Should I use Course Ready or Digital Profiler for LLND Testing?
TL;DR
Course Ready helps RTOs understand whether a learner can realistically access and participate in online learning.
Digital Robot — including the Digital Profiler assessment — helps RTOs consider the digital literacy relevant to the training product and provide support where needed.
The Standards for RTOs 2025 don’t mandate any particular tool, but they do expect RTOs to consider digital literacy as part of LLND. Course Ready can inform online delivery decisions, while Digital Robot provides a structured, evidence-based way to support learner suitability and decision-making.
Why Two Tools Exist — And Why They Serve Different Purposes
Over the past decade, expectations around digital capability and learner support have evolved substantially. What began as a simple need to determine online learning suitability has expanded into a broader responsibility to consider the digital literacy learners need to succeed in their training.
This evolution is exactly why two different tools exist in the Digital Robot ecosystem:
- Course Ready — a quick check of online learning access and participation
- Digital Robot (including Digital Profiler) — a structured way to consider digital literacy in relation to the training product
They are both useful, but they are not interchangeable. Each tool supports different parts of the outcomes RTOs work toward under the Standards for RTOs 2025.
Why Course Ready Was Originally Created
During the Standards for RTOs 2015 era — particularly during and after COVID — RTOs experienced a rapid increase in online delivery. Many learners were placed into online environments without confirming that they:
- had a suitable device
- had stable internet
- could log in and navigate the LMS
- felt confident enough to complete tasks online
This often resulted in avoidable barriers for learners and created risks for RTOs delivering wholly or partially online training.
Course Ready was introduced to answer a simple, practical question:
“Is this learner able to access and participate in online learning?”
It focuses on access and basic online navigation, not on digital skills more broadly.
Course Ready remains valuable today, especially for:
- single-unit short courses
- courses with minimal digital requirements
- training delivered mostly offline with basic online components
But it was never designed to assess digital literacy, capability, or competence.
How the Standards for RTOs 2025 Change the Context
The new Standards recognise digital literacy as part of the broader LLND needs of learners.
While the Standards don’t specify a particular tool or method, RTOs are expected to consider:
- the digital demands of the training product
- whether the learner has the skills to meet those expectations
- what supports might help the learner
- how these factors contribute to the enrolment suitability decision
- how the RTO documents or explains its reasoning
This goes beyond simply determining whether a learner can log in or access an LMS.
It invites RTOs to examine digital literacy in a more complete way — but still leaves room for different approaches, provided the outcomes are met.
Where Digital Robot Fits — More Than Just an Assessment
To support RTOs in working toward these outcomes, Digital Robot provides a structured and transparent approach to considering digital literacy.
Within Digital Robot:
- Digital Profiler assesses a learner’s digital capability using DigComp
- The system compares the learner’s results to the digital expectations of the training product
- Any gaps are identified
- Suggested supports and learning pathways are provided
- The learner receives clear information to support their enrolment decision
Digital Robot is simply one way — not the only way — for an RTO to demonstrate how it has considered digital literacy as part of a learner’s LLND needs.
Why Both Tools Still Matter
Even under the outcomes-based 2025 Standards, both tools have distinct and valid roles.
Course Ready is useful when the question is:
- “Can the learner access the online components of this course?”
- “Does this course have minimal digital expectations?”
- “Is this a single-unit short course where broader digital skills won’t be assessed or developed?”
Digital Robot is useful when the question is:
- “What digital skills does the training product expect?”
- “Does the learner have the capability to meet those expectations?”
- “What supports might we provide before or after enrolment?”
- “How can we clearly explain our reasoning?”
Both tools contribute to good learner-centred practice — just in different ways.
Why This Distinction Matters for RTOs
Under the Standards for RTOs 2025, RTOs should be able to:
- show how LLND (including digital literacy) was considered
- provide learners with relevant information to support decision-making
- offer or recommend support where appropriate
- ensure the training product is suitable for the learner
No specific method is mandated.
Digital Robot and Course Ready simply provide structured ways to support different steps in this thinking process.
In Summary
- Course Ready helps RTOs understand online learning suitability.
- Digital Robot — including the Digital Profiler — helps RTOs consider the digital literacy relevant to the training product.
- The two tools support different aspects of the outcomes RTOs work toward under the 2025 Standards.
- RTOs may choose any valid approach; these tools simply offer clear, evidence-supported options.