Course Wizard

This article explains how to create a course from a ready-made template using the Course Wizard in the Learning Pool LMS, and how to set up the wizard block and build templates. It is for course authors (Part 1) and administrators (Part 2).

The Course Wizard is a fast way to create a new course from a ready-made template rather than building one from a blank page. You pick a template, the wizard restores its structure into a new course and, for templates built with a fill-in-the-blanks map, walks you through naming the key pieces so you do not have to hunt through the new course to rename them yourself afterwards.

Part 1: Using the wizard

What the wizard actually does

Each entry in the wizard's template list is a complete, pre-built course: its activities, its layout and its course format, saved as a reusable backup. Choosing a template does not copy a few settings into a blank course. It restores that entire backup as your new course, format and all.

Some templates go a step further and carry a field map, which is a short list of named placeholders (for example 'Elearning', 'Quiz' or 'Certificate of Completion'), each tied to a specific piece of content inside the template such as an activity's name or a banner image. When a template has this map, the wizard turns those placeholders into an on-screen form. Fill each one in, and the wizard renames or fills in the matching item inside your new course automatically. Templates without a map skip straight to a plain restore.

Running the wizard

1. Open the Course Wizard from the 'Learning Pool Course Wizard' block, typically on the course management area or homepage.
2. Click 'Launch Course Wizard'.

Step 1: Choose a template

Browse the available templates. Each one is built around a particular course format, which is the overall layout and navigation style the finished course will use.

1. Select the template you want to use. A preview of the course appears in the panel on the right.
2. Click 'Next' to continue.

Step 2: Add course details

1. Fill in 'Course full name' (required).
2. Fill in 'Course short name' (required).
3. Fill in 'Course summary' (optional).
4. Click 'Next' to continue.

A live preview of the course appears to the right as you type.

Step 3: Configure template (field map only)

This step only appears if the template you chose carries a field map. If it does not, you skip straight to Step 4.

You see a form with named fields, for example 'Elearning', 'Quiz', 'Evaluation Form' and 'Certificate of Completion'. Each field corresponds to an activity or element already sitting inside the template. Enter the names you want for each one.

Step 4: Select category and publish

1. Select the category where you want the course to be published.
2. Click 'Publish'.

The wizard restores the template as a new course with your entries applied and takes you into it.

After the wizard hands off

Treat the result as a normal, fully editable course. It just started from a head start rather than a blank page:

• Rename, reorder or delete anything the wizard set up.
• Add your own activities and resources on top of the template's structure.
• Set the course's own audience, visibility, enrolment and completion settings. The wizard does not set any of these; it only builds the content.

Tips

• Pick the format for the navigation experience you want your learners to have, not just the visuals. Tiles, Grid and Buttons suit a small number of clearly labelled sections; Topics or Collapsible Topics suit a longer, more linear course.
• Fill in every field map prompt you are offered, even with a placeholder value. It saves you a hunt through the finished course to find and rename generic activity names like 'Add Name Here'.
• A template is a starting point, not a constraint. Nothing stops you from switching the course format afterwards or restructuring heavily. The wizard just saves the first pass.
• If the template list does not have a good fit, ask your system administrator. New templates are built by configuring a normal course the way you want it, then saving it into the wizard's template list.

Part 2: Administrator setup

Adding the Course Wizard block

Before anyone can use the wizard, an administrator must add the block to the LMS and set its display context.

1. Turn editing on.
2. Click 'Add a block'.
3. Select 'Learning Pool Course Wizard'.
4. Once the block is added to the homepage, set 'Page contexts' to display throughout the entire site.

Creating course templates

Templates are the foundation of the wizard. Each template is a full course backup that the wizard restores when a user picks it. Follow these steps to add one.

Create a course backup

You first need a backup of an existing course that you want to use as a template.

