Course Modules

You've installed and set up your Learning App and you've got your Course up and ready, which means you're raring to go with creating some Modules and generally giving your Course a bit of structure.

Modules are the components of a Course. You can have several Modules in each of your Courses so that Members have to progress through each Module sequentially, before they complete the Course. Once you've created all the different parts of the Module you can play around with it and add new features, media, questions and settings according to your Members' needs. We're here to take you through everything though - so just follow these steps:

Creating a New Module

In the Course details page, go to Modules and click New.

Fill in the following fields:

• Module Name: Give your module a clear and catchy name which your Members will recognise and understand. This field has an 80 character limit.
• Description: Clearly describe your Module, so that the members know what the aim and intent of it is. This field's content is displayed in the list of Modules and has a maximum limit of 255 characters.
• Approval Grade: This is the minimum percentage your Member needs to get in the Module to progress to the next stage of the course. This value can be anything from 0 to 100.
• Attempts Allowed: This refers to the number of attempts each Member can make of the Module. Let's say the number is 2, if they fail to pass twice, they will no longer be able to take it. If this field is left blank, the Member can take the Module an indefinite number of times, until the course is made inactive or has reached its end date.

After clicking Save, you'll be directed to the Module overview page.

Module Overview

Here you'll see all of the information you inputted above.

The next related list will give you the option to add Questions. For detailed instructions on how to go about creating Questions, refer to Create Questions.

Module Dependencies

The Module Dependencies box refers to whether the Member needs to have taken another Module before they can proceed to this one. If you would like this to be the case, select New on the related list and type in the name of the Module you'd like them to take first, in the Predecessors box. Then press Save.

Content (SF Experience Cloud Sites Only)

When using Salesforce Experience Cloud site to build your Member portal, you can use the Content and Content Type fields to add content to your course. Members will see this content - which can be a YouTube video, Vimeo video, MP4, MP3, PDF, image, or photo carousel - when accessing Modules in the My Learning area of their portal.

In order to insert content in your Module, go to its detail page, click Edit, and scroll to the Community Settings section. Under Content Type, choose the kind of content you'll use:

YouTube or Vimeo video

If your content is a Youtube or Vimeo video, enter the embed URL into the Content field and click Save.

Externally-hosted file

If your content is an externally-hosted file, enter the full URL into the Content field and click Save.

If you are planning to use an externally-hosted video, some Remote Site and CSP Trusted Sides configuration is required. Check out our guide for detailed instructions.

How to Use Externally-Hosted MP4 Videos

Please note that your MP4 video provider may not require all of the CSP Directives. Check with your provider what is required to properly display the video.

Internally-hosted picture

If your content is an internally-hosted picture, recover its URL and enter the portion that starts with /servlet/ (you need to remove the Salesforce instance from it) into the Content field. We suggest you upload images with the proportion of 600 x 360 pixels (width x height).

You can upload a new image and recover its URL through Salesforce Classic View, within the Documents tab. Right-click on the image associated with the file you uploaded and click on Copy link address. Make sure to check the Externally Available Image checkbox when uploading the image.

Photo Carousel

In case you're going to use a photo carousel, enter the image's URLs (internally or externally-hosted images) separated by commas. This content type can be used only with images.

Click Save.

Note: you can enter up to 6 images in the carousel, but the Content field has a limit of 255 characters. So, granted that you have to enter all URLs in this field, if they sum more than the character limit when put together in the field, you might not be able to use the 6 images.

Host your content

Otherwise, if you want to host your content in your Salesforce org, click Save and scroll down to the Notes & Attachments list of your module page. Then, click Attach File.

Follow the prompts and, when finished, click Done.

On the Notes & Attachments list, right-click on the View button associated with the file you uploaded and click on Copy link address.

Go back into Edit Module and, in the Content field, paste the link address you copied before. Remove the instance base URL so that it starts with /servlet/. Then, click Save.

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File size & storage limits

Any file that you upload to your Module (images, videos, PDF) will follow Salesforce's upload limits, and will count in your Org storage usage.

If the files are externally stored, you'll need to check with your external provider for more information on their storage limits.

Salesforce Files & Attachments

In case you want to use a bigger file when hosting your content, you can upload it as a Salesforce File instead of an Attachment. This means that, instead of having a limit of 25MB per file, you will have 2GB. Salesforce explains the difference between all content types.

To make it easier to use Salesforce Files in your Course Modules, follow these steps:

1. Go to Setup and look for "Salesforce Files".
2. Under it, click on General Settings and, then, on Edit.
3. Enable the Files uploaded to the Attachments related list on records are uploaded as Salesforce Files, not as attachments option.

This will make the Notes & Attachments related list on your Module view page automatically upload Files instead of Attachments.

Module Responses

The Module Responses field will show all of the Members who have taken or are in the process of taking this Module as well as their current Progress.

Activating and Inactivating your Module

Once you have Created your Questions and you're happy with the structure and setup of the Module, you can activate it. Then, as soon as the Course is enabled, this Module will be available for your Members to take. All active Modules contribute to your Member's progress in the Course.

Example:
An Active Course has four Modules and all of them are Active. When the Member completes the first one, his or her progress in the course will be 25% (1/4).

To enable your Course, click Activate in the upper right corner of the Module overview. Once activation is confirmed, the Activate button will be replaced by an Inactivate button.

The Module can be disabled at any time, even if it has already been taken by any of the Members.

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Editing an Inactive Module

When disabling a Module, some fields can be edited, like Module Name and Description, but there are some fields that are fundamental to the course structure and therefore cannot be changed if a Member has already taken the Module. These fields are: Attempts Allowed, Approval Grade, Penalty Mode, Question Pool, Attempts Allowed Per Question and Weighted Questions.

For the same reason, you're not allowed to create new Questions and new Answer options or delete Questions and delete Answer options.

It is possible to edit Questions and Answer options when the Module is Inactive or Active, but not the Correct Weight, Penalty per Attempt and Incorrect Weight.

Activating a New Module When the Course is Active

By default, if you ever need to activate a new Module in a Course that is already Active, you would have to deactivate the Course first. However, it is possible to schedule a batch (also known as job) that will be responsible for activating your Draft Module. No matter your Course's status.

In order to schedule the batch, go to Setup, look for and access Apex Class. From there, click on Schedule Apex.

In the Job Name field, enter a name of your choice. To the right of Apex Class, click on 🔍 and select the UpdateApprovedModulesBatchSchedule class. Then, decide the frequency, start and end dates and the preferred time for it to run. Don't forget to Save afterwards.

When it runs, this batch will automatically activate any new Modules - with a Draft status - inside your Active Courses. You can keep track of any batches that have already run thorough Setup > Apex Jobs.

Reordering Modules

Once all of your Modules have been created, you might want to change the order they appear in. In the Course overview Page, in the Modules box, you can find a Reorder button.

Once you've pressed this button, you can define the order that the Modules will appear in during the course by dragging the Modules and dropping them in the desired position.