Lesson 6.4: Tracking Progress + Completion

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Goal of this Lesson:
Make sure your course shows students which lessons they’ve completed — and what’s left — whether you’re using Tutor LMS or the Custom Viewer Method.

🧠 Why Track Progress?

When students can see their progress, they’re more likely to:

  • Stay engaged
  • Finish the course
  • Come back later to pick up where they left off

Plus, it adds a layer of professionalism that makes your course feel polished — even using only free tools.

✅ Option 1: Tutor LMS Progress Tracking (Automatic)

If you’re using Tutor LMS, progress tracking is built-in.

How It Works:

  • Students see a progress bar on their course dashboard
  • Each lesson has a “Mark Complete” button
  • Completion is stored to their user account automatically

Tips:

  • ✅ Make sure “Lesson Completion” is turned ON in Tutor LMS > Settings > Course
  • ✅ Each lesson must be published and part of a course to trigger tracking
  • 🔁 You can reset or test completion using a student account

Nothing else is needed here — Tutor LMS handles it for you!

🧩 Option 2: Custom Viewer Progress Tracking (Manual Setup)

If you’re using the Custom Lesson Viewer Method, you can still add a working “Mark Complete” system.

Here’s how:

🔧 Step 1: Use a Custom Progress System Plugin

Use a plugin like:

🔹 WP Complete (Free Version)
Or
🔹 A custom solution that stores progress in user meta

You may have your own custom shortcode and tracking system from this course — if so, we’ll integrate it now.

🧱 Step 2: Add a “Mark Complete” Button to Each Lesson

In Elementor:

  1. Add a Button widget at the bottom of each lesson
  2. Label it: “Mark Complete” or “I Finished This Lesson”
  3. Assign a unique ID or shortcode for the lesson (if using your system)

Example: [mark_complete key="lesson-1.2"]

When clicked, the system stores that the lesson is complete — per user.

📈 Step 3: Display Progress

You can show:

  • ✅ Checkmarks beside completed lessons in the sidebar
  • ✅ A progress bar at the top of the course page
  • ✅ A “Completed” label on the lesson itself

If using a shortcode-based system, it might look like:

csharpCopyEdit[course_progress key="course-launch"]

Completion should be saved to the WordPress database so it syncs across devices.

🧪 Step 4: Test It

Log in as a student:

  • Click through lessons
  • Mark some complete
  • Refresh the course overview page

You should see your completion saved and reflected properly.