Course formats
  • 28 Nov 2023
  • 2 minutes to read

Course formats


Article summary

Course formats are the different types of courses in Totara Learn. These formats will affect how each course appears and functions, and will result in significantly different experiences for your learners.


There a number of options to configure in the Course format section of the course settings.

The course formats options are:

Course format
Description
Notes

Demo format

A simple format with minimum styling organised into sections.

The format_demo plugin for the demo format has been deprecated as of Totara 13.

Single activity format

The course will support one activity within a single section. When the course is accessed the activity will automatically launch/open.

This format is often used with SCORM or Seminar activities.

When using the single activity course format a number of SCORM activity options (for example the Learner skip content structure page setting) will not be available.

Social format

A social format course consists of a single forum which acts as a central area for the whole course.

This format is useful for less formal courses or for non-training uses such as maintaining departmental sites.

The format_social plugin for the social format has been deprecated as of Totara 13.

Topics format

A topic-based course supports a non-date-driven learning environment where contact can be added to related sections.

If your course design is concept-oriented, and learners will be working through a range of concepts but not necessarily according to a fixed schedule, this is a good choice.

The number of topics can be changed at any time.

Weekly format

With this format, you specify a course start date and the number of weeks the course is set to run. Totara Learn will create a section for each week of your course and the current week will be highlighted. You can add content, activities and resources to each topic section.

If you want all your learners to work on the same materials at the same time or the learning is date driven, this is a good format to choose.

Pathway formatLearners work through a series of activities and resources, each displayed one at a time. The learner's progress through the course is displayed in a menu panel on the left-hand side of the screen.
This format is effective in simplifying the course experience and giving learners a clear sense of progression through the course materials.

The Totara Academy has a course dedicated to using Core plugins and advanced features in Totara. Here you can learn more, see best practice, give it a go yourself.

Can't find what you're looking for? Contact us at documentation@totara.com. Alternatively, book a call to have a chat about your Totara platform with a dedicated Customer Success Manager.

© Copyright 2024 Totara Learning Solutions. All rights reserved. Some content originally obtained via GPLv3 license and continues to be available under GPLv3. All other content is the sole copyright of Totara Learning Solutions. 

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