Courses are the foundation of any learning experience in LearnDash. They define the structure of the curriculum, control learner access, and determine how content is delivered and completed. This section introduces the core tools and settings available for building, managing, and optimizing courses in LearnDash.
Global Course Settings #
Global Course Settings apply site-wide defaults to all courses. These settings help maintain consistency across courses while reducing repetitive configuration.
Global settings can be used to control:
- Default course behavior
- Shared display options
- Common progression rules
Shared Course Steps #
Shared Course Steps allow lessons, topics, and quizzes to be reused across multiple courses.
This feature supports:
- Consistent learning experiences across programs
- Faster course creation
- Easier content updates when shared steps are modified
The Course Builder #
The Course Builder provides a visual interface for organizing course content.
Using the Course Builder, administrators can:
- Add new lessons, topics, and quizzes
- Reorder course steps
- Remove or edit existing content
- Design a structured learning path for learners
Display and Content Settings #
Display and Content Settings control how course content appears to learners.
These settings allow course creators to:
- Add supplemental materials
- Assign certificates
- Control visibility of course elements
- Enhance engagement with structured content presentation
Configure Course Access #
Course Access settings determine how learners enroll in and access a course.
Common access options include:
- Open access
- Login-required access
- Paid enrollment
- Prerequisites and enrollment rules
These settings help guide learners through a defined progression path.
Course Progression Options #
Course Progression options control how learners move through course content.
Progression rules can be used to:
- Require step completion before advancing
- Allow self-paced navigation
- Enforce linear or flexible learning paths
MCP Support (LearnDash 5.0) #
LearnDash 5.0 introduces MCP support for course management.
With MCP, administrators can use AI tools to:
- Create, update, or delete courses
- Apply bulk settings and structural changes
- Manage course data through the REST API v2
MCP operates alongside manual course-building tools and respects LearnDash permissions.
Course Page #
Each course includes a dedicated course page that introduces the course to learners.
Course page settings include:
- Course title and description
- Featured image
- URL and permalink structure
These elements help inform learners and set expectations before enrollment.
Next Steps #
After creating a course, additional content can be added using lessons, topics, and quizzes.
See the following documentation to complete course setup:
- Lessons
- Topics
- Quizzes