About Learning Paths
Learning paths provide structured, sequential training programs that combine multiple courses into organized learning journeys. By grouping related courses into progressive sequences, learning paths guide learners through comprehensive skill development, certification programs, or role-based training curricula that build knowledge systematically from foundational concepts to advanced competencies.
Learning paths simplify training administration by enabling single-action enrollment that automatically assigns learners to all constituent courses, unified progress tracking across multi-course programs, and streamlined certification management for complex training requirements. Administrators can create learning paths that align with job roles, partner tiers, product certifications, or compliance frameworks, ensuring learners follow optimal course sequences that maximize knowledge retention and training effectiveness.
What are Learning Paths?
A learning path is a curated collection of published courses organized in a specific sequence that learners complete in order. Each learning path functions as a container that bundles related courses together, creating a unified training program with a single name, description, and enrollment process while maintaining individual course structures, assessments, and completion requirements.
Learning Path Components
Learning path information: Name, description, reference code, status (Draft or Published), and category assignment that identify and classify the training program for learner discovery and administrative management
Course sequence: Ordered list of published courses that defines the learning progression, with drag-and-drop reordering capabilities that allow administrators to adjust course sequences as training priorities evolve
Learning path settings: Configuration options including self-registration enablement, language selection, pricing for paid programs, request URLs for access management, and survey linkage for completion feedback
Display settings: Category assignments and visual elements (learning path pictures) that organize learning paths within course catalogs and support learner browsing and program identification
Certificate templates: Optional Word document templates and certificate badges that provide completion recognition and LinkedIn credential integration for professional development verification
Sharing options: Visibility controls that determine which users, groups, or security roles can discover and access learning paths through learner interfaces
Learning Path Structure
Learning paths display as single entities in learner views, presenting the complete course sequence with progress indicators that show completion status across the entire program. Learners see all courses within the learning path, their current position in the sequence, and overall progress toward program completion.
Individual course requirements: Each course within a learning path maintains its own chapters, lessons, quizzes, passmark requirements, and completion criteria—learners must satisfy each course's individual requirements to progress through the learning path
Sequential progression: Depending on course settings within the learning path, administrators can require learners to complete courses in order or allow flexible navigation through the course sequence based on organizational training policies
Unified completion: Learners complete the learning path when they successfully complete all constituent courses, triggering learning path completion notifications, certificate availability, and progress updates in administrator tracking systems
Learning Path Benefits
Administrative Efficiency
Single-action enrollment: Assign learners to entire training programs with one action rather than enrolling them in multiple individual courses separately, reducing administrative overhead for multi-course training initiatives
Unified progress tracking: Monitor learner advancement across complete training programs through consolidated progress views that show overall learning path completion percentages alongside individual course statuses
Simplified program management: Modify course sequences, add or remove courses, or adjust program requirements by editing the learning path rather than managing multiple individual course assignments across learner populations
Consistent training delivery: Ensure all learners follow the same course sequence and complete the same training requirements by packaging courses into standardized learning paths that prevent gaps in knowledge development
Scalable certification programs: Support complex certification frameworks requiring multiple courses by organizing prerequisite chains, progressive skill development, and comprehensive assessment sequences within unified learning paths
Learner Experience
Clear learning progression: Provide learners with visible roadmaps showing their current position, remaining requirements, and overall progress toward training program completion, supporting motivation and time management
Structured skill development: Guide learners through logical course sequences that build knowledge progressively from foundational concepts to advanced applications, improving comprehension and knowledge retention
Recognized achievements: Award learning path completion certificates that represent comprehensive training programs rather than individual course completions, enhancing professional credential value and career development recognition
Reduced decision fatigue: Eliminate learner confusion about which courses to take next by providing predefined sequences that ensure appropriate prerequisite knowledge before advancing to complex topics
Unified program identity: Experience training as cohesive programs with clear objectives and outcomes rather than disconnected individual courses, improving learner engagement and completion motivation
