Use Lockers
Build a lesson with video, text, and blocks
Add the lesson video, write and format text, and insert blocks from the + or / menu. On Pro, add a quiz, a written response, and a transcript for the AI tutor.
The short version
- Each lesson has one video control under its title. Upload a file of up to 2 hours or paste a YouTube link, and keep writing while the upload runs.
- Below the video, add up to 40 blocks with the + or by typing /. Every content block works on Free, and Quiz and Written response need Pro.
- On a published course, lesson edits wait until you select Publish changes. Thumbnail and Chapters on an uploaded video save to the video right away.
- A quiz is optional for members until you choose The member passes a quiz under Complete when, and the Quiz is on switch hides a quiz from members while keeping its questions.
Before you start
- You are the owner or an admin, and your authenticator is set up. Open the course in Course studio and select a lesson in the outline on the left.
- A lesson holds one lesson video at the top and up to 40 blocks below it.
- The studio saves as you type. The top bar shows Saving… while a change is on its way and Saved once it is stored.
Name the lesson and add its video
The canvas in the middle of the studio shows one lesson at a time. The small line above the title names the module and the lesson's place in the course, such as Module 1 · Lesson 5 of 9. Type the title into the large heading, which reads Untitled lesson until you do. Enter moves the cursor into the lesson's first text block when it has one.
Under the title sits the lesson video control. An empty lesson opens on a drop zone titled Add the lesson video. A lesson that already has text or blocks and no video shows an Add a video button in that spot, which opens the same drop zone.
- Replace opens the drop zone as Replace the video. Keep the current video closes it and leaves the video as it was.
- Remove takes the video off the lesson. A lesson with other content then shows the Add a video button in its place.
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Add the video
Drop a video file on the zone or select Choose a file. For a YouTube video, paste the link into Paste a YouTube link. A pasted link is added at once, and a typed one is added when you press Enter.
- 2
Keep writing while it uploads
The row shows the progress, such as 64% · about a minute left · you can keep writing, and then Getting it ready to play while the video is processed. Write and add blocks in the meantime. The upload keeps going if you open another lesson in the outline, and your browser asks before you leave the page.
- 3
Check the ready video
A finished upload shows the player with its length and Ready, for example 9:00 · Ready. A YouTube video's row ends with the note doesn't use stored minutes.
Set the captions language, thumbnail, and chapters
Uploaded videos get automatic captions in the language you choose before the upload starts. Below Choose a file, the drop zone has an Automatic captions menu set to Detect language, with English and Spanish as the other choices. Pick the spoken language there before you choose the file. Videos you drop on the outline to make lessons use Detect language.
Once an uploaded video reads Ready, its row shows Thumbnail and Chapters next to Replace. Video blocks with an uploaded video have the same two buttons. YouTube videos do not show them.
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Pick a thumbnail
Select Thumbnail. Choose a video frame and set it with the Video frame slider or Time in seconds, or choose Upload an image and pick a JPEG, PNG, or WebP file up to 5 MB. Select Save thumbnail to apply it. Reset default goes back to the automatic image.
- 2
Add chapters
Select Chapters, then Add chapter. Give each chapter a Start time such as 0:00 or 12:30 and a Title, with each time later than the one before. Select Save chapters to apply them. Remove deletes a single chapter and Remove all chapters clears the list, while Reload saved chapters drops edits you have not saved.
- 3
Use automatic chapters
When the captions are ready, Lockers generates chapters for the video, and the editor says Generating chapters while that runs. Generate automatic chapters asks for a set once captions exist, and Regenerate automatic chapters asks for a fresh one.
Write and format text
On an empty lesson, select Start writing to open a text block. The empty line you are typing on shows the hint Write, or type / for blocks.
Select a few words to bring up the format bar above them. It holds Bold, Italic, Link, Heading, Bulleted list, Numbered list, and Quote. Link opens a field for a web address or a page in your community such as /classroom, and Add applies it. On text that is already a link, the button reads Edit link and offers Update and Remove.
From the keyboard, Alt+F10 moves focus from the text to the format bar, and Esc sends it back. Backspace in an empty text block deletes that block.
Add blocks with + or /
Blocks hold everything below the lesson video. You can open the block menu from any of these places.
- On a wide screen, point between two blocks and select the + that appears there, or the + beside a block to add one right after it.
- Select Add a block below the last block. On an empty lesson it sits next to Start writing.
- Type / at the start of an empty line in a text block. Text, Heading, or List turns that line into one of those, and any other block splits the text around the new block.
