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Course Configuration

This comprehensive guide covers the detailed configuration options for courses in NOW-LMS, including pricing models, access controls, advanced settings, and system-wide configurations that affect course behavior.

Course Pricing Models and Access Control

Free Courses

Free courses provide immediate access to all students without any payment requirements, making them ideal for educational outreach and marketing.

Configuration Settings

Paid: False
Price: Not applicable
Auditable: Not applicable
Certificate: Available upon completion

Features and Benefits

  • Instant Enrollment: Students can join immediately without barriers
  • Full Content Access: Complete access to all course materials and resources
  • Certificate Eligibility: Students can earn certificates upon successful completion
  • No Payment Gateway: No PayPal or payment configuration required
  • Maximum Reach: Accessible to global audience regardless of financial status

Best Use Cases

  • Educational Outreach: Community education and public service
  • Company Training: Internal employee development and onboarding
  • Marketing Content: Lead generation and brand awareness courses
  • Introductory Material: Foundation courses that lead to paid advanced content
  • Open Education: Contributing to open educational resources (OER)

Paid courses require payment before students can access the full course content, enabling instructors to monetize their expertise and create sustainable educational businesses.

Configuration Settings

Paid: True
Price: [Amount in configured system currency]
Auditable: True/False (enables audit mode)
Certificate: Available after payment and completion
PayPal Integration: Required for payment processing

Core Features

  • Payment Protection: Full access only after successful payment processing
  • Secure Transactions: Integrated PayPal payment gateway with SSL security
  • Enrollment Protection: Prevents unauthorized access to premium content
  • Revenue Generation: Direct monetization of educational expertise
  • Purchase Analytics: Track revenue, conversion rates, and enrollment patterns

Payment Processing Flow

  1. Course Discovery: Student finds course through catalog or direct link
  2. Course Preview: Student views description, syllabus, and any preview content
  3. Purchase Decision: Student clicks "Enroll" or "Purchase Course" button
  4. Payment Gateway: Secure redirect to PayPal for payment processing
  5. Verification: Payment confirmation and account linking
  6. Course Access: Immediate enrollment and full course access
  7. Receipt Delivery: Automated email confirmation and receipt

Auditable Course Model (Freemium Approach)

The auditable course feature creates a freemium model where students can access course content for free but must pay for certification.

Configuration Requirements

Paid: True (must be a paid course)
Auditable: True (enables free content access)
Price: Set for certification upgrade
Certificate: Only available to paid students

Student Experience in Audit Mode

Free Access Includes: - ✅ All video lectures and recorded content - ✅ Course materials and downloadable resources - ✅ Progress tracking and course completion - ✅ Forum participation (if enabled) - ❌ No access to evaluations or assessments - ❌ No certificate eligibility - ❌ No verified completion credentials

Paid Upgrade Benefits: - ✅ Everything from audit mode - ✅ Official course completion certificate - ✅ Verified credentials for professional use - ✅ Academic transcript eligibility

Strategic Use Cases for Auditable Courses

  1. Course Sampling: Allow students to evaluate course quality before committing payment
  2. Freemium Strategy: Attract large audiences with free content, convert percentage to paid
  3. Educational Accessibility: Provide learning opportunities regardless of financial constraints
  4. Corporate Partnerships: Companies provide free access, pay separately for certification
  5. Market Testing: Validate course content and demand before full commercialization

Advanced Course Configuration Options

Course Capacity and Enrollment Management

Unlimited Enrollment (Default)

Limited: False
Capacity: Not applicable
Enrollment: Open-ended based on course availability

Characteristics: - Suitable for scalable online content delivery - No registration restrictions - Students can enroll anytime during enrollment period - Ideal for lecture-based and self-paced courses

Limited Enrollment (Capacity Control)

Limited: True
Capacity: [Maximum number of students]
Enrollment: Restricted to capacity limit

Strategic Applications: - Workshop-Style Courses: Personal attention and hands-on instruction - Laboratory Courses: Limited by equipment or software license availability - Cohort-Based Programs: Small groups for intensive interaction and collaboration - Premium Courses: Exclusive access creating perceived value - Live Instruction: Technical limitations of video conferencing platforms

Enrollment Management Features: - Automatic enrollment cutoff when capacity is reached - Instructor notifications when capacity thresholds are met - Student notifications about availability status

Course Modality Configuration and Impact

Self-Paced Course Configuration

Modalidad: "self_paced"
Forum_Enabled: False (automatically disabled)
Start_Date: Optional (rolling enrollment)
End_Date: Optional (flexible completion)

