Before you start building in Colossyan Learn, it helps to understand how courses are structured. Every course follows the same hierarchy, and once you understand it, creating and organising your content becomes straightforward.
The course hierarchy
Courses in Colossyan Learn are built from four levels:
| Level | What it is |
|---|---|
| Course | The top-level package. A single course contains everything your learner will experience. |
| Lesson | A section within a course. Each course can contain multiple lessons, which you can use to group content by topic or module. |
| Page | A page within a lesson. Each lesson can contain multiple pages, letting you break content into manageable chunks. |
| Content block | The individual pieces of content on a page. This is where your actual material lives: text, media, videos, questions. |
Think of it like a book: the course is the book, lessons are chapters, pages are pages within those chapters, and content blocks are the paragraphs, images, and exercises on each page.
Content blocks
Content blocks are the building blocks of every page. You can mix and match different block types on a single page to create varied, engaging content.
Rich text
Add formatted text for explanations, instructions, lists, and written material.
Media
Add visual content to your pages. Media blocks support:
- Stock images and videos, which you can search and add directly from within the editor
- Uploaded images and videos, for your own files
- Colossyan video drafts, which can be generated into full AI videos
- Colossyan generated videos, finished videos ready for playback
Learner questions (formative assessment)
Learner questions are individual question blocks designed for formative assessment: helping learners check their understanding as they go. Each question is its own independent block.
Learner questions support:
- Multiple choice (single correct answer)
- Multiple response (multiple correct answers)
By default, learner questions do not count towards the course score. They're intended as a learning tool, not a test. Use them to reinforce key points, prompt reflection, or break up content with low-stakes knowledge checks.
Assessment (summative assessment)
The assessment block is a single, contained block designed for summative assessment: testing whether the learner has actually retained the material.
Unlike learner questions, an assessment block:
- Contains multiple questions within a single block (rather than separate blocks per question)
- Supports both multiple choice and multiple response question types
- Is linked to scoring by default, meaning results count towards the learner's course score
Use the assessment block when you want to formally evaluate knowledge, such as at the end of a lesson or course.
Tip: Think of it this way: learner questions are for learning (formative, no scoring), and assessments are for testing (summative, scored). This distinction helps you design courses that both teach and evaluate effectively.
Divider
A simple dividing line to visually separate sections of content on a page.
Putting it together
A typical course structure might look like this:
Course: Workplace Safety Training
├── Lesson 1: Introduction to Safety
│ ├── Page 1: Welcome
│ │ ├── Rich text block
│ │ └── Colossyan video block
│ └── Page 2: Key Principles
│ ├── Rich text block
│ ├── Media block (stock image)
│ └── Learner question (multiple choice)
├── Lesson 2: Hazard Identification
│ ├── Page 1: Common Hazards
│ │ ├── Rich text block
│ │ └── Media block (uploaded video)
│ └── Page 2: Practice
│ └── Learner question (multiple response)
└── Lesson 3: Final Assessment
└── Page 1: Knowledge Check
└── Assessment block (5 questions, scored)