Lessons

What is a Lesson?

Lessons are the main content modules used within a Course.

They are designed for presenting learning content such as text, images, video, links, files and other supporting material.

Lessons are added to a Course curriculum and can be organized into sections alongside other module types such as Quizzes, SCORM content and Surveys.

Lesson content

The main Lesson body is created using the rich text editor.

This can include:

  • Text and headings
  • Images
  • Links
  • Embedded media
  • Tables
  • Files and other supporting content

Additional dynamic components can also be used to create richer Lesson experiences. These are covered separately because the exact options available may vary by platform configuration.

Lesson video

Lessons include a dedicated video field for the main Lesson video.

Although video can also be embedded within the Lesson body, using the dedicated video field provides structured information that other Shapeshift features can use.

This can include:

  • Displaying the video duration in the Course sidebar
  • Showing the appropriate video icon in the curriculum
  • Linking learner notes to specific video timestamps
  • Supporting platform configurations that require a learner to watch the video before progressing

For this reason, the dedicated video field should generally be used for the primary Lesson video rather than embedding the video only within the Lesson body.

Completing a Lesson

A learner completes a Lesson by progressing using the Next action.

When the Lesson is completed, Shapeshift records that completion against the learner's Course enrollment and updates their Course progress.

Some platforms may apply additional progression rules, such as requiring the main video to be completed before the learner can continue.

Lessons within Courses

Lessons can be arranged alongside other module types within the Course curriculum.

If the Course uses linear progression, learners must complete the Lesson before moving to the next module in the sequence.

If the Course allows free progression, learners can move between available modules more freely.