What is a Unit?

In the Nimbu ecosystem, a Unit is the fundamental container for your educational content. While individual resources and activities are created in the Content Library, the Unit is where these pieces are assembled into a structured learning path. A Unit organises materials into logical sections, allowing you to present learning resources and assessment requirements in the exact order students need them. This structure ensures that your training delivery remains consistent across different classes and trainers.

What's Covered in This Article

This article defines the internal organisation of a Unit and how it supports your curriculum delivery.

• Understanding Units
• Unit Structure and Content Organisation
• Unit Types
• How Units Flow Through Your RTO
• Unit Lifecycle and Controls

Understanding Units

A Unit serves as the instructional blueprint for a specific topic or competency. It brings together all the components students need to learn, practice, and demonstrate their skills:

• Learning Resources: Information and materials for knowledge acquisition
• Activities: Assessments and observations for competency demonstration
• Structure: Logical organisation and sequencing of content
• Controls: Rules for how and when content becomes available

Key concept: Units are modular once created, they can be reused across multiple courses and delivered to different classes without modification.

Unit Structure and Content Organisation

Default Sections

When you create a new Unit, two default sections are automatically provided to help you organise content:

1. Assessment/Practical/Observation Task

This section houses graded activities that students must complete for competency determination:

• Assessments: Theory-based exams and knowledge tests
• Observations: Practical workplace-based observations and checklists
• Evokio Assessments: H5P assessment integrations

Purpose: These activities determine whether students have achieved competency and contribute to their final unit result.

2. Learning Resource/Material

This section contains non-graded materials for knowledge acquisition and skill development:

• PDFs: Handbooks, guides, and reference documents
• Videos: Instructional demonstrations and lectures
• Podcasts: Audio learning materials
• Articles: Text-based learning content
• Quizzes: Self-assessment tools for practice (non-graded)
• SCORM: Interactive e-learning packages
• Canva: Visual presentations and infographics
• LTI/External Content: Third-party learning tools

Purpose: These resources provide the foundational knowledge students need before attempting activities.

Important note: Quizzes are classified as Learning Resources, not activities, because they are designed for self-assessment and practice rather than formal grading.

Custom Sections

Beyond the two default sections, you can create additional custom sections to organise content more specifically:

• Multiple sections for activities: Separate theory assessments from practical observations
• Topic-based organisation: Group resources by theme or learning outcome
• Sequential learning paths: Structure content in a specific teaching order
• Flexible naming: Rename sections to match your instructional design

Unit Types

Nimbu provides three distinct Unit types to accommodate various delivery strategies and training requirements.

Accredited

Definition: National Units of Competency from Training Packages that require strict identification via National Codes.

Key characteristics:

• Must include a National Code (e.g., BSBWHS332X)
• Must include a National Title (e.g., "Apply infection prevention and control procedures to own work activities")
• Aligns with Australian training package requirements
• Used for nationally recognised qualifications
• Contributes to AQF (Australian Qualifications Framework) credentials

Non-accredited

Definition: Internal training, professional development, or enrichment courses that don't align to Training Package units.

Key characteristics:

• Uses Internal Code and Internal Title instead of national identifiers
• Flexible structure and content
• Not bound by Training Package requirements
• Can be customised to specific organisational needs

Cluster

Definition: Groups of multiple Accredited Units that are delivered and assessed holistically to reduce redundancy and save time.

Key characteristics:

• Contains multiple units of competency assessed together
• Reduces duplicate assessment where units have overlapping requirements
• Streamlines delivery for integrated learning
• Still maintains individual unit outcomes and results
• Commonly used for workplace projects or simulations

How Units Flow Through Your RTO

Understanding the relationship between Units, Courses, and Classes is essential:

Unit → Course → Class

1. Units are created in the Content Library with all necessary resources and activities
2. Units are added to Courses to form complete qualifications or programs
3. Courses are delivered through Classes where students are enrolled and trainers assigned

Example flow:

• Unit: BSBWHS332X - Apply infection prevention and control procedures
• Added to Course: CHC33021 - Certificate III in Individual Support
• Delivered through Class: "CHC33021 - Jan 2026 Intake" with 25 students and 2 trainers

Key insight: The same unit can be added to multiple courses and delivered through many different classes simultaneously, ensuring consistency whilst allowing flexible delivery.

Unit Lifecycle and Controls

Beyond simple content storage, Units provide advanced delivery controls and lifecycle management.

Version Management

Units support version control to update content without disrupting active students:

Current Version

• The published version actively used by students in classes
• Cannot be structurally modified while in use (content can be edited, but questions cannot be added/removed)
• Remains stable to ensure consistent student experience

Draft Version

• A working copy where you can make structural changes
• Add or remove content, questions, and sections
• Reorganise structure and prerequisites
• Test changes before affecting students

Publishing Updates

When you publish a draft version:

• It becomes the new current version
• Only applies to new classes created after publication
• Existing active classes continue using the previous version
• Ensures students don't experience mid-course changes

Trainer Activation

The "Require trainer to activate" toggle provides control over when students can access specific activities within a unit.

When to Use Trainer Activation

Ideal for:

• Scheduled practical sessions requiring trainer presence
• Assessments that depend on prior learning completion
• Observations coordinated with workplace placements
• Equipment-dependent activities
• Time-sensitive evaluations

Completion Requirements

Content within units can be designated as completion-required, which impacts student progress:

Activities (Always Required)

• Assessments, Observations, Evokio Assessments are automatically completion-required
• Students must complete these to finish the unit
• Cannot be changed—activities are inherently mandatory

Learning Resources (Optional)

• PDFs, Videos, Podcasts, Articles, Canva, SCORM, LTI, Quizzes can be set as completion-required
• When enabled, students must mark or complete these resources
• Can be used as prerequisites for other content

Section Prerequisites

Sections within units can be configured to require completion of previous or selected sections before unlocking, creating structured learning pathways.

How it works:

• Lock by previous section: Section 2 only unlocks after Section 1 is complete
• Lock by selected sections: Section 4 only unlocks after Sections 1, 2, and 3 are complete
• Flexible pathways: Create branching or sequential learning experiences

Preview Mode

The Preview feature allows you to review exactly how unit content appears to different user types before publishing or making changes.

Related Articles

• Core Concepts
• What is Content?
• What is a Course?
• Creating a Unit (Happy Path)