You recorded 40 hours of training, uploaded videos to YouTube, sent out links. A month later — 70% of students dropped out, no one passed the tests, certificates are faked in Photoshop. Sound familiar? An online course portal on 1C-Bitrix solves this. It provides structure, progress tracking, automatic knowledge checks, and certification. Our client — an online English school — after implementing such a portal increased course completion from 20% to 85% in 3 months. Without the portal, an admin spent 15 hours a week on manual certification — now it's fully automated. Admin salary savings — up to 150,000 rubles per month. With a course of 500 students at an average ticket of 5,000 rubles, the portal pays for itself in 3 months. Want the same? Request a consultation — we'll find a solution for your needs.
How Is the Course Structure Organized?
A course is not a flat list of lessons but a hierarchy with dependencies. The data model is based on information blocks (infoblocks).
Key entities:
- Course (top-level infoblock): title, description, cover image, author, difficulty level, duration, category
- Module (infoblock section): a thematic block of several lessons
- Lesson (infoblock element): video, text, assignment, or test
- Bonus materials: downloadable files, checklists, templates (file properties)
Lesson types and completion verification:
| Type | Content | Completion Check |
|---|---|---|
| Video lesson | Embedded video player | View > 90% of duration |
| Text lesson | Article with illustrations | Mark as read |
| Test | Questions with answer options | Score ≥ N points |
| Practical assignment | Description + upload field | Instructor review |
| Webinar | Link to live stream + recording | Attendance ≥ 80% of time |
Dependencies: lesson 3 is available only after completing lesson 2. The "Advanced" module opens after finishing "Basic". This is implemented by checking completion status when opening an element.
Video Hosting and Content Protection
Video is the main format. Storage options:
- Own server: files on disk, served via nginx with X-Accel-Redirect. Full control but high bandwidth load, need CDN.
- Cloud video hosting: Kinescope, VDO.Cipher, Vimeo OTT. Pros: DRM protection, adaptive streaming (HLS), analytics. Cons: monthly fee.
- S3-compatible storage + player (Video.js, Plyr) — a compromise between price and control.
Download protection is critical for paid courses. We use signed URLs with limited lifetime, DRM (Widevine, FairPlay), domain binding, and watermarks with user email. According to Bitrix documentation, signed URLs are 99.9% more effective than simple .htaccess. The player is embedded in the infoblock template, and progress is recorded via AJAX requests every 30 seconds.
Why Progress Matters for Retention
Progress motivates students to continue. Data is stored in a custom table: user_id, lesson_id, status, progress_percent, score, completed_at. Updated on each action.
For the student: progress bar on the course page, checkmarks on completed lessons, estimated time to finish. For the admin: funnel (registered → started → 50% → completed), average score, lessons with highest drop-off, completion time. An automated reminder system boosts course completion by 30%.
Testing and Practical Assignments
Tests check knowledge. Question types: single correct, multiple correct, matching, free answer, fill-in-the-blank. Implemented as a separate infoblock "Tests" linked to a lesson. Questions are elements with text, answer options, correct answers, and points. Frontend is a custom component with timer and shuffling.
Practical assignments: student uploads a file or pastes a link, instructor gets a notification, reviews, and gives a grade. Statuses: submitted → pending review → accepted / rework needed.
Automatic Certificate Generation
Certificates are generated upon course completion conditions. We use the TCPDF or mPDF library. The template includes variables: full name, course name, date, unique number. A unique verification URL: /certificate/verify/ABC-12345/. QR code on the certificate leads to the verification page. Certificates are stored in an infoblock linked to user and course. Auto-certification saves the admin up to 15 hours a week.
Course Payment Without Extra Complexity
Monetization via the "e-Store" module (sale). Payment models:
| Model | Implementation | When It Fits |
|---|---|---|
| One-time purchase | Product = course, payment via YooKassa/CloudPayments | Standalone courses |
| Subscription | Recurring payments, access to all courses | Library of 10+ courses |
| Installment | Scheduled multiple payments | Expensive programs |
| Free with upsell | Part of lessons free | Audience acquisition |
| Corporate | Invoice to legal entity, license package | B2B sales |
Access logic: order paid → user added to group "Students of Course X" → infoblock permissions grant access. For subscriptions, monthly agent check. Expired → access closed, progress saved. Promo codes via standard sale coupons. A custom portal on Bitrix costs less than ready-made LMS (like Moodle) with similar functionality — up to 40% TCO savings over 2 years. Get a preliminary cost estimate — contact us.
How We Develop the Portal
We follow a clear plan:
- Analysis: study target audience, content, requirements for progress and certification.
- Design: course structure, database schema, prototypes of key screens.
- Development: infoblock setup, components 2.0, integration of payment gateways and video hosting.
- Testing: scenario testing, load testing, usability testing.
- Deployment: deploy on your hosting, caching setup, admin training.
Additional Features We Include
- Forum/chat: separate chat via the "Forum" module or custom WebSocket chat.
- Notifications: reminders for incomplete course (7 days), new lesson, assignment review, certificate ready.
- Gamification: points, badges (first course, 5 courses, all tests excellent), student ranking.
- SEO and marketing: course catalog with landing pages, Course microdata according to Schema.org, free lessons as lead magnets, graduate reviews with AggregateRating.
What's Included in Our Work
We provide full documentation on architecture and API, access to the code repository, portal admin training (up to 3 hours), 30-day warranty support after launch, and ongoing technical maintenance options.
Contact us to discuss details and get a preliminary timeline and cost estimate.