Course creation is restricted to Admins and Managers. Admins have full permissions to create, edit, and assign any course in the library. Managers can perform these same actions, but only within the permissions set by Admins.
Here is what we will cover in this article:
How to Create a Course from Scratch
Go to the Courses page and click the "+ New Course" button.
Select one of the three ways to build a new Course in Opus:
Build a "Blank Course" from scratch.
Build off of an existing template from our Marketplace.
Use AI Assist.
Start building and customizing your Course.
You can include Course Cover images in order to give trainees a visual sneak peak into the content.
Course Screens
How to Create a New Screen
Click the empty grey screen with the "+" in the center, or hover between two existing screens to reveal the "+" button.
Within a course, there are nine types of screens:
Text
Course Break
Image Choice
Multiple Choice
True/False
Short Response
Open Ended
Matching
Ordering
Each screen types allow you to add text and media.
There are a few merge fields you can use when building a course to personalize content with ease.
Insert: {{name}} to auto populate the trainee's name
Insert: {{company}} to auto populate the name of your company
How to Copy/Paste Screens
To copy/paste screens, select one or more screens and:
To copy: Press "Ctr/ Command C" on your computer, click "Copy to clipboard" in the "..." dropdown to the right of the screens, or select "Duplicate" to instantly create a copy of your screen
To paste: Press "Ctr/ Command V" on your computer
To multi-select screens: Hold down "Shift" while clicking multiple screens.
Screen Types
Text
Text screens provide information to trainees. In the top section, you can add various media including GIFs, photos, videos, links, and resources.
Course Break
Insert a course break to break up lengthy courses with full-screen displays featuring large headline text. The screen's color will match your brand color.
Image Choice
Image choice prompts function like multiple choice questions but display images instead of text options. You can set up either a single correct answer or enable "select all that apply." Each Image Choice screen allows up to four images.
Multiple Choice
Multiple choice prompts can be presented as direct questions or fill-in-the-blank sentences. Answers can be single or multiple choice, with options like "all of the above," "none of the above," or specific combinations such as "Answers A and C."
True/False
True/False lets trainees select whether a statement is correct or incorrect. Keep True/False statements simple and straightforward. Make sure to select the correct answer.
Short Response
Short answer questions require clear, correct answers (for example: "What is the second day of the week?"). Trainees must type their responses. The correct answer should be straightforward and easy to spell.
Open-Ended
This prompt allows for open-ended questions without a correct answer. Use this format to check understanding of complex topics or gather general feedback, like a survey. E.g., "What is one of our core values, and how do you personally demonstrate this value in your daily work?"
Matching
This question type allows you to create up to five pairs that trainees must match correctly. Pairs can be text-to-text or text-to-image matches. It's perfect for reinforcing key terms, tools, or processes. For example, matching "Whisk → Mixing eggs" or "Ladle → Serving soup".
Ordering
Use Ordering questions to test a trainee's understanding of correct sequences—whether it’s following a process, prioritizing steps, or reinforcing procedural memory. This is great for workflows, techniques, or anything where order matters. Examples: "Put the steps for washing hands in order" or "Arrange the toppings in the correct pizza-making order".
Media and Emojis
Adding Media
You can add media to the top of any new screen:
Option 1: Click the “Add Media” button on the right side of the builder
Option 2: Upload directly when creating a new screen
Supported Media Types:
My Resources – files you've added to the Library
Paste Link – links to websites, documents, YouTube/Vimeo videos (automatically embedded)
Stock Photos
Stock Videos
GIFs
Upload from Device
Once added, you can Edit, Replace, Add to Library, or Remove the media.
😊 Using Emojis
Click the smiley face in the Style Panel to open the emoji picker.
Use emojis to:
Reinforce key ideas
Replace punctuation (e.g., bullets, periods, dashes)
Make content more engaging and scannable
How to Use AI Assist
Need help filling out your course? AI Assist is a great way to speed things up and keep your content clear and engaging.
AI Assist can also help you polish and enhance your content. It can:
Suggest text edits (simplify, fix grammar, shorten or extend text)
Recommend images or add emojis
Create new text or question screens based on what’s already in your course
AI Assist suggestions are a starting point—they may need editing and aren't always fact-checked. Use it to spark ideas and speed up your workflow!
Course Status
Each course will show one of three statuses: Draft, Published, or Unpublished Changes. You can see the status in the Course list or in the top left of the Course page.
Draft: The default status for new courses. Only Admins can see drafts. They can't be assigned or added to a module.
Published: The course meets all requirements and is ready to assign or add to a module. If requirements are missing, you’ll see a notification when trying to publish.
Unpublished Changes: A published course that has been edited but not re-published. New edits aren’t visible to assignees until the course is published again.
Phone Preview and Settings
Phone Preview
To preview your course, you must have the mobile app downloaded.
Click the small phone icon in the top right corner of your course builder.
A preview will be sent to your phone to preview the in-app experience
Course Settings
To add and update settings on your course, click the "Manage" tab or the cover screen to edit your course settings.
Course settings let you manage due dates, award certificates, allow wrong answers, set passing grades, and generate a QR code for your course.
How to Publish a Course
Click the blue Publish button in the top right corner of the Course page.
Confirm settings like due date, Retry wrong answers, Library Access, etc.
Click Publish again at the bottom right of the modal to finalize.
After publishing, you can you can adjust settings like Library Access and Assignments in the Manage tab.
You can only publish a Course once your course has met the basic requirements of an assignable course.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I change the order of screens after creating them?
Yes! You can reorder screens by dragging and dropping them into your desired position. You can also use the multi-select feature (hold down "Shift" while clicking) to move multiple screens at once.
What happens if I edit a course that trainees are currently taking?
If you make changes to a published course, it will show an "Unpublished Changes" status. Current assignments will continue to see the previous version unless you publish and re-assign the course. This ensures consistency for trainees who are mid-course.
How can I reuse content from one course in another?
You can copy screens from one course to another using the copy/paste function (Command C/V). Additionally, any media you've used can be saved to your Library for easy access in future courses. This is especially useful for commonly used resources or company-specific content.