# 2. Professional Course Management

User Type: **Super Administrator**
Source: *Mi Digital Academy - Education CRM Features Document*

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## 2. Professional Course Management

### 2.1 Create, Edit, and Delete Professional Courses
**What it does:** Manages professional (skills/career) courses as first-class entities: the Super Administrator creates a professional course with its identity and details, edits it as it evolves, and deletes or archives it when it is no longer offered. Professional courses sit under the category → sub-category structure (distinct from the academic board → grade → subject structure) and carry the richer professional attributes (outcomes, instructor, duration, certification alignment).

**Sub-features:**
- Create a professional course: title, description, and the category/sub-category it belongs to
- Edit a course's details (title, description, professional attributes)
- Delete or archive a course (archive preferred where enrollments exist)
- Course list with status, category placement, and enrollment counts
- Dependency check before delete: courses with enrollments are flagged for archive
- Distinction from academic courses: professional courses use the category tree and carry professional attributes
- Audit logging of course create/edit/delete

**Super Administrator User Journey:**
1. A new professional course is needed: "Web Development Fundamentals". Super Admin opens Course Management → Professional and creates the course: title, description, and its placement (IT → Web Development).
2. Saves; the course appears in the list as a draft under its category node, ready for its professional attributes and content.
3. Sets the course's professional attributes (see 2.2): learning outcomes, instructor, duration, prerequisites.
4. Later, the course description is refined for the catalog. Super Admin edits and saves; the change is recorded.
5. For a course no longer offered (a skill the platform is retiring), Super Admin reviews its dependency: active enrollments exist.
6. Because enrollments exist, Super Admin archives the course. It becomes unavailable for new enrollment, but existing learners' progress and any issued completions remain intact.
7. For a draft course created in error with no content or enrollments, Super Admin deletes it; the dependency check passes and the course is removed.
8. Each course create, edit, archive, and delete is audit-logged with the acting admin and timestamp.

**Rules & Edge Cases:**
- A professional course belongs to a category → sub-category node; the placement is set at creation and is its context.
- Professional courses are distinct from academic courses: they use the category tree and carry the professional attributes (outcomes, instructor, duration, certification).
- A course with enrollments is archived, not deleted; deletion is reserved for courses with no dependencies.
- Archiving stops new enrollment but preserves existing learners' progress and completions; it is reversible.
- The dependency check runs before delete and blocks it with the specific reason where dependencies exist.
- All course changes are audit-logged with the acting admin and timestamp.

### 2.2 Course Overview, Learning Outcomes, and Instructor Profiles
**What it does:** Defines a professional course's public profile: the overview (what the course covers), the learning outcomes (what a learner achieves), and the instructor profile (who teaches it, with their credentials). The Super Administrator maintains these so the course is clearly communicated in the catalog and the learner knows what they will get and from whom.

**Sub-features:**
- Course overview: what the course covers, in learner-facing terms
- Learning outcomes: the measurable skills a learner achieves on completion
- Instructor profile: the instructor's name, credentials, and bio
- Instructor assignment: linking an instructor to the course
- Duration and effort estimate: the course's length and the expected time investment
- Catalog visibility: the overview, outcomes, instructor, and duration shown on the course page
- Audit logging of profile changes

**Super Administrator User Journey:**
1. For a professional course, Super Admin writes the overview (what the course covers) and the learning outcomes (the measurable skills a learner achieves).
2. Ensures the outcomes are measurable ("Build a responsive web page", not "Learn web things") and the overview is learner-facing.
3. Assigns the instructor: links the instructor profile to the course. The profile shows the instructor's name, credentials, and bio.
4. Sets the duration and effort estimate: the course's length (e.g., 8 weeks) and the expected weekly time investment, so a learner can plan.
5. Saves; the course page shows the overview, outcomes, instructor, and duration — the learner's decision information.
6. Reviews the catalog view: the course's profile is complete and consistent with the other courses' presentation.
7. For an instructor change (the original instructor is unavailable), Super Admin reassigns the instructor; the course page updates and the change is recorded.
8. The profile changes are audit-logged with the course, the fields changed, and the timestamp.

**Rules & Edge Cases:**
- The overview and outcomes are learner-facing; outcomes are measurable statements.
- An instructor is assigned to the course; the profile (credentials, bio) is shown on the course page.
- The duration and effort estimate are set so a learner can plan the time investment; they are estimates, not guarantees.
- The profile is shown on the course's catalog page; it is the course's public communication.
- An instructor reassignment updates the course page; the change is recorded.
- Profile changes are audit-logged with the course, fields, and timestamp.

