settings

Setting	Description
Force theme	Override the site theme for this course
Force language	Lock the course to a specific language
Number of announcements	Recent announcements to display
Show gradebook	Allow students to see their grades
Show activity reports	Enable activity tracking for students
Show activity dates	Display due dates on activities

Files and Uploads

Setting	Description
Maximum upload size	Largest file students can upload

Completion Tracking

Setting	Description
Enable completion tracking	Turn on progress tracking
Show activity completion conditions	Display what's needed to complete activities

Groups

Setting	Description
Group mode	No groups, Separate groups, or Visible groups
Force group mode	Apply to all activities in the course
Default grouping	Primary grouping for activities

Role Renaming

Customize role names for this course: - Teacher → Instructor - Student → Trainee - Non-editing teacher → Assistant

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Course Formats

PulseLMS supports several course formats:

Topics Format

• Sections organized by topic/subject
• Each section has a title and description
• Most flexible format

Weekly Format

• Sections automatically labeled by date range
• Ideal for scheduled courses with specific timeframes
• Dates calculated from course start date

Single Activity Format

• Course contains only one main activity
• Best for standalone quizzes, SCORM packages, or forums
• Clean, focused interface

Social Format

• Centered around a single forum
• Best for discussion-based learning
• No section structure

Grid/Tiles Format (if installed)

• Visual tile-based navigation
• Each section displayed as an image tile
• Modern, engaging appearance

Collapsed Topics

• Sections can be expanded/collapsed
• Saves vertical space
• Better for courses with many sections

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Course Sections

Adding Sections

1. Turn on Edit mode
2. Scroll to the bottom of the course
3. Click Add sections
4. Specify how many sections to add
5. Click Add sections

Editing Sections

Click the Edit menu next to a section to: - Edit section - Change name, summary, and settings - Highlight - Mark as the current section - Hide/Show - Toggle visibility - Delete - Remove the section - Move - Drag to reorder

Section Settings

Setting	Description
Section name	Custom name (overrides default)
Summary	Description displayed at the top of the section
Restrict access	Conditions for accessing the section

Section Visibility

• Show - Visible to all enrolled users
• Hide - Hidden from students (visible to teachers)
• Availability - Use restrict access for conditional visibility

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Editing Mode

Enabling Edit Mode

1. Enter your course
2. Click the Edit mode toggle in the top right
3. The page now shows editing controls

Edit Mode Features

When editing mode is on, you can: - Add activities and resources - Move, edit, duplicate, and delete items - Configure section settings - Rearrange course content - Hide/show items

Bulk Editing

1. Enable Edit mode
2. Select multiple items using checkboxes
3. Choose a bulk action:
4. Move
5. Delete
6. Make available/unavailable
7. Add restrictions

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Adding Content

Adding Activities

1. Turn on Edit mode
2. In the desired section, click Add an activity or resource
3. Select the activity type from the picker
4. Configure the activity settings
5. Click Save and return to course or Save and display

Adding Resources

1. Turn on Edit mode
2. Click Add an activity or resource
3. Select a resource type (File, Page, Book, etc.)
4. Configure and save

Activity Chooser

The activity chooser shows: - Starred - Your favorite activities - All - Complete list of available types - Activities - Interactive elements - Resources - Static content

Drag and Drop

You can drag files directly onto the course page to create resources: - Images become Image resources - PDFs become File resources - Videos become File or Video resources

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Course Visibility

Visibility States

State	Description
Show	Course visible in listings and searchable
Hide	Only visible to teachers and admins

Controlling Visibility

1. Go to Course settings
2. Find Course visibility
3. Select Show or Hide
4. Save changes

Self-Enrollment and Visibility

Hidden courses: - Don't appear in course catalog - Can't be searched by students - Direct links still work for enrolled users - Self-enrollment may be disabled

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Course Categories

Purpose of Categories

Categories organize courses by: - Department - Subject area - Program level - Academic year - Any organizational structure

Category Hierarchy

Categories can be nested:

Organization Training
├── Onboarding
│   ├── New Employee Orientation
│   └── Safety Training
├── Professional Development
│   ├── Leadership
│   └── Technical Skills
└── Compliance
    ├── Annual Requirements
    └── Certifications

Moving Courses Between Categories

1. Go to Site Administration > Courses > Manage courses and categories
2. Select the course(s)
3. Click Move selected courses to...
4. Choose the destination category

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Course Enrollment

Enrollment Methods

PulseLMS supports multiple enrollment methods:

Method	Description
Manual enrollment	Teacher/admin adds users directly
Self enrollment	Users enroll themselves
Cohort sync	Automatic from cohort membership
Guest access	View-only without enrollment
Course meta link	Inherit from another course

