coursework structure

Create Your Course

How to structure your course (ultimate guide), share this article.

This article will teach you the different components of a well-structured course and provide some tips on how to put them together.

Do you want to share your knowledge and expertise in a way that allows you to reach a large audience while also generating income? If so, you may be thinking about creating an online course .

This can be an excellent way to build your brand, generate leads, and make money. Before you start, it’s necessary to take the time to learn how to structure a course so that it will be both helpful and easy for your students to follow.

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Best Practices for Structuring Your Course

Focus On the Big Picture

Structure Flow Examples

Structuring an Online Course from a Coaching Program [Example]

How to Support Your Students Best

So, what goes into a successful online course structure? Here are a few best practices to keep in mind:

Group Similar Ideas into Modules

If you have lots of information to cover, consider breaking your course into modules. This will help your students focus on one topic at a time and make it easier for them to review the material later.

Cause and Effect

When structuring your course, starting with the cause and working your way to the effect can be helpful. For example, suppose you’re teaching a course on social media marketing. In that case, you might start with a module on understanding how social media works, and then move on to modules covering specific strategies and tactics.

○ Course Goals

As you plan your online course structure, keeping your goals and objectives in mind is essential. What do you want your students to learn? How will they be able to apply what they’ve learned? By aligning your content with your goals and objectives, you can ensure that your course is focused and relevant.

Ask yourself these questions to define learning:

What do you want students to remember once they finish your course?
What should students be able to do with the knowledge or skills they acquire from taking your course?
What processes will students go through to achieve the objectives?
What resources and materials will students need?

Check out this blog on designing an effective learning path to learn more.

Content-Type and Format

When deciding how to structure an online training course, there are a few different content types and formats you can choose from. Here are some of the most popular options:

○ Live

Live online lessons are taught in real-time and typically include interaction between the instructor and students, such as Q&A sessions or live chat. They are a fantastic way to create a sense of community and engagement among your students. If you choose to host live courses, you’ll need to be available at set times to deliver the content.

○ Audio

Audio is another popular content type for online courses. If you choose to use audio, you can record lectures or interviews and make them available as downloadable files. These courses are a great option if you want to provide your students with content they can consume on the go.

○ Video

Video is a popular content type for online training , as it’s easy to consume and can be broken up into smaller segments. If you create a video course, you choose the format for delivery, such as streaming or downloadable files.

○ PDF Worksheets/Activities

PDF worksheets and activities provide your students with targeted, interactive content. If you create PDF worksheets and activities, you can design them to be completed offline or online.

○ Community Q&As for Engagement/Learning

Community Q&A forums create a sense of community and engagement among your students. If you choose to create a community Q&A forum, you’ll need to be available to answer student questions in real-time.

Want to learn more about how to plan and set-up your course? Check-out this free guide

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Use Thinkific to create, market, and sell online courses, communities, and memberships — all from a single platform.

Focus On the Big Picture

Getting caught up in the smaller details is easy when first learning how to structure an online course. It’s important to remember that your course is just one part of your business. So, take a step back and focus on the big picture.

People Want to Learn from a Person with Experience

People are willing to purchase online courses because they want to learn from a real person with authentic experience and success. They want to be able to produce specific outcomes by learning from someone who’s already gone through the process.

Want Digestible Ideas and Information with a Desired Outcome

Most people want to be able to consume ideas and information in a way that’s digestible and easy to understand. They also want to know that the information they’re consuming will help them achieve their desired outcome. Be sure to keep these things in mind when you’re creating your course.

One Transformation for One Audience

You’re trying to help a specific group of people achieve a particular transformation. When you’re clear about who your course is for and what change they’re looking for, you’ll be able to create a genuinely impactful system.

Once you’ve decided on the format of your course, it’s time to start thinking about how you’ll structure the content. Here are a few examples of how to structure your online course content:

Step-by-Step

This is the most popular online course design, and it effectively takes learners on a clear path to reaching their goals. The advantage of this format is that it’s easy to follow and linear, so learners can easily see their progress.

Outlining Examples/Tips: Consider using a mind map to brainstorm the different topics and subtopics you want to cover in your course. Once you have a broad overview of the topics, you can start to organize them into a step-by-step format.

Topic: How to Start a Blog

Step 1: Find Your Niche
Step 2: Choose a Blogging Platform
Step 3: Set Up Your Blog
Step 4: Customize Your Blog
Step 5: Write Your First Post

Week-by-Week

A week-by-week approach allows you to teach a procedure that will take a specific amount of time to learn or finish. This approach is better for courses with a clear end goal, such as learning a new skill or completing a project.

Outlining Examples/Tips: Start with the course’s overall goal or objectives, then break down each week into smaller objectives to help learners achieve the overall goal.

Topic: 5-Week Course to Master Social Media Marketing

Week 1: Introduction to Social Media Marketing
Week 2: Setting Up Your Accounts
Week 3: Creating Content
Week 4: Analyzing Your Results
Week 5: Advanced Social Media Strategies

This online course is designed as a resource that learners can dip in and out of as needed. It’s perfect for those who want to learn about a particular subject in depth or for those who need a little reminder from time to time.

■ Outlining Examples/Tips: Start by listing out all of the topics you want to cover in your course. Once you have a complete list, you can start to separate them into easy-to-navigate sections for students to reference as needed.

