---
title: Control Course Progression
description: Require students to move through a course in order, with lessons and exercises that only complete when your rules are met.
---

By default students can open any unlocked item in any order. With **sequential** progression they must finish each item
before the next one unlocks, and you decide what "finished" means for every lesson and exercise. This is the backbone of
a structured training flow: watch the video, pass the quiz, earn the certificate.

## Choose a progression mode

In the course's **Settings** tab, find the **Student progression** section and pick one:

| Mode           | Behavior                                                                           |
| -------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Free**       | Students open any unlocked item in any order and mark lessons complete themselves. |
| **Sequential** | The next item stays locked until the current (or previous) item is complete.       |

![Student progression setting with Free and Sequential options](/help/progression-mode.webp)

:::info
If a course is just a video and a quiz, turn off **Content grouping** in the same settings so the content list is a
flat list instead of grouped sections.
:::

## Set how a lesson completes

Open a lesson, go to its **Settings** tab, and choose a **Completion rule**:

| Rule            | Completes when                                                                              |
| --------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Manual**      | The student clicks to mark the lesson complete.                                             |
| **Video watch** | The student watches the selected videos. Set the **Watch threshold (%)** (for example 95%). |
| **None**        | The lesson never blocks progression.                                                        |

![Lesson Completion rule options with Manual, Video watch, and None](/help/progression-completion-rule.webp)

:::warning
**Video watch** only enforces uploaded videos. YouTube, Vimeo, and other external embeds can't be tracked, so the system
can't tell when a student has finished watching them — a lesson with only embedded videos will never complete on its own,
and students can't mark it complete manually either. If your lessons use embedded videos, upload the video to Edvello
or set the completion rule to **Manual** so students watch, then mark the lesson complete themselves.

While **Video watch** is active the player blocks skipping ahead and pauses when the student switches tabs, so the watch
percentage reflects real viewing. The lesson completes once the threshold is reached.
:::

## Set how an exercise completes

Open an exercise, go to its **Settings** tab, and choose a **Completion rule**:

- **Submitted**: the exercise completes as soon as the student submits any answer.
- **Passed**: the exercise completes only when the student's score meets the **Pass threshold (%)** you set.

Use **Passed** when an exercise must be cleared before the course can continue or a certificate can be issued.

## Gate the certificate

In the course's **Certificates** settings, turn on certificate download and set **Minimum completion (%)** (for example
100%). The certificate unlocks only after the student completes that share of the course, which, under sequential
progression, means they have watched the videos and finished the exercises in order.

See [Create Certificates](/create-and-deliver/certificates) for templates, signatures, and the certificate ID.

## What students see

### 1. Locked items

Under **Sequential** progression, the next item stays locked until the student completes the one before it. For example, a
quiz that follows a lesson stays locked until that lesson is complete. In the course content list a locked item is greyed
out with a lock icon and cannot be opened; it unlocks automatically once the previous required item is done. If a student
opens a not-yet-available item directly, they see a **Complete previous content first** notice.

![Locked exercise in the content list with a lock icon](/help/progression-locked.webp)

### 2. A video they cannot skip

On a **Video watch** lesson, the progress percentage climbs as they watch. Trying to jump ahead shows a "you cannot skip
ahead" notice, and the video pauses if they leave the tab.

![Video player showing the "You cannot skip ahead on this video" notice](/help/progression-cant-skip.webp)

### 3. Completion and the certificate

Reaching the watch threshold marks the lesson complete and unlocks the next item. After they finish the final
requirement, the course is complete and they can view and download their certificate.

![Course requirements complete modal showing congratulations and View certificate button](/help/progression-student-course-complete.webp)

## Related guides

- [Course Types](/create-and-deliver/course-types): Self-paced, Live class, Compliance, and Public
- [Create an Exercise](/create-and-deliver/create-exercise): build the quiz that gates progression
- [Create Certificates](/create-and-deliver/certificates): what students earn at the end
- [Run a Live Class](/create-and-deliver/live-class): schedule live sessions alongside on-demand content