Build your first lesson

Start with a learning task

A CuraCourse lesson is a document made of blocks. Text, equations, images, and video explain the material; activity blocks ask students to do something with it. Start with one concept and one activity rather than moving a whole textbook into a single lesson.

Before you begin

If you do not have a course yet, follow create your first course. This guide starts inside an existing lesson.

Add your first activity

1. Open a lesson in your course’s editor.
2. Add your explanation, then start a new line where students should practice.
3. Type / to open the block menu. Choose an activity such as Multiple Choice Question, Open Response Question, or Code Editor.
4. Write the instructions and configure the answers or grading criteria for that block.
5. Set the points for assessed work. Check the student view before making the lesson available to learners.

Choose a block for the skill

• Recall or distinguish: multiple choice.
• Complete a calculation or expression: fill-in-the-blank.
• Reconstruct a sequence: ordering and Parsons problems.
• Write a program: code exercises.
• Reason about a program: code tracing.
• Construct a mathematical answer: graph construction.
• Practice a conversation: AI Chat.

Check it as a student

Try a correct answer and an incorrect answer. For graded activities, confirm the points and rubric match the instructions. In code exercises, run the starter project and test the input/output cases you intend to assess.

If students cannot access the lesson

Check the lesson’s availability and the course’s access settings. An activity’s configuration does not grant access to the course. If the editor looks correct but the student view differs, check which published version the learner can access.