How To Create A Curriculum In Cornerstone OnDemand: Complete Admin Guide

Creating a curriculum in Cornerstone OnDemand (CSOD) requires bundling existing child learning objects—such as online courses, materials, tests, and events—into a structured learning path using Catalog Management. Administrators must configure core metadata, define section-level sequencing rules, establish precise availability parameters, and validate completion logic to ensure flawless user progression. Adhering to structured administrative workflows prevents transcript errors, avoids broken dependencies, and maintains enterprise reporting accuracy.

Architectural Prerequisites and Pre-Configuration Checklist

Before initiating the curriculum creation workflow within Cornerstone OnDemand, LMS Administrators must establish the underlying structural assets and administrative permissions. A curriculum functions as a parent shell; it does not contain native instructional content itself, but rather references individual learning objects (LOs) published in the CSOD Catalog. Attempting to build a curriculum before child objects are fully configured and published leads to orphaned paths, availability mismatches, and broken enrollment triggers.

Administrators must verify that all target child LOs—including SCORM/AICC packages, custom video objects, observation checklists, materials, and instructor-led training (ILT) events—are published, active, and assigned appropriate availability settings. If a child object is restricted from a target user group's visibility, those users will experience registration blocks within the curriculum.

Administrative Requirements Checklist

• Mandatory Administrative Permissions: Catalog Management - Create/Modify Learning Objects, Curriculum - Create, Curriculum - Modify Structure, Availability - Search and Assign, and User Transcript - Management.
• Essential System Assets: Pre-published child Learning Objects (Online Courses, Materials, Tests, Tasks, ILT Modules) with confirmed active status.
• Taxonomy & Metadata: Defined Subject Taxonomy hierarchy, Training Hours, Continuing Education Units (CEUs), and specific internal Provider/Vendor tags.
• Target Group Architecture: Active User Criteria, Dynamic Groups, or Organizational Units (Divisions, Departments, Locations, Positions) for catalog availability targeting.
• Operational Benchmarks: Estimated preparation time of 30 to 45 minutes for basic curriculum assembly; standard platform propagation index requires up to 15 minutes post-publication for dynamic availability indexing.

Enterprise Step-by-Step Blueprint for CSOD Curriculum Construction

Step 1: Provision Child Learning Objects in Catalog Management

Navigate to the administrative navigation bar, select Admin, hover over Learning, and select Catalog Management. Before launching the curriculum builder, audit every child learning object planned for inclusion.

1. Open Course Catalog search and locate each target child object.
2. Verify that each object’s status is set to Active.
3. Confirm that the Availability settings on each individual child object match or exceed the intended target audience of the parent curriculum.
4. Note any existing pre-requisites or co-requisites configured at the individual course level to prevent conflicting dependency loops when embedded in the curriculum.

Warning: If a child learning object has stricter availability parameters than the parent curriculum, end users will see the curriculum on their search catalog but will encounter a systemic blocking error when attempting to launch that specific child item.

Step 2: Initialize Curriculum Shell and Metadata Properties

Once all child assets are verified, open the creation wizard by navigating to Admin > Learning > Catalog Management > Create New Learning Object and select Curriculum.

1. Enter the mandatory Title using your organization's standardized catalog naming convention (e.g., CORP_NAV_2026_OperationsOnboarding).
2. Supply a comprehensive Description detailing the educational objectives, target audience, and expected completion outcomes.
3. Assign a unique Training ID. If left blank, CSOD generates an auto-indexed system ID, but custom alphanumeric identifiers streamline cross-system reporting and HRIS data syncs.
4. Categorize the curriculum by selecting primary and secondary Subjects from your organization's taxonomy tree.
5. Assign specific Training Hours, CEUs, or CPE Credits if the curriculum awards professional development metrics upon total path completion.
6. Designate the Training Provider and assign relevant search Keywords to enhance discoverability inside the Learner Experience Platform (LXP) interface.

Step 3: Build Curriculum Structure, Sections, and Learning Tracks

The curriculum builder structure screen governs how learning assets are grouped, ordered, and visually presented to the learner.

1. Click Add Section to create logical groupings (e.g., "Phase 1: Compliance Fundamentals", "Phase 2: Core Technical Skills").
2. Define the Section Title and optional section-level description.
3. Click Add Items within a specific section to launch the Learning Object Selector.
4. Search for and select the required child objects (Online Courses, Tests, ILT Events, Materials). Click Done to insert them into the section.
5. Reorder items or sections by using the drag-and-drop handles or numerical ordering inputs.
6. Configure the Section Requirement settings: choose whether the learner must complete All Items within the section or a Minimum Number of Items (e.g., complete 2 out of 4 elective modules).

Pro-Tip: Utilize multi-section structures for complex certifications. Setting elective rules within specific sections allows employees to choose personalized learning paths while still satisfying overarching compliance requirements.

Step 4: Establish Sequencing Rules and Completion Dependencies

Sequencing options dictate whether learners must navigate the curriculum in a strict linear order or if they can complete components flexibly.

1. Locate the Navigation Options drop-down menu within the curriculum structure settings.
2. Select Sequential to lock downstream sections and child objects until preceding items are completed, or select Unrestricted to allow open access to all components simultaneously.
3. If using Sequential mode, determine if strict section-by-section movement is enforced or if order enforcement applies down to the specific item level.
4. Set the Minimum Completed Sections requirement for total curriculum completion if the entire path contains optional sections.
5. Enable Reset Options if learners who fail an embedded test must re-register or repeat prerequisite training components within the path.

Step 5: Define Organizational Availability and Automated Email Triggers

Availability rules control which employee populations can search for, register for, or be assigned the curriculum.

