Get Course Structure

Learn how to retrieve course structure, sections, lessons, and completion criteria using the Thought Industries REST API.

Overview

The Course Structure endpoints allow you to retrieve the complete hierarchical structure of a course, including:

Course ID, title, and status
Sections (with ID, title, releaseAt)
Lessons within each section (with ID, title, accessLevel)
Topics within each lesson (with ID, title, type)
Completion criteria

Authentication

All requests require Bearer token authentication:

-H "Authorization: Bearer ${API_TOKEN}"
-H "Content-Type: application/json"

Get Complete Course Structure

Retrieve the full hierarchical course structure in a single request.

Endpoint

GET ${BASE_URL}/v2/courses/{courseId}/structure

Request Example

curl -X GET "${BASE_URL}/v2/courses/c76d5b5d-b7b1-4258-a116-07d9228884ca/structure" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer ${API_TOKEN}" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json"

Response Example

{
    "id": "c76d5b5d-b7b1-4258-a116-07d9228884ca",
    "title": "Multi SCORM page course",
    "status": "draft",
    "sections": [
        {
            "id": "61ee198a-ccd8-4046-9fca-5717d88f2e93",
            "title": "Section 1",
            "releaseAt": null,
            "lessons": [
                {
                    "id": "93e6076b-ba84-4012-84ff-73c0367006e0",
                    "title": "To Begin",
                    "accessLevel": null,
                    "topics": [
                        {
                            "id": "1366501c-3740-4a30-9464-1a2f111499ee",
                            "title": "Getting Started",
                            "type": "text",
                            "editableByChildren": false
                        }
                    ]
                },
                {
                    "id": "619004f9-213a-45e0-843d-c4c93db941de",
                    "title": "Lesson 1.2",
                    "accessLevel": null,
                    "topics": [
                        {
                            "id": "fdbec9af-e134-4c42-81c4-05a056dd40ca",
                            "title": "SCORM 1.2",
                            "type": "shareableContentObject",
                            "editableByChildren": false
                        },
                        {
                            "id": "ef8967dc-dace-4215-baf0-0258fcd2fff5",
                            "title": "Quiz 1.2",
                            "type": "quiz",
                            "editableByChildren": false
                        }
                    ]
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "id": "5c7a5ae8-afeb-4ddd-acf9-8aebd6328048",
            "title": "Section 2",
            "releaseAt": null,
            "lessons": [
                {
                    "id": "7d1a7a0f-574e-447b-9755-476ff007c880",
                    "title": "Exam and Conclusion",
                    "accessLevel": null,
                    "topics": [
                        {
                            "id": "fc36dc1d-d683-4760-ae8d-97809d3c30a8",
                            "title": "Final Exam",
                            "type": "test",
                            "editableByChildren": false
                        },
                        {
                            "id": "61237fd7-89d2-4bc3-9431-374dc5263edb",
                            "title": "Last page",
                            "type": "text",
                            "editableByChildren": false
                        }
                    ]
                }
            ]
        }
    ],
    "completionCriteria": [
        {
            "id": "5c13255a-e1ee-42ef-a79d-d4a7d839e578",
            "type": "coursePercentViewed",
            "coursePercentViewed": 90,
            "articlePercentViewed": null,
            "articleTimeViewedInSeconds": null,
            "videoPercentViewed": null,
            "courseAssignmentComplete": null,
            "courseAssessmentPassed": null,
            "courseTopicViewed": null,
            "courseMeetingAttended": null,
            "scormComplete": null,
            "surveyGizmoComplete": null,
            "xApiComplete": null,
            "bongoAssignmentCompleted": null
        },
        {
            "id": "4a33f62e-323f-4f9b-a502-40aadf39ef87",
            "type": "courseAssessmentPassed",
            "coursePercentViewed": null,
            "articlePercentViewed": null,
            "articleTimeViewedInSeconds": null,
            "videoPercentViewed": null,
            "courseAssignmentComplete": null,
            "courseAssessmentPassed": "fc36dc1d-d683-4760-ae8d-97809d3c30a8",
            "courseTopicViewed": null,
            "courseMeetingAttended": null,
            "scormComplete": null,
            "surveyGizmoComplete": null,
            "xApiComplete": null,
            "bongoAssignmentCompleted": null
        }
    ]
}

Get Course Sections

Retrieve only the sections of a course without nested lessons.

