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LMS Infrastructure (Thinkific)

1. Platform Overview​

Tool: Thinkific (Plus or Pro Plan recommended for API/Zapier access). Purpose: Hosting, delivery, and management of all self-paced educational products.

2. Core Architecture​

A. Site Structure​

  • Site Name: academy.thetechdeputies.com (CNAME record).
  • Theme: "Vogue" or "Empire" (Clean, video-forward).
  • Branding: Hex codes and Fonts match Brand Identity.

B. Product Hierarchy​

Thinkific uses specific terminology. We map our internal terms as follows:

  • "Bundle" = The Product sold (e.g., "The Cyber-Safe Employee Certification").
  • "Course" = A Module within the bundle (e.g., "Module 1: Phishing").
  • "Chapter" = A Topic (e.g., "Identifying URL Spoofing").
  • "Lesson" = The Atomic Knowledge Unit (Video, Text, or Quiz).

C. Student Dashboard​

  • Home: Displays "My Courses" (Enrolled Bundles).
  • Community: (Optional) Discussion forum for Q&A.
  • Certificates: Auto-generated PDF upon 100% completion of a Bundle.

3. Integration Architecture (Zapier Middleware)​

We do not use the native Thinkific-HubSpot integration alone; we use Zapier for granular control.

Workflow: New Student Enrollment​

Trigger: HubSpot Deal stage = "Closed Won" (Sales System). Action (Zapier):

  1. Find/Create User: Check if email exists in Thinkific. If not, create user (Set generic password).
  2. Enroll User: Enroll in the specific Course/Bundle ID matched to the HubSpot Product ID.
  3. Update HubSpot: specific property LMS_Status = "Active".
  4. Send Email: Gmail/HubSpot sends "Welcome to the Academy" email with login URL.

Workflow: Course Completion​

Trigger: Thinkific "Course Completed". Action (Zapier):

  1. Update HubSpot: Contact property Certifications_Held append "[Course Name]".
  2. Create Task: "Send Physical Certificate" (if applicable) in System 04 Planner.

4. Content Settings​

  • Video Hosting: Native Thinkific hosting (Wistia-backed).
  • Drip Schedule:
    • Self-Paced: Immediate access to all content.
    • Cohort-Based: Content unlocks Weekly (Set by "Date" or "Days after enrollment").
  • Quizzes:
    • Passing grade: 80%.
    • Retakes: Unlimited.
    • Randomized question bank enabled.

5. User Roles (Thinkific)​

  • Site Owner: (Founder) Full access, billing.
  • Site Admin: (Ops Lead) Theme editing, user management, reporting.
  • Course Creator: (Content Team) Can upload videos/text, cannot change site themes.
  • Revenue Partner: (Sales - Optional) View-only for sales tracking.

6. Maintenance & QA​

  • Quarterly Audit: Check for broken video links, outdated text, and user comments.
  • Backup: Export user progress CSVs monthly to SharePoint (via Zapier or Manual).