How to Create a Clear and engaging Content Outline for Your Online Course -
The process of creating an online course more of an art than a science. There's not a set of rules to be successful, but there are a few aspects that the most successful courses share in their common. One of those elements is an outline for the course.
A clear, engaging outline for content can benefit you and your learners as you start mapping out your new courses. An outline will also assist in making sure that the content of your course is in line with the goals you have set for students.
Do you want to know how to start compiling your outline? In this article we'll guide you through all the steps to create the perfect outline for your course.
What's a course outline?
The outline of your course outlines the content of your course. It will help you plan your game as you begin mapping the lessons, sections or quizzes as well as additional content that you want to add to your class.
It can be tempting to ignore the outline and get right to creating content for your course--but resist that urge. A course outline will help make sure you've got a well-constructed curriculum before getting into the process too deeply.
A step-by-step course outline guide
Getting started is the hardest aspect of starting a new venture. The good news is that you do not have to spin your wheels on your outline for your course. Simple, easy steps will take you from course concept to course outline within a matter of minutes.
1. Find your students and identify their needs and goals.
Start out by centering your attention and pinpointing the students that are taking the course.
Some questions to consider:
- Who are your learners?
- What are they trying to achieve?
- What are they struggling with?
- How will your course help to reach your goals?
By asking yourself these questions, you can help you focus your mind and help you stay on the right course as you design the outline that is tailored to your intended audience.
2. Create a map to get to your desired result.
Now that you've identified the learners in your class and what motivates them, it's time to create the framework to help them reach their goals. It could be that they'd like to be able to speak a few words in Italian by the end of the course; maybe the goal is to earn an official certification.
Think of the roadmap as the bare bones first sketch of your outline. It simply plots out the route from the beginning to the final destination of your journey.
Related article How to structure an online course
Your first stop should be a simple introduction. Whatever your topic each course must begin by introducing key ideas. Be aware that your students may not be starting with the same idea. Some students may need a quick overview before diving into course content.
Use methods of scaffolding to help you determine the subsequent sections in your plan of study. As you go, be mindful of the course progression. Each section should function as elements that begin with a simple idea then move to more intricate concepts. Do not introduce an intricate concept or topic too early in the course to get to the major lessons.
3. Reinforce your learning.
After each step in your content roadmap You'll need to include something that will help keep learning in the minds of your students.
What would this mean? This could be a review at the end of each chapter with links to other reading materials, videos, or resources. Or it could mean quizzing students following each lesson to determine their level of understanding. You could also close every section by asking questions for essays in which students are able to put their knowledge in practice.
4. Start putting the pieces together.
When you've designed the outline of your course then it's time to flesh out the outline of your course with specific sections and lesson titles.
For each section of your program, take into consideration these aspects:
- What medium will be used? Will the section be presented in text or video, or as a mixture of media?
- What is your main point of discussion for each lesson? What information do you need to convey?
- How can this section build upon the previous sections? Does it flow into the section that follows?
- What does this section have to do with back to the learners' objectives?
You'll now have a an extensive outline of the content of your course. The only thing left to do is the final part: creating the course.