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Teacher — CardSet vs Course vs Classroom

The Conceptual Key (Without Thinking Like a Developer)

This page exists for one reason:

So that Teachers never have to ask themselves:

“Am I creating a CardSet, a Course, or a Classroom?”

If you are asking that question, Dyglot has failed.

This page explains these concepts from a Teacher point of view, not a system one.


First: One Mental Rule

A Teacher never starts by creating a Classroom.

A Teacher starts with content and pedagogical intent.

Everything else follows naturally.


CardSet — “What do I know?”

A CardSet is: - a collection of cards, - containing raw knowledge, - without pedagogy attached.

Think of a CardSet as: - a dictionary, - a database of facts, - a knowledge corpus.

Examples: - Korean words with translations and examples - Hanja characters with readings - Music notes and intervals - Medical terms

Key idea

A CardSet answers: “What exists?”

It does not answer: - how to learn it, - in which order, - for whom.


Course — “How do I want to teach this?”

A Course is: - a pedagogical interpretation of one or more CardSets, - designed for a specific learning goal.

A Course defines: - Filters (what is selected), - Views (how it is shown), - Learning logic (quiz, browse, repetition…).

Examples: - “Korean for English speakers — beginner” - “Hanja recognition course” - “Solfège — reading notes” - “JLPT vocabulary preparation”

Key idea

A Course answers: “How should this be learned?”

Multiple Courses can use: - the same CardSet, - in different ways, - for different audiences.

This is intentional.


Classroom — “What do I publish together?”

A Classroom is: - a published bundle, - meant to be used by Students.

A Classroom contains: - one or more CardSets, - one or more Courses, - metadata, documentation, and defaults.

Think of a Classroom as: - a textbook, - a learning package, - something you give to Students.

Examples: - “Dyglot Korean” - “Medical Terminology — Basic” - “Japanese Kanji Starter Pack”

Key idea

A Classroom answers: “What do Students install or access?”


The Important Part: Teachers Do Not Design Hierarchies

Teachers do not think in trees like:

Classroom → Course → View → Filter → Card

That is a system view.

Instead, Teachers think like this:

  1. I have knowledge → CardSet
  2. I have a teaching goal → Course
  3. I want to publish something usable → Classroom

Dyglot simply formalizes this thinking.


A Practical Decision Guide

If you hesitate, ask yourself:

“Am I changing the knowledge itself?”

CardSet

“Am I changing how it is learned?”

Course

“Am I packaging something for Students?”

Classroom

That’s it.


One CardSet, Many Courses (Very Important)

A single CardSet can support: - multiple languages, - multiple teaching approaches, - multiple audiences.

Example: - One CardSet: Korean + English + Japanese data - Several Courses: - English → Korean - Japanese → Korean - Korean → English - Mixed advanced course

This avoids: - gigantic monolithic Classrooms, - duplicated data, - impossible maintenance.


Why This Matters

If everything is placed in one Classroom: - Filters become confusing, - Views multiply, - Students get lost, - Teachers lose control.

If CardSets, Courses, and Classrooms are separated conceptually: - reuse becomes possible, - evolution is safe, - documentation is clearer.


What the Student Sees (and What They Don’t)

Students: - do not see CardSets, - do not manage Courses internally, - do not think about architecture.

They see: - a Classroom, - a Course, - a View, - a Filter, - a Practice button.

And that’s all they need.


Final Reassurance for Teachers

You do not need to master these concepts.

You only need to remember:

CardSet = knowledge
Course = pedagogy
Classroom = publication

If Dyglot asks you more than that, it is a bug — not a feature.