A course forum is a private discussion space shared by people attending a course and the course provider's authorised team.
This guide is for the course provider (the organisation running the course) and its team. It explains how to turn forums off or on, open and share the right forum, post announcements, email members and moderate posts. For participant instructions, see Read and Post in Your Course Forum.
Choose the right setting.
Settings → Forums lets a System Admin set the default for new courses. Edit Course → Settings → Course Forum lets a System Admin or Course Owner change one existing course they can edit. Where this guide writes Course in a label, your screen can show a keyword chosen for your account or for the course instead. The steps below say which.
Turn Off Forums on All Your Courses
There is no single switch that turns forums off on every existing course at once. To turn forums off everywhere, do both of these:
Set the default for new courses to Disabled, so courses you create from now on start without a forum. See the next section.
Turn the forum off on each existing course, one course at a time, as described in “Turn the Forum Off or On for One Existing Course” below.
Turning a forum off hides it without deleting its posts. To turn forums back on later, follow the same steps and choose Enabled.
Turn Forums Off or On for All New Courses (Default Forum Status)
Only a System Admin can open Settings → Forums and save the default for new courses. Ask a System Admin to make the change if you have a different role. To check your access, see Choose a User Role for a Team Member.
Sign in at admin.cademy.io and check you are in the intended provider account.
Open Settings, then Forums.
Under Default Course Forum Status, choose Enabled or Disabled. The course word follows the account’s keyword.
Select Save. The page can show Forum Settings Saved.
Reload the page and check the selected value. Do not rely on the success message alone; if the choice was not retained or an error appears, ask a System Admin or contact Cademy Support.
This is the starting setting for new courses; it does not switch forums on or off for existing courses. Check the Forum Status of a copied or imported course too, rather than assuming it used the current default.
Turn the Forum Off or On for One Existing Course
You need the System Admin or Course Owner role and access to edit that course. For a course with dates or blended content, its forum setting applies across its dates and blocks. A block is one bookable group of sessions.
Review pending edits before saving.
The main course Save can save other course and lesson changes. Navigating within an existing course editor can also save pending changes automatically. Do not change a live setting just to try it.
Open Courses, select the intended course and select Edit Course.
Open Settings, then Course Forum. This item uses the course’s service keyword, the word chosen under Which keyword best describes this service? in Advanced Settings. For example, choosing Bootcamp makes the item read Bootcamp Forum.
Under Forum Status, choose Enabled or Disabled.
Review your pending edits, select Save and check for Course saved.
Reopen the setting to check the saved value. Then check the intended course/date forum using the routes below. Forum setup runs in the background, so a saved setting alone does not prove the forum is ready.
Disabling a forum hides it without deleting its posts. While it is disabled, learners have no Forum tab on the course, View Forum is not shown in the Admin Dashboard, and a saved link to the forum opens a page headed Course Not Found.
For a course with dates, enabling forums creates them for upcoming dates and blocks and those still in progress. A date or block counts as in progress until two hours after its end. It does not create a forum for an older finished date or block that has never had one.
Enabling forums again also re-enables existing forums for finished dates and blocks. It does not rebuild the email subscriptions for those finished dates. Posts still follow deletion, media-processing and history rules. If the saved choice and forum do not agree after reloading, contact Cademy Support with the course and date/block references.
Rename the Forum for One Course (Custom Labels)
Custom Labels is available on Pro, Teams and Enterprise in the standard plan settings, and is visible but disabled on Free. Your account’s enabled features still apply. A System Admin or Course Owner with course access can change Forum Name under Edit Course → Settings → Advanced Settings → Custom Labels. For plan information, see What Each Cademy Plan Includes and Costs.
Enter the wording, review other pending changes and select Save. Reopen the field and check the learner forum. The custom name can appear on its tab, browser-page title, welcome message and restricted-access message. It changes wording, not forum status or membership. For the complete procedure and limits, see Rename Course Buttons and Labels (Custom Labels).
Which Forum Belongs to Which Course, Date or Block
On-demand: one forum for the whole course.
Separately bookable dates: a separate forum for each eligible date, following the setup conditions above.
A block with several sessions: one forum for that block, shared by its sessions.
Blended: the booked date or block has one forum for its scheduled sessions and online course discussion.
An enabled forum can be created before a course is published; publishing is not needed. Check the correct course and date/block when opening or sharing its link. For example, two separately booked blocks have separate discussions, while sessions within one block share the same discussion.
The forum page opens only for people with a course place on that course, date or block and for the team members described in “Who Can Read, Post In and Manage a Course Forum”.
Open a Course Forum From Admin (View Forum)
View Forum opens the forum in a new browser tab, on your minisite. It appears only when the course’s forum is enabled and that forum has been created.
Open the Forum of an On-Demand Course
Open Courses and select the course.
Select View Forum at the top of its page.
In the page that opens, check the course/provider identity before reading or posting.
Open the Forum of a Course Date, Block or Blended Course
Open Courses, select the course and locate the intended date or block.
