Course Focus - Choosing the Right Course Type (Teacher)
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Which Course focus fits your teaching?
Every time you create a course, it starts with a choice: the Course focus. It shapes how your course is structured and what your students see when they log in. This guide compares the four options so you can pick with confidence. You don't have to get it right on day one.
One decision, not four
Pick once. Some focuses can be changed later without losing content.
Built for how you teach
Not one size fits all: deadlines, shared spaces, self-study, or none at all.
Matches your students
From guided primary classes to independent, self-directed learners.
1 Overview
Ask yourself one question and you'll usually land on the right focus:
Do you teach one subject, with deadlines?
Choose Subject.
Do your learners need several subjects in one shared place?
Choose Class.
Should learners work through a plan independently, at their own pace?
Choose Self-paced learning.
Do you just need to share information, not run a course?
Choose Information hub.
● For one subject, with deadlines
2 Subject
The Subject focus is the standard, teacher-led course type: relevant to one subject, such as Geography or Maths, and often used with deadlines. It's the natural starting point for most courses, and every other course-management article in this help centre uses it as its baseline.
Why this matters: if you're not sure which focus to pick, Subject is the safe default. The full toolkit is available, and you can switch to Self-paced learning later without losing anything.
There's no dedicated overview article for Subject specifically. To get started, see Create your first course – Getting started.
● For several subjects, one shared space
3 Class
The Class focus organises learning content into topics shown in a left-hand panel, with everything available from one overview page. It's designed for primary and lower secondary education, where learners benefit from one clear, visual structure instead of switching between separate subject courses.
Why this matters: younger students navigate by picture, not by menu. A Class course with image-labelled topics lets students find their subject without needing to read.
● For independent, self-paced work
4 Self-paced learning
The Self-paced learning focus uses the Planner as the central element. Learners land directly on the Plans page and work through plans without deadlines or time restrictions, either one at a time or all at once, depending on the workflow you set.
Why this matters: this focus suits online training, self-study modules, or any learning path that needs minimal teacher steering. The structure does the guiding instead of you.
● For sharing information, not teaching
5 Information hub
The Information hub is not an academic course. Plans, task lists, and reports are hidden from the course menu entirely. It's designed for sharing information and resources, for example a staff room, a space for all parents of a class, or a course for the entire student body.
Why this matters: not every group needs a "course." If what you actually want is a shared noticeboard, an Information hub avoids cluttering the space with teaching tools nobody will use.
Note: you're not locked in. Teachers can switch an existing course between Subject and Self-paced learning in Course properties and features, and content and student progress are preserved. A course can also be converted to an Information hub the same way.