Private Sessions for LearnDash

One more student costs nothing, one more conversation does

A recorded course absorbs new enrollments without asking you for more hours. A private conversation works the other way around: every student who writes expects a reply from you. That is why, in a program with personal support, the question of who may open a conversation is hardly technical. It is a decision about how many hours you are selling.

Private Sessions for LearnDash, by SnapOrbital, adds private one-on-one sessions between instructors and students inside your site. The thing to look at first is its simplest setting: by default, only administrators and group leaders can start a session. You are the one who opens that door, and how wide you open it sets how much individual attention you are promising.

What a private session brings

• One-on-one threads: whoever starts picks a recipient, adds a title and writes the first message.
• Privacy between two: only the person who started the session and its recipient can see that session's page.
• Files: both sides can upload them inside the conversation.
• Alerts: each reply sends an email and turns on an unread message indicator.
• Editable email: it accepts placeholders such as %recipient_name%, %sender_name%, %message% and %session_url%.
• Appearance: accent and text colors, and an indicator at the top, bottom or right of the screen.
• Design: it adapts to mobile and works with any WordPress theme.

Three ways to share out who starts

These combinations come from its settings, and each one commits a different workload:

• Only your team writes first. This is the default: the student sees the indicator only when they have a session, and you decide who you support.
• A LearnDash group. You can name a group whose members start sessions with a group leader.
• Specific roles. In the settings you check which WordPress roles can create sessions.

In addition, the [create_session] and [sessions_widget] shortcodes accept access="all", which shows the create button to all users.

Messages with appointments, and a history that is not shared

A session is a written conversation. Video calls are not among its features: if you run live tutoring, that part goes through your usual tool.

To book time, it integrates with Simply Schedule Appointments, a separate plugin. With both active and the setting turned on, a student with an active session books from the Schedule Appointment tab.

Privacy also has a practical side: a session's page is visible only to its two participants. If one instructor covers for another, they will not have that history on that page, so agree on how each case gets handed over.

LearnDash as the base and a first test session

You need LearnDash on your site, because the settings live in its menu and groups are created under LearnDash › Groups. On activation, the plugin creates its sessions page.

1. Upload the ZIP from Plugins › Add New › Upload Plugin and activate it.
2. Open LearnDash › Settings › Private Sessions.
3. Choose where the indicator appears and check the roles that can create sessions.
4. Adjust the colors and the text of the notification email.
5. Start a test session with a student account and reply from both sides.

If you switch the sessions page for another one, it must include [private_sessions] and [create_session].

When you need a calendar or a full coaching program

Simply Schedule Appointments handles the bookings, and the integration accepts both its free plan and its paid ones.

If your site runs on MemberPress and what you sell is a coaching process, MemberPress CoachKit takes a different route: programs, milestones, habits with reminders and progress tracking, plus messaging between coach and client.

Answers for instructors and group leaders

Can a student start a session?

Yes, if you allow it by role, by group or with the access="all" attribute. By default, no.

Does it work without LearnDash?

No. It is an add-on for LearnDash and is configured from its menu.

Can files be sent?

Yes. Instructors and students can attach them to their replies.

How does a student know they have a message?

They receive an email and see an unread message indicator on every page.

Can I put the message count in the menu?

Yes. [sessions_text_link] shows a link with the number of new messages, and with link="off" it outputs only the text, meant for menus.

Can it be translated?

Yes, the plugin's wording can be translated and changed.