How to set up drip content in a course
Drip content releases course lectures on a schedule you define — instead of giving students access to everything immediately, lectures unlock gradually over days or weeks. This keeps students progressing at a structured pace, reduces overwhelm, and often improves completion rates.
How drip content works
Every lecture has a Delay field. When drip content is enabled, this delay is the number of days after enrolment before that specific lecture becomes available.
- Delay = 0: lecture unlocks immediately on enrolment.
- Delay = 7: lecture unlocks 7 days after the student enrolled.
- Delay = 14: lecture unlocks 14 days after enrolment.
- Delays are counted from the student's enrolment date, not from the previous lecture.
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Delays are per-lecture, from enrolment date
Every delay counts from the moment the student enrolled — not from when the previous lecture was unlocked. A lecture with delay 14 unlocks 14 days after enrolment regardless of whether the student has completed lecture with delay 7. Plan your schedule accordingly.
Step-by-step: setting up drip content
1
Create your course and add all lectures
If you haven't yet: Assets → Courses → Add a new course. Add all modules and lectures. See: How to create a course.
2
Set the delay on each lecture
For each lecture: click Edit on the lecture (or open lecture settings) → find the Delay field → enter the number of days from enrolment when this lecture should unlock.
Example schedule for a 4-week programme:
Example schedule for a 4-week programme:
- Module 1, Lecture 1: Delay
0(available immediately) - Module 1, Lecture 2: Delay
2 - Module 1, Lecture 3: Delay
4 - Module 2, Lecture 1: Delay
7(Week 2 start) - Module 3, Lecture 1: Delay
14(Week 3 start)
3
Open the course settings
Assets → Courses → your course → Settings.
4
Change the access type to Drip content
Find the Access type field → select Drip content → click Save. This activates the delay schedule across the entire course.
5
Test with a test student
Manually add yourself or a team member as a student: How to manually add a student. Check the course player to confirm the correct lectures are available and future ones are locked.
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Changing access type affects new enrolments only
Changing the course access type from Full access to Drip content does NOT retroactively lock lectures for students already enrolled. Existing students keep whatever access they had. The new access type applies only to students who enrol after the change.
Student notifications for unlocked lectures
When a drip lecture unlocks, SystemeScale automatically sends the student an email notification telling them their new lesson is ready. You do not need to set this up manually.
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Map out your schedule before setting delays
Before configuring delays in the platform, plan the full unlock schedule on paper or in a spreadsheet. Calculate exact delay numbers for every lecture. Editing delays after students have enrolled can create confusion — a clear schedule set correctly from the start is worth the extra planning time.
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