What each block adds
File blocks show their upload progress with you can keep writing, and Retry and Cancel if an upload stops. Put video files in a Video block, because the other file blocks turn them away.
- Text: a paragraph you format with the format bar.
- Heading: a text block that starts as a section heading.
- List: a text block that starts as a bulleted list.
- Callout: a boxed note with an optional title. Point at it to switch Callout style between Note and Exercise.
- Video: the same upload or YouTube control as the lesson video, titled Add a video. Uploads count toward stored minutes.
- Audio: an MP3 file up to 16 MB that members play in the lesson, with an optional Caption under the player.
- PDF: a PDF up to 16 MB that members read page by page on the lesson page, with a Title above the viewer.
- Embed: a form, board, map, or other page with an https embed link. Paste it into Embed link, pick a Shape of 16:9, 4:3, or 1:1, and add a Title for screen readers.
- Image banner: a JPG, PNG, or WebP image shown across the lesson. A wide image works best, and Alt text describes it for people who can't see it.
- Download: a worksheet, template, or slides that members save from the lesson. It takes a PDF, MP3, image, text, CSV, ZIP, or Office file up to 16 MB. Rename changes the name members see, and Replace swaps the file.
- Button: a Heading, an optional line of text, a Button label, and a Link. The link is a full web address or a page in your community such as /classroom.
Move and delete blocks
Point at a block to show its drag handle in the left margin. Drag the handle to move the block, or click it for Move up, Move down, and a Delete item that names the block, such as Delete PDF. On a phone, select the block and use its options button, which also offers Add a block below.
Remove on an audio, PDF, or image banner block clears the file and leaves the empty block ready for another one.
Add a quiz (Pro)
A quiz checks what members learned in the lesson, and it can decide when the lesson counts as complete. Each lesson can have one quiz with up to 50 questions.
Adding a quiz does not change Complete when. A new quiz is optional for members until you choose The member passes a quiz in the lesson settings.
- 1
Add the block
Choose Quiz from the Lesson group of the block menu. On Free it shows a PRO tag, and the menu says Quizzes and written responses come with Pro.
- 2
Write each question
Type the question under Question 1 and fill in the answers. A question takes 2 to 20 answers. Select Add answer for another, or press Enter in the last answer. Select Add question for the next question.
- 3
Tick every correct answer
Select the box beside each answer that is correct. A new question starts with its first answer ticked, so untick it when another answer is the right one. With two or more ticked, the editor notes Members get this one right by picking every correct answer, and members see Pick every answer that fits above the choices.
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Add an explanation
Explanation is optional and holds up to 1,000 characters on why the right answer is right. Members who miss the question see it with their result, under the answer they picked and the correct one.
- 5
Fix anything marked Needs work
A question with a problem shows Needs work and a note such as Mark at least one correct answer in question 2. A question with a blank answer or no correct answer saves once you fix it.
- 6
Set the title, pass mark, and attempts
The Quiz section of the lesson settings on the right starts with the Quiz is on switch, followed by three fields. Quiz title is the heading members see above the questions, and it starts as Quiz. Pass mark starts at 80% on a new quiz and takes a whole number from 1 to 100, with a hint such as 3 of 4 correct. Attempts is empty for unlimited tries, or takes a whole number from 1 to 1000.
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Require a pass
Under Complete when, choose The member passes a quiz. Its note reads Complete and continue waits for a pass, so members move to the next lesson after they pass. Owners and admins taking the course in the Classroom are never held by the quiz, so Complete and continue works for them before a pass, and they can still take it.
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Turn the quiz off or back on
Quiz is on is the first row of the Quiz section, with the note Members take it in the lesson. Turn it off to hide the quiz from members and from Preview while you keep its questions. The quiz block on the canvas then shows an Off tag and the note Members don't see this quiz while it's off, and its questions stay editable. Members complete the lesson with Complete and continue, and The member passes a quiz reads The quiz is off, so members complete this lesson themselves. A pass you required before is kept and applies again when you turn the quiz back on.
Add a written response (Pro)
A written response asks members to write an answer on the lesson page. Choose Written response from the Lesson group, then fill in Prompt with what they should write about and What they hand in with the finished piece, such as a completed worksheet. Each lesson can have one written response.
If the community moves to Free, the block stays in the lesson and says Written responses come with Pro. Members can't send an answer on Free.
Use the lesson settings
The pane on the right shows the selected lesson's settings under a heading such as Lesson · Video, with the lesson's length below the title.
