🚨 Are we asking for the wrong LMS features? (Skool vs. LearnDash)
Justin Ferriman (Founder of LearnDash) recently called Skool "this decade's Udemy"—great for community, but built on rented land with zero academic depth.
On the flip side, standard LMS platforms are stuck in the 2019 pattern of "left-nav/right-video." It's built for information storage, not learning retention.
I see a lot of feature requests for FC Courses asking for standard SCORM or basic quizzes. If we only ask for those, we are just forcing FluentCommunity to build a slower LearnDash 2.0.
FC actually has the perfect architecture (custom tables + zero bloat) to build the Ultimate Endgame: Skool's community engagement + LearnDash's depth + 100% Creator Ownership.
I just dropped a detailed strategic memo on how FC can achieve true "Pedagogical Evolution" (Gamified unlocks, Peer-to-Peer Tribe assignments, Contextual Deep Work) in Shahjahan Jewel course feedback thread.
Read my full breakdown here and let me know if I'm crazy, or if this is exactly what we need: 👉 https://community.wpmanageninja.com/portal/post/where-should-we-take-courses-next-nee?comment_id=62552
Man, this is exactly what I've been trying to articulate! I moved away from LearnDash because it felt like a digital filing cabinet, but Skool just feels like a noisy Facebook group. If FC can actually bridge this gap with peer-to-peer assignments and gamified unlocks... it’s game over for the competition. Heading over to read your full memo now!
Nang Ha Exactly! A community shouldn't just be a noisy chat room that distracts from the course; it should be the engine that drives course completion. When students learn together and unlock milestones together, retention skyrockets. That’s the real "delivery augmentation." Let me know your thoughts after reading the full memo!
100% this. I've built platforms on BuddyBoss and the server bloat is a nightmare. FC's custom tables are a godsend for performance. But you're right—if we just ask them to build another standard LMS, we're wasting this architecture. The 'Focus Mode' idea combined with community-driven unlocks is brilliant. We need a Skool killer that we actually own.
Quỳnh Nhà Spot on. The team already did the heavy lifting by building an architecture that doesn't melt the server (bypassing that BuddyBoss bloat). That flawless foundation is there. Now, we just need to build the right "house" on top of it. We have the speed; now we need the psychological hooks.
This is probably the most important post in this group right now. Shahjahan Jewel please read his memo before finalizing the Courses roadmap! We don't need just another course player, we need the ultimate endgame he’s talking about.
Khoi Nguyen Appreciate the support! The best part about the Fluent team is that they actually listen to their users. If enough of us push for a true pedagogical evolution rather than just settling for a basic 2019 course player, I'm confident they'll build the ultimate endgame. Let's keep the noise up! 🔥
Hoang Hxn Exactly. The course player is only the interface.
The real opportunity is to build a system where people learn → practice → get feedback → build → prove.
That would be a real evolution from the traditional “watch and complete” course model. If Fluent can nail that, it could become something much bigger than just another LMS.
Thanks for your memo; it makes a lot of sense. In fact, many of the features you’ve outlined already exist and align with the philosophy behind Client Vault and its guided workflows, specifically, enhancing the learning experience, whether 1:1 or in a group setting. I believe the system needs to give everyone the tools to unlock their skills or overcome their roadblocks. It’s not about reinventing learning itself, but rather rethinking the approach: the system should step into the background, allowing users to focus on the tasks that truly matter. There’s no need for an overly complex, bloated platform like BuddyBoss, edx, Moodle, or other enterprise-grade systems; Fluent Community is the right fit,it remains flexible while laying a solid foundation for the future.
Dragan STAMENKOVIC Spot on, Dragan! Your point about the system "stepping into the background" is exactly the philosophy we need. We don't want learners wrestling with a clunky, bloated UI (like the old BuddyBoss or Moodle setups); we want them in a frictionless flow state.
I love the guided workflows approach you mentioned with Client Vault. That’s the exact kind of intentional, task-focused UX we need natively. When the tech handles the structure invisibly, the learner can put 100% of their cognitive load into actual growth. FC has the perfect lightweight foundation to make this the standard!
Community-driven unlocks are brilliant.
Bryan William Glad you agree! It completely flips the motivation model. Instead of forcing students to click "next", they actively want to engage with the community to earn their way to the next module. It turns isolated learning into a multiplayer game. 🚀
Hoang Hxn sounds like this model requires an active community of engaged users? Which many might have but many more are working towards. How would you avoid turning off new users who want to learn but require other member engagement to do so? (I'm interested in this, not being negative about it in any way!)
