Course and class catalog

Course and class catalog

Overview

The course catalog displays all of the published courses on the platform that are available to learners. Learners may enroll in courses from the catalog, or purchase courses on platforms with E-commerce enabled.
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Business platforms default to the course catalog, and academia platforms default to the class catalog. The terms are interchangeable in this article. 
To browse the catalog:
  1. Click Courses from the primary navigation menu.
    1. Academia users click Classes from the primary navigation menu.
  2. Click Catalog.
Or if available:
  1. Click Catalog directly from the primary navigation menu.

The Catalog displays. Depending on the set up of your platform, multiple tabs may display across the top of the catalog, which allow users to access additional catalogs of courses. 

Courses in the catalog are organized by categories and sub-categories. The number of items (courses or sub-categories) within a category is displayed on the category tile. To access a course:
  1. Click a category tile.
  2. Click a course tile within the category.


After clicking a course, the course overview page displays.

  1. Each course in the catalog has an overview page which defaults to the About tab.
    1. The About tab includes a description of the course, course information in the Info widget in the right panel, and a button in the upper right corner which allows users to enroll, purchase, or contact course owners for additional information.
  2. Course overview pages can also include a Modules tab with a preview of the course modules.
  3. Some courses include a Certificates tab which displays information about any associated course certificates. 


Courses that are for sale can be purchased directly from the course overview page by clicking the Purchase button.


Publishing courses to the catalog

When you create a course, it is not published in the catalog by default. To publish a course to the catalog, administrators and course owners:
  1. Access the course or class.
  2. Locate the Admin widget in the right panel.
  3. Click publish in the Admin widget.


To edit how a course is displayed in the catalog:
  1. Access the course or class.
  2. Click Admin from the course navigation menu.
  3. Click Catalog from the fly-out menu.
  4. Determine which features to include in the course catalog About page. Options include:
    1. Publish?:  This checkbox publishes the course to the catalog. If the setting is unchecked, the course will be unpublished.
    2. Display contact option instead of allowing purchase/enrollment?: This setting allows you to set up contact information for the course instead of a price. A Contact button will display for the course in the catalog in place of the Purchase button for users. 
    3. Include short description?: When checked, the short description for the course is shown in the catalog. You can edit the short description in the Basics tab of the course.
    4. Include long description?: When checked, the long description for the course is shown in the catalog. You can edit the long description in the Basics tab of the course.
    5. Include table of contents?: When checked, modules for the course are available in the catalog.
    6. Include teacher?: When checked, the instructor for the course will be displayed in the catalog.
    7. Featured item?: When checked, the course will be shown as a featured item in the right panel of the catalog.
  5. Click Edit categories to edit the categories the course is included in.
  6. Click Add category to add the course to additional categories.
  7. Click Add in the Visibility section if you would like to add filters to the course to limit which users the course is displayed to in the catalog. 
    1. This is covered in greater detail later in this article.

Configuring the course catalog

To begin configuring the course catalog:

  1. Click Admin from the primary navigation menu.
  2. Click Catalog from the fly-out menu. 


Configuring categories

The first tab on the admin Catalog page will vary based on the setup of your platform. If you only have one catalog:

  1. Click the Categories tab to begin configuring catalog categories.
If you have multiple catalogs:
  1. Click the cog  icon in the Settings column for the catalog whose categories you would like to configure.

The Catalog settings display.

  1. Catalog: Click Edit in the first catalog section if you would like to edit the catalog Name or Introduction text.
  2. Pagination: Determine how many categories can display per page in the Page size drop-down in the Pagination section.
  3. Categories: If you have existing categories, they are listed in the Categories section.
    1. Click Add in the Categories section to add a new category.


If you click Add, the Add category pop-up displays.

  1. Enter a Name for the new category.
  2. The Parent drop-down defaults to None. If you would like to create a sub-category, select an existing category in the Parent drop-down. 
  3. Click Save.

To change the name, parent category, or description(s) of an existing category:

  1. Click the Edit  icon for the category. 


The category fields display.
  1. Update the category details as needed.
  2. Click Save.  


You can set visibility filter for categories, so that they only display for specific users. To set visibility filters for the category:
  1. Click the add  icon in the Visibility filter column for the category.