- Free preview: lets members open this lesson before they buy a priced course.
- Length: shows on a lesson without an uploaded video, such as a YouTube, text, or file lesson. Type whole minutes from 1 to 1440, and members see the length beside the lesson in the course outline. Leave it empty to show no length. An uploaded video sets its own length, so those lessons have no Length field.
- Complete when: The member marks it done is the default, and Complete and continue takes them to the next lesson. The member passes a quiz needs Pro and a quiz block. Until the lesson has one, it reads Add a quiz block to this lesson first. Adding a quiz block leaves this setting as it was, and while the quiz is switched off, the quiz choice reads The quiz is off, so members complete this lesson themselves.
- Opens: shows when the lesson's module opens. Change on the module opens that module's settings, where you set release timing on Pro.
- Module: pick another module to move the lesson to the end of it. The hint reads Or drag it in the outline.
- Transcript for the AI tutor (Pro): on video and audio lessons, select Add transcript, paste up to 30,000 characters, and select Save transcript. The tutor answers from the lesson text and this transcript, and members don't see it. The row then shows the word count and Edit transcript.
- Tutor settings: the link under the transcript row opens the course's AI tutor settings. In the transcript dialog it opens in a new tab, so the text you typed stays in the dialog.
- Quiz (Pro): on a lesson with a quiz block, this section holds the Quiz is on switch, Quiz title, Pass mark, and Attempts. The quiz steps above cover each one.
- Lesson files: files attached to the lesson, such as a document dropped on the outline, each with Remove. Members download these from the lesson.
When members see your changes
Saving and publishing are separate steps. On a course that has never been published, members see nothing until you select Publish.
On a published course, every lesson edit on this page waits in the draft, from the title and video to the blocks, the quiz, and the lesson settings. The course status reads Changes not published, and members keep the last published lesson until you select Publish changes. Discard changes in the "..." menu drops everything that is waiting.
Thumbnail and Chapters are the one exception, because they save to the video itself. Publishing while a video is still processing stops with Wait for this video to finish processing before publishing. Select Preview in the top bar to see the lesson as a member does. A quiz in Preview lists its questions and pass mark and records no answers.
Switching a quiz off or on is a lesson edit too, so on a published course members see the change after Publish changes. The publish check lists each lesson whose quiz is off with the note This lesson's quiz is off, so members complete it themselves, and that note does not block publishing.
If it does not work
- That isn't a YouTube link: paste a link from youtube.com or youtu.be.
- A message that the file isn't a video: choose an MP4, MOV, or WebM file.
- A message that the file runs past 2 hours: trim it, or split it across two lessons.
- Not enough stored minutes for the file: the message shows how many minutes are left. Remove an older video, or paste a YouTube link.
- Wait for an existing upload to finish before starting another: each person can run three video uploads at a time, and a community ten.
- An upload row with Retry: the upload stopped or processing failed. Select Retry, or select Cancel and try another file such as an MP4 export.
- Choose an MP3 file up to 16 MB: audio blocks take MP3 files only, so export an M4A or WAV recording as MP3 first.
- Embeds need a secure link that starts with https://: use the https address from the site's embed or share option.
- That change didn't save, with A lesson can have one quiz: the lesson already has its quiz, and the same rule applies to a written response. Select Dismiss to close the notice.
- Add a block is turned off: the lesson has 40 blocks. Delete one to add another.
- Quiz and Written response show PRO: the community is on Free. Compare plans in the menu shows what Pro adds.
- The member passes a quiz can't be chosen: the community is on Free, the lesson has no quiz block yet, or the Quiz is on switch is off.
- Members don't see the quiz: the Quiz is on switch is off, the community is on Free, or on a published course the quiz is still waiting for Publish changes.
- No Quiz section in the lesson settings: the lesson has no quiz block yet, or the community is on Free.
- Use a whole number from 1 to 1000, or leave it empty for unlimited.: type a number of attempts in that range, or clear Attempts so members can try as many times as they like.
- No Length field in the lesson settings: the lesson has an uploaded video, which sets the length members see.
- Use a whole number of minutes from 1 to 1440, or leave it empty.: type the Length in whole minutes, such as 12.
- No Thumbnail or Chapters buttons: the video is still processing, or it is a YouTube link.
- Generate automatic chapters is turned off: the captions aren't ready yet, a set of chapters is still generating, or you have chapter edits you haven't saved.
- Couldn't save in the top bar: select Retry next to it.
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