Ross FCA i can imagine that you could pay for the course or get some points to unlock the course
Ross FCA That is a brilliant question, Ross, and you hit right on the classic "cold-start" problem of any community. Forcing engagement when the room is empty is a guaranteed way to frustrate pure learners.
Here is how we bypass that friction, drawing from a community framework I use:
1. Core Curriculum remains unlocked (Deliver Immediate Assets): We never lock the foundational knowledge. Pure learners should immediately get what they came for. We only use community-driven unlocks for Bonus, Advanced, or High-Ticket templates (things that are highly desired but not strictly required to start).
2. Low-Friction, Solo-Action Unlocks: The very first interaction shouldn't require waiting for other members to reply. It should be a simple, explicit instruction. For example: "Post your 90-day goal in 3 sentences to unlock the Master Template." It's safe, introverted-friendly, and creates instant momentum without relying on an active crowd.
3. The Founder is the initial engine: In the early days, you can't rely on organic member-to-member engagement. The founder/team must be in there daily, manually bridging connections and validating those early posts until the flywheel spins on its own.
It’s all about graduating them from a "Solo Learner" to a "Tribe Member" step-by-step, offering psychological safety first before expecting deep connection!
This makes sense, for the gamification, I have been using gamification on my site since last November. Some students I have on my community uses points and badges to unlock a course, or join a secret space.
2 days ago, I just finalized an updated version of my addon "FC Gamification https://community.wpmanageninja.com/portal/space/community-meta/post/gamification-for-fluentcommunity " , new features has been added, like; members needs to spend points to enroll in a course, join a space, create a post and comments, unlock badges to join space or enroll in courses.
These keeps members engaged in your community because they want to earn points and badges.
Members can earn points/badges by completing actions like; referral, reacting, posting, completing courses, joining spaces, commenting, etc.
Members can also buy points too
They are so many features added to the newly updated FC Gamification which will be released in few days, right now, I am just trying to make a video showing the some new features added
WiLson Eberechi That sounds like a fantastic add-on, Wilson!
Actually, the fact that you had to go out of your way to build this custom solution completely validates my core point: The market is practically begging for these exact mechanics.
Having members spend points to enroll in a course or unlocking spaces based on badges is exactly the kind of "pedagogical evolution" I'm talking about. It forces engagement naturally.
It's awesome that you are stepping up to fill this gap for the community in the meantime! This also serves as a great proof of concept for Shahjahan Jewel and the core team to see just how much real demand there is for a "Neuro-Tribe" approach. Looking forward to seeing your video demo!
Just to add a different perspective… we have buddyboss and Learndash with a pretty dead community. This may be mainly because we operate in healthcare and this stuff is private and regulated. I had been planning to shift to FC but in fact I’m now planning to kill the community side and expand the learning side, also for internal training. FC’s community first approach means it’s less likely we will switch. So I think there’s an opportunity for the option of more lms and less community. The other thing is that LD’s reliance on standard post types makes it simpler for AI and other lookup tools to integrate for internal workflows.
Christopher Miller Interesting point you raised. However, just thinking about what you're talking about, rather than a specific focus, why don't we make it a choice of community focus or learning focus, and it just flips the priority on the whole community. So you can have one or the other, or both, with a priority on community or a priority on learning.
I think you're crazy - which is good, because remember: the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do. And I fully support that, however, your points all sound good, but how would it look like? Right now, FC looks pretty much like any other LMS/community.
I had a discussion two days ago about online training, and we agreed that online training as we know it, does not work. What works is that combining theory with practice while being able to exchange new ideas and understanding was the key to intrinsic motivation and eventually success. And we identified the exchange of ideas between people IRL as the most important piece.
Now the question is, how can we bring that into the online world? I did not yet find a real answer, but I'd like to discuss this further, and if FC is the tool that translates this into a product the better (because I could then use it right away).
André Daus I am not crazy; I am French and Serbian :)
Thanks for the feedback, and I love the quote! Rest assured, I’m definitely not trying to play in the same league as Musk or Bezos. My goal is much more down-to-earth: doing my part to elevate the WordPress and Fluent Community ecosystem.
I completely agree with your point about traditional online learning. Most LMS platforms share the exact same generic look and feel, which is a major reason why members drop off and communities go quiet.
On mobile, the interface is the very first impression. When the UX is smooth and visually engaging, people genuinely enjoy coming back, connecting with others, and progressing through their journey.
That’s where FC Pulse comes in:
- Custom mobile branding: Giving community owners full control to design their own look, colors, and layout so it truly fits their vision.
- Encouraging real engagement: Making daily participation feel effortless rather than feeling like a chore or passive reading.
- Native learning features: This is just the starting point; new dedicated modules are coming to bridge the gap between static theory and active member interactions.
