How to enable ratings and feedback on content — turning passive completion data into actionable signal on what's actually working.
Ratings give you a quantitative signal (1-5 stars from learners), feedback adds qualitative depth (written comments). Together they tell you what's resonating, what's confusing, and what needs to be rebuilt. Without ratings or feedback enabled, you only know if content was completed — not whether it worked.
Reach for ratings on any content where learner sentiment matters: courses you'll iterate on, content from external authors, content that anchors a strategic program. Skip ratings on content too short or too transactional to merit a 1-5 star evaluation.
How to Enable Feedback
Step 1: Enable Ratings. In content Settings, toggle on Ratings. This is the foundation — learners can now leave a 1-5 star rating after completion.
Step 2: Select Allow Feedback. Allows learners to add written feedback alongside the numerical rating. The comments are where the diagnostic value lives — enable this whenever the content is worth iterating on.
Step 3: Select Notify Contact of Feedback. Routes feedback to specific people (you, content owners, SMEs) so it doesn't pile up unread.
Step 4: Search and add Feedback Contacts. Add the people who should receive feedback notifications. You can add or remove contacts at any time.
Step 5: Select Show Average Rating on Explore. Displays the rolling average rating on Explore so learners can see the content's reputation. Hides if disabled — useful when ratings volume is too low to be meaningful.
Step 6: Optionally, route feedback to Slack. If applicable, search for the Slack channel(s) that should receive feedback notifications. Note: the Continubot needs to be added to the Slack channel for notifications to be visible. If the channel search is unavailable, the Slack integration may need to be configured first.
What Makes Feedback Worth Enabling
Enable on content you'll iterate on. Feedback only matters if someone acts on it. For content that's static (compliance policy, signed agreement), feedback adds noise. For content you might revise — courses, Tracks, in-house authored Articles — enable feedback and use the signal.
Notify contacts who can actually act. Routing feedback to a generic distribution list usually means no one feels responsible for acting on it. Route to the content owner, the author, or the person who can make the change.
Use Slack routing for visibility. A Slack channel keeps feedback in the open and creates collective accountability. Routing to a single email creates a private mailbox that fills up.
Decide on Explore visibility deliberately. Showing the average on Explore can lift engagement (high ratings) or hurt it (low ratings or low volume). Decide based on the content's track record, not as a default.
Configuration Pitfalls
Enabling Feedback Without a Process to Act on It. Feedback that goes nowhere demoralizes learners who took time to provide it. Either enable feedback with a plan to act on it, or don't enable it.
Routing to a Distribution List That Nobody Owns. Feedback in a generic inbox tends to be ignored. Route to specific people who can act on it.
Showing Average Rating With Too Little Data. An average rating based on 3 ratings is noise. Either hide the average on Explore until you have enough data, or accept that the visible rating may not reflect the actual quality.
Forgetting to Add Continubot to Slack Channels. Slack channel routing fails silently if Continubot isn't a member of the channel. After routing, test by leaving feedback yourself and confirming the Slack notification arrives.
Treating Numerical Ratings as the Only Signal. A 4.5 average can hide that the comments contain repeated criticism. Read the written feedback, not just the numbers.
Where This Fits
You're here because you're enabling ratings or feedback on content. To view feedback once it's coming in, see View Content Ratings. For broader content analytics, see Info / Analytics In Continu.
See Also
- Content Strategy: Designing Learning Assets That Scale — the strategic anchor.
- View Content Ratings — the admin-side view of ratings and feedback.
- Info / Analytics In Continu — broader content analytics.
- Add an Article to Continu — Article creation flow.
Enable feedback only when you'll act on it. Route to people who can change something. Read comments, not just numbers.