System Behavior: - Forums automatically disabled to maintain individual focus - Content available immediately upon enrollment - No fixed deadlines unless specifically configured - Progress tracking based on content consumption - Flexible completion timeline

Time-Based Course Configuration

Modalidad: "time_based"
Forum_Enabled: True (available for activation)
Start_Date: Required (course commencement)
End_Date: Required (completion deadline)

System Behavior: - Forums available for student collaboration - Content may be released on schedule - Fixed deadlines for assignments and completion - Cohort-based learning experience - Calendar integration for deadlines

Live Course Configuration

Modalidad: "live"
Forum_Enabled: True (encouraged for Q&A)
Start_Date: Required (first live session)
End_Date: Required (final session)
Meeting_Integration: Required

System Behavior: - Meeting links and schedules integrated - Forum enabled for session Q&A and discussions - Recording availability post-session - Interactive features activated

Course Visibility and Access Control

Public vs. Private Course Settings

Public Courses (Publico: True): - Visible in public course catalog - Searchable by all users - Appears in category and tag-based listings - Included in site-wide course recommendations - SEO optimized for external search engines

Private Courses (Publico: False): - Hidden from public catalog and search - Accessible only via direct link or invitation - Not included in public course counts - Requires specific URL knowledge or instructor invitation - Ideal for: - Beta testing new course content - Exclusive corporate training - Invitation-only premium programs - Internal organization courses

Forum and Discussion Configuration

Forum Availability by Course Modality

The forum feature availability depends on your chosen course modality:

Self-Paced Courses (Modalidad: "self_paced")

Forum_Enabled: False (automatically disabled)
- Automatic Disable: Forums are automatically disabled for self-paced courses - Individual Focus: Maintains focus on individual learning journey - No Social Pressure: Students learn without comparing progress to others - Instructor Communication: One-on-one messaging remains available

Time-Based and Live Courses

Forum_Enabled: True/False (configurable by instructor)
- Optional Activation: Instructors can choose to enable or disable forums - Community Building: Encourages peer interaction and collaboration - Q&A Support: Students can ask questions and help each other - Moderation Required: Instructors should actively monitor discussions

Forum Configuration Options

When forums are available, you can configure:

Discussion Settings

  • Open Discussions: Allow any course topic discussion
  • Structured Topics: Create specific discussion categories
  • Q&A Format: Question and answer style interactions

Moderation Features

  • Instructor Oversight: Instructors can moderate all discussions
  • Content Guidelines: Set community standards for discussions
  • Reporting System: Students can report inappropriate content

Course Promotion and Marketing Features

Promotional Course Status

Mark courses as featured or promoted to increase visibility:

Promocionado: True (enables promotional features)
Fecha_Promocionado: [Timestamp for promotion start]

Promotional Benefits: - Homepage Featured: Course appears in promoted/featured section - Enhanced Visibility: Higher placement in course listings and search results - Marketing Badge: Special promotional indicators on course cards - Increased Traffic: Better discovery through enhanced placement

Strategic Use of Promotions

  • Course Launches: Promote new courses for initial enrollment boost
  • Seasonal Campaigns: Highlight relevant courses during specific periods
  • Revenue Focus: Drive enrollment to high-value or high-margin courses
  • Community Building: Promote courses that build engaged learning communities

Course Branding and Visual Identity

Course Cover Image Management

  • Professional Images: Upload high-quality course cover images
  • Recommended Dimensions: 800x450px (16:9 aspect ratio) for optimal display
  • File Format Support: JPEG, PNG, GIF, WebP, BMP, SVG formats accepted
  • File Size Limits: Maximum 5MB per image for performance optimization
  • Visual Consistency: Maintain brand consistency across course offerings

Cover Image Best Practices

  • Clear Typography: Course title should be legible in thumbnail size
  • Brand Colors: Use consistent color scheme across your course portfolio
  • Professional Quality: High-resolution images project credibility
  • Mobile Optimization: Ensure images look good on mobile devices
  • Cultural Sensitivity: Consider global audience when selecting imagery

Course Categorization and Discovery

Category Assignment

Organize courses into logical categories for better student discovery:

Category Benefits

  • Improved Navigation: Students can browse courses by subject area
  • Better Search: Enhanced filtering and search capabilities
  • Organized Learning Paths: Group related courses for progressive learning
  • Academic Structure: Mirror traditional academic department organization

Category Management

  • Single Category: Each course must be assigned to one primary category
  • Hierarchical Structure: Categories may have subcategories for detailed organization
  • Administrative Control: Categories are typically managed by system administrators
  • SEO Benefits: Improved search engine optimization through structured data