Organizational Alignment
Role-based training paths: Create learning paths aligned with job roles, responsibilities, or career progression stages that ensure employees develop skills appropriate to their positions and organizational needs
Certification framework support: Implement multi-tiered certification programs with Bronze, Silver, Gold, or similar levels by organizing progressive learning paths that build expertise systematically
Partner enablement programs: Structure partner onboarding, product training, and advanced certification programs as learning paths that guide partners through comprehensive enablement curricula aligned with partnership tiers
Compliance training organization: Bundle required compliance courses into learning paths that ensure learners complete all regulatory requirements, ethics training, or policy education in appropriate sequences
Product launch readiness: Coordinate product training programs by organizing feature overviews, technical deep-dives, and sales enablement courses into learning paths that prepare teams for product releases
Learning Path Restrictions
Adding courses to learning paths creates specific restrictions on course assignments and progress tracking that administrators must understand to effectively manage training programs:
Active Assignment Protection
Restriction: Active course assignments for learners cannot be removed if the course is included in any published learning path that is actively assigned to the same learner
Rationale: Protects learning path integrity by preventing administrators from inadvertently removing individual course assignments that are part of broader learning path programs, which would break progress tracking and completion logic
Impact: Administrators must remove learners from the learning path assignment before they can remove individual course assignments, ensuring learners complete entire learning path programs or are formally removed from the comprehensive training initiative
Workaround: If individual course removal is necessary while maintaining learning path enrollment, consider adjusting the learning path contents to remove the course from the learning path itself, then manage individual course assignments separately
Progress Recalculation on Course Retake
Restriction: Learning path progress will be recalculated if a learner retakes a course that is included in any published learning path actively assigned to the learner
Rationale: Ensures progress tracking accurately reflects current course completion status rather than showing outdated completion percentages based on previous attempts that may no longer be valid
Impact: Learners who retake courses within learning paths may see their overall learning path progress percentage decrease temporarily while they work through the repeated course, potentially affecting completion timelines and progress reports
Management consideration: Communicate with learners before course retakes that learning path progress indicators will adjust to reflect current course status, setting appropriate expectations about progress tracking during recertification
Progress Recalculation on Course Reassignment
Restriction: Learning path progress will be recalculated if a course administrator reassigns a course that is included in any published learning path actively assigned to the learner
Rationale: Maintains accurate progress tracking when compliance requirements, certification renewals, or training policy changes require learners to retake courses they previously completed within learning paths
Impact: Administrative actions that reassign courses for compliance or recertification purposes automatically update learning path progress calculations, potentially changing learners' completion status or due dates for the overall learning path
Administrative workflow: When reassigning courses that belong to learning paths, verify that learning path progress recalculation aligns with intended outcomes—consider whether learning path assignments themselves need adjustment to reflect updated training requirements
Course Availability Requirements
Restriction: Only published courses can be added to learning paths—Draft courses cannot be included in learning path course sequences
Rationale: Ensures learners assigned to learning paths have access to all required courses and prevents learning path assignments from including incomplete or under-development content that would block learner progression
Impact: Administrators must publish all courses before adding them to learning paths, requiring course content development and review to be completed before learning path program assembly
Development workflow: Develop courses individually, publish them when ready for learner access, then organize published courses into learning paths as comprehensive training programs become ready for deployment
Use Cases and Examples
New Employee Onboarding
Scenario: Organizations need to ensure new employees complete foundational training covering company culture, policies, systems access, role-specific skills, and compliance requirements in their first 30-60 days
Learning path structure:
- Course 1: Welcome to [Company Name] - Company Culture and Values
- Course 2: HR Policies and Employee Handbook
- Course 3: Information Security and Data Protection
- Course 4: Business Systems and Tools Training
- Course 5: Department-Specific Role Introduction
- Course 6: First Month Compliance Certifications
Benefits: Provides new employees with clear onboarding roadmap, ensures consistent training delivery across all new hires, simplifies HR administration through single learning path assignment, and creates verifiable completion records for onboarding compliance