Open its three-dot Date actions menu and select View Forum.
Check the course/date or block shown on the forum before reading or posting.
For a block, open its forum from the block rather than looking for one beside every session. An assigned Facilitator may not see the Admin action, particularly on dated courses. A System Admin or Course Owner can open the correct forum and share its direct URL. The link does not add a course place or staff assignment.
View a Course Forum After the Course Date Has Passed
A forum stays available after its date or block has finished, unless you turn the course’s forum off. To open it from Admin:
Open Courses and select the course.
In the list of dates, select the Past tab.
Find the finished date or block, open its three-dot Date actions menu and select View Forum.
If the course forum is turned on and View Forum is still missing for a past date, that date never had a forum, for example because forums were turned on after it finished. Participants with an active or completed place on that date can still open its forum. The main feed shows older posts only within your plan’s forum history; see “How Long Forum Posts Stay Visible on Each Plan (Forum History)”.
Get a Forum Link for an Event to Share or Show as a QR Code
Each forum has its own web address: one for an on-demand course, or one for each date or block. To get it:
Open the forum with View Forum, as described above, for the exact course, date or block.
Copy the address from your browser’s address bar once the forum itself is showing. If a login page opens first, log in, then copy the address of the forum page.
Share that link, or paste it into a QR code tool to show it on a screen or handout.
The link does not give anyone access by itself. Only people with a place on that course, date or block, and your assigned team, can read and post. Each attendee must log in with the email address on their place. Anyone else sees a message instead of the forum, as described in the next section.
Who Can Read, Post In and Manage a Course Forum
The normal forum page uses the participant’s Registration (their course place) or the provider team’s assignment. An active or completed, non-deleted Registration for the relevant course/date can provide participant access. Owning the booking Order alone is not an attending place when every participant place belongs to somebody else.
Forum administrators can moderate other people’s content. They include:
a System Admin for the provider account;
a team member directly assigned to the course or its relevant date/block;
a team member assigned to a session within the relevant block;
a member of a provider team group assigned to that course, date, block or session.
The Facilitator account role alone is not an assignment. A Course Owner also needs access to the relevant course/date. If the forum or moderation controls are missing, check the signed-in account and the assignment with a System Admin.
Forum access is separate from lesson-content expiry.
Do not shorten a learner’s content expiry date to remove forum access. Forum membership follows the course place and staff assignment; a pending balance does not by itself tell you whether the Registration qualifies. Changes to a Registration can affect the learner’s whole place, not just the forum. Ask Cademy Support about an unexpected access result before changing a booking or learner record.
Can Learners Post in a Course Forum Without a Course Registration?
No. People without a place on the course cannot post or give their details through the forum. Signing in alone gives them no posting access. When someone opens a forum link:
Not logged in: they are asked to log in first, then return to the forum.
Logged in without a place on that course, date or block: they see You’re not booked onto this course (with your keyword instead of course), the email they are logged in with, a button to book when the course can be booked, such as Book Course, and Log In With a Different Email.
Logged in, but they booked places only for other people: they see This forum is for people on the course. Each person with a place uses their own account.
To let someone take part, they need a place on that course, date or block first: they book it, or you add them. To add a person yourself without an order, see Add a Participant to a Course Without Creating an Order.
Post an Announcement in a Course Forum and Email Everyone Now
Publishing a post does not send an email at once, whoever writes it. The post is listed in the daily email described in “Choose Which New Forum Posts You Get Emails About”. To email one post to the forum’s members as soon as it is published, a forum administrator ticks Email Everyone Now.
Posting publishes the message before the separate email request. If emailing fails, the post can remain published. Check the forum before retrying so you do not create a duplicate.
Open the intended forum and check its course/date or block.
Select Ask a question or create a post.
Write the post. If needed, use Add an image, Add a video, Attach a file or Add a poll. Attachments and a poll are alternative post types; you cannot combine them in one post. For a poll, enter at least two different, non-empty options. Check the content and wait for required uploads before posting. The number of attachments and the poll rules are listed in Read and Post in Your Course Forum. The largest file you can add depends on your Cademy plan; to check it, see What Each Cademy Plan Includes and Costs or ask Cademy Support.
Choose one publishing option: leave Email Everyone Now unticked and select Post, or, as a forum administrator, tick it and select Post & Email. Before choosing the email option, check that this is the course/date or block whose eligible subscribers you intend to email. The daily email can still include a post published without the immediate-email option.
Check that the post appears in the intended forum. If media is still processing, its author can see it before it is ready for other readers.
Email Everyone Now is separate from New Post Notifications.
It requests an immediate email to eligible forum subscribers, including those who chose Admin Posts Only or No Posts. A subscriber must still qualify for the forum and have a usable email record; account email restrictions and delivery failures can prevent sending. Seeing the post or the checkbox is not proof that everyone received an email or that you have permission to send it.
If the post is present but email delivery is uncertain, contact Cademy Support with the forum/post reference rather than posting the same message again.