The Visibility pop-up displays.
  1. Click the first drop-down list to choose a field for the filter.
  2. Click the second drop-down menu to select a condition.
  3. In the text box, enter the filtering term.
  4. You can refine the scope by adding multiple filters.
    1. To add another filter, click the + button.
    2. To cancel a filter click the X button.
  5. Click Save to apply your filters.
To learn more about filters, visit the Filters article. 



To change the picture that displays on the category tile:
  1. Click the Edit picture icon for the category.
  2. Click Add picture.
  3. Upload a new picture.
    1. For best results, use an image at least 400px tall with a 4:3 width:height ratio.
  4. Click Save.


Administrators can also change the category's name and picture directly from the catalog. To edit the category from the catalog:
  1. Click Catalog from the primary navigation menu.
  2. Hover over the category picture. 
  3. Click the cog  icon that appears in the upper right hand corner of the tile.
  4. Edit the name of the category in the Name field.
  5. Click Change picture to change the category tile picture.
  6. After making changes, click Save.

To delete categories:

  1. Click Admin from the primary navigation menu.
  2. Click Catalog from the fly-out menu.
  3. Click the Categories tab, or if you have multiple catalogs, click the cog  icon in the Settings column for the catalog you would like to edit.
  4. Select the checkbox for the category you would like to delete.
  5. Click Delete.
To set the metadata description and keywords for a category:
  1. Click the add   icon in the SEO Metadata column.


The Meta description and meta keywords pop-up displays.
  1. Add a meta Description.
  2. Add meta Keywords. 
  3. Click Save.


If you have any third party course catalogs installed on your platform, they will also display on the admin Catalogs page. 
  1. Click the cog  icon in the Settings column to access catalog settings for third party catalogs.
  2. Check the Enable? checkbox to enable the catalog and make it visible to users. Uncheck the Enable? checkbox to disable the catalog and hide it from users.

To configure Catalog settings:

  1. Click Admin from the primary navigation menu.
  2. Click Catalog from the fly-out menu.
  3. Click the Settings or Shared settings tab, depending on the set up of your platform.
Catalog settings display. To enable search for the catalog:
  1. Select the Enable catalog search checkbox. 


If enabled, users and visitors will see the search area in the catalog right bar.
  1. Users can search for keywords and filter the search results based on the course category, style, price, and language.


Search results display items that match the search phrase, with priority given to course titles. The course name, short description, and long description are all indexed for search.
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To maximize the chances of a course appearing in search results, ensure the course title includes the phrases users are most likely to search for.


If you select a category from the search filters area and no other search constraints are selected, all courses in the category will display.

To clear search filters:
  1. Click the reset  icon in the upper-right corner of the Search widget in the right panel.


Catalog settings: Calendar

The calendar view of the catalog shows when each instructor-led and blended course is available. To enable the catalog calendar:
  1. Click Admin from the primary navigation menu.
  2. Click Catalog from the fly-out menu.
  3. Click the Settings or Shared settings tab, depending on the set up of your platform.
  4. Select the Enable catalog search checkbox. 
    1. Note that this feature is disabled by default.

When enabled, the Calendar view button appears for users in the upper-right of the catalog.


When users click the Calendar view button, the calendar view of the catalog displays.

  1. Users can click Tile view if they want to switch back to tile view. 
  2. Users can click Week to see a weekly view, or Month to see a monthly view of the catalog. 
  3. Courses display on the calendar. The status of the course is display with a colored dot.

If users click on an entry in the catalog, the tile for the course pops up in the calendar. The tile shows the basic information of the course such as name, description, schedule (if available), and more. To access the course page:

  1. Click the course tile.

The full Catalog page for the course displays. Note that the course in the example below has multiple available sessions in the right panel (covered in greater detail later in this article). 

Additional tips for displaying courses on the catalog calendar:

  1. If a course has a start and end date, but no schedule, it shows up on its start date on the monthly view.

  1. If a course has a start and end date, but no schedule, it shows up on as an all-day event in the weekly view. 
  2. If a course has a schedule, then the times(s) on the schedule are used when displaying it in the weekly view.
  3. If you set a schedule that is recurring (for example, each weekday), then each recurrence in the schedule is shown in the weekly view.

To set up a schedule for the course:

  1. Access the course.
  2. Click Admin from the course navigation menu.
  3. Click Schedule from the fly-out menu.
  4. Click Add course time.

Catalog settings: Location filtering

You can enable location filtering for the calendar view of the catalog. The filtering option is useful for businesses and schools that have courses in various locations and want users to see which courses are available in their area.

