If you're tired of students dropping off halfway through your online course, then this article is for you.
This isn't just about lost learning, it's about lost revenue and missed opportunities to build your online course business.
But before you throw out your current courses and try to build from scratch, hear me out.
Sometimes, the biggest results come from seemingly small additions. And today's recommendation: adding grades to your online courses.
Adding grades to your course - whether you're teaching photography, business skills, or cooking - creates a feedback loop of success. Happy students who see their progress become your best marketers, and their visible achievements attract new enrollments.
Ready to turn your course into a student success machine that drives business growth? Let's dive into the exact steps to create a grading system that generates results for both you and your students.
Why Grades Make Your Course Better
Think about the last time you mastered a new skill. The satisfaction of seeing real progress, knowing exactly where you stand, and having proof of your achievement. That's what grades bring to your online course.
There are more benefits with this strategy:
Now, let's get your grading system up and running in WordPress...
Let's Build Your Graded Course Step by Step
In the next 15 minutes, you'll have a clear blueprint for turning your WordPress course into a professional learning experience. We'll skip the fluff and focus on what works - starting with choosing the right tools for your course.
Step 1: Setting Up Shop
Straightforward, easy to use, and delivers on value – that’s my criteria for choosing any tool I need for my tech stack. And this applies to course builders too.
If you’re like me and want a tool that offers high-quality and no hassle, Thrive Apprentice is the perfect option for you.
This plugin provides you with everything you need to create a solid online course platform. Let’s get into why you’ll enjoy it as much as I do:
Get Started Quickly
Thrive Apprentice is designed for ease of use. Download it from the Thrive Themes website, install it on your WordPress site like any other plugin, and you're ready to go. No complex setup process or steep learning curve - just immediate access to your course creation tools.
Simplify Your Workflow
With Thrive Apprentice, everything integrates directly with WordPress. Create, manage, and sell your courses all from your familiar dashboard. No more juggling multiple platforms or struggling with complex integrations.
Build Courses Faster
Use the intuitive drag-and-drop interface to create professional-looking courses in record time. Spend less time wrestling with technology and more time creating great content that your students will love.
Build Solid Engagement
Want to keep your learners coming back for more? Thrive Apprentice has got your back with interactive features that'll make your course a blast.
From assessments that test their knowledge to certificates that celebrate their achievements, your learners will be driven to finish your course.
And here's the best part: with personalized course completion pages, you can not only make your learners feel like superstars, but also guide them towards their next steps. It's the perfect opportunity to promote your other courses or products, keeping them engaged and hungry for more!
Whether you're just starting out or looking to scale your existing course business, Thrive Apprentice provides the functionality and flexibility you need to succeed in the competitive world of online education.
Step 2: Build Your Online Course
Setting up your online course with Thrive Apprentice is quite easy and straightforward.
You can find everything you need to set up your course, right in the Thrive Apprentice dashboard.
As someone who’s used multiple online course tools that force me to use the WordPress Block Editor, or work with limited design options, I’ve found Thrive Apprentice to be a relief to work with.
You get to set up your course chapters, modules, and lessons all in one place. You can easily drag and drop lessons or move them around to your liking.
If you’re like me and enjoy design freedom and building a product on your terms, then you’re in the right place.
And you also have the opportunity to set a drip release schedule for your online courses – and there are a lot of options. Don’t believe me? Take a look at this guide to learn more.
Now, back to setting up your course.
This section is less about telling you what to do – because every course structure looks different (and that’s a good thing).
As long as you have a clear course structure, you’ll be good.
But if you need a detailed guide on the online course creation process, I have the perfect guide for you right here.
As you build your online course and add an array of media – video, text, images (which I highly recommend doing), also think of ways to connect with your students further.
To get the ball rolling, here is a nice, creative out-of-the-box idea: a Pre-Course Survey.
Add a Quick Quiz Check-In to Your Courses
Here's a little trick I love: pop a quick survey right at the start of your course. Your students are most alert and excited in those first few minutes - perfect time to learn about them and show you care about their goals.
This early check-in does three clever things:
Keep it light and relevant. I ask things like: "What's your biggest challenge with [topic]?" "What's one thing you want to achieve in this course?" "How much experience do you have with [topic]?"
Pro Tip: Use these responses to tailor your examples and feedback throughout the course. Students love when you reference their specific challenges and goals.