The easiest way to visualize it is to try it yourself: you can test it right now inside the Sdravobiz community setup. I tailored this instance to my own workflow, but the setup is completely flexible for each admin.
Happy to dive deeper into this with you, either right here or over on the community platform!
See you
André Daus Thank you for the Steve Jobs quote! Being called "crazy" in this context is the ultimate compliment. You hit the exact core of the problem: true intrinsic motivation comes from the social exchange of ideas, not from watching a video in a vacuum.
To answer your question—“How would it look like in FC?”—it looks like destroying the wall between the "Classroom" and the "Community". In real life (IRL), you learn a concept in a workshop and immediately turn to the person next to you to discuss it. Online, we need to force that dynamic natively.
Here are 3 practical ways FC could build this:
1. Peer-Reviewed Unlocks: Instead of a private multiple-choice quiz, the "assignment" is a mandatory post in a specific Space. You cannot unlock Module 2 until you post your own practical takeaway AND provide constructive feedback on 2 other members' posts.
2. Contextual "Aha!" Discussions: The ability to highlight a specific video timestamp or text block in a lesson and click "Discuss," which instantly routes that specific thought into a community thread.
3. Tribe Accountability: Gamification where a high-value bonus module unlocks for the entire cohort only if the group reaches a certain engagement score. This simulates IRL peer pressure and teamwork.
Dragan STAMENKOVIC I completely agree that a smooth, beautiful mobile UX (like what you are doing with FC Pulse) is crucial for a great first impression. However, as André pointed out, if the pedagogical mechanics running underneath that beautiful UI are still the standard 2019 LMS model, people will eventually drop off anyway. We need your amazing UX to serve these new interactive mechanics, not just make the old ones look prettier! 😉
To add another layer to my post above: The business model of courses is fundamentally breaking right now.
If you need proof of why we must move past the 2019 LMS pattern, I was just listening to Jasmine Star drop an absolute masterclass on Nathan Barry's podcast about the state of digital products in 2026.
The brutal truth: Only 8% of people finish a standard online course. The average lifespan of a standard membership is less than 3 months.
Information is commoditized. People don't want to buy "how-to videos" anymore. They want to buy a specific RESULT in a specific TIMEFRAME with ACCOUNTABILITY.
Jasmine shifted from selling $197 courses to high-ticket "Hybrid Offers" (e.g., "Consistent $10k months in 90 days"). How? By replacing 1-on-1 Zoom calls with Asynchronous Coaching. It's not about watching videos; it's about a coach holding you accountable daily via DMs and voice notes to actually DO the work.
This is why I am pushing the FC team for a "Pedagogical Evolution." If we just ask them to build SCORM, Certificates, and basic quizzes, we are just building a prettier graveyard for our videos.
To empower creators to build 7-figure businesses as Solo-preneurs, FC needs to build an Accountability Engine. Imagine these native features:
- Native Asynchronous Coaching: A built-in 1-on-1 private messaging hub directly attached to a student's course progress. When a student submits an assignment, the creator can instantly reply with a quick audio/video memo right inside FC.
- Cohort/Accountability Dashboards: A creator view where we can see a grid of all students in a 90-day program. Red light (falling behind), Green light (on track). Allowing us to click and send a nudge instantly.
- Action-Gated Progress: "You cannot proceed to Module 2 until you upload your proof of action, and a coach/peer approves it."
We don't just need a place to host videos. We need a platform engineered for Client Results & Accountability. Who else is ready to leave the "low-ticket course" hamster wheel behind?
Hoang Hxn That 'prettier graveyard' line hit way too close to home! 😅 I've been pulling my hair out trying to fix my course completion rates. You are 100% right—my clients don't need more 45-minute videos; they need accountability.
Right now, I'm manually tracking student progress in a messy Google Sheet and chasing them down on WhatsApp. If FC actually built that Cohort/Accountability Dashboard with the Red/Green light system you mentioned, it would save me 10 hours a week. Would love to know if anyone here has found a temporary workaround for asynchronous coaching inside FC while we wait for native features?
Hoang Hxn This is a massive paradigm shift. We’re all in here asking the dev team to copy LearnDash, but you just pointed out that the LearnDash model itself is becoming obsolete.
The Action-Gated Progress is exactly the secret sauce for high-ticket hybrid offers. If FC builds this natively, it completely bypasses Skool's capabilities. Out of curiosity, until this becomes a core feature, has anyone managed to build a 'hacky' version of this accountability engine using FluentForms and FluentCRM automations? Or is it just too much friction?
Nang Ha It happens very quickly; the work is almost finished...
Hoang Hxn I love your suggestions
Just wondering if you are going to contribute on this or wait for the team to implement?