1. Open the course you want to use as a template.
2. From the Administration block, select 'Backup'.
3. Work through the backup screens, or click 'Jump to final step'. There is nothing mandatory to change on each screen: simply confirm and continue.
4. On the third screen, 'Confirmation and review', rename the proposed filename to something descriptive, for example 'elearning-template.mbz' or 'classroom-template.mbz'. The filename must end with '.mbz'.
5. Complete the backup. When prompted, click 'Continue'. The backup appears in your Private Backup Area.
6. Click the filename to download the backup file to your computer.
7. Go to 'Course Backup Area' and click 'Manage backup files'.
8. Drag and drop the backup file into the upload area, or use the browse icon.
9. Click 'Save'.

Add a template to the wizard

1. From the Course Wizard block, click 'Edit Course Templates'.
2. Click 'Add new template'.
3. Fill in the fields:
   • 'Name': the label users will see when choosing a template.
   • 'Select backup file': upload the .mbz backup file you created above.
   • 'Select preview image': choose a course format preview image. A preview of the format appears below the dropdown.
   • 'Map fields (JSON)': optional, see 'JSON field mapping' below for details. Leave blank if not required.
4. Click 'Save'.

JSON field mapping

Field mapping is an optional but powerful feature. It lets you define a set of named form fields that appear in Step 3 of the wizard and automatically populate or rename specific activities and blocks inside the restored course.

JSON structure

The JSON must be an array of objects. Each object represents one field to display in the wizard.

[
  { <field object 1> },
  { <field object 2> }
]

Each field object has three required properties and two optional ones:

Finding the identifier

The identifier is the folder path where the plugin lives in the codebase.

• For activities: add the activity to a course and view it. The URL contains something like mod/assign/view.php. The identifier is the two segments before view.php, for example mod/assign.
• For blocks: use the format blocks/<foldername>, for example blocks/courseintroduction. If you are unsure, check with a developer or contact the support desk.

Activity identifiers: quick reference

Common JSON examples

SCORM (e-learning)

[
  {
    "fieldname": "Elearning name",
    "fieldtype": "text",
    "fielddefault": "Add name here",
    "fieldoptions": [],
    "maptarget": { "identifier": "mod/scorm", "field": "name" }
  }
]

Quiz

[
  {
    "fieldname": "Quiz name",
    "fieldtype": "text",
    "fielddefault": "Add name here",
    "fieldoptions": [],
    "maptarget": { "identifier": "mod/quiz", "field": "name" }
  }
]

Evaluation (questionnaire)

[
  {
    "fieldname": "Evaluation name",
    "fieldtype": "text",
    "fielddefault": "Add name here",
    "fieldoptions": [],
    "maptarget": { "identifier": "mod/questionnaire", "field": "name" }
  }
]

Certificate

[
  {
    "fieldname": "Certificate name",
    "fieldtype": "text",
    "fielddefault": "Add name here",
    "fieldoptions": [],
    "maptarget": { "identifier": "mod/certificate", "field": "name" }
  }
]

Block: course banner image

[
  {
    "fieldname": "Course banner image",
    "fieldtype": "file",
    "maptarget": {
      "identifier": "blocks/courseintroduction",
      "field": "config_background_filemanager"
    }
  }
]

Full example: banner, SCORM, questionnaire and certificate

[
  {
    "fieldname": "Course banner image",
    "fieldtype": "file",
    "maptarget": {
      "identifier": "blocks/courseintroduction",
      "field": "config_background_filemanager"
    }
  },
  {
    "fieldname": "Elearning",
    "fieldtype": "text",
    "fielddefault": "Add Name Here",
    "fieldoptions": [],
    "maptarget": { "identifier": "mod/scorm", "field": "name" }
  },
  {
    "fieldname": "Evaluation Form",
    "fieldtype": "text",
    "fielddefault": "Add Name Here",
    "fieldoptions": [],
    "maptarget": { "identifier": "mod/questionnaire", "field": "name" }
  },
  {
    "fieldname": "Certificate of Completion",
    "fieldtype": "text",
    "fielddefault": "Add Name Here",
    "fieldoptions": [],
    "maptarget": { "identifier": "mod/certificate", "field": "name" }
  }
]