Tag System for Enhanced Discoverability

Multiple Tag Assignment

Etiquetas: [multiple tags can be selected]
- Multiple Tags: Courses can have several relevant tags - Keyword Optimization: Use specific, searchable terms - Cross-Referencing: Tags help students find related courses - Skill-Based Tagging: Tag by skills, tools, or technologies covered

Effective Tagging Strategies

  • Specific Terms: Use precise, relevant keywords over generic terms
  • Technology Names: Include specific software, programming languages, or tools
  • Skill Levels: Tag with difficulty indicators (beginner, advanced, etc.)
  • Industry Terms: Use industry-specific terminology for professional courses
  • Popular Keywords: Research what terms your target audience searches for

System-Wide Configuration Impact on Courses

Global System Settings That Affect Course Behavior

The system administrator can configure global settings that impact all courses:

enable_programs: True/False (enables program grouping)
enable_masterclass: True/False (enables masterclass content type)
enable_resources: True/False (enables downloadable resources)
enable_blog: True/False (enables integrated blog system)

File Upload Configuration

enable_file_uploads: True/False (enables file upload capabilities)
max_file_size: [MB] (maximum file size for uploads)

Localization Settings

moneda: [currency code] (default currency for paid courses)
lang: [language code] (default system language)
timezone: [timezone] (default timezone for dates and times)

Email Verification

verify_user_by_email: True/False (requires email verification for enrollment)

How Global Settings Affect Course Creation

Program Integration

  • When Programs are enabled, courses can be grouped into learning programs
  • Students can enroll in entire programs or individual courses

Masterclass Features

  • When Masterclass is enabled, masterclasses can be created as standalone live sessions
  • Masterclasses are independent from courses and have their own enrollment system
  • Enhanced promotional features for premium content

Resource Downloads

  • When Resources are enabled, courses can include downloadable materials
  • Students can save course materials for offline access
  • Instructors can provide supplementary resources and templates

Advanced Configuration Scenarios

Corporate Training Configuration

Publico: False (private access)
Pagado: False (company-funded)
Limitado: True (controlled enrollment)
Capacidad: [department size]
Modalidad: "time_based" (structured program)

Premium Certification Program

Publico: True (market visibility)
Pagado: True (premium pricing)
Auditable: True (trial access)
Certificado: True (verified credentials)
Promocionado: True (featured placement)
Limitado: True (exclusivity)

Open Educational Resource

Publico: True (maximum visibility)
Pagado: False (free access)
Auditable: False (not applicable)
Certificado: True (completion recognition)
Modalidad: "self_paced" (flexible learning)

Troubleshooting Configuration Issues

Common Configuration Problems

Course Not Visible in Catalog

Checklist: - ✅ Verify Publico: True for public visibility - ✅ Ensure course status is "Open" (not "Draft" or "Closed") - ✅ Check if course has required fields completed - ✅ Confirm category assignment is valid - ✅ Verify course dates allow current access

Payment Processing Issues

Troubleshooting Steps: - ✅ Verify PayPal integration is configured correctly - ✅ Check currency settings match PayPal account - ✅ Ensure course price is set properly - ✅ Test payment flow with sandbox/test account - ✅ Review PayPal API credentials

Forum Access Problems

Common Solutions: - ✅ Verify course modality allows forums (not self-paced) - ✅ Check if forums are enabled for the specific course - ✅ Ensure students are enrolled (not just auditing) - ✅ Verify forum moderation settings aren't blocking access

Certificate Generation Issues

Resolution Steps: - ✅ Confirm Certificado: True is enabled - ✅ Verify certificate template is selected and valid - ✅ Check student completion requirements are met - ✅ Ensure student has paid status (for paid courses) - ✅ Review certificate template file integrity

Configuration Validation Checklist

Before publishing any course, verify:

Essential Configuration

  • [ ] Course name and description are complete and accurate
  • [ ] Course code is unique and follows naming conventions
  • [ ] Appropriate category and tags are assigned
  • [ ] Course level matches content difficulty
  • [ ] Duration estimate is realistic

Access and Pricing

  • [ ] Public/private setting matches intended audience
  • [ ] Pricing model (free/paid/auditable) is configured correctly
  • [ ] Capacity limits are appropriate for course type
  • [ ] Date restrictions allow proper enrollment period

Features and Integration

  • [ ] Certificate settings match course objectives
  • [ ] Forum settings align with course modality
  • [ ] Promotional settings support marketing strategy
  • [ ] Payment integration is tested and functional

Next Steps

Once your course configuration is complete:

For additional configuration support, consult the system administrator or review the FAQ for common configuration questions.