Course linear navigation
Course linear navigation adds Previous and Next buttons to the sticky footer of every activity and resource page, so learners can move through a course in a sequential order without returning to the course page.
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The new buttons replace the former Back to course button and appear alongside the Mark as done control and any activity-specific links, such as Go to all discussions in Forum.
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What changes when you upgrade?
Linear navigation is on by default in all new and existing courses that use the Custom sections and Weekly sections formats. Administrators control it per course format (see below).
What do learners see?
Learners click Next to go to the following activity or Previous to go back. Next and Previous follow the order of activities on the course page.
First and last activity behaviour
The first activity in a course has no Previous button. The last activity shows a Back to course link in place of Next.
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The Mark as done button and the Done indicator now appear in the sticky footer, near the Next button, so learners can confirm completion without scrolling back to the top of the page. If linear navigation is disabled, these controls remain in the page header.
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What do teachers need to know?
The order of activities and resources on the course page is the path learners follow. To change the path, reorder items on the course page. Items that are hidden or restricted for a learner are skipped, so the Next button takes them to the next item they can access.
Which activities work differently now?
Some activities had their own buttons for moving on, which would have caused confusion with the Previous and Next buttons. Now, these activities function alongside the Previous and Next buttons.
Lesson and Feedback: The Link to next activity setting and the Continue links are hidden. They reappear if linear navigation is disabled.
SCORM: Exit activity returns learners to the activity's entry page, so they can carry on with Next.
Forum: Arrow buttons move between discussions, a Go to all discussions link returns to the discussion list, and the Subscribe to forum toggle saves instantly without leaving the page.
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Feedback responses: Chevron buttons move between responses, and a Go to all responses link returns to the list.
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H5P: A Go to all attempts link returns to the attempts list.
Where don't the Previous and Next buttons appear?
The footer is hidden on pages where it could distract users or cause them to leave a task by mistake.
| Activity | Where the buttons are hidden |
|---|---|
| All activities and resources | While editing or creating content, grading, viewing reports, performing administrative tasks, and on print and portfolio export pages |
| Quiz | During an attempt, until the learner returns to the quiz entry page |
| SCORM | Once the SCORM player is launched (visible on the entry page) |
| Lesson | When teachers edit lesson pages or view reports, and on User and Group overrides pages |
| Forum, Glossary and Database | On rating pages |
| Feedback | While learners answer the questions. On the analysis report, only learners see the buttons. |
| H5P | On the attempts report, only learners see the buttons. |
Where do administrators disable the feature?
Linear navigation is on by default after upgrading.
To disable it for a course format, go to Site administration > Plugins > Course formats > Custom sections (or Weekly sections) > Enable linear navigation. This applies to all courses using that format.