To enable catalog location filtering:
  1. Click Admin from the primary navigation menu.
  2. Click Catalog from the fly-out menu.
  3. Click the Settings or Shared settings tab, depending on the set up of your platform.
  4. Select the Enable location filtering checkbox. 
    1. Please note that this feature is disabled by default.


If enabled, the calendar view in the course catalog color-codes courses based on their location setting. To view courses by location:
  1. Locate the Location filters in the Search widget in the right panel.
  2. Check or uncheck locations to display them on the calendar.
    1. Note that the location filter selection is saved until you update it.
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Courses with no location set are color-coded with None.


To set the location of a course:

  1. Access the course.
  2. Click Admin from the course navigation menu.
  3. Click Basics from the fly-out menu.
  4. Click Edit in the Settings section.
  5. Add a Location.
  6. Click Save.

Catalog settings: Layout

The catalog settings also allow you to customize the layout of the catalog. To customize catalog layout settings:

  1. Click Admin from the primary navigation menu.
  2. Click Catalog from the fly-out menu.
  3. Click the Settings or Shared settings tab, depending on the set up of your platform.
  4. Locate the Layout section.
The Layout settings include:
  1. Format: Choose between Flat, Hierarchical, or Graphic.
  2. Category ordering: Choose between Alphabetical or Custom.
    1. If you choose Custom, you can reorder the categories using drag and drop.
  3. Course ordering: Choose between Alphabetical or Custom.
    1. If you choose Custom, you can reorder the courses within the categories using drag and drop.

Catalog settings: Items

The catalog settings also allow you to customize individual item tiles in the catalog. Items include course tiles, bundle tiles, and media tiles. To customize item tile settings:

  1. Click Admin from the primary navigation menu.
  2. Click Catalog from the fly-out menu.
  3. Click the Settings or Shared settings tab, depending on the set up of your platform.
  4. Locate the Items section.

The Items settings include:

  1. Display short description on item tiles: If enabled, the short description will be displayed on the item tiles in the catalog. If disabled, the short description will not be displayed.

Another Catalog Items setting is:
  1. Display short description on category tiles: If enabled, the short description of categories will be displayed on the category tiles in the Course catalog. If disabled, the short description will not be displayed for categories.

To add a short description for a category:

  1. Click Admin from the primary navigation menu.
  2. Click Catalog from the fly-out menu.
  3. Click the Categories tab, or if you have multiple catalogs, click the cog  icon in the Settings column for the catalog you would like to edit.
  4. Click the Edit  icon for the category you want to add a short description for.
  5. Add a description in the Short description field.
  6. Click Save. 

Another Catalog Items setting includes:

  1. Show sections in each module: If enabled, the sections of each module will be displayed in the Course catalog for visitors (as shown below).

The final two Catalog Items settings are:

  1. Show time zone: If enabled, time zones are listed on item tiles (if applicable).
  2. Only show pricing on catalog page, not on tiles or listings: If enabled, pricing is only shown on the item catalog page, not on tiles or listings.

Catalog settings: Visibility

The catalog settings also allow you to control multiple settings related to where courses display. To customize catalogVisibility settings:

  1. Click Admin from the primary navigation menu.
  2. Click Catalog from the fly-out menu.
  3. Click the Settings or Shared settings tab, depending on the set up of your platform.
  4. Locate the Visibility section.
The following settings are available in the Visibility section:
  1. Display courses for default organization in all catalogs: If enabled, courses associated with the default organization will be visible in the course catalog for all organizations in the network.
  2. Display courses for all organizations in default organization catalog: If enabled, courses associated with all organizations from the network will be visible in the course catalog of the default organization.
  3. Only display courses from default organization in visitor catalog: If enabled, only the courses from the default organization will be displayed in the course catalog for visitors.
  4. Only show open enrollment courses and paths in visitor catalog: If enabled, only the courses and paths with open enrollment will be displayed in the course catalog for visitors.
  5. Hide old courses: If enabled, courses that have started over a week ago will be hidden.

Catalog settings: Right column

The catalog settings also allow you to adjust how the Right column displays. To customize catalog Right column settings:

  1. Click Admin from the primary navigation menu.
  2. Click Catalog from the fly-out menu.
  3. Click the Settings or Shared settings tab, depending on the set up of your platform.
  4. Locate the Right column section.