Configuring Enrollment Methods

1. In your course, go to Participants
2. Click the Enrollment methods tab (gear icon)
3. Enable/disable methods as needed
4. Configure each method's settings

Manual Enrollment

1. Go to Participants
2. Click Enroll users
3. Search for users
4. Select role (Student, Teacher, etc.)
5. Click Enroll users

Self-Enrollment Settings

Setting	Description
Allow new enrollments	Accept new self-enrollments
Enrollment key	Password required to enroll
Group enrollment keys	Different keys for different groups
Default role	Role assigned on enrollment
Enrollment duration	How long enrollment lasts
Start/End dates	When self-enrollment is available

Cohort Sync

1. Add the Cohort sync enrollment method
2. Select the cohort to synchronize
3. Choose the role for cohort members
4. Save - members are automatically enrolled

Unenrolling Users

1. Go to Participants
2. Find the user
3. Click the enrollment method icon
4. Select Unenrol
5. Confirm

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Course Completion

Overview

Course completion tracks when students have finished a course based on specified criteria. This enables: - Automatic certificates - Badge awarding - Prerequisite enforcement - Progress reporting

Enabling Course Completion

1. Ensure Completion tracking is enabled in course settings
2. Go to Course completion in course navigation
3. Configure completion criteria
4. Save changes

Completion Criteria Types

Criteria	Description
Activity completion	Specified activities must be completed
Course prerequisites	Other courses must be completed first
Date	Student enrolled until a specific date
Duration	Minimum time enrolled in course
Grade	Minimum course grade required
Manual completion	Self-marked or teacher-marked complete
Unenrolment	Student is unenrolled

Activity Completion Requirements

Choose which activities must be completed: - All activities must be completed - Any activity must be completed - Specific activities must be completed

Course Prerequisites

1. Add prerequisite courses
2. Choose whether ALL or ANY must be complete
3. Students can't access this course until prerequisites are met

Viewing Completion Status

For Students: - Progress bar on dashboard - Completion indicators next to activities - Course completion report

For Teachers: - Course completion report - Activity completion report - Download completion data

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Activity Completion

Overview

Activity completion allows teachers to set criteria for when an activity is considered complete. This feeds into course completion tracking.

Completion Conditions

Condition	Description
Do not indicate completion	No tracking for this activity
Students can manually mark as complete	Self-reporting
Show as complete when conditions are met	Automatic based on criteria

Automatic Completion Conditions

Condition	Description
View	Student must view the activity
Grade	Student must receive a grade
Passing grade	Student must achieve passing grade
Submission	Student must submit (assignments)
All attempts	All quiz attempts must be completed

Setting Activity Completion

1. Edit the activity settings
2. Scroll to Activity completion
3. Select completion tracking type
4. Configure conditions
5. Set expected completion date (optional)
6. Save

Bulk Edit Completion Settings

1. Go to Course completion > Bulk edit activity completion
2. Select multiple activities
3. Apply common settings
4. Save changes

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Restrict Access

Overview

Restrict access allows you to control when students can access activities and sections based on conditions. This enables personalized learning paths.

Available Restrictions

Restriction	Description
Activity completion	Another activity must be complete
Date	Available from/until specific dates
Grade	Requires grade threshold in another activity
Group	Only for specific groups
Grouping	Only for specific groupings
User profile	Based on profile field values
Restriction set	Combine multiple restrictions

Configuring Restrictions

1. Edit the activity or section
2. Scroll to Restrict access
3. Click Add restriction
4. Select restriction type
5. Configure the condition
6. Choose visibility:
7. Hidden if not met
8. Grayed out with explanation

Combining Restrictions

Use restriction sets to create complex conditions: - All (AND) - All conditions must be met - Any (OR) - At least one condition must be met

Example Restrictions

Sequential Learning: - Module 2 requires Module 1 Quiz grade ≥ 70%

Date-Based Release: - Week 2 content available from January 15

Differentiated Content: - Advanced materials only for students in "Advanced" group

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Groups and Groupings

Groups

Groups organize students within a course for: - Separate discussion forums - Group assignments - Filtered views of participants - Group-specific activities

Creating Groups

1. Go to Participants > Groups tab
2. Click Create group
3. Enter group name and settings
4. Save the group
5. Click Add/remove users to populate

Group Modes

Mode	Description
No groups	All students together
Separate groups	Groups only see their own members
Visible groups	Groups can see but not interact with others

Auto-Create Groups

1. Go to Participants > Groups tab
2. Click Auto-create groups
3. Configure:
4. Naming scheme
5. Number of groups or members per group
6. Selection criteria
7. Preview and create

