How to Write a Clear and Interactive Content Outline to Your Online Course -
Making an online course is more of an art than it is a science. There isn't a strict formula for success--but there are some factors that profitable courses have in the common. One of those elements is a course outline.
A well-organized, engaging and clear outline for content can benefit the students and you as you start mapping out the new curriculum. An outline will also assist in making sure that the content of your course aligns with your goals for your students.
Wondering how to get started compiling your outline? In this article we'll show you every step to build the perfect outline for your course.
What's the Course outline?
The outline of your course defines the contents of your class. The outline will provide the game plan before you sketch out your lessons, segments, quizzes, and other materials you intend to incorporate into the course.
It can be tempting to ignore the outline and get right to creating the content of your course, but resist that urge. An outline of your course will make sure you've got a well-constructed curriculum before getting too deep in the process.
A step-by-step course outline guide
The first step is often the most difficult aspect of starting a new venture. The good news is that you do not have to fumble around with your course outline. Simple, easy steps can take you from concept of course to outline quickly.
1. Determine your learner's needs and goals.
Get started by setting on your goal and then identifying your intended users, the students who are taking the course.
There are a few things to think about:
- Who are your students?
- What is it they are trying to achieve?
- What are they struggling with?
- What will you teach them to help students reach your goals?
Asking yourself these simple questions will sharpen your focus and help you stay on the right course as you design the outline that is tailored to your audience.
2. Create a map to get to your desired result.
After you've identified the learners in your class and their motivations and goals, you're now able to design the framework to help them achieve their objectives. Perhaps they want to master a couple of conversational words in Italian towards the end of the program or perhaps the aim is to earn a professional certification.
Imagine the road map as a basic sketch of your plan. It simply plots out your route from beginning to the end of your course.
Related post: How to Structure an Online Course
The first step must be an easy introduction. Whatever your topic, every course should begin with an introduction of important ideas. Remember: Your learners may not all start at the same point. Some students may need a quick overview before diving into course content.
Utilize methods of scaffolding as you identify future sections on the course map. When you are completing your course, you must be conscious of your progression through the course. Each section should function as foundational blocks, which start with simple before moving to more complicated concepts. Don't introduce a complicated concept or topic to early in your class; work your way up to the most important learnings.
3. Reinforce learning.
Following each step of your plan for content it is important to highlight an element that helps make learning stick for your learners.
What is this going to mean? This could be a review at the end of every section, with hyperlinks out to additional reading materials video, resources, or other materials. Or it could mean quizzing students after each section to determine their level of understanding. Also, you could end each chapter with an essay where students can put concepts to use.
4. Begin to put the pieces together.
After you've drawn out the outline of your course It's now time to create your course outline with detailed sections and lesson titles.
For each section of your class, think about the following:
- What's the format? Will the section be presented as text, a video or any combination of mediums?
- What will be your key points of conversation to use in each class? What are the details you'll require to communicate?
- How can this section build upon the previous sections? How does it segue into the following section?
- How does this section tie to the students' objectives?
By now, you'll have an extensive outline of the content of your course. The only thing left to do is the final part: creating the course.