Setting: Self-Served Courses
For training that doesn't require a trainer's ongoing involvement, the Self-Served model removes the administrative overhead of manual class creation and content activation. Students gain access to their course as soon as they register - no waiting, no manual unlocking required.
What's Covered in This Article
This article outlines how Self-Served courses work, how they differ from Trainer-Led delivery, and the guardrails you need to understand before enabling this setting.
- What Self-Served Means: How the automated delivery model works.
- Self-Served vs. Trainer-Led: Key functional differences between the two models.
- Configuration Guardrails: Restrictions that apply before and after enabling the setting.
What Self-Served Means
In a standard Trainer-Led course, a trainer manually activates assessments and observations for students before they can begin. In a Self-Served course, this step is removed entirely:
- Instant Access: As soon as a student registers, all units and content within the course are immediately accessible. There is no trainer intervention required to unlock activities.
- Automatic Class Creation: When a Self-Served course is published, Nimbu automatically creates and links a class to the course template. You do not need to create a class manually.
Any content previously set to Trainer Activation Required within the course's units will not require manual activation in a Self-Served course.
Self-Served vs. Trainer-Led
It is critical to choose the right model for your instructional needs, as they are functionally incompatible in certain areas:
| Feature | Self-Served Course | Trainer-Led Course |
| Content Activation | Automatic upon student registration | Manual; Trainer must unlock content. |
| Class Creation | Auto-generated on course publish | Created manually by an administrator |
| Class Management | System-managed; cannot be manually edited. | Admin-managed; can create multiple classes. |
| Trainer Activation | Not supported. | Highly supported for high-stakes tasks. |
| Multiple Classes | Not supported | Multiple classes can be created |
Pro-Tip: If you enable the Self-Serve option, any content previously set to "Trainer Activation Required" will be overridden and will not require manual activation.
Critical Guardrails
Because the Self-Served setting fundamentally changes how classes are created and how student data is structured, strict rules apply to its use.
Before Enabling
- Self-Served cannot be enabled if the course already has existing classes. The setting is only available during initial course configuration, before any classes exist.
- When you toggle Self-Served on, a confirmation modal will appear, reminding you that trainer activation will no longer be supported and that the setting cannot be reversed.
After Enabling
-
Once Self-Served is enabled, it cannot be disabled — regardless of whether students have registered. This ensures stability for the automatically created class and the students progressing through it.
The auto-created class has specific editing restrictions. Units and the course structure cannot be modified through the class directly. Configuration changes must be made at the course or unit level and will only apply to future enrolments.
Related Articles
- What is a Course?
- Self-Served vs Trainer-Led
- Classes Setting: Trainer Activation Requirement (Units)