Bonus: Six months later, send students back to their initial responses. Nothing motivates like seeing how far they've come.
Step 3: Set Up Your Grading System
If you’re using Thrive Apprentice to build your courses, then you should save setting up your course grades for last.
Focus on setting up your course, assignments, release schedule and once that’s done, finalize your grading system.
This feature, in Thrive Apprentice, lets you assign and calculate overall grades based on how your students perform in various assessments throughout your course content.
Configuring Grades in Thrive Apprentice
What I loved about Thrive Apprentice’s features is the flexibility they provide to help you create what you’ve envisioned. And the same applies to grading.
You get to decide exactly how each assessment contributes to the final grade. You can set custom weights manually, or let Thrive Apprentice automatically distribute them evenly across all assessments. Now you have complete control over how student performance is evaluated!
If you want a couple of assessments to count more than others, you can easily set custom weights for each assessment – perfect for making that final project worth more than the weekly quizzes.
Like in this example:
It’s a great way to make sure the value of each assessment (and your students’ work) is clearly reflected.
Pro tip
For example, if you're teaching digital marketing, you might split your grades like this: final campaign launch 40%, weekly metrics reports 35%, and client communication exercises 25%. This balances real results with the practical skills clients pay for
Additionally, you have the option to choose how to display your grades – Percentage, Numeral Score, and Category.
Numerical “Score” which will present a number from 1 to 100 (just without the % sign.)
And if you need more freedom to define your grading system, then the “Category” option will be perfect for you.
You can use a simple “Passed” or “Failed” approach:
Or you can make your grades more personable. You decide.
Adding Grades to Your Course Completion Page and Certificates
Your students worked hard to reach the finish line, so make that moment count.
A completion page with a downloadable certificate does more than mark the end; it gives students something to share on LinkedIn or with their boss.
And that social proof brings in new students (more revenue for you) and helps your graduates land opportunities. When graduates add your course to their resume or social profiles, you're building a network of success stories.
Each certificate becomes a marketing asset, opening doors for your students while attracting their peers to your course. It's a simple feature that creates a ripple effect of credibility and growth.
And you can easily get this set up in Thrive Apprentice (which you can learn more about here).
If you have Thrive Architect along with Thrive Apprentice, you can turn your Course Completion Page and Certificate templates into impressive designs that will excite your students.
Like this:
And this:
Taking the time to go the extra mile here can only mean good things for you. You create a memorable course experience, your students share about it in their networks – or even buy more of your courses, and you get to see your online course business grow!
Step 4: Testing Everything
Nothing kills course sales faster than tech hiccups. Before you hit that launch button, let's make sure everything runs smoothly.
💡 Pro Tip: Grab a friend who's never seen your course and watch them try to navigate it. You'll be surprised what "obvious" things aren't so obvious after all.
Bonus: How to Monitor Your Students’ Progress
You'll want to check your course stats regularly - it's one of those small habits that makes a huge difference. Which lessons are students replaying? Where are they getting stuck? When are they dropping off? This data will save you from headaches and help boost your completion rates. When you notice students struggling with a particular quiz, you can add more examples.
When you spot everyone loving certain tutorials, you know exactly what content to create next. Watching these patterns helps you catch issues early, double down on what works, and build courses students actually finish. The result? More success stories, more word-of-mouth referrals, and yes - more sales. Don't skip this step - it's the difference between guessing and knowing what your students need.
And with Thrive Apprentice, you can easily track student progress, see who's keeping up with the content schedule, and identify those who might be falling behind.
This overview of your course's performance is key for understanding how your online course is performing.
Pro Tips for Creating Assessments Your Students Will Love
Don’t just use assessments as a “checkpoint” or something that has to be done. This part of your course requires just as much intention as your lessons.
Here are a few additional tips to give them that extra edge:
Remember to give crystal-clear instructions. We've all faced that moment of "wait, what am I supposed to do here?" Tell students exactly what success looks like, and watch their confidence grow with each submission.
And if you need additional resources on creating assessments online, or managing other parts of your online course setup, check out these guides:
The Power of Grades Changes Everything
Building a graded course takes extra work. But when students complete your course and become walking testimonials? When their real results attract more students who want the same success? That's when your course transforms from just another product into a thriving business asset.
Ready to build a course students actually finish - and rave about? Grab Thrive Apprentice today and turn your expertise into student success stories.
