Selling courses or training: two tools, two needs
A course-selling platform sells to individuals, an LMS tracks and evidences group training. Here is how to choose according to your need.
Read the articleIt is 6.40 pm. Sam, a travelling sales rep, is enrolled on an eight-week learning path. He has not opened his laptop since Tuesday. His phone buzzes: "Your unit 3 quiz is waiting, 4 minutes." He is on the train home. He opens it, finishes it, and moves on to the next module. Nothing spectacular, and that is precisely what moves a course forward.
Why mobile changes the rhythm of a learning path
Online training is rarely done in one sitting. It is done in pieces, in the gaps of a day: a commute, a break, a waiting room. The phone is the tool closest to those moments.
The Kognisia mobile app lets learners follow their path from their phone and receive push notifications there. The path is the same as on a computer; only the access becomes lighter. A learner who has to "sit down and work" puts it off. A learner who can finish a quiz while waiting for a coffee moves forward.
Our view: short modules matter more than the app itself. If your units last forty minutes, no notification will make them easy to follow on a bus. Break the content up first, then send reminders. We cover this in Launching your first online course.
Asking for permission at the right moment
On recent phones, notifications stay off until the person has accepted them. The Android developer documentation recommends letting users explore the app before asking the question, and explaining why notifications are useful before the system window appears. It also reminds us that anyone can withdraw that permission at any time.
Turn this into an instruction for your trainers: on day one, say what the notifications will be used for. "You will get a message when a unit opens or when an assignment is due. Nothing else." A clear promise, kept, prevents people switching them off.
How many messages, and when
The right frequency depends on the length of the path, but one rule almost always holds: a message should respond to an event, not to a calendar. "It's Tuesday, let's send a reminder" tells nobody anything. "Your assignment is due tomorrow" does.
| Event | Useful message | Suggested timing |
|---|---|---|
| A unit opens | What is starting, estimated duration | The morning it opens |
| An assignment is nearing its deadline | Deadline, button to open it | The day before, late in the day |
| No activity for a week | One next step, short | At the time slot the person chose |
| A badge is earned | Congratulations, next step | Straight after |
As for timing, ask. A question at the start of the path ("When do you prefer to study: commute, lunch break, evening?") gets you an answer that neither you nor we can guess on your behalf. A shift worker, a parent returning to study and a student do not have the same day.
Writing a message people want to open
A good message takes two sentences. It names the next step, gives its length, and lets the person decide.
- Precise: "Unit 3 quiz, 4 minutes" rather than "Resume your training".
- Short: the text should be readable at a glance on the lock screen.
- Blame-free: "You haven't studied for eight days" drives people away. "Two modules to go before your badge" gives a goal.
- No sensitive data: a score or a company name has no place on a locked screen that others can see.
What to avoid
The Android documentation flags the trap: flooding people with multiple or redundant notifications. It is better to update an existing message than to send a new one. Android also groups an app's notifications automatically when they pile up, so your message gets lost in the stack.
A few mistakes come up often:
- sending the same reminder to the whole group, including those who have already finished;
- nudging at 10 pm because the tool allows it;
- replacing human contact with an automatic alert, when a learner who is drifting sometimes needs a real message from a trainer;
- never checking who has switched notifications off.
Linking notifications to tracking
Notifications do not replace the dashboard. They work with it. When someone drifts, the drop-out alert warns you, you decide who writes what, and the message goes to the phone. For each case, you choose between automation and a direct relationship. The detail of tracking is on the progress tracking page, and the list of features is on the features page.
Frequently asked questions
Should learners be required to turn notifications on?
No, and you cannot: the permission belongs to the person. Explain what they will receive, keep your word, and plan another channel for those who decline, such as a message from the trainer.
How many notifications a week is reasonable?
There is no magic number. Start from the useful events in the path (opening, deadline, drifting) and count: if a learner receives more than one a day, you are probably too high.
Can notifications prove that training was completed?
No. They prove that something was sent. Completion is shown by progress, work submitted and assessments taken.
Is the mobile app enough without a computer?
For moving through a path, often yes. For a long assignment or a case study to write up, many people prefer a bigger screen. Plan for both.
In summary
A mobile app makes learning lighter, and notifications open the door if they stay rare, precise and expected. Set your rules before launching the path: which events, what frequency, what style of message. Then look at who is dropping off and write to them yourself.
Sources
- Android Developers: notification runtime permission, accessed 13 October 2026.
- Android Developers: notifications in Jetpack Compose, design and user control, accessed 13 October 2026.
The Kognisia team
Kognisia designs a SaaS learning platform, with a training catalogue and white label as options.
Kognisia designs a SaaS learning platform, with a training catalogue and white label as options.