Endpoint

GET ${BASE_URL}/v2/courses/{courseId}/sections

Request Example

curl -X GET "${BASE_URL}/v2/courses/c76d5b5d-b7b1-4258-a116-07d9228884ca/sections" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer ${API_TOKEN}" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json"

Response Example

{
    "sections": [
        {
            "id": "61ee198a-ccd8-4046-9fca-5717d88f2e93",
            "title": "Section 1",
            "slug": "section-1",
            "status": "published",
            "releaseAt": null,
            "parentSectionId": null,
            "lessonCount": 3
        },
        {
            "id": "5c7a5ae8-afeb-4ddd-acf9-8aebd6328048",
            "title": "Section 2",
            "slug": "section-2",
            "status": "published",
            "releaseAt": null,
            "parentSectionId": null,
            "lessonCount": 1
        }
    ],
    "pageInfo": {
        "total": 2,
        "currentPage": 1,
        "perPage": 50,
        "hasMore": false
    }
}

Get Course Lessons

Retrieve all lessons within a course.

Endpoint

GET ${BASE_URL}/v2/courses/{courseId}/lessons

Request Example

curl -X GET "${BASE_URL}/v2/courses/c76d5b5d-b7b1-4258-a116-07d9228884ca/lessons" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer ${API_TOKEN}" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json"

Response Example

{
    "lessons": [
        {
            "id": "93e6076b-ba84-4012-84ff-73c0367006e0",
            "title": "To Begin",
            "slug": "to-begin",
            "accessLevel": null,
            "sectionId": "61ee198a-ccd8-4046-9fca-5717d88f2e93",
            "sectionTitle": "Section 1",
            "topicCount": 1
        },
        {
            "id": "619004f9-213a-45e0-843d-c4c93db941de",
            "title": "Lesson 1.2",
            "slug": "lesson-12",
            "accessLevel": null,
            "sectionId": "61ee198a-ccd8-4046-9fca-5717d88f2e93",
            "sectionTitle": "Section 1",
            "topicCount": 2
        },
        {
            "id": "cb52cdaf-19b2-4bb5-9f17-865de65474ee",
            "title": "Lesson 1.3",
            "slug": "lesson-13",
            "accessLevel": null,
            "sectionId": "61ee198a-ccd8-4046-9fca-5717d88f2e93",
            "sectionTitle": "Section 1",
            "topicCount": 2
        },
        {
            "id": "7d1a7a0f-574e-447b-9755-476ff007c880",
            "title": "Exam and Conclusion",
            "slug": "exam-and-conclusion",
            "accessLevel": null,
            "sectionId": "5c7a5ae8-afeb-4ddd-acf9-8aebd6328048",
            "sectionTitle": "Section 2",
            "topicCount": 2
        }
    ],
    "pageInfo": {
        "total": 4,
        "currentPage": 1,
        "perPage": 50,
        "hasMore": false
    }
}

Get Course Completion Criteria

Retrieve the completion criteria for a course.

Endpoint

GET ${BASE_URL}/v2/courses/{courseId}/completionCriteria

Request Example

curl -X GET "${BASE_URL}/v2/courses/c76d5b5d-b7b1-4258-a116-07d9228884ca/completionCriteria" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer ${API_TOKEN}" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json"

Response Example

[
    {
        "id": "5c13255a-e1ee-42ef-a79d-d4a7d839e578",
        "type": "coursePercentViewed",
        "coursePercentViewed": 90,
        "articlePercentViewed": null,
        "articleTimeViewedInSeconds": null,
        "videoPercentViewed": null,
        "courseAssignmentComplete": null,
        "courseAssessmentPassed": null,
        "courseTopicViewed": null,
        "courseMeetingAttended": null,
        "scormComplete": null,
        "surveyGizmoComplete": null,
        "xApiComplete": null,
        "bongoAssignmentCompleted": null
    },
    {
        "id": "4a33f62e-323f-4f9b-a502-40aadf39ef87",
        "type": "courseAssessmentPassed",
        "coursePercentViewed": null,
        "articlePercentViewed": null,
        "articleTimeViewedInSeconds": null,
        "videoPercentViewed": null,
        "courseAssignmentComplete": null,
        "courseAssessmentPassed": "fc36dc1d-d683-4760-ae8d-97809d3c30a8",
        "courseTopicViewed": null,
        "courseMeetingAttended": null,
        "scormComplete": null,
        "surveyGizmoComplete": null,
        "xApiComplete": null,
        "bongoAssignmentCompleted": null
    }
]

