Quick start: from idea to e-learning
You want to create an e-learning course. You’re at that point. But then, a lot of information comes at you. You can use the following step-by-step guide as a reference when building your e-learning course in Pluvo. This way, you'll be sure you’re doing the right things in a logical order.
The most important steps are included here. Of course, there’s much more you can do in Pluvo. For more information, check out our other articles or get in touch with us.
If you haven’t created your own academy on Pluvo yet, this is the first step. Using this link, you can create an account with your name and email address and create your own web address. You may not be entirely sure about the web address yet—no worries, it can always be adjusted later.
When creating your academy, you can also set some academy settings, like adding your logo. These can also be modified later.
Once logged in, you’ll land on the homepage. Click on academy management > learning journeys to find a demo e-learning about Pluvo ("A quick start in Pluvo"). In this demo, we will walk you step-by-step through creating a learning journey and course module. If you choose to complete the tasks, you’ll start working on your own learning journey and course module right away.
Have you completed the demo? Then it’s time to create our first learning journey! From the homepage, click the 'New' button at the top right and choose 'Learning Journey'.
Read more about creating a learning journey here.
Give your learning journey a title and optionally upload another header image. You can create your learning journey now or take a look at other choices you can make under 'More settings'. These settings can always be modified later.
It’s time to fill our learning journey with various components. For most Pluvo users, the course module is one of the most important parts of their learning journey. This is where the real learning takes place, with different content and task formats.
Want to know what a course module is? Read this article .
Click on 'Course Module' and then click on 'Create Course Module'. You will see that you can start with a blank course module or use a template. Templates are very handy because you get a good example of a course module and can then fully adjust it to your needs. Let’s start with a template!
Once you’ve chosen the template, you’ll enter the course module. A course module consists of sections (think of these as chapters), within which lessons are included (the pages containing content and task formats).
In the course module, you can always click 'Course Module' at the top left to view the table of contents of the course module.
You can now adjust the titles of the sections and lessons. Hover your mouse over '1.1 Welcome new colleague!' (in the expanded grey bar). An icon with sliders will appear. Click on it to open the settings for that lesson and adjust the title. Here you can also delete the lesson if needed. Similarly, you can hover over a section title to modify it.
Of course, you can also add new sections or lessons!
a) Add a section. Click the 'Add Section' button. Give your section a clear title!
b) Add the lesson(s) under this section. The lesson is the page where content formats will be placed. The easiest way to add a lesson right under a section is to hover your mouse over the section title without clicking. A plus sign will appear to the right of the section title. Click this, and a new lesson will be added directly under the section. This way, you can continue to create sections, add lessons underneath, and proceed with a new section. Build the entire structure of your course module this way.
Note: You can also click the 'Add Lesson' button. However, this doesn’t automatically associate the lesson with the section. As a result, a blank line will appear between the section and the lesson. If this happens, simply hover over the lesson title. Three small dots will appear on the left side, allowing you to drag the lesson under the section.
Click on the title of a lesson. You’ll now see a row of buttons at the bottom of your screen. The first six buttons are content formats, and the six buttons on the right are various task formats.
In our helpdesk, you’ll find explanations for all content and task types under the category 'All about course modules'.
Once you’ve created all the content, you can style your course module to match your brand. In Figure 6, you’ll see a paintbrush icon at the top left. Click this to access the menu where you can adjust the background color and select fonts and font sizes. In the lesson settings (click on the slider when hovering over the lesson title in the grey bar), you can also add header images.
Satisfied with your course module? You can then publish it, so users will see the most up-to-date version of your course module. After publishing, click the cross in the top right to return to the learning journey. Don’t forget to click 'Save' on the next screen to ensure your course module is linked to your learning journey.
Your course module is added to a 'module group'. Module groups help structure your learning journey. Later on, you can set conditions for when the content within a module group should be made available. For example, a second module group can be made available on a specific date.
Tip! Click the pencil next to 'Unnamed Group' to change the name of the module group. Use the pencil next to the course module to add an image that participants will see in the learning journey.
That covers the course module. You can add other components to your learning journey as well. Click 'Add Module' for this.
Note: When you click 'Add Module', it adds the component to the same module group as your course module. If you want to place the component in a different module group, click the plus sign at the very bottom of the page to create a new module group.
You can read more here about the different components you can add.
Finally, you can add users to your learning journey. Go to the 'Participants' tab and click the plus sign. You’ll then have the option to add existing or new users. If you want to add an existing user, a screen will pop up where you can select and add users.
If you want to add a new user who doesn’t yet exist in Pluvo, another screen will appear where you can enter their details. You can then choose to send this person either a general invitation to the academy or an invitation to the learning journey. You can select both options. Click Save, and the new user will be added to the learning journey.
Here, you can also immediately view the participants' progress. Want to know more about progress and reports for deeper insights? Check out our article Participant Progress.
Tip: Want to edit the invitation email text? You can do so in the management section
The most important steps are included here. Of course, there’s much more you can do in Pluvo. For more information, check out our other articles or get in touch with us.
