how to create an attractive course outline

by Jack Thiel 10 min read

The Foolproof Formula for Creating Great Course Outlines

  • Step 1: Begin with the end in mind.. Again, in an earlier article of the Course Creation Blueprint series, we discussed...
  • Step 2: Determine each major step necessary.. The next step in creating your course outline will be to determine each of...
  • Step 3: Create the action steps required to successfully reach each...

Here's how to do that...
  1. Define Each of Your Lesson Plans. Break down your main course topic into smaller subtopics. ...
  2. Create an Assessment Plan. Whereas learning outcomes state what your students will learn from your course, assessments evaluate their learning quality. ...
  3. List Essential and Complementary Learning Resources.
Aug 11, 2021

Full Answer

What is an outline for a course?

Aug 11, 2021 · Illustrate your course learning path to students. Help you plan, schedule, and create learning activities and assessments for students. Make your course easier to follow. Help students understand the course’s value, final outcomes and benefits. Give your students a way to check their progress while taking your course.

How do you write an outline step by step?

Jun 09, 2016 · Course Name, Number, Credits and Description Avoid using cute names that do not clearly indicate the course content. Choose a simple name that conveys the depth and breadth of the subject that will be taught. Assigning course numbers (a 3-4 letter code and/or number) will clearly show potential students the level of the course.

How do I create an online course structure?

Apr 06, 2021 · 1 Why create an eLearning course outline? 2 Other factors to consider 3 The basic rules of outlining 3.1 Work backward from the end goal. 3.2 The fewer the steps, the merrier 3.3 Outlining the Lessons 4 Essential components of the perfect eLearning course outline 5 Introducing Learnyst Why create an eLearning course outline?

What should I choose for my online course topic?

First, you’ll need to sit down and map out all your ideas and goals. Then, turn those ideas and goals into a bulletproof outline. The outline accounts for each step along the way to your goal, complete with material formats, lesson structures, and how you’ll measure your students’ success as they progress through the course.

How do you structure a course outline?

A course outline should include the following sections:Course Name, Number, Credits and Description.Prerequisites/Co-requisites.Instructors Name, Contact Info and Bio.Course Schedule.Learning Outcomes.Content Breakdown by Session.Instructional Methods Used.Course Evaluation Process, Policies and Grading Scale.More items...•Jun 9, 2016

How do you create an online course outline?

Here's the process I use to complete my course outlines:Identify Modules. ... Break Each Module Down into Core Steps. ... Brainstorm the Details. ... Building Your Outline. ... Add Worksheets and Bonuses. ... Validate Your Outline.Jul 18, 2018

How can I make my course more attractive?

10 Ways to Keep Your Class InterestingIncorporate Mystery Into Your Lessons.Don't Repeat Classroom Material.Create Classroom Games.Give Your Students Choices.Use Technology.Don't Take Teaching so Seriously.Make Your Lessons Interactive.Relate Material to Your Students' Lives.More items...•Aug 16, 2019

What is course outline in education?

Course Outlines are critical resources that help students understand the course. A Course Outline defines the course aims and learning outcomes, course requirements, textbooks, and assessment dates and criteria. It also contains contact details for the Course Coordinator and tutors.Feb 8, 2019

How do I create an online outline of a PDF?

How to create an online course PDF checklistOpen up your free (or paid) Canva account.Type “checklist” in the search bar.Select your favourite layout.Adjust colours to your brand colours.Adjust fonts to your brand fonts.Insert your content.Click download as PDF.Upload PDF to your online school.

How do you attract students to your class?

In this article, we'll walk through five methods you can use to attract students to your course....ConclusionBe active on social media.Offer discounts to your first students.Pay students for referrals.Use social media advertisements.Feature guest instructors with strong social media presences.Feb 16, 2022

How do you attract students to a class?

