I commented below on (1) although I included a link which has flagged the comment... hopefully that will get released soon, else I'll repost sans link.
For (2), check Allison's URL - you'll see that it's going straight to the /lessons/ rather than the URL you get when you click Share in Rise. You can do the same - get your share link, stick it in a browser tab and click Start Course like you normally would. Now look at the URL - see how it's changed? Use that as your shared link instead, which will bypass your topics page nicely. Only caveat is - I haven't tested using a 'lessons' link as the link you'd give to others (instead of the usual Rise Share link), or if you set restrictions on your link.