Require lesson completion
In this article: How to make specific lessons required so students can't skip ahead without completing them first.
All Plans
Before You Start
By default, students can navigate freely between lessons in your course. Making a lesson required means students must click Mark as Complete on that lesson before they can move to the next one.
This is useful when the order matters. For example, if Lesson 2 builds on concepts from Lesson 1, requiring Lesson 1 ensures students don't skip ahead. It's also helpful for accountability: if you pair a required lesson with a discussion prompt that requires a comment, students must both engage with the content and participate before moving forward.
You can make any lesson required, and you can set them individually. Some lessons might be required while others are optional.
Make a Lesson Required
- Open the Manage Course menu (Cmd+K on Mac, Ctrl+K on Windows) and click Modules & Lessons.
- Click the lesson you want to make required, or add a new lesson.
- Scroll to the bottom of the lesson editor and toggle the Required switch in the dark gray action bar.
That's it. The lesson is now required.
What Your Students See
Students see a key icon next to required lessons in the course outline, so they know which lessons they need to complete. When they try to navigate past a required lesson without marking it complete, they're prompted to finish it first.
To complete a required lesson, students click the Mark as Complete button at the bottom of the lesson.
When to Use Required Lessons
- Sequential content where each lesson builds on the previous one
- Certification courses where you need to verify students completed all material
- Cohort programs where pacing matters and you want everyone working through content in order
- Key exercises or reflections that students should complete before moving on
For self-paced courses with independent lessons, leaving them optional gives students flexibility to jump around based on their needs.