Prerequisites
Keep a lesson locked until an earlier required lesson is finished.
A prerequisite keeps one item locked until another item is completed. For example, lock "Quiz 2" until "Lesson 2" is done. This is how you build a learning sequence and stop learners jumping ahead.
A prerequisite is simply the Completion-based unlock option from drip scheduling, pointed at the work that must come first.
Two ways to set it up
| Flavor | How it behaves |
|---|---|
| Require a specific item | You pick the exact item that must be finished first. The locked item opens once that item is complete. |
| Sequential (generic) | You don't pick anything specific. The item simply unlocks once the previous item in order is done. |
Use specific when one particular lesson or quiz is the gatekeeper. Use sequential when you just want learners to go through content in order.
How to set it up
- Open the offering in Admin and go to its Drip Schedule settings.
- On the item you want to lock, choose Completion-based.
- Either pick the required item, or leave it generic for "finish the previous item first".
- Save.
The item picker won't let you create a loop (for example, "A requires B" while "B requires A"). It also keeps the choices sensible so you can't pick something that could never be reached.
What the learner sees
A locked item appears greyed out with a lock badge explaining what to do:
- "Complete in order" — when items unlock one after another.
- "Complete [item] first" — when a specific item must be finished first.
Once the required item is completed, the gate opens permanently — the learner won't get locked out of it again.
Works across reused content
Prerequisites work even when content is nested. An item in a learning path can require a lesson that lives inside a course reused within that path. The path item stays locked until that inner lesson is done, then opens.
Completion is counted once per item, everywhere it appears. If a lesson shows up in more than one place, finishing it once satisfies the prerequisite in all of them — the learner never has to do the same lesson twice.
Prerequisites vs. eligibility
It's easy to mix these up:
- Prerequisites decide the order learners move through content (finish X before Y).
- Eligibility rules decide whether a learner can see content at all (for example, only learners in a certain group).
If you want to control your audience rather than the sequence, see Eligibility rules.
What counts as "finished" for an item is set by its completion rule — for example, viewing a lesson or passing a quiz. That's what triggers a prerequisite to open.