The Right column settings include:

  1. Show list of featured items: If enabled, featured items will be displayed in the right column of the course catalog.


To set an item as a featured item:
  1. Access the item (course, bundle, media, or subscription plan).
  2. Click Admin from the secondary navigation menu.
  3. Click Catalog from the fly-out menu.
  4. Select the the Featured item? checkbox.

The other Right column setting in catalog Settings is:
  1. Show boxes: If enabled, the boxes added and enabled in the Boxes area will be displayed in the right column of the course catalog.

Catalog settings: Boxes

The catalog settings also allow you to add custom boxes to the right column of the catalog. 

To add a new box:
  1. Click Admin from the primary navigation menu.
  2. Click Catalog from the fly-out menu.
  3. Click the Settings or Shared settings tab, depending on the set up of your platform.
  4. Locate the Boxes section.
  5. Click Add.

The Edit pop-up displays.

  1. Use the built-in editor to add the title and the content of the box. Boxes can contain text, images, videos, and more.
  2. Click Save. 

After the box is added, it displays in the Boxes section.

  1. Click the Edit   icon to edit the box.
  2. Select or deselect the Enable? checkbox to display or hide the box in the right column of the catalog.
  3. To delete boxes, select the box checkbox and click the Delete button.


Catalog filtering

Catalog filtering allows you to control which users can view a course based on a combination of user account attributes. Catalog filtering is set up at the individual course or path level. To set up catalog visibility filtering at the course level:

  1. Access the course or path (or bundle or subscription plan if E-commerce is enabled).
  2. Click Admin from the secondary navigation menu.
  3. Click Catalog from the fly-out menu.
  4. Locate the Visibility section.
  5. Click Add.
The Visibility pop-up displays, which allows you to add visibility filters that will apply to the catalog.
  1. Click the first drop-down list to choose a field for the filter.
  2. Click the second drop-down menu to select a condition.
  3. In the text box, enter the filtering term. 
  4. You can refine the scope by adding multiple filters.
    1. To add another filter, click the add  icon.
    2. To cancel a filter click the X icon.
  5. After creating the filter. click Save.
To learn more about filters, visit the Filters article. 


The new filter displays in the Visibility section.

  1. Click the Edit  icon to edit the filter.
  2. Click the Remove  icon to delete the filter.
  3. Click Add to add another visibility filter. 

Enabling the Catalog on the visitor portal

You can make the Catalog available to visitors on your visitor portal. To allow visitors to browse the catalog:

  1. Click Admin from the primary navigation menu.
  2. Click Portal from the fly-out menu.
  3. Click the Visitor view tab.
  4. Ensure the Full on all devices or Full on all devices except phones radio button is selected in the Portal type section.
  5. Click the Enable? checkbox for the Catalog page in the Portal pages section. 

E-commerce

If you have e-commerce enabled, you can set prices for courses through the course admin E-commerce tab. To learn more, visit the How to set up a course for sale and E-commerce articles.


Including child courses on the parent course catalog page

If you have a course with multiple different time or location based sessions, you can include the sessions on the course catalog page of the parent course (as shown below). The sessions are published child courses that will display on the catalog page of the parent course. 

Users will search for the parent course, and can then select which session they want to purchase or enroll in. 
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Please note that you can also configure course templates as parent courses by publishing them and adding child courses.


To enable child course sessions to display with a parent course or template in the catalog:
  1. Access the parent course or course template.
  2. Click Admin from the secondary course navigation menu.
  3. Click Catalog from the fly-out menu.
  4. Select the Include child courses? checkbox.
    1. Note that this option is only available if the course has a child course.


Once enabled, the catalog tile for the parent course will include the text Multiple dates are available and the child courses will no longer show up separately in the catalog.

You can also include locations in the Select session panel in the right column of the catalog page. To add locations to a child course:

  1. Access the child course.
  2. Click Admin from the secondary course navigation menu.
  3. Click Basics from the fly-out menu.
  4. Click Edit in the Settings section.
  5. Add a Location to the child course.
  6. Click Save.
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Note - if a course does not have a location, it will be displayed as Other in the Select session area on the course catalog page.


After enabling child courses, the sessions display in the right column of the course's catalog page. If courses include a location, the sessions are grouped by location. If courses include a specific start and end date or time, they are listed next to the session. If e-commerce is enabled, the price is also listed next to each session.

  1. Users select the radio button next to a session, and click Purchase or Enroll to enroll in the session.

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