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Edit a Course

Updated by Carolina Martin

Once your course is created, whether with AI or by hand, you build and organise it in the course editor. This article covers adding blocks, organising sections and pages, page layout, learner view, the Text column blocks and restoring an earlier version of a page.

For more video walkthroughs, see the Coursebox YouTube video library.

The editor has the course outline on the left, the page in the middle and the top toolbar. Hover over a block to see its own toolbar, and + Add block between blocks.

Course editor with the course outline on the left, Add Page, Add Section and the Add block button between blocks outlined

Add a block

Everything on a course page is a block. There are two ways to add one.

From the page

  1. Hover between two blocks, or go to the bottom of the page, and click + Add block.

  2. Choose a block from the Text, Interactions, Assessments or Multimedia column.

From the top toolbar

  1. Click Add block (the + icon) in the top toolbar.

  2. Choose a group, Text, Interactions, Assessments or Multimedia, or search for a block by name.

  3. Click a block to add it to the page.

Add block panel opened from the top toolbar, with the search box and block groups and the Interactions blocks outlined

In Multimedia, Images and Videos are marked AI, because you can generate them with AI.

To rewrite or build page content by chatting with AI, use the AI Editor (the sparkle icon in the top toolbar). See Use AI Tools & Elements.

Organise sections and pages

Your course is split into sections, and each section holds pages. Every section and page has a ⋮ menu in the course outline.

Page menu in the course outline with Duplicate, Edit, Up, Down, Delete, Archive and Locked

  • Duplicate (pages only): makes a copy of the page and its content that you can rename and edit without changing the original. Sections can't be duplicated.

  • Edit: rename the section or page.

  • Up and Down: move it within the course.

  • Delete: removes it permanently. Deleting a section also deletes every page in it.

  • Archive: takes it out of the course without deleting it. Archiving a section archives all its pages, quizzes and assignments too, and learners no longer see them. Unarchive it to bring everything back.

  • Locked: learners must complete it in order and can't skip ahead. When it's unlocked, they can jump to any page from the menu.

A section's menu has Edit, Up, Down, Delete, Archive and Locked. A page's menu also has Duplicate. To add a page, click + under a section; to add a section, click Add Section at the bottom of the outline.

Archive or delete? Archive when you might want the content back, for example a module you're rewriting or seasonal content you'll reuse. Delete only when you're sure, because it can't be undone. Anyone who can edit the course can unarchive content.

If every unit follows the same pattern, build one page, duplicate it for each unit, then swap the content. Duplicating is also a safe way to try a big rewrite: edit the copy and archive whichever version you don't keep.

Choose a page layout

  1. Click More (⋮) in the top toolbar.

  2. Choose Single column for one vertical scroll (best on mobile and for simple pages), or Two columns to place content side by side, such as a video next to notes.

More menu in the top toolbar with Single column, Two columns and Version history outlined

Set the block layout for the whole course

Course settings → Layout sets the default layout for every block that hasn't been customised individually.

  1. Click Course settings (the gear icon) in the top toolbar, then click Layout.

  2. Turn on Full width to stretch blocks edge to edge across the page, or set the Content width.

  3. Choose Align content: Left, Center or Right. This is where block content sits when it's narrower than the page.

  4. Set the Spacing around each block, in pixels.

  5. To apply these settings to blocks you styled one by one, turn on Apply to customised blocks.

Course settings window on Layout with the gear icon, Layout and the Full width, Content width, Align content, Spacing and Apply to customised blocks settings outlined

Preview as a learner

  1. Click Switch to learner view in the top toolbar to see the course exactly as learners do.

  2. To go back to the editor, click Exit learner view in the yellow bar at the top of the screen.

Learner view with the yellow bar, the Exit learner view button and the Listen mode icon outlined

Locks and completion rules only apply in learner view. In the editor you can see every page.

The author name learners see comes from your account profile, not from the course. To change it, open your profile from the top-right menu, click the pencil icon next to your name, update it and save.

Text column blocks

The Text column has eight blocks:

  • Icon Cards: cards with an icon or image, a heading and short text. Good for key concepts or options.

  • Banner: a full-width title area to introduce a section. Click Upload Background to add an image, or change the Primary color in the course theme to change its colour.

  • Quote: highlights a statement or testimonial, with an author name.

  • List Cards: a vertical list of cards, each with an image and text. To remove one card, click the ✕ on it.

  • Number list: numbered, step-by-step items.

  • Text & Media: text alongside an image or video.

  • Text Block: a full text editor for headings, paragraphs, lists, tables, links, images and video.

  • Embed Code: your own HTML and JavaScript.

Edit a Text Block

  1. Click into the text. The formatting toolbar opens above the block.

  2. Select text, then use the toolbar to change the Text style, lists, Font size, bold, italic, underline, links, Text colour and alignment.

  3. Click More formatting (⋯) for strikethrough, Superscript, Subscript, Highlight, Inline code, Font and Spacing (line spacing), and to insert a YouTube video, an image or a table.

Text Block being edited, with More formatting, Superscript and Subscript, Font and Spacing in the formatting toolbar and the Text Block toolbar outlined

The block toolbar above the text shows Text Block, with the AI Editor (the sparkle icon), Layout and More (⋮). More has Duplicate, Move up, Move down, Visibility Settings and Delete.

To set fonts for the whole course, use Course settings → Font instead. To add your own HTML, use an Embed Code block.

Embed Code

Use Embed Code to add your own HTML and JavaScript to a page, such as a calculator, a drag-and-drop activity or an AI-generated widget.

  1. Add an Embed Code block from the Text column.

  2. Paste your code into the editor. Use Theme to change the editor colours and Format code to tidy it.

  3. Click Preview to see it as learners will. Your changes save automatically.

Embed Code block with sample HTML in the code editor and the Theme and Format code controls outlined

Restore an earlier version of a page

Coursebox keeps a version history for each page, so you can go back to an earlier saved version.

  1. Open the page in the course editor.

  2. Click More (⋮) in the top toolbar and choose Version history.

  3. Click the version you want, by date and time.

  4. Click Recover to confirm.

Version history window listing saved versions of the page by date and time

Recovering a version replaces the page's current content, so check you've picked the right one first. It only changes the page you have open.

Troubleshooting

My changes aren't saving

Most changes save automatically, and the top toolbar shows Saved. If it doesn't, click the Save icon in the top toolbar. If changes still don't stick, refresh the page and check your internet connection.

The editing tools have disappeared

You're probably in learner view, which hides the + buttons, menus and arrows. Click Exit learner view in the yellow bar at the top. If you still can't see them, check that you have an editing role on the course.

I can't see Duplicate

Duplicate is only in a page's ⋮ menu. Sections can't be duplicated.

A section has disappeared

It may have been archived rather than deleted. Unarchive it to bring it back with all its pages.