What is a self-paced course?
Self-paced courses enable learners to progress at their own pace, offering greater flexibility and a more personalized learning experience. EducateMe makes it easy to configure this type of adaptable learning environment.
Follow these simple steps to set up and publish your self-paced course with ease!
Step 1: Create or select your course
Navigate to Courses in your dashboard.
Click the Create course button.
Choose one of the options:
Create empty course
Generate course with AI
Get started with a template
Pro Tip: Use the “Get started with a template” button to clone a previous course setup.
Learn more in How to Create and Manage Courses
Step 2: Add activities to the course
Open the course.
Navigate to the Program page.
Click + Add new to create modules and/or activities.
Step 3: Define content access
Set access type (in General Settings):
All activities are available
Current and previous modules' activities are available
Current and previous activities are available
What does each access type mean?
All activities are available: Learner can access all lessons in the course anytime.
Current and previous modules' activities are available: Learner can access all lessons within an open module. Activities in the next module become available once all activities in the current one are completed.
Current and previous activities are available: Learner can access all lessons by completing them one by one in the order they're arranged in the program.
In crafting your self-paced course, it's unlikely that you'll incorporate scheduled activities on the calendar. Instead, define how Learners should access the content of the program as they progress through the course at their own pace.
Learn more in Course Activity Access Types
Pro tip for self-paced courses:
Avoid using events as they are not aligned with the nature of self-paced learning.
Lessons are not typically scheduled in the calendar in self-paced courses to preserve the flexibility that learners expect in a self-paced environment.
Step 4: Invite learners
A self-paced structure enables the use of a single course for all Learners, regardless of when they join. Learners won't miss any content, as they can progress through the material at their own pace and at a time that suits them best.
Navigate to the Learners page to invite the Learners to the course.
Click Invite learners button.
Choose one of the options:
Invite learners via email
Import from CSV file
Invite via link
Self-paced learning structure allows Learners to access the course content immediately upon accepting the invitation. To get the full experience of the self-paced course, consider:
creating assignments and quizzes for your Learners
Inviting the team of Instructors to help Learners along their progress within the course
gathering feedback from Learners
FAQ
Q: Can I schedule activities in a self-paced course?
A: Self-paced courses are designed for flexibility, meaning activities are not typically scheduled in advance. Instead, you define how learners will access the course content at their own pace, ensuring a personalized experience for each learner.
Q: How do learners interact with a self-paced course?
A: Once enrolled, learners can access all content immediately (depending on your chosen access settings). They can go through lessons and activities at their own pace, without the pressure of fixed timelines.
Q: Are self-paced courses suitable for all types of learners?
A: Yes! Self-paced courses are ideal for learners who prefer to set their schedule, work at their own pace, or need more flexibility due to personal or professional commitments.