> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.deandesk.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Create courses

> Set up courses and assign them to instructors using the Bulk Course Creator.

<Info>
  **School-level feature** — managed within your school portal at `yourschool.deandesk.com`.
</Info>

The **Bulk Course Creator** lets you create one course or dozens at once using a spreadsheet-style interface. Each course you create automatically gets its own Course Page, Materials Drive, Assignments section, Announcements board, and Student Information Management tools.

## Navigate to the Bulk Course Creator

From the **Admin Dashboard**, click **Bulk Course Creator**.

## Fill in the course spreadsheet

The Bulk Course Creator displays a table with one row per course. Each column corresponds to a course property. Fill in as many rows as you need — there is no limit.

| Column          | What to enter                                                            |
| --------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| **Name**        | The course title students will see (e.g., `Algebra I` or `SAT Prep`)     |
| **Description** | A short summary of what the course covers                                |
| **Start Date**  | The date the course begins (leave blank for evergreen courses)           |
| **End Date**    | The date the course ends (leave blank for evergreen courses)             |
| **Instructor**  | Select from your existing instructor accounts                            |
| **Term**        | Assign the course to a term you created in Calendar Management           |
| **Tags**        | Optional labels for filtering and organization (e.g., `math`, `grade-9`) |
| **Active**      | Toggle on to make the course visible to enrolled students immediately    |
| **Schedule**    | Days, times, and locations for in-person or live sessions (see below)    |

<Note>
  You must have at least one instructor account before you can assign a course. If the **Instructor** dropdown is empty, go to [Add Users](/setup/users) first.
</Note>

## Add a schedule

The **Schedule** column sets recurring meeting times for a course — useful for live classes or hybrid programs.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Click the clock icon">
    In the **Schedule** cell for the course you want to schedule, click the clock icon.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Select days and times">
    Check the days of the week the class meets, then set the start time and end time for each day.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Assign a teacher or TA (optional)">
    Each schedule row has a **Teacher/TA** dropdown (default **Unassigned**). Pick a staff member to assign them to that specific weekly session. See [session staff assignments](/lms/courses#session-staff-assignments) for how assignments appear on calendars and feed into payroll.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Enter a location (optional)">
    Add a room number, building name, or video conference link so students know where to go.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Confirm">
    Click **Save** to apply the schedule to the course row.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Validate and create

Once your rows are filled in, use the two-step confirmation process to catch errors before creating.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Click Validate">
    Click the **Validate** button. DeanDesk checks every row for required fields and data conflicts. Any issues are highlighted directly in the table.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Fix any errors">
    Correct any highlighted cells. Common issues include a missing instructor, invalid dates, or a term that does not exist yet.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Click Create Courses">
    Once validation passes, click **Create Courses**. DeanDesk creates all the courses simultaneously.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Warning>
  Creating courses cannot be undone in bulk. If you need to remove a course after creation, delete it individually from the course's settings page.
</Warning>

## What each course includes

Every course created in DeanDesk automatically comes with a full set of tools for instructors and students:

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Course Page">
    A landing page for the course where instructors can post a description, syllabus, and any introductory content. Students see this page when they open the course.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Materials Drive">
    A file storage area for course resources — lecture slides, PDFs, videos, and other materials. Instructors upload files here and students can download them at any time. Materials also support **YouTube playlist embeds**: paste a playlist URL and DeanDesk previews the videos before adding the full playlist as a single material entry.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Assignments">
    A built-in assignment system where instructors create tasks, set due dates, and collect submissions. Students submit work directly through the course and can track their grades.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Announcements">
    A course-specific announcement board for updates, reminders, and communications between the instructor and enrolled students.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Student Information Management">
    A roster and record-keeping tool that shows all enrolled students, their contact information, and their progress in the course.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Term-based vs. evergreen courses

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Term-based courses">
    Term-based courses have defined start and end dates and are tied to a specific term (such as `Fall 2024`). Use these for courses that run on a fixed schedule and are replaced by a new section each term.

    **Best for:** Semester classes, quarterly programs, bootcamp cohorts.

    When you assign a term, the course appears in the correct period on the academic calendar and is easy to archive at the end of the term without affecting future terms.
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Evergreen courses">
    Evergreen courses have no start or end date and are not tied to a term. Students can enroll and progress through them at their own pace. The course stays active indefinitely until you manually deactivate it.

    **Best for:** Self-paced learning modules, onboarding courses, reference libraries.

    Leave the **Start Date**, **End Date**, and **Term** columns blank when creating an evergreen course. Toggle **Active** on so enrolled students can access it immediately.
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

## Next steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Configure payments" icon="credit-card" href="/setup/payments">
    Connect Stripe and set up tuition billing plans.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Manage course content" icon="book-open" href="/lms/courses">
    Add materials, assignments, and modules to your courses.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>