Overview
Courses in GritCMS are organized into modules and lessons. Modules are the top-level sections of your course -- think of them as chapters. Each module contains one or more lessons, which are the individual pieces of content your students will consume. This two-level structure keeps your course organized and makes it easy for students to track their progress.
Working with Modules
Creating a Module
- Open the course you want to add a module to from Courses in the admin sidebar.
- Click Add Module on the course detail page.
- Enter the module settings and save.
Module Settings
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Title | The module name as displayed to students (e.g., "Getting Started" or "Advanced Techniques"). |
| Description | An optional summary of what the module covers. Shown on the course page beneath the module title. |
| Sort Order | A number that determines the module's position in the course. Lower numbers appear first. |
Reordering Modules
Modules are displayed in ascending sort order. To rearrange your modules, update the Sort Order value for each module. For example, if you want to move "Advanced Techniques" before "Intermediate Topics", give it a lower sort order number.
The admin interface may support drag-and-drop reordering, which automatically updates sort order values for you.
Editing and Deleting Modules
Click on a module title to open it for editing. You can update the title, description, and sort order at any time. Deleting a module will also delete all lessons within it, so use caution.
Working with Lessons
Creating a Lesson
- Open the module you want to add a lesson to.
- Click Add Lesson.
- Choose the lesson type, fill in the content, and save.
Lesson Settings
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Title | The lesson name as displayed to students. |
| Slug | The URL-friendly identifier (auto-generated from the title). |
| Type | The content type for this lesson (see lesson types below). |
| Sort Order | The lesson's position within its module. Lower numbers appear first. |
| Duration (minutes) | Optional estimated duration, shown to students so they know how long the lesson takes. |
| Free Preview | When enabled, this lesson is accessible to visitors who have not enrolled, useful for giving potential students a taste of the course. |
| Drip Delay (days) | Optionally restrict access to this lesson until a set number of days after enrollment. Use this to release content gradually. |
Lesson Types
GritCMS supports several lesson content types:
| Type | Description |
|---|---|
| Text | Written content delivered through the rich text/JSON content editor. Ideal for articles, guides, and written tutorials. |
| Video | A video lesson. Set the Video URL field to the URL of your hosted video (e.g., YouTube, Vimeo, or a self-hosted MP4 file). |
| Audio | An audio lesson for podcasts or narrated content. |
| A downloadable PDF document. | |
| Embed | An embedded external resource such as a slide deck, interactive tool, or third-party widget. |
The most commonly used types are Text and Video. Choose the type that best fits the content you are delivering.
Lesson Content Editor
For text lessons, the content field accepts structured JSON content that powers the rich text editor. You can write formatted text with headings, lists, links, images, and code blocks.
For video lessons, the primary content is the video URL. You can optionally add supplementary text content below the video for notes, transcripts, or additional resources.
Reordering Lessons
Like modules, lessons are displayed in ascending sort order within their parent module. Update the Sort Order field to reposition lessons, or use drag-and-drop reordering if available in the admin interface.
Free Preview Lessons
Marking a lesson as Free Preview allows visitors who have not enrolled in the course to access it. This is a powerful way to give potential students a preview of your teaching style and content quality before they commit to enrolling or purchasing.
Typically, the first lesson of a course is set as a free preview.
Drip Content
The Drip Delay Days setting lets you control when a lesson becomes available relative to the student's enrollment date. For example:
| Lesson | Drip Delay | Available |
|---|---|---|
| Welcome | 0 days | Immediately on enrollment |
| Module 1 Lesson 1 | 0 days | Immediately on enrollment |
| Module 2 Lesson 1 | 7 days | 7 days after enrollment |
| Module 3 Lesson 1 | 14 days | 14 days after enrollment |
Drip scheduling is useful for courses that are designed to be consumed over time, such as a 4-week program where you release one module per week.
Quizzes
Lessons can have quizzes attached to them. Quizzes let you assess student understanding with multiple choice, true/false, and short answer questions. Each quiz has a configurable passing score and optional attempt limits. See the lesson detail page to add and manage quizzes.
Tips for Organizing Your Course
- Keep modules focused. Each module should cover a single topic or theme.
- Use descriptive titles. Students should be able to tell what a module or lesson covers from the title alone.
- Start with an introductory module. Provide context and set expectations before diving into the main content.
- Mix content types. Combining text and video lessons keeps students engaged.
- Set free preview on your best content. Show potential students the quality of your teaching to encourage enrollment.
- Use drip delays thoughtfully. Releasing content over time can improve completion rates by preventing students from feeling overwhelmed.