Getting to Know the Platform

Before you dive into the content, take a couple of minutes to get familiar with how our learning platform works. This free course is designed to do two things at once: introduce you to counselling training, and get you

Getting to Know the Platform

Before you dive into the content, take a couple of minutes to get familiar with how our learning platform works. This free course is designed to do two things at once: introduce you to counselling training, and get you comfortable with the tools you will use every day if you go on to enrol on the diploma.

By the time you finish this lesson you will know exactly where everything is and how to use it.

Your way around the platform

1

The toolbar

At the top of every lesson you will see a toolbar with three tabs and a quick action on the right. Each one serves a different purpose:

Overview – The lesson content. You are reading it right now. This is where all written content, videos, and activities live.

Notes – Your private space to capture thoughts as you go. Only you can see what you write here. Notes are stored per lesson.

Comments – A shared discussion space visible to other students and tutors. Used for activities that invite you to share.

Take Note – On the right hand side of the toolbar you will also see a Take Note button. This opens a quick note panel that sits over the lesson content so you can read and write at the same time without leaving the page. You can also highlight any text in a lesson and a note option will appear automatically.

2

Moving between lessons

Use the Previous and Next buttons at the bottom of each lesson to move through the course in order. You can also jump directly to any lesson using the Course Content panel on the left of the screen.

3

Mark as Complete and progress tracking

When you finish a lesson, click Mark as Complete at the top right of the screen. Your progress percentage updates automatically and some lessons will not unlock until the previous one is marked complete. There is no rush, but getting into the habit of marking lessons complete as you go keeps everything accurate and makes the platform work as it should.

Why some content might be locked

You may find that certain lessons are not available straight away. There are two reasons this can happen and both are intentional.

Sequential progression means some content builds directly on what came before it. When a lesson is locked it simply means there is groundwork to cover first. Mark the previous lesson complete and it will unlock automatically.

Paced release means on some courses content is released gradually over time. This is not about withholding information. It is about giving you space to absorb each stage properly before the next one arrives. Research into adult learning consistently shows that paced learning leads to better understanding and retention than consuming everything at once.

On this course

This free taster course uses sequential progression. Lessons unlock one at a time as you mark each one complete. This is intentional. It gets you used to working through content properly before moving on, which is exactly how the diploma works. It also means your progress stays accurate so that your certificate of completion reflects genuine engagement with the material.

When you are ready, mark this lesson as complete using the button at the top of the screen and move on to the Welcome from Nichola.

comfortable with the tools you will use every day if you go on to enrol on the diploma.

By the time you finish this lesson you will know exactly where everything is and how to use it.

Your way around the platform

1

The three tabs

At the top of every lesson you will see three tabs. Each one serves a different purpose:

Overview

The lesson content. You are reading it right now. This is where all written content, videos, and activities live.

Notes

Your private space to capture thoughts as you go. Only you can see what you write here.

Comments

A shared discussion space visible to other students and tutors. Used for activities that invite you to share.

2

Moving between lessons

Use the Previous and Next buttons at the bottom of each lesson to move through the course in order. You can also jump directly to any lesson using the Course Content panel on the left of the screen.

3

Mark as Complete and progress tracking

When you finish a lesson, click Mark as Complete at the top right of the screen. Your progress percentage updates automatically and some lessons will not unlock until the previous one is marked complete. There is no rush, but getting into the habit of marking lessons complete as you go keeps everything accurate and makes the platform work as it should.

4

Taking notes

Diploma students use the Notes tab to capture key points during and after sessions, keeping everything stored neatly alongside the relevant lesson. You can type freely in the notes area or highlight any text in a lesson and a note option will appear automatically. Notes are stored per lesson and are completely private. Try clicking the Notes tab on this lesson to see how it works:

Open Notes for this lesson

5

Joining discussions

The Comments tab is a shared space. Tutors can read and respond to comments, and other students can see them too. Some lessons in this course include specific activities that invite you to post something. You will always be guided when that happens. Take a look at the Comments tab on this lesson to see what it looks like:

Open Comments for this lesson

Why some content might be locked

You may find that certain lessons are not available straight away. There are two reasons this can happen and both are intentional.

Sequential progression means some content builds directly on what came before it. When a lesson is locked it simply means there is groundwork to cover first. Mark the previous lesson complete and it will unlock automatically.

Paced release means on some courses content is released gradually over time. This is not about withholding information. It is about giving you space to absorb each stage properly before the next one arrives. Research into adult learning consistently shows that paced learning leads to better understanding and retention than consuming everything at once.

On this course

This free taster course uses sequential progression. Lessons unlock one at a time as you mark each one complete. This is intentional. It gets you used to working through content properly before moving on, which is exactly how the diploma works. It also means your progress stays accurate so that your certificate of completion reflects genuine engagement with the material.

When you are ready, mark this lesson as complete using the button at the top of the screen and move on to the Welcome from Nichola.

Exercise Files
UKTG-Professional-Practitioners-Programme_2026_ (pdf)
1.81 MB