Tips On How to Attract Prospective Students OnlineTip 1 – Think about what prospective students want to know. ... Tip 2 – Be friendly across all devices. ... Tip 3 – Make the application process simple. ... Tip 4 – Develop useful user bases to market to. ... Tip 5 – Make your content easy to share. ... Tip 6 – Remember the key influencers.More items...

How do you attract students to your program?

3 Ways to Attract Prospective StudentsUse Social Media Platforms. Instagram. ... Appeal to Students with Videos. Blogs and other written content are still relevant and very important for digital marketing. ... Use Influencers and College Ambassadors.Oct 1, 2020

What is an orientation course?

An orientation course provides an overview of all the courses you offer. If you are offering many courses in your Academy, create an orientation course to build student engagement and interest with the course contents and let them get acquainted with the goals of your Academy.

What are traditional academic courses?

11 Traditional Academic Courses. Academic courses are courses with a traditional academic structure followed by universities. Each section usually consists of an introduction to the course, where objectives are discussed, a short test to assess pre-existing knowledge, and multiple lectures.

What is a presell course?

Presell courses serve as a storefront of an upcoming course. They can rapidly validate a course idea and start building an email list of your potential students before officially releasing a course.

What is a mini course?

Mini-courses are short to consume summaries (teasers) of a full-sized course. Like presell and orientation courses, they serve as teasers that make students enroll in a course. However, in contrast to the other two categories, Mini-courses provide real educational value: A full summary of what will be taught in the full-sized course .

What is instructional design?

Instructional design is a thoroughly researched subject I suggest you study to get lots of insights into your course design.

What is niche topic?

Niche topics are created to teach particular skills like mini-courses. The difference between those two-course categories is that spotlight courses are oriented to a specific skill. Instructors can create a whole Academy with multiple niche courses and also sell them in bundles.

What can you frame in a live meeting?

You can frame your live meetings with many different types of material, also: Quizzes, gamification, discussions in the discussion forum, transcripts of the live sessions, downloadable files (PDF) of your presentations.

What is the next step in creating a course outline?

The next step in creating your course outline will be to determine each of the major steps that will be required to take your student from where they are now to the desired result.

How to write a milestone outline?

Rule #1: Use the least number of steps possible . Rule #2: Use background facts and supplemental details sparingly. Rule #3: Use simple language and ideas in your outline. Step 1: Begin with the end in mind. Step 2: Determine each major step necessary. Step 3: Create the action steps required to successfully reach each milestone.

Find the steps

With your two main questions answered, now is time to get clear on the steps. If “Sam” wants to go from A to B, i.e. their current location, where they don’t know what to do, to this fancy schmancy destination, how are you going to get them there?

Give them the roadmap

Inside each module there are going to be things your student needs to know to progress on to the next step. Don’t assume anything about their previous knowledge or experience. Break down a single step into smaller bit size chunks that give them the literal roadmap.

KISS – Keep it simple stupid

At this point you should know the main objective of your course. You should have defined all the modules and all the lessons. But now you need to think about what you will actually teach in each particular lesson.

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What is a good course outline?

A good course outline allows students to assess the course for fit with their learning needs, clearly understand what is expected of them and how they will benefit from the instruction.

What is course description?

A course description is an important part of the course outline. The course description needs to reflect exactly what will be covered in the course and how learning will be assessed by assignments and/or tests.

Is a prerequisite a co-requisite?

Prerequisites/Co-requisites. If the course is at an advanced level, it may be wise to request a prerequisite (a course that must be completed prior) or a co-requisite (a course that is taken concurrently). This ensures that students have a foundation level knowledge of the topic before completing the more advanced course.

What is an outline in a course?

An outline will include all modules, lessons, topics, and sub-topics of your course. It will also lay out what kind of content you will need to create for each section. There may be topics you want to cover, and having an outline lets you organize them in a way that will make sense to your students. It also prevents you from missing out on any ...

Why is an outline important in eLearning?

