Workflow: launch your first academy end to end

Overview

This workflow takes you from an empty StretchCode workspace to a live, enrollable course that quizzes learners and issues certificates on completion. Follow it in order; each step builds on the last.

Before you start

• You have access to the StretchCode app in your StretchSuite workspace.
• You know your first course's topic, audience, and level.
• You have (or can write) 3–10 lessons of content.

Step 1 — Plan the course

1. Decide the outcome: what will a learner be able to do afterward? Write 3–5 learning outcomes.
2. Sketch the structure: 2–4 modules, each with a handful of lessons, in a logical sequence.
3. Decide whether the course is public (catalog-listed) or internal (organization-only).

Step 2 — Create the course

1. In StretchCode, choose New course.
2. Enter the title, pick the level, and write a short card summary.
3. Save (it starts in draft), then fill in summary, learning outcomes, cover image, and topic tags on the Details tab.

Step 3 — Build the curriculum

1. Add modules in the order you planned, setting sort orders (10, 20, 30).
2. In each module, add lessons: write each body in Markdown, set the type (lesson/video/exercise/reading), and add an estimated duration.
3. Mark your strongest opening lesson as a free preview.
4. Set each module and lesson you want live to published.

Step 4 — Add a quiz (recommended)

1. Create a Final Quiz on the course.
2. Add multiple-choice questions, mark the correct option for each, and add explanations.
3. Set a pass threshold (for example, 75%).
4. Publish the quiz. It now gates completion.

Step 5 — Polish for discovery

1. Fill in SEO title and SEO description.
2. Add a hero image, public headline, and subheadline.
3. Set featured and catalog sort order if you want to control placement.

Step 6 — Publish

1. Set visibility (public or internal).
2. Publish the course. If public, it now appears in the catalog and sitemap and is enrollable.

Step 7 — Enroll learners and go live

1. Share the course link, or direct learners to the catalog.
2. Learners enroll, work through lessons (the Continue button jumps them to their first incomplete lesson), and take the quiz.
3. On completing all lessons and passing the quiz, each learner is issued a certificate automatically.

Step 8 — Monitor and iterate

1. Open the Overview to see course, module, and lesson counts.
2. Use the Learners/Progress view to see enrollments, progress percentages, and completions.
3. Improve lessons where learners stall or quiz questions where many fail (review the explanations you wrote).

A realistic example

A consultancy launches Client Onboarding in an afternoon: a public course with three modules, nine lessons (first is a free preview), and an eight-question final quiz at 80%. They fill in SEO fields and a hero image, publish, and email the link to new hires. Within a week, twelve learners have enrolled, seven have completed and earned certificates, and the team spots that most learners paused at lesson 5 — so they split it into two shorter lessons.

Tips

• Ship a minimum viable course and improve it live rather than perfecting it in draft forever.
• A free preview plus a quiz-issued certificate is the strongest combination for public courses — it converts prospects and proves outcomes.
• Space your sort orders so you can insert modules and lessons later without renumbering.
• Revisit the Learners view weekly for the first month to catch drop-off points.

Troubleshooting

No one can enroll. Confirm the course is published; for public discovery, confirm visibility is public.

Learners hit 100% but don't complete. They still need to pass the published quiz. See Building quizzes and assessments.