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How to Create and Manage Courses

Build, edit, copy, and publish Courses in the dashboard: screens, question types, passing grades, AI Assist, merge fields, collaborators, and settings.

Written by Ben Brunken

Build a Course from scratch, a template, or AI Assist, then customize screens, settings, and publishing before assigning it to your team.

Table of Contents

What is a Course?

A course is the actual training experience your learners go through—whether it's part of a module or a stand-alone assignment.

Courses are made up of:

  • Screens – the main content (text, images, videos, quizzes, etc.)

  • Course Breaks – full-screen dividers to break up sections

  • Question types – quizzes or interactive prompts to reinforce learning

🎯 Quick facts:

  • Average recommended completion time: 3–5 minutes

  • Typical length: 15–20 screens + 1–3 quiz questions

  • Include a title screen with an overview (outline, summary, or "Trainee Will Be Able To…" statement). The title screen is not part of the in-app learning experience, so think of it as your internal trailer—it's a preview of what's coming and why it matters.

  • Mix in media (images, GIFs, video) to boost engagement and keep learners' attention

How to Create a Course

Go to Training > Courses in the Opus dashboard.

  • Click + New Course: Choose how you want to start:

    • Blank Course – start from scratch.

    • Template from Marketplace – start from a pre-built structure.

    • AI Assist – generate an outline or content based on your prompt or uploaded files (handbooks, SOPs, role guides, etc.)

  • Start building and customizing your course.

  • Add a cover image to give learners a visual preview.

Using AI Assist for Courses

AI Assist helps you speed up course creation and enhance your content. You can:

  • Generate outlines based on prompts or uploaded files

  • Suggest edits for clarity, tone, and grammar

  • Recommend media (images, GIFs, videos)

  • Create quiz or text screens from existing content

💡 AI suggestions are a starting point. Review for accuracy, adjust to match your brand, and ensure they meet your training objectives.

Learn more in How to Build Training Using AI Assist.

Course Screens

To add a new screen, click the + button in the builder grid, or hover between screens to insert one.

Available screen types:

  • Text – for explanations, context, and instructions (supports media)

  • Course Break – full-screen divider with your brand color

  • Image Choice – quiz with images instead of text answers

  • Multiple Choice – single or multi-answer quizzes, including "select all that apply"

  • True/False – simple two-option questions

  • Short Response – short typed answer with a correct response required

  • Open-Ended – no right/wrong answer; great for feedback or reflection

  • Matching – match terms, tools, or processes (text-to-text or text-to-image)

  • Ordering – put processes or items in the correct sequence

💡 Turn on Randomize order for Multiple Choice and Image Choice screens, including "select all that apply" questions, to shuffle the answer choices for each Trainee. You always see and edit the choices in the order you wrote them, and each Trainee's order stays the same if they leave the question and come back.

Copying and Reusing Screens

  • To copy, select the screens and press Cmd/Ctrl + C or use the "Copy to clipboard" option in the ... menu.

  • To paste, use Cmd/Ctrl + V into another course.

  • Duplicate a screen to instantly clone it in the same course.

  • Hold Shift to multi-select screens for copying or moving.

Merge Fields

Merge fields are placeholders you insert into a course. When the course is assigned, Opus fills in the field with the right info for each learner based on their profile or your business's setup.

  • {{name}}: Pulls in the learner's first name. Great for greetings and check-ins to make the tone more conversational.

  • {{company}} or {{org}}: Inserts your company name as listed in Opus. Use this for referencing policies or values that apply across the business.

  • {{brand}} – Inserts the brand name tied to the learner's location. Useful when training content is shared across brands but needs to feel brand-specific (e.g., uniforms, menus).

  • {{location}}: Inserts the name of the learner's location. Useful for location-specific instructions, like where to pick up supplies or who to report to.

Adding Media and Emojis

You can add media to any screen using the Add Media button in the builder or by uploading when creating a screen. The more contextualized and brand-specific the media is, the more meaningful it will be to your learner. It will also help them make visual connections back to their specific position.

Supported media include:

  • Library resources

  • Links (websites, docs, YouTube/Vimeo embeds)

  • Stock photos and videos

  • GIFs

  • Files from your device

The maximum file size is 400 MB. If you are having trouble uploading your video file, try an online converter to convert it to .mp4.

Use emojis to:

  • Reinforce ideas

  • Make text scannable

  • Replace bullets or punctuation for a visual break

Using AI to Edit and Generate Images

Use the AI image generator in Opus to quickly create, enhance, or refresh visuals right within your course or Opus Doc. Whether you're editing an existing image, uploading one from your device, or generating something entirely new from a text prompt, it's a simple way to keep your content visually engaging and on brand—without leaving the platform.

