Preview your course as a student

In this article: How to see your course exactly as students see it, including all the emails and notifications they receive. All Plans

Ruzuku has a built-in Student View that lets you see your course content the way students see it. But if you want the full experience — including enrollment emails, welcome messages, drip notifications, and meeting reminders — you'll want to enroll yourself as an actual student using a different email address.

This is the best way to catch anything that feels off before your students encounter it.

Use Student View for a quick content check

Every course has a Student View toggle that lets you switch between the Guide (editor) view and the student-facing view. Use this for quick checks: Does the lesson layout look right? Are the videos embedded correctly? Is the discussion prompt showing up?

Student View shows you the content, but it doesn't trigger the enrollment process, emails, or notifications.

Enroll yourself as a student for the full experience

To see everything your students see — from the signup email to the welcome message to drip-release notifications — enroll yourself with a separate email address.

Use a different email address than the one on your Guide account. Guides can't enroll as students in their own courses with the same email.
Send yourself an invitation from Manage Course → Invitations, or create a free price point and use that enrollment link. See Send free invitations for details.
Log out of your Guide account or open a private/incognito browser window (or a different browser entirely).
Complete the enrollment process. If you sent an invitation, open your alternate email and click the Join Now button. If you're using a free price point, paste the enrollment link into the browser and sign up.
You're now enrolled as a student. You'll receive the same notifications, welcome emails, and drip-release messages as anyone else in your course.

Tip: Use a free email address (like a second Gmail account) as your permanent "test student" account. That way you can enroll yourself in any of your courses whenever you want to check the student experience.

What to check as a test student

Once you're enrolled, walk through the experience the way a new student would:

Welcome email — Did it arrive? Does it make sense? Is the link to the course correct?
Course navigation — Can you find the first lesson easily? Is the flow intuitive?
Content display — Do videos play? Are downloads accessible? Do images load?
Discussions — Can you post in discussion forums and lesson discussions?
Meetings — Can you see scheduled meetings and the join button?
Drip schedule (if applicable) — Are the right modules available? Are locked modules clearly labeled?
Notifications — Are drip-release and meeting reminder emails arriving on schedule?

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I enroll as a student using the same email as my Guide account?

No. You need to use a different email address. Ruzuku prevents guides from enrolling as students in their own courses with the same account. Use any other email address — a personal email, a free Gmail account, or a work email.

Will enrolling myself count toward my student limit?

Yes. Your test enrollment counts as one student. On a free plan with a 5-student limit, keep this in mind. You can always remove yourself later under Manage Course → Students to free up the spot.

What's the difference between Student View and enrolling as a student?

Student View is a quick content preview within your Guide account. It shows you the course layout and content but doesn't trigger emails, notifications, or the enrollment flow. Enrolling yourself as a student with a separate email gives you the complete experience — including every email and notification your students receive.