### 2.3 Prerequisites and Recommendations
**What it does:** Defines a professional course's entry prerequisites (what a learner should have before starting) and its recommendations (what to take before or after). The Super Administrator sets the prerequisites and recommendations so learners start prepared and see a coherent path through the professional catalog, connecting this course to the ones that build on or feed into it.

**Sub-features:**
- Prerequisites: the skills/courses a learner should have before starting
- Recommendation links: courses recommended before (foundations) or after (next steps)
- Prerequisite check: a learner's readiness assessed against the prerequisites
- Readiness warning: a learner who does not meet the prerequisites is warned
- Path visibility: the before/after recommendations shown on the course page
- Review: the prerequisites and recommendations are checked for correctness
- Audit logging of prerequisite/recommendation changes

**Super Administrator User Journey:**
1. For an advanced course (e.g., "Advanced Web Development"), Super Admin sets the prerequisites: the foundational course ("Web Development Fundamentals") or equivalent skills.
2. Adds the recommendations: the before course (foundations) and the after courses (next steps, e.g., "Full-Stack Development").
3. Saves; the course page shows the prerequisites and the before/after recommendations, so a learner sees the path.
4. A learner enrolls without the prerequisite; the platform shows the readiness warning: "Recommended prerequisite: Web Development Fundamentals."
5. The learner can proceed (the prerequisite is a recommendation, not a hard block, per the course's setting) or complete the foundation first.
6. For a course where the prerequisite is mandatory, Super Admin sets it as enforced; a learner without it cannot start until it is met.
7. Reviews the prerequisites and recommendations for correctness: the links are genuine (a wrong link is removed), so the path is not misleading.
8. The prerequisite/recommendation changes are audit-logged with the course, the links, and the timestamp.

**Rules & Edge Cases:**
- Prerequisites can be recommended (warn) or enforced (block), per the course's setting; the behavior is explicit.
- Recommendations are before/after links; they form the path through the catalog.
- A readiness warning does not silently block where the prerequisite is a recommendation.
- The links are reviewed for correctness; a wrong prerequisite or recommendation is removed and recorded.
- The path is visible on the course page; a learner sees the before/after context.
- Prerequisite/recommendation changes are audit-logged with the course, links, and timestamp.

### 2.4 Industry Certification Alignment and Real-World Project Integration
**What it does:** Connects a professional course to real-world value: industry certification alignment (the certifications the course prepares a learner for) and real-world project integration (the practical projects a learner completes). The Super Administrator sets the certification alignment and integrates the projects so the course is tied to recognized credentials and hands-on experience, not just theory.

**Sub-features:**
- Certification alignment: the industry certifications the course prepares for
- Alignment detail: which course elements map to the certification's requirements
- Real-world projects: the practical projects integrated into the course
- Project assignment: projects assigned within the course structure
- Project completion: a learner's project work tracked and assessed
- Catalog visibility: the certification alignment and projects shown on the course page
- Audit logging of alignment and project changes

**Super Administrator User Journey:**
1. For a professional course, Super Admin sets the certification alignment: the industry certification the course prepares a learner for (e.g., a recognized web-development credential).
2. Maps the course elements to the certification's requirements, so the alignment is specific (which modules cover which certification topics), not a vague claim.
3. Integrates the real-world projects: the practical projects a learner completes within the course (a portfolio project, a capstone).
4. Assigns the projects within the course structure (the project at the point in the sequence where the skills are ready).
5. Saves; the course page shows the certification alignment and the projects, so a learner sees the credential and the hands-on experience.
6. A learner works through the course and completes the projects; their project work is tracked and assessed.
7. On completion, the learner has the project work (a portfolio) and is prepared for the aligned certification; the completion record reflects the projects.
8. The alignment and project changes are audit-logged with the course, the alignment, the projects, and the timestamp.

**Rules & Edge Cases:**
- Certification alignment is specific: the course elements map to the certification's requirements, so the claim is substantiated.
- Real-world projects are integrated into the course structure; they are part of the learning, not an add-on.
- Project work is tracked and assessed; completion reflects the projects done.
- The alignment and projects are shown on the course page; they are the course's value communication.
- A certification alignment is a preparation statement (the course prepares for it), not an endorsement or guarantee of passing.
- Alignment and project changes are audit-logged with the course, alignment, projects, and timestamp.