Read our full guide for step-by-step instructions.

Course Settings

In the Manage tab, you can:

  • Set a due date (specific date or days after assignment)

  • Enable awarding a certificate after completion

  • Allow retry of wrong answers

  • Set passing grade (percentage)

  • Add tags for organization

  • Generate a QR code for assigning via scan

Course Status

  • Draft – Not visible to learners; can't be assigned

  • Published – Ready for assignment or to add to a module

  • Unpublished Changes – Edits made but not re-published; learners still see the old version until updated

Publishing a Course

  • Click Publish in the top right corner.

  • Confirm settings (due date, retries, access, etc.).

  • Click Publish again to finalize.

  • Assign directly or add to a module.

Previewing Courses in the App

Builders can preview courses in the app without assigning the course to themselves.

To do this, locate the course in the dashboard and open it in the builder. In the top right corner, click Phone Preview.

This sends a notification to your mobile app. Open the app and tap the notification at the bottom of the home screen to view the course exactly as learners will see it.

Un-publishing a Course

Opus doesn't currently allow you to revert a published course or module back to draft. Depending on your desired outcome, you can use one or more of these workarounds:

  1. Remove library access: Prevent people from accessing the course via their library.

  2. Disable automations: Turn off any automated assignments associated with the content.

  3. Remove assignments: If the course was assigned, unassign it from people.

  4. Archive completed content: For people who have already completed the training, it cannot be removed from their profiles, even if no library access has been granted. Archiving keeps it out of active content lists.

Choose the steps that match your goal, whether that's stopping new learners from accessing the content, pausing automations, or cleaning up active assignments.

Stand-Alone Courses vs. Courses in Modules

  • Stand-Alone Course – Assigned directly to learners; ideal for quick lessons or single-topic refreshers

  • Course in a Module – Part of a structured multi-topic training flow with resources, check-ins, and sections

FAQ

Can I reuse the same course in multiple modules?

Yes. A single course can appear in multiple modules without duplicating your work.

What happens if I edit a published course?

Learners will see the previous version until you republish. Unpublished changes stay saved in the draft state.

Can learners skip questions in a course?

Only if you allow it in the course settings. You can require correct answers before continuing.

What's the max number of screens I can have in a course?

There's no hard limit, but we recommend keeping it short (under 20 screens) for engagement and retention.

Can I track course completion separately from a module?

Yes, completion data is available both at the course level and within the module it's in.

Why can't I click Publish?

The Publish button is grayed out when you're viewing the published version instead of the draft, when AI Assist is still generating screens, or when there are no unpublished changes. If you click Publish and see "This course has issues that need to be fixed," look for screens missing text, an answer choice, or a correct answer.

If you don't see Publish at all, you don't have edit access to the Course. Ask its creator or an Admin to add you as a collaborator. Learn more in How to Invite Collaborators to a Course or Module.

How do I delete a draft Course?

Courses can't be deleted, including drafts. Archive the ones you don't need: click the … menu in the top right and select Archive. Learn more in How to Archive Content.

Can I create or edit Courses in the Opus Training app?

No. Courses are built and edited in the dashboard. In the app, you can preview and assign them.

How do I copy a Course?

Click the … menu in the top right and select Duplicate course. The copy is a separate draft named "[Course name] [copy]," so changes to it don't affect the original. Learn more in How to Duplicate a Module or Course.

How do I let someone else edit my Course?

Click the Collaborators icon in the top right, invite the person, and give them Edit access. Learn more in How to Invite Collaborators to a Course or Module.

How does the passing grade work?

Set a passing grade in the Manage tab. Trainees who score below it have to retake the Course, and it's reassigned to them automatically. Turn on Retry wrong answers to give Trainees one extra guess on each question. Learn more in How to Retake a Course, Module, or Quiz.

Can I shuffle the answer choices?

Yes. On a Multiple Choice or Image Choice screen, turn on Randomize order under Choice options.

Can I change the font or text size?

No. Course screens use one font and size so training looks consistent on every phone. You can use bold, italics, bulleted and numbered lists, links, and emojis.

Can I add a Word document to a Course?

Yes. Upload it as a Resource, then add it to a screen with Add media > My Resources. Files can be up to 1 GB. Supported types include PDF, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, images, video, and audio.

Can team members view Courses in landscape?

Course screens display in portrait. Team members can open an image or PDF on a screen full-screen and rotate their phone to view it in landscape.

Are images I generate with AI saved to my Library?

No. A generated image is saved only on the screen where you add it.

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