Understanding Enrolments
In Nimbu, an enrolment is the record that connects a student to their training. It is not a single entry - it is a layered structure that tracks the student's relationship to the class as a whole and to each individual unit within it. Understanding how enrolments are structured, how they are created, and how their statuses progress gives administrators and trainers the clarity needed to manage student outcomes accurately and meet compliance obligations.
What's Covered in This Article
This article explains the enrolment system and how it drives student progress through training.
- The Enrolment Hierarchy: How class enrolments and unit enrolments relate to each other.
- How Enrolments Are Automatically Created: What triggers the creation of enrolment records in the system.
- Enrolment Statuses: The full set of unit enrolment statuses and what each one means.
- Enrolment Progression: How a student's enrolment moves through statuses from start to final result.
The Enrolment Hierarchy
When a student is added to a class, Nimbu does not create a single enrolment record. It creates a two-level hierarchy: a class enrolment and a set of unit enrolments.
Class Enrolment
The class enrolment is the top-level record. It represents the student's membership in a specific class - their cohort, their trainer, their delivery instance. It is the container that holds all of the student's unit-level progress for that training engagement.
A student can hold multiple class enrolments simultaneously, for example, if they are completing two qualifications at the same time, or if they have been re-enrolled in a course after a previous incomplete attempt. Each class enrolment is tracked independently.
Unit Enrolments
Beneath the class enrolment sits a separate unit enrolment for each unit in the class. Each unit enrolment tracks the student's progress through that specific unit independently - its activation status, content completion, assessment results, and final competency outcome.
This separation is significant: a student can be progressing well through one unit while another is still inactive or awaiting marking. Each unit moves through its own lifecycle without depending on the others.
Student
└── Class Enrolment (e.g. Diploma of Hospitality Management AB)
├── Unit Enrolment — BSBOPS502
├── Unit Enrolment — SITHCCC023
├── Unit Enrolment — SITXFIN009
└── Unit Enrolment — SITHKOP010
Why This Matters
The unit enrolment is the primary unit of record for training compliance. AVETMISS reporting captures outcomes at the unit level — each unit enrolment maps to an individual NAT file record. This means that how unit enrolments are managed, and the accuracy of the statuses assigned to them, directly affects the quality and validity of your regulatory reporting.
How Enrolments Are Automatically Created
Nimbu creates enrolment records automatically - no manual setup is required beyond adding the student to a class.
Triggered by Adding a Student to a Class
When a student is added to a class - whether manually, via bulk import, or through self-registration, Nimbu immediately creates:
- A class enrolment linking the student to that class.
- A unit enrolment for every unit currently in the class.
This happens at the point of enrolment, not at activation. A student who has not yet logged in will still have unit enrolment records in the system from the moment they are added.
Triggered by Adding a Unit to an Active Class
If a new unit is added to a class that already has enrolled students, Nimbu automatically creates a unit enrolment for that unit for every student currently in the class. Existing unit enrolments are not affected.
Self-Served Courses
For Self-Served courses, the class is created and activated automatically when the course is published. Student enrolments are created at the point of self-registration or when a student is assigned to the course, following the same two-level structure.
Enrolment Statuses
Each unit enrolment displays a status in the Class Management grid. These statuses update automatically as the student progresses through their training. The full set of possible statuses is described below.
| Status | Label | What It Means |
|---|---|---|
| Inactive | IA | The unit has not yet been activated for the student. The student cannot access the unit until a trainer activates it. This status applies when Trainer Activation is required for the unit. |
| Locked | Locked | The student's access to the unit has been temporarily suspended by a trainer or administrator. The student can see the unit on their dashboard but cannot interact with any content. Existing progress is preserved. |
| In Progress | IP | The student has accessed the unit and is actively working through its content. |
| Awaiting Result | AR | All required content in the unit has been completed and a final result has not yet been set. This status applies when the Require Trainer to Set Final Result Manually setting is enabled in RTO Settings. |
| Awaiting Accept | Awaiting Accept | The trainer has set the final unit result and the student must formally acknowledge and accept it. This status applies when student result acceptance is required in RTO Settings. |
| Competent | C | The student has met all requirements for the unit and a Competent outcome has been recorded. This is the final passing result. |
| Not Yet Competent | NYC | The student has not met the unit requirements and a Not Yet Competent outcome has been recorded. This is the final failing result. |
| N/A | N/A | The unit has been marked as not applicable for this student. It is excluded from their completion requirements and does not contribute to course completion. |
Enrolment Progression
A unit enrolment moves through statuses in response to student actions, trainer decisions, and system automation. The typical progression for a trainer-led class is outlined below.
Standard Progression
IA → IP → AR → Awaiting Accept → C or NYC
IA → IP: The student's unit enrolment moves from IA to IP when the unit is activated and the student first accesses any content within it. If Trainer Activation is not required, the enrolment begins at IP from the moment the student logs in.
AR → Awaiting Accept: Once the trainer sets a final result (Competent or Not Yet Competent), the status moves to Awaiting Accept if the RTO requires students to formally acknowledge their result.
Awaiting Accept → C or NYC: The enrolment reaches its final state once the student accepts the result. If result acceptance is not required, the status moves directly from AR to C or NYC when the trainer confirms the outcome.
When Manual Result Setting Is Disabled
If the Require Trainer to Set Final Result Manually setting is off, the system calculates and records the final result automatically once all required content is completed. The AR step is skipped entirely.
IA → IP → C or NYC (automatic)
Self-Served Courses
In Self-Served courses, marking and trainer activation workflows do not apply. The system handles result calculation automatically throughout.
IP → C or NYC (automatic upon completion)
Progression Is Per Unit
It is important to note that status progression is independent for each unit enrolment. One student's class enrolment may contain units simultaneously in IP, TBM, and AR — each progressing at its own pace. Course completion is only reached once all required unit enrolments have a final result recorded.
Impact on Course Completion
A student's course is considered complete once all unit enrolments within the class have reached a final state - either Competent, Not Yet Competent, or N/A. Any unit that remains in an intermediate status (IA, IP, or AR) will hold the course completion record in an incomplete state.
This has direct implications for:
- AVETMISS reporting: Outcome data cannot be submitted for units that have not reached a final status.
- Qualification issuance: Certificates and statements of attainment typically cannot be generated until all unit outcomes are finalised.
- Student records: Students cannot see a completed course outcome on their dashboard until all units are resolved.
Prompt management of TBM and AR statuses is therefore important not just for the student experience, but for the accuracy and timeliness of your RTO's compliance reporting.
Related Articles
- What is a Class?
- Understanding Student Tasks