---
title: "How to Create a Course (Manual)"
description: "This article walks you through creating a course from scratch and building out its structure — sections, subsections, and units — with your own names."
source: "https://docs.blend-ed.com/product/course-creation/how-to-create-a-course-manual/"
---

# How to Create a Course (Manual)

This article walks you through creating a course from scratch and building out its structure — sections, subsections, and units — with your own names.

## Step 1: Create the course
1. From the left navigation, click **Authoring**.
2. On the **Courses** tab, click **+ Create course** (top right).

![Authoring > Courses tab with the + Create course button visible top right. Annotate: circle or arrow on the button](/_astro/image4.BMkGRIln_P9xwl.webp)

1. In the **Course details** window, fill in: 1. **Course name** — e.g. *The Essential Leader: A Program for Culture and Growth*
2. **Course ID** — a short unique code, e.g. *TEL101*
3. **Course run** — the run/term identifier, e.g. *2024_T2*

![How to Create a Course (Manual) screenshot 5](/_astro/image5.DNteDWgG_Z24kUKp.webp)

*[****Course details*** *modal with all three fields filled in: Course name, Course ID (TEL101), Course run (2024_T2)]*

1. Click **Create Course** .

**Note:** Course name and Course ID identify the course itself. Course run identifies this particular offering of it, so the same course can be delivered again to a new group. Course ID is difficult to change later, so choose it carefully. See *Re-running a course for a new term* below.

Your course opens to the **Course Outline** page, empty and ready for structure.

## Step 2: Add and name a Section
Sections are the top-level building blocks of your course (think of them as modules or chapters).

1. Click **+ Add Section**.
2. A new section appears, named “Section” by default.
3. Click the **pencil (edit) icon** next to the name to rename it — e.g. *Module 1: Introduction*.
4. Press Enter or click away to save.

![How to Create a Course (Manual) screenshot 6](/_astro/image6.B64VYFgd_Z2uqsqA.webp)

*[Empty Course Outline with* ***+ Add Section*** *visible, and a section being renamed with the pencil icon active. Ideally captured mid-rename so the edit state is obvious]*

**Tip:** Repeat this step to add as many sections as your course needs — click **+ New section** at the bottom of the outline.

## Step 3: Add and name a Subsection
Subsections sit inside a section and group related units together (think of them as lessons within a module).

1. On the section you just created, click **+ Add Subsection**.
2. A new subsection appears, named “Subsection” by default.
3. Click the **pencil icon** next to its name to rename it — e.g. *Lesson 1.1: Getting Started*.

## Step 4: Add and name a Unit
Units are where actual content lives — text, video, assessments, and other components.

1. On the subsection you just created, click **+ Add Unit**.
2. This opens the unit editor directly. The unit is named “Unit” by default.
3. Click the **pencil icon** next to “Unit” at the top to rename it — e.g. *Welcome to the Course*.
4. Click **Go back** (top left) to return to the Course Outline and continue building.

**Note:** The rename pattern (pencil icon next to the name) is the same at every level — Section, Subsection, and Unit.

## Result
You now have a named structure: **Section → Subsection → Unit**, ready for content. Repeat Steps 2–4 to build out your full course outline.

![How to Create a Course (Manual) screenshot 7](/_astro/image7.BtENGyrJ_dFQCM.webp)

*[Completed structure: one named Section containing a named Subsection containing a named Unit, all expanded]*

## Re-running a course for a new term
If you teach the same course each term, semester, or intake, you don’t rebuild it. You create a new **run**.

A run is a separate delivery of the same course, with its own learners, dates, grades, and certificates. The content starts as a copy of what you already built.

**Why it matters**

Each run keeps its own records. Last term’s learners stay attached to last term’s run with their grades and certificates intact, while this term’s group works through a clean copy. You can adjust dates, deadlines, and even content for the new run without touching the completed one.

**How to name runs**

Keep a consistent pattern so runs sort sensibly and your team can tell them apart:

| **Pattern** | **Example** | **Suits** |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Year and term | 2026_T1, 2026_T2 | Termly delivery |
| Year and month | 2026_Jan, 2026_Apr | Monthly intakes |
| Year and cohort | 2026_Cohort3 | Rolling cohorts |

The Course ID stays the same across every run. Only the run changes.

**Tip:** Decide your run naming convention before you create your second run. Changing it later leaves you with a course list where 2024_T2 sits next to Spring25 and nobody can tell which came first.

**Note:** Learners enrolled in one run don’t see the others. If someone needs to retake the course with a new intake, enrol them in the new run rather than resetting their progress in the old one.

![Courses tab showing the same course with two different runs](/_astro/image8.Bt56tTNE_Z1THHM2.webp)

## What’s next
- Add content inside your units: [Adding Content Components](/product/course-creation/adding-content-components/)
- Add richer content types: [Enhancing Your Course with Advanced Content](/product/course-creation/enhancing-your-course-with-advanced-content/)
- Set up a certificate: [Adding a Certificate to Your Course](/product/course-creation/adding-a-certificate-to-your-course/)