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Quick Start

This guide will help you understand the basics of creating courses using the Thought Industries API.

Prerequisites​

Before you begin, ensure you have:

  • API credentials (Bearer token)
  • Access to your Thought Industries instance
  • Basic understanding of REST API concepts
  • A tool for making HTTP requests (Postman, cURL, or similar)

Endpoint Overview​

The course creation API allows you to programmatically create learning content on the Thought Industries platform.

Base Endpoint:

POST https://{your-instance-url}/incoming/v2/content/course/create

Quick Start Example​

Here's a simple example to create a basic course:

curl -X POST "https://{your-instance-url}/incoming/v2/content/course/create" \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -H 'Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_TOKEN' \
  -d '{
    "courseAttributes": [
      {
        "title": "My First Course",
        "kind": "courseGroup",
        "availableToPublic": true,
        "sections": [
          {
            "title": "Introduction",
            "lessons": [
              {
                "title": "Welcome",
                "openType": "studentsOnly",
                "topics": [
                  {
                    "title": "Getting Started",
                    "type": "text",
                    "body": "<p>Welcome to the course!</p>"
                  }
                ]
              }
            ]
          }
        ]
      }
    ]
  }'

Response​

Successful creation returns an array of course IDs:

["course-abc123"]

Understanding the Structure​

Required Fields​

Course Hierarchy​

For structured courses (kind: "courseGroup"):

Course
  └─ Sections
      └─ Lessons
          └─ Topics

Each level is required for proper course structure.

Next Steps​

Common Issues​

Missing Structure​

If you don't provide sections/lessons/topics, a default structure is created, but it's better to define it explicitly.

Date Validation​

If you specify dates, ensure:

  • enrollmentStartDate < enrollmentEndDate
  • courseStartDate < courseEndDate
  • Dates are in ISO 8601 format (e.g., 2024-01-15T00:00:00Z)

Authentication​

All requests require a valid Bearer token in the Authorization header.