Groupings

Groupings are collections of groups, used to: - Apply different group sets to different activities - Create complex group structures - Manage which groups see which content

Creating Groupings

1. Go to Participants > Groupings tab
2. Click Create grouping
3. Name the grouping
4. Edit to add groups
5. Assign to activities via restrict access

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Course Reset

Purpose

Course reset clears student data while keeping course structure intact. Use this to: - Prepare for a new term - Reuse a course template - Clear test data

What Can Be Reset

Data Type	Options
Enrollments	Unenroll all, keep teachers, keep specific roles
Grades	Delete all grades
Groups	Remove group members, delete groups
Forums	Delete all posts
Assignments	Delete all submissions
Quizzes	Delete all attempts
Completion	Reset completion data
Logs	Delete log entries

Performing a Reset

1. Go to course settings cog > Reset
2. Select start date for new course
3. Choose what to reset
4. Click Reset course
5. Review the confirmation

Best Practice

Before resetting: 1. Backup the course with user data (for records) 2. Download any needed reports 3. Notify enrolled users if appropriate

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Backup and Restore

Course Backup

Save your course structure and content:

1. Go to course settings cog > Backup
2. Select what to include:
3. Activities and resources
4. Blocks
5. Filters
6. Question bank
7. Files
8. User data (optional)
9. Click through the steps
10. Download the backup file (.mbz)

Automated Backups

Administrators can configure automatic backups: - Schedule (daily, weekly) - Storage location - Retention period - Email notifications

Course Restore

Restore a backup file:

1. Go to course settings cog > Restore
2. Upload the .mbz file or choose from existing backups
3. Select destination:
4. Restore as new course
5. Restore into existing course (merge or replace)
6. Configure what to include
7. Complete the restore

Creative Uses

• Duplicate courses
• Create course templates
• Transfer between PulseLMS sites
• Archive completed courses

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Import Course Data

Overview

Import allows you to copy content from another course without user data.

Performing an Import

1. Go to course settings cog > Import
2. Select the source course (courses you can access)
3. Choose what to import:
4. Activities
5. Blocks
6. Filters
7. Select specific items
8. Complete the import

What's Included

• Activity settings and content
• Resource files
• Section structure
• Completion settings

What's NOT Included

• Student enrollments
• Student submissions
• Grades
• User data
• Course image and summary

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Course Reports

Available Reports

Report	Description
Logs	Detailed activity logs
Live logs	Real-time activity
Activity report	Views per activity
Participation report	Student participation
Statistics	Usage statistics
Course completion	Completion status
Activity completion	Per-activity completion
Competencies	Competency achievement

Accessing Reports

1. In your course, go to Reports in the navigation
2. Select the desired report
3. Configure filters (date, user, activity)
4. View or download

Logs Report

Filter by: - Participants - Date range - Activities - Actions - Educational level

Activity Report

Shows for each activity: - Total views - Unique users - Last access

Course Completion Report

Shows for each student: - Activity completion status - Overall course completion - Completion date

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Activities Overview

New in PulseLMS 5.0

The Activities Overview page provides a unified dashboard of all course activities, making it easier to manage deadlines, submissions, and grading.

Accessing Activities Overview

1. Enter your course
2. Click Activities in the course navigation
3. View the complete list of activities

Features

• All activities in one place - Assignments, quizzes, forums, etc.
• Due date sorting - See upcoming deadlines
• Submission status - Quick view of grading needs
• Smart filters - Find specific activity types
• Quick actions - Direct links to grading

For Students

The Activities Overview shows: - All assignments and due dates - Submission status - Grades received - Upcoming deadlines

For Teachers

The Activities Overview shows: - All course activities - Number of submissions - Grading progress - Overdue items

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Best Practices

Course Organization

1. Use clear section names - Help students navigate
2. Consistent structure - Same layout across sections
3. Progressive disclosure - Release content gradually
4. Logical flow - Build on previous content

Enrollment Management

1. Use cohorts - For bulk enrollment
2. Set enrollment periods - Control access timeframes
3. Use enrollment keys - For secure self-enrollment
4. Regular cleanup - Remove inactive enrollments

Completion Tracking

1. Set meaningful criteria - What indicates understanding?
2. Balance automatic and manual - Not everything is automatable
3. Use prerequisites - Ensure proper sequencing
4. Regular monitoring - Check completion reports

Performance

1. Limit embedded media - Use linked resources
2. Moderate file sizes - Compress when possible
3. Archive old content - Remove unused materials
4. Regular backups - Protect your work

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Next: Activities & Resources