1. Advance to the Availability tab in the curriculum builder wizard.
2. Click Add Availability and define the target population using Organizational Units (OU), User Criteria, Groups, or Individual Users.
3. Set the Include Children toggle to Yes if child OUs under a selected Division or Department must inherit access.
4. Configure registration rules: select Self-Registration, Approval Required, or Admin Assignment Only.
5. Advance to the Emails tab to manage system automated communications.
6. Toggle required trigger notifications, including Curriculum Assignment, Section Completion, Curriculum Completion, and Past Due Reminders.
7. Customize email templates using dynamic tag tags (e.g., DEFAULT_USER_FIRST_NAME, CURRICULUM_TITLE, DUE_DATE) to deliver tailored instructions.

Step 6: Publish, Version Control, and Validate via Admin Proxy

Finalizing the curriculum registers it into the production search index and makes it live according to configured availability.

1. Review all structural, metadata, and availability settings on the Summary tab.
2. Click Publish to make the curriculum active.
3. Test the deployment: navigate to Admin > Users > Proxy, proxy as a test user within the target availability scope, and search for the curriculum in the learning catalog.
4. Verify that the structure, child object visibility, section dependencies, and launch buttons function as designed.
5. Exit proxy mode and return to your administrative profile.

CSOD Curriculum Navigation and Sequencing Configuration Matrix

Selecting the correct structural configuration ensures that compliance rules are enforced without causing unnecessary support tickets. The table below details the functional differences and optimal use cases for standard CSOD curriculum settings.

Enterprise CSOD Curriculum Failures and Remediation Protocol

Scenario 1: Curriculum Shows Complete on Transcript But Embedded Child Items Remain Pending

• Root Cause: The curriculum section configuration was set to a "Minimum Completed Sections" or "Minimum Completed Items" count lower than the actual total number of items, causing CSOD to trigger overall parent curriculum completion before the user touched remaining assets.
• Actionable Fix: Navigate to Admin > Learning > Catalog Management, search for the curriculum, and select Edit Structure. Inspect the Section Rules. Change the completion threshold from a static number back to All Items for each enforced section. Save and apply updates. For users already marked complete, perform a transcript modification via User Transcripts to reset or adjust status if audit rules require complete coverage.

Scenario 2: Learner Encounters "Access Restricted" Error When Launching a Child Object Inside an Available Curriculum

• Root Cause: Availability mismatch between the parent curriculum shell and the child learning object. The learner satisfies the availability criteria for the curriculum shell, but the child object's standalone availability excludes the learner's OU, Group, or Position.
• Actionable Fix: Locate the failing child object directly in Catalog Management. Edit its Availability tab to include the missing user population, or check the box for Inherit Availability from Parent Objects. Save the child object. The system will re-index access permissions within 15 minutes, resolving the lock out.

Scenario 3: Administrative Content Updates to Child Objects Do Not Reflect for Currently Enrolled Learners

• Root Cause: The child object was updated via standard replacement, or a new version of the curriculum was created without appending the changes to existing dynamic assignments, leaving active transcripts mapped to the legacy version.
• Actionable Fix: When modifying structure or child items on a live curriculum, utilize the Versioning Wizard. Select Create New Version, update the required structural components, and explicitly choose the option to Update Active Transcripts (or "Append to Active Training Plan"). Select whether learners receive credit for prior progress based on structural equivalency settings.

Scenario 4: Sequential Curriculum Locks Up and Prevents Learner Progress Despite Child Item Completion

• Root Cause: A child learning object (typically a SCORM package or external material) failed to pass its completion status API signal back to CSOD, or an embedded test requires manual administrative scoring/observation review.
• Actionable Fix: Check the user's detailed item progress within Admin > Users > Transcripts. Locate the specific learner and inspect the child object's tracking status. If a SCORM handshake failed, manually set the child object status to Complete via transcript administration. If an ILT or Observation Checklist is pending instructor sign-off, submit the score or mark attendance in the roster management portal to release the next sequential block.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between a Curriculum and a Program in Cornerstone OnDemand?

A Curriculum is a structured bundle of child learning objects managed inside Catalog Management that tracks item-level progress, dependencies, and complex sequencing within a unified transcript wrapper. A Program is primarily a time-based or milestone-driven developmental sequence designed inside the LXP/Learner Experience framework, often used for cohort-based learning without strict catalog-level prerequisite locking.

How do I update an existing curriculum without breaking historical completion records?

Always use the Versioning functionality rather than overwriting existing active components. Creating a new version allows you to define whether users currently in progress remain on the legacy version, migrate to the new version with equivalent credit, or receive appended modules, thereby preserving historical completion transcripts for compliance auditing.

Can I include an ILT (Instructor-Led Training) Event inside a curriculum?

Yes, you can include ILT Events or specific ILT Sessions as child objects within a curriculum section. When learners reach the ILT step within a sequential path, they will be prompted to select and register for an available session that fits their schedule before progressing to subsequent locked items.

How does equivalent credit work within CSOD curricula?

If an employee has previously completed an independent learning object that is later built into a newly assigned curriculum, CSOD can automatically mark that child item as complete if equivalency rules are enabled. This prevents learners from repeating identical courses simply because they were added into a new parent curriculum shell.

Why are automated email notifications not firing when a curriculum is assigned?

Email triggers must be explicitly activated within the Emails tab of the curriculum builder or governed globally via Email Administration. Ensure that the specific trigger (e.g., Curriculum Assigned) is turned on, that the template is active, and that user email address attributes are properly populated via your HRIS data feed.

Optimize Your Enterprise Cornerstone OnDemand LMS Administration

Mastering catalog management and structural configuration ensures your workforce receives frictionless, compliant learning pathways tailored to business objectives. Apply these administrative blueprints across your organization to eliminate transcript errors, streamline recertification lifecycles, and maintain clean audit reporting metrics.