How to Create a Clear and Engaging Content Outline for Your Online Course -
Making an online course is more of an art than an art or science. There's not a set of rules for success, however there are certain elements that most successful courses share in common. One of them is the outline of the course.
A well-organized, engaging and clear content outline serves both the students and you in the beginning of planning your new courses. Making an outline may help ensure your course content is in line with the goals you have set for learners.
Are you unsure of how to begin compiling your outline? In this article we'll guide you through every step to build an effective course outline.
What's a Course outline?
A course outline quite literally outlines the content of your course. The outline will provide the game plan as you begin mapping the lessons, sections or quizzes as well as other materials you intend to include in your course.
It can be tempting to ignore the outline and begin to create the content of your course, but do not give into that desire. An outline of your course will to ensure that you've created a strong curriculum before getting too deep in the process.
A step-by-step course outline guide
Beginning is the toughest part of any new endeavor. The good news is that you do not have to think about your outline for your course. 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 your attention and pinpointing the students that will be taking your course.
A few questions worth considering:
- Who are your learners?
- What do they want to accomplish?
- What do they struggle with?
- What can your program do to assist students achieve their goals?
Asking yourself these simple questions will help to sharpen your focus and help you stay on the right track as you create an outline specifically for your audience.
2. Create a plan for the outcome you want to achieve.
After you've identified your learners and their goals It's now time to develop an outline of how they can achieve their objectives. Maybe their goal is to be able to speak a few phrases in Italian by the time they finish the class Perhaps the objective is to achieve the professional credential.
Think of the roadmap as the bare bones first sketch of your outline. It is a simple map of the path from the beginning until the conclusion of your journey.
Related article How to Structure an Online Course
The first step should be a simple introduction. What ever your subject, every course should begin with an overview of the important concepts. Keep in mind that learners might not all start with the same idea. Some students may need a quick overview before diving into course content.
Use scaffolding strategies to help you determine the next sections of your plan of study. When you are completing your course, you must be mindful of the course progression. The sections you take should be building blocks that start simple then move to more intricate ideas. Don't introduce a complicated concept or topic too early in the course and work up to the most important learnings.
3. Reinforce learning.
After each step in your content roadmap it is important to highlight an element that helps keep learning in the minds of your students.
What does this look like? It could mean designating reviews at the conclusion of each chapter with links for additional reading material, videos, or resources. You could even ask students at the end of each segment to assess their comprehension. You could also close each section with an essay question that allows students to put the concepts in practice.
4. Begin to put the pieces together.
When you've designed the outline of your course It's now time to create the outline of your course with specific lessons and sections.
For each section of your program, take into consideration these aspects:
- What medium will be used? What format will the content be? via text, video, or a combination of media?
- What are your talking points during each lesson? What is the information you'll require to communicate?
- What does this section add on previous sections? Does it flow into the following section?
- How does this section tie back to the learners' goal?
You'll now have a a thorough content outline to your course. What's left is the final part: creating the course.