Partner Certification Tiers
Scenario: Channel partner programs require progressive certification levels (Authorized, Silver, Gold, Platinum) where partners complete increasingly advanced training to achieve higher partnership status and access to enhanced benefits
Learning path structure:
Authorized Partner Learning Path:
- Product Fundamentals
- Basic Sales Training
- Partner Portal Navigation
Silver Partner Learning Path:
- Advanced Product Features (prerequisite: Authorized completion)
- Sales Methodology and Best Practices
- Marketing Co-Op Program Training
Gold Partner Learning Path:
- Technical Deep-Dive Certification (prerequisite: Silver completion)
- Advanced Sales Strategies
- Channel Marketing Excellence
Benefits: Creates clear partner progression framework, aligns training requirements with partnership benefits, simplifies partner advancement tracking, and provides recognizable certification credentials that partners can leverage for competitive differentiation
Product Certification Programs
Scenario: Software companies need to certify employees, partners, and customers on product usage, administration, and advanced configuration capabilities through comprehensive multi-course programs
Learning path structure:
End User Certification:
- Product Overview and Navigation
- Core Features and Daily Workflows
- Reporting and Analytics Basics
Administrator Certification:
- System Configuration and Setup (prerequisite: End User completion)
- User Management and Permissions
- Integration and API Fundamentals
- Troubleshooting and Maintenance
Advanced Implementation Certification:
- Complex Configuration Scenarios (prerequisite: Administrator completion)
- Custom Development and Extensions
- Performance Optimization
- Enterprise Architecture and Scaling
Benefits: Establishes recognized expertise levels within customer and partner communities, ensures administrators have foundational knowledge before advanced training, supports professional development and career progression, and creates marketing opportunities through certified professional designations
Compliance Training Programs
Scenario: Regulated industries require employees to complete multiple compliance courses covering ethics, anti-corruption, data privacy, workplace safety, and industry-specific regulations annually
Learning path structure:
- Code of Conduct and Business Ethics
- Anti-Bribery and Corruption Training
- Data Privacy and GDPR Compliance
- Workplace Safety and Harassment Prevention
- Industry-Specific Regulatory Requirements
- Annual Compliance Certification Assessment
Benefits: Ensures comprehensive compliance coverage across all required topics, simplifies annual recertification through learning path reassignment, provides unified completion certificates for audit documentation, and reduces compliance tracking overhead through consolidated progress monitoring
Sales Enablement Launch
Scenario: Product launches require sales teams to understand new features, competitive positioning, pricing strategies, demo capabilities, and objection handling before customer-facing activities begin
Learning path structure:
- Product Launch Overview and Roadmap
- New Features Technical Deep-Dive
- Competitive Analysis and Market Positioning
- Pricing and Packaging Strategy
- Demo Environment Setup and Walk-Through
- Objection Handling and Sales Scenarios
- Launch Readiness Assessment
Benefits: Coordinates comprehensive sales readiness across distributed teams, ensures all sales representatives receive consistent product training before launch dates, provides verifiable launch readiness metrics through completion tracking, and creates accountability framework for sales management
Customer Success Onboarding
Scenario: Customer success teams need structured training covering product expertise, customer communication best practices, health scoring methodologies, renewal strategies, and expansion selling techniques
Learning path structure:
- Customer Success Philosophy and Metrics
- Product Mastery for Customer Success
- Effective Customer Communication and Relationship Building
- Customer Health Scoring and Risk Management
- Renewal Strategy and Negotiation Fundamentals
- Expansion and Upsell Opportunity Identification
- Customer Success Platform Training
Benefits: Develops well-rounded customer success professionals through comprehensive skill development, ensures consistent customer experience through standardized CSM training, supports career development with recognizable completion credentials, and improves customer retention through better-prepared customer success teams
Technical Skills Development
Scenario: IT departments need to upskill employees in emerging technologies through progressive learning paths that build from foundational concepts to advanced implementation capabilities
Learning path structure:
Cloud Computing Fundamentals:
- Introduction to Cloud Computing Concepts
- Cloud Service Models (IaaS, PaaS, SaaS)
- Cloud Security Basics
- Cloud Cost Management
Cloud Architecture Certification:
- Cloud Architecture Design Principles (prerequisite: Fundamentals completion)
- High Availability and Disaster Recovery
- Cloud Migration Strategies
- Multi-Cloud and Hybrid Environments
Cloud DevOps Specialization:
- Infrastructure as Code Fundamentals (prerequisite: Architecture completion)
- CI/CD Pipeline Implementation
- Container Orchestration
- Cloud Monitoring and Optimization
Benefits: Supports systematic skill development through prerequisite-based progression, aligns training with industry certification frameworks, provides employees with clear career development paths, and helps organizations build necessary technical capabilities for digital transformation initiatives
Jump to Training Module Checklist
<< Recalculating Course Compliance | Creating Learning Paths >>