Courses
Browse, enroll in, and track progress through the published course catalog.
Overview
The Courses screen is the learner-facing side of TotalApp's LMS. It shows every published course in the organization's catalog and lets employees enroll, resume, and track their own progress — all without leaving the app.
Authors use Course Builder to create and publish courses. Once a course is published it appears here automatically. Learners see the full course structure, can navigate lessons in any order, mark lessons complete, and track an overall completion percentage per course.
Live Sync with HR
Course enrollment records are tied to the logged-in employee profile. HR managers can view each employee's course completions in the Employees and Skill Matrix, giving a single view of competency development across the team.
Browsing the Catalog
The Courses screen opens on the full catalog view. Each course is shown as a card with:
- Cover image — set by the author in Course Builder.
- Title and description — the course name and short summary.
- Category badge — e.g. Technical, Compliance, Soft Skills.
- Estimated duration — the author's time estimate for completing the course.
- Lesson count — total number of lessons across all sections.
- Progress bar — visible only for courses you have already started; shows your completion percentage.
Filtering and Search
Use the search bar at the top of the screen to filter courses by title or description keyword. The category filter pills below the search bar let you narrow the catalog to a specific learning area (e.g. show only Compliance courses). Both filters work together.
View Modes
Switch between Grid (card layout, default) and List view using the toggle in the top-right of the filter bar. Grid is better for browsing visually; List is better for scanning many courses quickly.
Enrolling in a Course
Click any course card to open the course detail view. This shows the full section and lesson structure before you commit to enrolling.
Click Start Course to enroll. Your progress starts at 0% and the first lesson opens automatically. If you have already started a course, the button changes to Continue and picks up from your last completed lesson.
Resume Anytime
Your progress is saved automatically as you complete each lesson. You can close the app and return later — the course will resume exactly where you left off. There is no time limit on any course unless the author has specified one.
Taking a Course
Inside a course, the left panel shows the section and lesson tree. Click any lesson to open it on the right. Lessons can be opened in any order — you are not required to complete them sequentially unless the author has enabled a locked progression setting.
Marking Lessons Complete
At the bottom of each lesson, click Mark as Complete to record your completion. The lesson icon in the left panel changes to a checkmark and the course progress percentage updates immediately. To undo, click Mark as Incomplete on the same lesson.
Lesson Types
| Type | What you see | Required action to complete |
|---|---|---|
| Text | Formatted document with headings, lists, and paragraphs | Read and click Mark as Complete |
| Video | Embedded video player with optional transcript below | Watch (or scroll past) and click Mark as Complete |
| Quiz | Interactive quiz linked from Quiz Engine | Submit the quiz; pass/fail threshold set by the author |
| Attachment | Downloadable file (PDF, spreadsheet, etc.) | Download and click Mark as Complete |
Homework Assignments
Some lessons include a homework assignment — a written task or reflection prompt. Read the assignment description and complete it outside the app. When done, return to the lesson and click Mark Homework Complete.
Course Completion
A course is considered complete when all lessons and any required homework have been marked as complete. The progress bar reaches 100% and the course status changes to Completed on your enrollment record.
Completed courses remain accessible indefinitely — you can revisit any lesson as a reference even after completion. The Completed badge is visible on the course card in the catalog so you can quickly see what you have already finished.
Visible in the Skill Matrix
Course completions feed directly into the Skill Matrix. If a course is tagged with skill categories, completing it can automatically update your proficiency level for those skills — subject to the manager's configuration in the Skill Matrix.
Course Statuses
| Status | Meaning | Visible in catalog? |
|---|---|---|
| Draft | Course is still being authored. Not yet ready for learners. | No — authors only |
| Published | Available for all employees to browse and enroll. | Yes |
| Archived | Course has been retired. Existing enrollments are preserved but new enrollment is disabled. | No |
AI Assistant
Open the built-in AI Assistant from the tab on the right edge of the screen to get help with the course catalog. Select one or more courses in the list with the row checkboxes and the assistant gets context on each selected course's title, category, publish status, and assignee count, so you can ask things like:
- "Analyze the structure and content of these selected courses"
- "Review assignment coverage across the courses I selected"
- "Where are the gaps in our course catalog?"
- "Suggest improvements for these courses"
You can ask without selecting anything too — the assistant will reason over the catalog in general terms.