Complete Endpoint Reference

Course Groups

Method	Endpoint	Description
GET	`/v2/courseGroups`	List all course groups
GET	`/v2/courseGroups/:id`	Get specific course group by ID
GET	`/v2/courseGroups/slug/:slug`	Get course group by slug
GET	`/v2/courseGroups/:id/courses`	List courses in a course group
GET	`/v2/courseGroups/:id/displayCourse`	Get display course for group

Courses

Method	Endpoint	Description
GET	`/v2/courses/:courseId/structure`	Get complete course structure
GET	`/v2/courses/:courseId/sections`	Get course sections
GET	`/v2/courses/:courseId/lessons`	Get course lessons
GET	`/v2/courses/:courseId/completionCriteria`	Get completion criteria

Sections

Method	Endpoint	Description
GET	`/v2/sections/:id`	Get specific section
GET	`/v2/sections/:sectionId/lessons`	Get lessons in a section

Lessons

Method	Endpoint	Description
GET	`/v2/lessons/:id`	Get specific lesson

Topics

Method	Endpoint	Description
GET	`/v2/topics/:id`	Get specific topic
GET	`/v2/topics/course/:courseId`	Get all topics in a course
GET	`/v2/topics/lesson/:lessonId`	Get all topics in a lesson

Content (Generic)

Method	Endpoint	Description
GET	`/v2/content`	List all content
GET	`/v2/content/:type/:id`	Get specific content by type and ID
GET	`/v2/fullContent/:type/:id`	Get full content details

Topic Types Reference

Topics can have various types:

text - Text content
video - Video content
quiz - Quiz/assessment
test - Test/exam
shareableContentObject - SCORM content
assignment - Assignment
meeting - Live meeting/webinar
survey - Survey
xApi - xAPI/Tin Can content

Completion Criteria Types

Completion criteria can be based on:

coursePercentViewed - Percentage of course viewed
articlePercentViewed - Percentage of article viewed
articleTimeViewedInSeconds - Time spent viewing article
videoPercentViewed - Percentage of video viewed
courseAssignmentComplete - Assignment completion
courseAssessmentPassed - Assessment passed
courseTopicViewed - Specific topic viewed
courseMeetingAttended - Meeting attended
scormComplete - SCORM completion
surveyGizmoComplete - Survey completion
xApiComplete - xAPI completion
bongoAssignmentCompleted - Bongo assignment completion

Use Cases

Displaying Course Outline

Use the structure endpoint to build a course outline for learners:

async function getCourseOutline(courseId) {
  const response = await fetch(
    `${BASE_URL}/v2/courses/${courseId}/structure`,
    {
      headers: {
        'Authorization': `Bearer ${API_TOKEN}`,
        'Content-Type': 'application/json'
      }
    }
  );
  
  const structure = await response.json();
  
  // Build navigation
  const outline = structure.sections.map(section => ({
    title: section.title,
    lessons: section.lessons.map(lesson => ({
      title: lesson.title,
      topics: lesson.topics.map(topic => ({
        title: topic.title,
        type: topic.type
      }))
    }))
  }));
  
  return outline;
}

Checking Course Progress

Combine structure with completion criteria to track progress:

async function checkCourseProgress(courseId, userId) {
  // Get structure
  const structure = await fetch(
    `${BASE_URL}/v2/courses/${courseId}/structure`,
    {
      headers: {
        'Authorization': `Bearer ${API_TOKEN}`,
        'Content-Type': 'application/json'
      }
    }
  ).then(r => r.json());
  
  // Get completion criteria
  const criteria = await fetch(
    `${BASE_URL}/v2/courses/${courseId}/completionCriteria`,
    {
      headers: {
        'Authorization': `Bearer ${API_TOKEN}`,
        'Content-Type': 'application/json'
      }
    }
  ).then(r => r.json());
  
  // Calculate what's required for completion
  const requirements = criteria.map(c => ({
    type: c.type,
    value: c[c.type]
  }));
  
  return {
    structure,
    requirements
  };
}

Create a custom course navigation from sections and lessons:

async function buildCourseNavigation(courseId) {
  const response = await fetch(
    `${BASE_URL}/v2/courses/${courseId}/lessons`,
    {
      headers: {
        'Authorization': `Bearer ${API_TOKEN}`,
        'Content-Type': 'application/json'
      }
    }
  );
  
  const { lessons } = await response.json();
  
