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 6 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:

  1. Create a Playbook.

  2. Submit the Playbook and receive approval.

  3. Start creating a Course.

  4. During Course creation, link an approved Playbook.

  5. 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.

  • How to Create a Course

    Create, schedule, and publish a Course by completing course details, linking a Playbook, and setting course dates.