What is Content?

In Nimbu, Content is the collective term for every digital asset, instructional resource, and assessment task that a student interacts with during their training journey. While the Course and Unit provide the structure, Content provides the actual substance of the education.

Whether it's a high-definition video, a downloadable handbook, or a complex practical observation, all content items are managed through the Content Library to ensure they can be easily updated and reused across different curriculum blueprints.

What's Covered in This Article

This article introduces the fundamental building blocks of the Nimbu learning experience.

Key takeaway points include:

• Functional Categories: The distinction between graded Activities and instructional Resources
• The Content Library Workflow: How content items are stored centrally before being mapped to Units
• Lifecycle Statuses: Understanding the journey from Draft to Published to Inactive

Defining Content Categories

To keep your curriculum organised, Nimbu divides content into two primary functional categories based on how students use them:

A. Activities (Graded Tasks)

Activities are "output-based" items where students must perform a task to demonstrate knowledge or skill.

Types of Activities:

• Assessments: Knowledge-based tasks or exams where students submit answers for trainer marking. May include self-marking questions (automatically graded) and trainer-marked questions (require manual review).
• Observations: Practical tasks where a Trainer records a student's live performance of a skill. Can be:
  • Trainer Observations: Completed entirely by the trainer (checklist-based)
  • Student Observations: Require student submission followed by trainer review
• Pre-Training Review (PTR): Knowledge-check assessments administered before a course begins to gauge student readiness.

Key Characteristics:

• Always marked as "Completion Required": students must complete these to progress
• Contribute directly to a student's enrolment final result (Satisfactory/Not Satisfactory, Competent/Not Competent)
• Require trainer marking or system auto-marking
• Cannot have the "Completion Required" setting disabled

B. Resources (Learning Materials)

Resources are "input-based" items that provide the information necessary for students to learn.

Types of Resources:

1. Media Formats:

• PDF: Document-based resources
• Video: Multimedia learning content
• Podcast: Audio learning content
• Canva: Interactive design-based presentations

2. Interactive & Web-Based Tools:

• Quiz: Self-contained, auto-marked learning tools used to check knowledge and reinforce learning. Unlike Assessments, quizzes are practice tools and may not require completion unless specifically marked as such.
• SCORM: Standards-compliant e-learning packages
• Article: Text-based learning materials created within Nimbu
• External Content/LTI: Links to third-party learning resources or Learning Tools Interoperability (LTI) integrations

3. Pre-Course Materials:

• Pre-Course Material (PCM): Required resources that students must review before beginning formal course instruction

Key Characteristics:

• Generally non-graded materials for learning and reference
• May have optional "Completion Required" toggle to ensure students review them before getting the enrolment final result
• Can be set as mandatory or optional by Content Editors
• Flexible usage can be referenced multiple times across different units

The Content Library Workflow

Content follows a specific management path to ensure version control and quality:

1. The Content Library

Every item (Assessment, Observation, or Resource) lives in the Content Library—a central repository where all content is stored and managed. This allows you to:

• Create content once and reuse it across multiple units
• Maintain consistent quality and branding
• Update content from a single location
• Track which units are using specific content items

Example: Create an "Assessor Marking Guide" PDF once and link it to multiple different units across your curriculum.

2. Mapping to Units

From within the Unit Editor, you select items from the Content Library to build the instructional sequence:

• Choose which resources students need to learn from
• Select which activities students must complete
• Arrange content in a logical learning progression
• Organise content into sections for better structure

3. Modular Reuse with Version Control

Because content is modular, you can reuse it across multiple units. However, how updates work depends on the unit's publication status:

• Draft Units: Updating content in the Content Library immediately reflects in all draft units using that content
• Published Units: Due to unit versioning, published units are protected from automatic updates. Changes to content create a new draft version of the unit, which only applies to new classes when you republish the unit
• Existing Classes: Students in active classes continue to see the version of content that was published when their class was created, protecting their learning continuity

This versioning system ensures that changes don't disrupt students mid-course while still allowing you to improve content for future cohorts.

Understanding Content Statuses

Content moves through three distinct lifecycle states that determine who can see it and whether it can be edited:

1. Draft

• What it means: The content is currently being built or edited.
• Who can see it: Only Content Editors and Administrators
• What you can do:
  • Freely edit all aspects of the content
  • Add or remove questions
  • Change settings and configurations
  • Preview how it will appear to students
• Student access: Not visible to students—cannot be added to published units or active classes

2. Published

• What it means: The content is finalised and live, ready for student use.
• Who can see it:
  • Content Editors and Administrators (for management)
  • Trainers (when mapped to their classes)
  • Students (when included in their active units, subject to activation settings)
• What you can do:
  • Map the content to units
  • Include it in new or existing classes
  • View it but cannot make structural changes (e.g., cannot add/remove questions)
  • Make non-structural edits (e.g., fixing typos), which creates a draft version
• Restrictions:
  • Structural changes are locked to preserve data integrity and evidence
  • Cannot delete published content that's in use
  • Changes require creating a new draft version
• Student access: Visible to students in active classes where the content is included (subject to activation requirements)

3. Inactive

• What it means: The content is archived or deactivated—no longer actively used but preserved for historical records.
• Who can see it: Content Editors and Administrators (for archival purposes)
• What you can do:
  • View the content for reference
  • Reactivate it by changing status back to Published if needed
  • Keep it for compliance and audit purposes
• Restrictions:
  • Cannot be added to new classes or units
  • Remains accessible in existing classes where it was previously included
  • Cannot be edited: must be reactivated first
• Student access: Students in classes where this content was previously included can still access it, but it cannot be added to any new classes
• Use case: Ideal for content that's been superseded by new versions but must be retained for students who started under the old curriculum.

Related Articles

• Core Concepts
• What is a Unit?
• Content Library Overview