Should I Create a Playbook or a Course?
Understand how Playbooks and Courses work together and which one educators need to create first
Written By Maya
Last updated 11 days ago
What You’ll Learn
Learn the difference between Playbooks and Courses, when to use each one, and why educators must create an approved Playbook before creating a Course.
What This Is
Playbooks and Courses are closely related in Authura, but they serve different purposes.
A Playbook is the foundation for a learning experience. It is the content educators create and organize before delivering learning to learners.
A Course is the learner-facing experience that uses a Playbook. Courses allow educators to deliver approved learning content to learners in a structured format.
Because they serve different roles, educators do not choose between creating a Playbook or a Course. Instead, they create them in sequence. A Playbook comes first, and a Course is created afterward using that Playbook.
How It Works
The relationship between Playbooks and Courses follows a specific workflow:
Create a Playbook.
Submit the Playbook and receive approval.
Start creating a Course.
During Course creation, link an approved Playbook.
Publish and deliver the Course to learners.
A Course cannot be created independently of this process. During Course setup, educators are required to select and link a Playbook, and only approved Playbooks are available for use.
Note: This workflow applies only to educators. Learners typically interact with Courses and do not need to create, approve, or manage Playbooks.
Example
Imagine you want to deliver a leadership development program.
First, you create a Playbook that contains the learning content, structure, and educational framework for the program.
After the Playbook is approved, you create a Course and link that Playbook during setup. The Course then becomes the learner-facing experience where participants engage with the content.
In this example, the Playbook provides the foundation, while the Course provides the delivery experience.
When to Use
Create a Playbook when:
You are creating or organizing learning content
You have not yet created the underlying learning experience
You are preparing content that will later be delivered through a Course
Create a Course when:
You already have an approved Playbook
You are ready to deliver learning to learners
You need to link existing approved content to a learner-facing experience
Tip: If you're unsure where to begin, start with a Playbook. Every Course requires an approved Playbook, making it the first step in the educator workflow.
What’s Next
What Is a Playbook?
Understand how Playbooks organize learning content, quests, and progress tracking in Authura.What Is a Course?
Understand how Courses organize Playbooks, students, and schedules into structured learning experiences in Authura.Create, schedule, and publish a Course by completing course details, linking a Playbook, and setting course dates.