Step 1: Create an online academy.
If you haven’t created your own academy on Pluvo yet, this is the first step. Using this link, you can create an account with your name and email address and create your own web address. You may not be entirely sure about the web address yet—no worries, it can always be adjusted later.
When creating your academy, you can also set some academy settings, like adding your logo. These can also be modified later.
Step 2: Follow the demo.
Once logged in, you’ll land on the homepage. Click on academy management > learning journeys to find a demo e-learning about Pluvo ("A quick start in Pluvo"). In this demo, we will walk you step-by-step through creating a learning journey and course module. If you choose to complete the tasks, you’ll start working on your own learning journey and course module right away.
Step 3: Create a learning journey.
Have you completed the demo? Then it’s time to create our first learning journey! From the homepage, click the 'New' button at the top right and choose 'Learning Journey'.
Read more about creating a learning journey here.
Give your learning journey a title and optionally upload another header image. You can create your learning journey now or take a look at other choices you can make under 'More settings'. These settings can always be modified later.
Step 4: Add a course module to your learning journey.
It’s time to fill our learning journey with various components. For most Pluvo users, the course module is one of the most important parts of their learning journey. This is where the real learning takes place, with different content and task formats.
Want to know what a course module is? Read this article .
Click on 'Course Module' and then click on 'Create Course Module'. You will see that you can start with a blank course module or use a template. Templates are very handy because you get a good example of a course module and can then fully adjust it to your needs. Let’s start with a template!
Step 5: Adjust the structure.
Once you’ve chosen the template, you’ll enter the course module. A course module consists of sections (think of these as chapters), within which lessons are included (the pages containing content and task formats).
In the course module, you can always click 'Course Module' at the top left to view the table of contents of the course module.
You can now adjust the titles of the sections and lessons. Hover your mouse over '1.1 Welcome new colleague!' (in the expanded grey bar). An icon with sliders will appear. Click on it to open the settings for that lesson and adjust the title. Here you can also delete the lesson if needed. Similarly, you can hover over a section title to modify it.
Of course, you can also add new sections or lessons!
a) Add a section. Click the 'Add Section' button. Give your section a clear title!
b) Add the lesson(s) under this section. The lesson is the page where content formats will be placed. The easiest way to add a lesson right under a section is to hover your mouse over the section title without clicking. A plus sign will appear to the right of the section title. Click this, and a new lesson will be added directly under the section. This way, you can continue to create sections, add lessons underneath, and proceed with a new section. Build the entire structure of your course module this way.
Note: You can also click the 'Add Lesson' button. However, this doesn’t automatically associate the lesson with the section. As a result, a blank line will appear between the section and the lesson. If this happens, simply hover over the lesson title. Three small dots will appear on the left side, allowing you to drag the lesson under the section.
Step 6: Add content.
Click on the title of a lesson. You’ll now see a row of buttons at the bottom of your screen. The first six buttons are content formats, and the six buttons on the right are various task formats.
In our helpdesk, you’ll find explanations for all content and task types under the category 'All about course modules'.
Once you’ve created all the content, you can style your course module to match your brand. In Figure 6, you’ll see a paintbrush icon at the top left. Click this to access the menu where you can adjust the background color and select fonts and font sizes. In the lesson settings (click on the slider when hovering over the lesson title in the grey bar), you can also add header images.
Step 7: Publish.
Satisfied with your course module? You can then publish it, so users will see the most up-to-date version of your course module. After publishing, click the cross in the top right to return to the learning journey. Don’t forget to click 'Save' on the next screen to ensure your course module is linked to your learning journey.
Your course module is added to a 'module group'. Module groups help structure your learning journey. Later on, you can set conditions for when the content within a module group should be made available. For example, a second module group can be made available on a specific date.
Tip! Click the pencil next to 'Unnamed Group' to change the name of the module group. Use the pencil next to the course module to add an image that participants will see in the learning journey.
Step 8: Add other components to your learning journey.
That covers the course module. You can add other components to your learning journey as well. Click 'Add Module' for this.
Note: When you click 'Add Module', it adds the component to the same module group as your course module. If you want to place the component in a different module group, click the plus sign at the very bottom of the page to create a new module group.
You can read more here about the different components you can add.
Step 9: Add users to a learning journey.
Finally, you can add users to your learning journey. Go to the 'Participants' tab and click the plus sign. You’ll then have the option to add existing or new users. If you want to add an existing user, a screen will pop up where you can select and add users.
If you want to add a new user who doesn’t yet exist in Pluvo, another screen will appear where you can enter their details. You can then choose to send this person either a general invitation to the academy or an invitation to the learning journey. You can select both options. Click Save, and the new user will be added to the learning journey.
Here, you can also immediately view the participants' progress. Want to know more about progress and reports for deeper insights? Check out our article Participant Progress.
Tip: Want to edit the invitation email text? You can do so in the management section
Updated on: 14/02/2025
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