SynchA few friends with a server
Two mods, no rulebook, and that's fine.
Start with Moderation Foundations, a 15-minute intro course.
Synch Academy
Everyone who looks after a community starts somewhere.
Synch Academy is where they learn. Free lessons, courses and exams on moderation, events, support and leadership, for two friends tidying up a server, a staff team on contracts, and everyone in between.
Free for everyone. Sign in with Discord, so there's no new password.
Chapter 1 · Who it's for
Built for every kind of team
Some teams are three friends keeping a server tidy. Some have handbooks, ranks and contracts. The Academy works for all of them, and it's free for all of them.
A growing hobby community
New helpers join every month and learn on the job.
Start with New Staff Foundations, a short pathway for anyone new to a team.
A busy server with real ranks
Moderators, event hosts and support staff, each with their own job.
Start with a role pathway: Discord Moderator, Events Manager or Server Administrator.
A creator or brand community
Big events, notable guests and a lot of eyes on every decision.
Start with the VIP Liaison pathway, and practise the hard moments in a live simulation.
A staff team on contracts
Handbooks, reviews and standards everyone has to meet.
Start with Teams: assign training, set due dates and see who has finished. Every certificate can be checked.
Run like a business
Same courses. Same certificates. Free at every step.
Chapter 2 · How it works
Lessons make courses. Courses make pathways.
Everything in the Academy is built from four pieces. Take a single course when you need one skill, or follow a whole pathway towards a role.
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Lesson
A short page on one idea, with quick checks as you go so you know it's sunk in.
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Course
A set of lessons on one skill, finished with an exam. Pass it and you get a certificate.
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Pathway
Courses grouped into stages for a whole role, like Discord Moderator or Events Manager. Each stage opens when you finish the one before.
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Capstone
The final exam at the end of a pathway, covering everything in it. Pass it for the pathway certificate.
Twelve role pathways so far, from Discord Moderator and Events Manager to Peer Support Specialist and Appeals Officer. Not ready for a whole pathway? Every course stands on its own.
Chapter 3 · Difficulty
Intro, Intermediate, Advanced
Every course and pathway has a difficulty. It tells you how hard the material is, not how far along you are, so pick whatever fits what you already know.
Intro
New to it? Start here. Plain language, and no experience needed.
For example
- Moderation Foundations
- Spotting Fake Links & Phishing Indicators
- Event Planning Fundamentals
Intermediate
You know the basics and want to handle the tricky parts well.
For example
- Managing Difficult Users
- Raid & Spam-Wave Response
- Investigating Reports: Evidence, Case Notes & Findings
Advanced
For experienced staff and leaders, where the stakes are highest.
For example
- Threat Assessment, Severe Incidents & Crisis Protocols
- Conflict Mediation & Multi-Party Dispute Resolution
- Appeals Casework: Reviewing Decisions Fairly
Chapter 4 · Learning
Learn by doing, not just reading
Lessons stop to check you've got it. Simulations go further: you handle a hard conversation for real, before you ever have to with a real member.
Someone posts a link in #general that looks like a fake Nitro giveaway. What should you do first?
Pick an answer.
- Rowanwhy did I get muted?? I didn't even do anything
- YouI can see that's frustrating. You were muted for 10 minutes for some messages in #general. Want me to show you which ones?
- Rowan…fine. which ones
- Instructor feedbackGood start. You named how they felt before explaining the rule, and offered to show the evidence.
An instructor plays the other person, then gives you written feedback. Simulations include Report Triage & Evidence, Support Ticket Handling, Scams & Compromised Accounts and Event Day Crisis.
Chapter 5 · Exams
Prove it, and keep the proof
Every course ends with an exam. Multiple-choice answers are marked straight away; written answers are marked by a person. Pass, and your certificate gets its own public page with a unique reference.
Applying to join a staff team? Send them the link. They can check it's real in one click, and a revoked certificate always shows as revoked.
Synch Academy
Certificate of completion
This is to certify that
Alex Morgan
has completed the course
Moderation Foundations
ReferenceETB-2026-K7Q2MX
Score92%
Chapter 6 · For communities
Bring your whole team
Run a Discord community? Use the Academy as your team's own academy. It's free, and members always choose to join.
Train your team 20+ members
Invite your staff, then recommend or assign courses and pathways with due dates. You see progress on the training you assigned, and nothing else.
- Members join by accepting, and can leave any time
- Start everyone on New Staff Foundations in one click
Publish your own courses 50+ members
Write courses for your community and put them in the public catalog, clearly marked as coming from you. The Academy reviews them first.
- Keep using Synch's courses alongside your own
- Many communities start with Teams and add this later
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1
Add SynchAcademy to your server
It only sees your server's name, icon, member count and roles. It never posts, moderates or reads messages.
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2
Sign in to the Community Portal
Use Discord. Every server where you're an admin and the bot is in shows up.
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3
Get approved
An admin applies for Teams. Publishing goes to the Academy for review once you reach 50 members.
Official support server
Get help in the Synch Academy server
Synch Academy has its own Discord server. Go there for help with courses, certificates and your account, to report a problem, and for news about new courses.
- courses
- 60+
- role pathways
- 12
- live simulations
- 8
- certificates issued
- 120+
Your first lesson is a few minutes away.
Free for everyone, from your first lesson to your last certificate. Your progress and certificates stay yours.
Synch Academy is run by volunteers in Synch's Education & Training department. Certificates are issued by Synch Academy, not by or on behalf of Discord.