Learning Paths are made up of objectives. Each objective represents a required piece of learning that a learner must complete as part of the overall path.
Understanding objective types and progress behavior is important because Learning Paths coordinate progression across multiple learning components, while Events remain the operational unit of delivery.
What an objective is
An objective is a required step inside a Learning Path. Objectives define what the learner must complete before the path itself can be considered complete.
Depending on configuration, an objective can represent:
- a course-based requirement
- a specific event
- an external task or resource
This flexibility allows Learning Paths to model simple programs or complex multi-step certification journeys.
Objective types
Course objective
A Course objective requires the learner to complete a course-related requirement. In many configurations, the learner or administrator must later select the specific Event that fulfills that course requirement.
Use a Course objective when:
- the learner can complete the requirement through different Event instances
- you want flexibility in scheduling
- the course matters more than the specific delivery date
Event objective
An Event objective requires completion of one specific Event. This is useful when the exact delivery instance is fixed in advance.
Use an Event objective when:
- learners must attend a particular delivery
- the schedule is fixed
- the program requires a specific Event rather than any Event under a course
External objective
An External objective represents a requirement outside the platform, such as an external assessment, reading task, third-party activity, or other off-platform completion step.
Use an External objective when:
- part of the learner journey happens outside Administrate
- you need to include non-event requirements in the path
- the objective is informational or externally verified
How objectives are grouped into steps
Objectives are organized into steps. A step is a group of one or more objectives with a minimum number required to complete it. This single concept covers every structure a path might need:
- A single required objective — a step with one objective and a minimum of 1.
- An optional group — a step with several objectives where the minimum required is lower than the group size, for example "choose 1 of 4".
- A fully-required group — a step where the minimum required equals the number of objectives, so all of them must be completed.
A path can mix these step types freely. Steps must be completed in the order they are defined. Within a given group step (optional or fully-required), objectives may be completed in any order or in parallel.
How progress works
Progress in a Learning Path is determined by whether the learner has completed the required objectives in that path.
The exact completion behavior depends on objective type:
- Course objective progress is usually satisfied when the required course participation and outcome conditions are met through a valid Event.
- Event objective progress is satisfied when the learner completes that specific Event requirement.
- External objective progress is satisfied according to how the external step is managed in your process.
A step is complete once the minimum number of its objectives has been met, and a path is complete only when all of its steps are complete.
What updates progress
Learning Path progress is usually influenced by downstream delivery records and outcomes.
That means progress is commonly updated by:
- event participation
- attendance
- results or pass/fail status
- achievement issuance
This is why Learning Paths should be understood as an aggregation layer. They do not replace Events, bookings, or achievements. They depend on them.
Course objectives vs Event objectives
One of the most common points of confusion is the difference between Course objectives and Event objectives.
- Course objective = complete the learning requirement through a valid Event under that course structure
- Event objective = complete one specific scheduled delivery
Choose a Course objective when flexibility matters. Choose an Event objective when the exact delivery instance matters.
Does a completed objective carry over to another Learning Path?
Because progress is driven by the learner's underlying delivery records and achievements — not by the Learning Path itself — whether an already-completed objective carries into another path depends on the objective type:
- Course objectives carry over. A Course objective is satisfied by any valid Event that meets its course participation and outcome conditions. If a learner has already completed a qualifying Event, that requirement is already met, so the same Course objective on another path recognizes the prior completion rather than requiring the learner to repeat it.
- Event objectives do not carry over. An Event objective is tied to one specific scheduled delivery, so only completion of that exact Event satisfies it — a different Event the learner attended will not.
This follows directly from the objective-type distinction above: use a Course objective when you want prior, equivalent completion to count toward more than one path; use an Event objective when a specific delivery instance is required.
To share credit for the same requirement across several paths, model it as a Course objective with consistent course structure and achievement types so the earlier completion is recognized.
Progress vs delivery truth
Learning Path progress should not be confused with Event delivery records.
A useful model is:
Course Template → Event → Attendance / Result / Achievement → Learning Path progress
This means:
- the Event remains the unit of delivery
- the booking remains the learner’s participation record
- the Learning Path summarizes broader completion across multiple requirements
What happens at the Learning Path level vs the Event level
A Learning Path coordinates a learner's journey; the Events that fulfil its objectives are where delivery actually happens. That split determines where each action lives:
- Scheduling and instructor/resource assignment happen on Events, not on the path. You schedule sessions, assign instructors, and book rooms on each Event that fulfils an objective — the Learning Path has no schedule or instructor of its own; it aggregates the Events beneath it.
- Progress and completion are tracked at the Learning Path level, aggregated from those Events' attendance, results, and achievements.
- Automated communications can be triggered at both levels — Event-level messages (for a specific session or registration) and Learning Path-level messages (for path registration or assignment).
To schedule an instructor, or book a resource, for example, work on the Event; to track a learner across the whole programme, work on the Learning Path.
Common misunderstandings
- A Learning Path is not an Event. It coordinates progression but does not replace delivery records.
- Progress does not usually update in isolation. It often depends on attendance, completion, or achievements downstream.
- Course objectives and Event objectives are not interchangeable. One is flexible by design; the other is fixed.
Best practices
- Use Course objectives when learners should be able to choose among valid Events.
- Use Event objectives when a specific delivery instance is required.
- Use External objectives only when the requirement truly sits outside normal Event delivery.
- You can adjust objectives after learners are registered; this recalculates their completion but does not reset existing progress, unless you remove the event a learner was booked onto for an objective.