Choose Which New Forum Posts You Get Emails About
Once a day, Cademy emails each forum member a list of the posts added to the forum in the previous 24 hours. Posts the member wrote are left out, and no email is sent when there is nothing to list. Under New Post Notifications, select your choice for this forum:
All Posts: your daily email includes new posts from anybody in the forum.
Admin Posts Only: your daily email includes only new posts written by forum administrators.
No Posts: you receive no daily email from this forum. This does not stop Email Everyone Now or control notifications for a discussion you follow.
The choice saves immediately; there is no separate Save button. Reload the forum and check that your choice remains. If it reverts or fails, contact Cademy Support. Course owners start with All Posts. Each forum member can change their own setting. An existing choice is kept when the forum is disabled and enabled again. Follow Post and Unfollow Post apply to one discussion separately.
Pin or Delete Posts in a Course Forum
Pin an Important Forum Post
As a forum administrator, open the post’s three-dot menu.
Select Pin. This applies immediately; check the pinned section.
To remove the pin, open its menu and select Unpin. Reload if the displayed result is uncertain.
A forum supports up to five pinned posts. When all five slots are used, unpin a post you no longer need pinned before adding another. Pinned posts are not filtered out by the normal feed-history limit. Unpinning an old post can therefore remove it from the main feed without deleting it.
Delete a Forum Post, Comment or Reply
Check the exact item before deleting.
Open the three-dot menu on the intended post, comment or reply.
Select Delete....
Read the confirmation and select Delete Post or Delete Comment. To leave it unchanged, select Cancel for a post or Keep Comment for a comment/reply.
Check that the item is no longer shown, including after reloading. If the request fails, check the current state before retrying or contact Cademy Support.
A forum administrator can delete content posted by another person, but cannot edit it. You can use Edit only on content you posted yourself.
Deleting content is different from disabling a forum or removing a pin. Do not use deletion to hide a forum temporarily.
How Long Forum Posts Stay Visible on Each Plan (Forum History)
Unpinned posts remain in the main forum feed for the period included with the provider's plan:
Free: 14 days.
Starter (an older plan that is no longer offered): 30 days.
Pro: 60 days.
Teams: all forum history.
Enterprise: the history limit set for that provider account.
Older unpinned posts are hidden from the feed. They are not deleted. Pinned posts remain visible.
Account-specific limits can differ. A direct post link is a separate view, so the feed-history limit is not a promise that an older post is inaccessible everywhere. Contact Cademy Support if the history shown differs from your account’s allowance. For what else a plan includes, see What Each Cademy Plan Includes and Costs.
Why Course Forum Settings or Controls Are Missing
No Forums page under Settings, or the default will not save: only a System Admin can open the provider account’s Forums page and save the default. Ask a System Admin to make the change and reload the page to confirm it saved.
No Course Forum setting: check the course’s service keyword, Edit Course access and intended provider/course.
No View Forum: check that the saved forum setting is Enabled and that you opened the right course/date or block, including the Past tab for a finished date. Setup may still be processing. An assigned Facilitator may need the direct link from a Course Owner or System Admin.
Missing or restricted learner forum: check the learner’s signed-in account, correct date/block and course place. Look for a custom forum name. A restricted message does not identify one single cause.
No Email Everyone Now, or sending is refused: ask a System Admin to check your account and assignment. Checkbox visibility alone does not prove forum-administrator permission. If sending is refused, the post is already published and the post window stays open with your text and no error message, so check the feed before posting again.
Pin is unavailable: check your forum-administrator rights and whether five posts are already pinned.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does disabling a forum delete its posts?
No. It hides the forum without deleting posts. Re-enabling reuses it; deleted posts, processing media and history limits can still affect what is visible.
Does every session in a block have a different forum?
No. Sessions inside one block share the block’s forum. Separately bookable dates and other blocks use separate forums when they have been created.
Can a Facilitator moderate posts in the course forum?
Yes, if they are assigned to the course, date, block or session, directly or through a user group. The Facilitator may need a direct link to the forum if the Admin Dashboard does not show View Forum. To change the forum settings, ask someone who can edit the course. A System Admin sets the default for new courses.
Can I edit a participant’s post in the course forum?
No. You can delete another person's content when moderation is needed, but only the person who posted it can edit it.
Does the No Posts daily email setting stop immediate course forum emails?
No. No Posts stops the daily email for that forum. Eligible subscribers can still receive an immediate email sent using Email Everyone Now.
Can I remove only a person’s forum access?
No. Forum access follows their access to the course place. Manage the person's course registration or participant place instead. These settings have no separate control for removing one person from the forum. Do not use lesson-content expiry as a forum-removal method, or cancel a Registration just to try it: that affects the learner’s course place. Ask Cademy Support for an unexpected access case.
Why can’t I find an older course forum post?
It may be outside the main feed’s history limit, in another date/block’s forum, deleted or still processing. Check the pinned section too. The history limit filters the feed rather than deleting older posts.