Without it, it is impossible to sell your course. If you are trying to get a reasonably big task done, it will help a lot if you gave it an outline. Doing so enables you to focus on one thing at a time and make it as perfect as possible.

Do you need an outline for video lessons?

If video lessons are part of your course, an outline is essential . Video lessons should be as short as possible, and a written script is one way to make sure that happens. The last thing you want is for your students to lose interest in your videos because they contain too much information.

What is course outline?

A course outline is one of the most crucial elements you can create for your online class. It’s the blueprint showing the foundational structure and design for ...

Why do we need an outline?

An outline helps you keep your ideas organized when you are designing a course. It enables you to group together related topics, not to mention see the order in which topics need to be addressed. Starting with an outline helps you create the course more efficiently.

Why is it important to divide an online course into parts?

Designing an online course can be an overwhelming process, which is why it’s helpful to divide it up into parts. Your students will also be able to follow your course more easily if it’s broken down into a few digestible components.

What is the best format for online courses?

Video. This format is becoming increasingly popular with online course creators, as it allows the instructor to communicate directly to students in a personable, relatable way. Video is best for demonstrating skills and giving easily-digestible presentations.

Why do people take online classes in person?

This is mostly because in-person classes rely on guidance from professors that allows for a more free-flowing structure. An online course, on the other hand, lends itself to easy confusion on the students’ part if not carefully structured.

What is a combination of text and photos?

A Combination of Text and Photos. This is a traditional format, which means people often associate it with dated teaching methods. However, this approach still suits visual learners and remains the best way to convey content that’s a bit too complex to present in video or audio format.

How long should a course description be?

Your job in writing a course description is much easier, since Where and When are in the logistics section, and the Who is irrelevant or a useless gesture (don’t write, “Everyone should take this course.”) Here are a few guidelines for the description: The description should run from 30 words to 120 words in length.

Why is a course description important?

The course description is vital to getting people to enroll in your course. A good course description can mean many enrollments while a poor course description can doom your course before it starts. Ideally, you should work with your class sponsor in writing the course description.

What should a description focus on?

Your description should focus upon the content of the course or the learner, not upon the course itself or you as the teacher. To attract learners, the description should emphasize the benefits to the learner coming from either the results of attending the course or from the value of the subject matter itself.

What happens if you don't read your course description?

Many if not most course descriptions are repetitive, dull or grammatically sloppy. If people do not read your course description, they will not take your course. Look at a typical course catalog.

Do you need to include teacher biography in course description?

The teacher biography or qualifications should not be mixed in with the course description. This information can be brief, and should appear at the end of the course description. Do not use abbreviations unless EVERYONE knows what they stand for. Write in complete sentences.

What should the topic of an online course be?

The topic for your online course should be either a subject that you’re already knowledgeable about or are willing to invest in learning thoroughly. Either way, you need to be passionate about the subject.

What does competition mean in a course?

Having competition means that people find the topic relevant and helpful for them. It’s also a good idea to create content that can comfortably fit into an existing, tried-and-tested space. Once you have a clear target audience in mind, you are best equipped for later creating and marketing the course.

How to teach a lesson?

Go in a logical order and try to make your ideas evolve naturally from one to the other , to ensure a smooth and frictionless learning process. Remember that teaching is about guiding your audience through an idea, step by step. To make this clear in your course outline, define an objective for each of your lessons.

Why is online education important?

Therefore, fostering a community of learners around your course will greatly improve their experience, contributing to the overall success of your course. An active online community can help users share their learning process with a group of peers.

Do you need to run a test before starting an online course?

Creating an online course requires a lot of hard work and effort on your part, so running a test before you begin will allow you to validate this online business idea as one that will pay itself off down the line.

Can I create an online course at home?

As a home-based business idea, creating an online course can be done with relatively simple equipment, and you don’ t have to be a video production pro in order to create a high-quality course. After all, the level of education you provide is what matters most, and you can create quality content even if you’re working from home.

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