  // Group by section
  const navigation = lessons.reduce((acc, lesson) => {
    const section = lesson.sectionTitle;
    if (!acc[section]) {
      acc[section] = [];
    }
    acc[section].push({
      id: lesson.id,
      title: lesson.title,
      slug: lesson.slug,
      topicCount: lesson.topicCount
    });
    return acc;
  }, {});
  
  return navigation;
}

Pagination

Endpoints that return lists support pagination:

Query Parameters

page - Page number (default: 1)
perPage - Items per page (default: 50, max: 100)

Example

curl -X GET "${BASE_URL}/v2/courses/${courseId}/lessons?page=2&perPage=25" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer ${API_TOKEN}" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json"

Response Structure

{
  "lessons": [...],
  "pageInfo": {
    "total": 100,
    "currentPage": 2,
    "perPage": 25,
    "hasMore": true
  }
}

Error Handling

Common Errors

404 Not Found

{
  "error": "NotFound",
  "message": "Course not found",
  "courseId": "invalid-id"
}

401 Unauthorized

{
  "error": "Unauthorized",
  "message": "Invalid or missing API token"
}

403 Forbidden

{
  "error": "Forbidden",
  "message": "Insufficient permissions to access this course"
}

Best Practices

1. Use Structure Endpoint for Complete Data

When you need full course hierarchy, use /structure:

✅ Single API call
✅ Complete nested data
✅ Better performance

2. Use Specific Endpoints for Partial Data

When you only need sections or lessons:

✅ Smaller response payload
✅ Faster response time
✅ Better for pagination

3. Cache Structure Data

Course structure changes infrequently:

const cache = new Map();
const CACHE_TTL = 5 * 60 * 1000; // 5 minutes

async function getCachedStructure(courseId) {
  const cached = cache.get(courseId);
  
  if (cached && Date.now() - cached.timestamp < CACHE_TTL) {
    return cached.data;
  }
  
  const data = await fetchCourseStructure(courseId);
  cache.set(courseId, {
    data,
    timestamp: Date.now()
  });
  
  return data;
}

4. Handle Pagination Properly

For courses with many lessons:

async function getAllLessons(courseId) {
  let page = 1;
  let hasMore = true;
  const allLessons = [];
  
  while (hasMore) {
    const response = await fetch(
      `${BASE_URL}/v2/courses/${courseId}/lessons?page=${page}&perPage=50`,
      {
        headers: {
          'Authorization': `Bearer ${API_TOKEN}`,
          'Content-Type': 'application/json'
        }
      }
    );
    
    const { lessons, pageInfo } = await response.json();
    allLessons.push(...lessons);
    
    hasMore = pageInfo.hasMore;
    page++;
  }
  
  return allLessons;
}

Get Course Structure

Overview​

Authentication​

Get Complete Course Structure​

Endpoint​

Request Example​

Response Example​

Get Course Sections​

Endpoint​

Request Example​

Response Example​

Get Course Lessons​

Endpoint​

Request Example​

Response Example​

Get Course Completion Criteria​

Endpoint​

Request Example​

Response Example​

Complete Endpoint Reference​

Course Groups​

Courses​

Sections​

Lessons​

Topics​

Content (Generic)​

Topic Types Reference​

Completion Criteria Types​

Use Cases​

Displaying Course Outline​

Checking Course Progress​

Building Custom Navigation​

Pagination​

Query Parameters​

Example​

Response Structure​

Error Handling​

Common Errors​

Best Practices​

1. Use Structure Endpoint for Complete Data​

2. Use Specific Endpoints for Partial Data​

3. Cache Structure Data​

4. Handle Pagination Properly​

Next Steps​

Overview

Authentication

Get Complete Course Structure

Endpoint

Request Example

Response Example

Get Course Sections

Endpoint

Request Example

Response Example

Get Course Lessons

Endpoint

Request Example

Response Example

Get Course Completion Criteria

Endpoint

Request Example

Response Example

Complete Endpoint Reference

Course Groups

Courses

Sections

Lessons

Topics

Content (Generic)

Topic Types Reference

Completion Criteria Types

Use Cases

Displaying Course Outline

Checking Course Progress

Building Custom Navigation

Pagination

Query Parameters

Example

Response Structure

Error Handling

Common Errors

Best Practices

1. Use Structure Endpoint for Complete Data

2. Use Specific Endpoints for Partial Data

3. Cache Structure Data

4. Handle Pagination Properly

Next Steps