Creating a Course

A course is the top-level container for everything a student will work through. Once the course exists, you build out the actual curriculum by adding modules and lessons inside it. This page covers just the course shell: the cover, the copy, the pricing and the publish state.

This guide covers a self-paced course, where students buy once and work through the lessons on their own schedule. If you want to run a scheduled group program instead, with content that unlocks over time, live calls and payment plans, see Cohort courses.

How to create a course

1. Go to Courses in your dashboard sidebar, then click Courses (the list view).
2. Click the Create Course button (top right of the page). If cohort courses are available to you, you will be asked What kind of course is this? Choose Self-paced to continue with this guide.
3. Fill in the details, covered below.
4. Click Create Course.

You are returned to the course list once everything saves.

Course details

• Title. A clear name for the course, like "Songwriting Fundamentals" or "Intro to Mixing". Must be between 5 and 200 characters.
• Price. The one-time price a student pays to enroll, in your configured currency. Enter 0 for a free course.
• Compare-at price (optional). A higher "was" price that shows a markdown. Your storefront displays it struck through next to the price students actually pay, for example $100 crossed out with $80 as the current price. It must be higher than the price. As you type it, the form shows a live storefront preview of how the pair will read.
• Description. Use the rich text editor to explain what the course covers, who it is for, and what a student will be able to do by the end. This is the main pitch on your public course page, so take your time with it.
• Cover Image. An image that represents the course. It shows on your public page and in your dashboard list. If you skip it, TribeNest displays a colored tile with the first letter of the course title.
• Intro Video (optional). A short video that previews the course. When set, it plays in place of the cover image at the top of the public course page.
• Published At (optional). The date and time the course goes live.
• Questionnaire. Optional questions students answer as they enroll, covered below.

Pricing options

Courses support two pricing modes, controlled by the Price field:

• Free. Set the price to 0. Anyone can enroll without entering payment details. They still go through a short signup step so you capture their name and email.
• One-time payment. Set any price above zero. Students pay once at checkout and keep access to the course indefinitely.

Free courses are a great way to build your email list and introduce people to your teaching style before you ask them to pay for something more advanced.

Showing a markdown with a compare-at price

If you want a discount to feel real, set a Compare-at price higher than your actual Price. On your public course page the compare-at price shows struck through next to the price students pay, the familiar "was $100, now $80" look. Students are always charged the Price. Leave it blank if you do not want a markdown, and remember it has to be higher than the price or it will not save.

Adding a questionnaire

A questionnaire lets you learn about your students at the moment they enroll: their goals, their experience level, what they hope to get out of the course. Their answers show up alongside their enrollment so you can tailor how you welcome and teach them.

In the Questionnaire section of the create (or edit) form:

1. Click Add Question.
2. Choose a Question Type:
   • Text (Single line) for a short, one-line answer.
   • Textarea (Multiple lines) for a longer, free-form answer.
   • Select (Dropdown) for a pick-one answer. Add the choices under Options.
3. Type the Question itself.
4. Tick Make this question optional if students can skip it. Otherwise it is required to enroll.
5. Repeat for as many questions as you like. Drag the handle on the left of a question to reorder, or use the bin icon to remove one.

Students fill in the questionnaire during checkout, and required questions must be answered before they can complete enrollment. You can read everyone's answers later. See Managing students.

Publishing vs saving as a draft

The Published At field controls visibility:

• Leave it blank and the course is saved as a draft. It exists in your dashboard, but it does not appear on your public site and no one can enroll. Use this while you are still building out modules and lessons.
• Set a date and time in the past and the course is live immediately.
• Set a date and time in the future and the course goes live automatically when that moment arrives. Handy for lining a launch up with an email announcement.

Drafts show an orange Draft label on the course list. Live courses show their published date instead.

Cover image and intro video tips

• Cover image. A landscape-oriented image (roughly 16:9) works best. Use something that reads clearly at small sizes, since it appears as a thumbnail in the course list and on your public page.
• Intro video. Keep it short. 60 to 120 seconds is plenty. The goal is to give a feel for your style and make the course page feel alive. The video plays in place of the cover image when both are set.

You can change either of these later from the Edit Course page.

What happens after creating a course

Right after the course is created it lands in your dashboard list, empty. The next step is to build out the curriculum:

1. Click Manage Course on the course in the list.
2. Add your first module.
3. Add lessons inside the module.

See Modules and lessons for the full walkthrough.

Two more things are waiting once the course exists:

• The Calls tab on the Edit Course page, where you schedule live sessions for everyone who bought the course. See Live calls.
• The Completion certificate card at the bottom of the course page, where you attach a certificate to hand out when a student finishes. See Certificates.

Related guides

• Modules and lessons to build the curriculum inside your course.
• Cohort courses to run your course as a scheduled group program instead.
• Live calls to add live sessions to any course.
• Certificates to award proof of completion.
• Managing courses to edit details, archive or unarchive an existing course.
• Emails to announce the launch to your audience.