Topic: Guide to Professional Photography

Lesson 1: Camera Equipment
Lesson 2: Photography Basics
Lesson 3: Lighting
Lesson 4: Composition
Lesson 5: Advanced Topics

Related: Develop your online course curriculum in this free guide

Structuring an Online Course From a Coaching Program [Example]

If you’re selling a coaching program, a sample online course structure might look something like this:

Module 1: Introduction

Lesson 1: Setting the Stage
Lesson 2: Your Coaching Agreement
Lesson 3: Welcome Call

Module 2: The Foundation

Lesson 1: Your Coaching Philosophy
Lesson 2: Core Values
Lesson 3: Why People Hire Coaches

Module 3: The Process

Lesson 1: The Coaching Process
Lesson 2: Discovery Call
Lesson 3: Intake Form

Module 4: The Tools

Lesson 1: Goal Setting
Lesson 2: Progress Tracking
Lesson 3: Resources and Referrals

Module 5: The Business of Coaching

Lesson 1: Packages and Pricing
Lesson 2: Sales Call
Lesson 3: Getting Testimonials

Once you’ve decided how to structure your online course, you can start filling in the content. Keep in mind that each lesson should have a specific purpose and outcome. And make sure to use engaging media like images, video, and audio to keep learners engaged.

Once you’ve decided on the format and structure of your course, it’s time to start thinking about how you’ll support your students. Here are a few things to keep in mind:

Be Consistent

It would be best if you were consistent with your course content and delivery. That way, your students will know what to expect from you, and they’ll be able to trust that you’re providing them with quality information.

Create Prompts for Discussion

Creating prompts for discussion in your course forums or social media groups will help to keep your students engaged and connected with you and each other. Make sure to provide feedback on your students’ work. This will help them to understand what they’re doing well and what they need to work on.

○ Community

Creating a sense of community is essential for any online course. It’s important to make your students feel like they belong and are part of something larger. You can create social media groups, forums, and other online spaces where your students can connect.

Exams & Quizzes

To assess your students’ understanding of the material, you’ll need to include exams and quizzes in your course. It’s up to you when, where, and how often you want to do evaluations. Just be sure to give your students enough coaching to prepare.

○ Points Awarded!

A point system can help keep students engaged. You can award points for things like completing lessons, participating in forums, and getting involved in other activities.

○ Leaderboards

You can use points to create leaderboards and give out prizes. This is one of many ways to add fun and competition to your course.

○ Badges

You can create different badges for things like completing all the lessons in a module or getting a specific score on an exam. Seeing their progress represented in badges can be an excellent motivator for students.

○ Contests

You can also utilize contests throughout your online course. This can help students retain the information better and make the process enjoyable.

○ Public Recognition

Giving public recognition is another helpful way to support your students. You can feature their work on your social media channels, newsletters, or website.

With this guide, you should better understand how to structure an online training course that is both engaging and effective. Remember the importance of consistency, community, and assessment, and you’ll be sure to create a very successful online course structure.

George Pitts is a Business Coach, Course Strategist, Funnel Builder, Author, Speaker and Founder of the JVS Funnel & Course Building Agency. With over 7 years in the online course and funnel industry and over 7000 students in over 100 countries George has helped many turn their knowledge into profits and scale to 6 figures a year with courses and digital products.

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How to create an online course for free (software & tools).

Trying to create an online course on a small budget? Expert Kathryn Hocking shares 10 free & low-cost tools for creating online courses.

How Do Colors Influence Learning?

Using the right colors in your online course can improve learning experience for students; boosting productivity, focus and concentration, and their moods.

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Learn how starting a podcast can help you increase online course sales. Here are 6 ways podcasts work to grow your online course business.

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Eberly Center

Teaching excellence & educational innovation, design & teach a course, plan your course content and schedule.

The three primary components of a course are the learning objectives, assessments and instructional strategies. Once these three components are identified, at least provisionally, the next task is to organize them into a coherent, dynamic whole. This involves:

Deciding on a course structure

Selecting a teaching strategy to support learning goals
Creating a schedule

The course structure refers to the choice of topics and the organization and sequencing of course content. Remember that the choice of topics and their organization should always support the learning objectives for the course.

Woolvard and Anderson (1998) point out that although all teachers want and need their students to (1) master course content and (2) learn how to use that content in some way, a great many instructors devote their time to the first task and neglect the second. Focusing too much on coverage – i.e., including too many topics – can actually impede student learning by crowding out opportunities for students to practice applying the skills and knowledge they gain. It is important to determine a reasonable scope for your course, that includes essential content but which also provides opportunities for students to engage actively with this content so that deeper learning occurs.

To develop a reasonable set of topics, Davis (1993) recommends creating a list of all the content areas you could cover that are relevant to the subject of the course, and then “severely” paring down the topics you have listed, distinguishing what you consider absolutely essential from the rest (p. 5). Build your course around these essential topics, choosing materials (books, articles, films, speakers, etc.) that will speak to these topics and help you accomplish your learning goals.

"Coverage is the enemy." -- Herb Simon, Carnegie Mellon University Professor and winner of the Nobel Prize for Economics

Organization and sequencing

There are many – often equally effective -- ways to organize a course to accomplish a particular set of objectives. For example, a course could be arranged in any one of the following ways: chronologically, from concrete to abstract (or vice versa), from theory to application (or vice versa), around a set of questions, around a set of practical problems or case studies, according to disciplinary classifications and categories, etc. However we choose to organize the course, the goal should be to create a structure that supports the learning objectives we have identified.

In general, courses should build towards greater complexity, starting with component pieces and working towards synthesis and integration. As Fink (2003) puts it: “The goal is to sequence the topics so that they build on one another in a way that allows students to integrate each new idea, topic, or theme with the preceding ones as the course proceeds" (p. 128). Another way to think about it is that the course should tell a story and thus have a beginning (that introduces the key issues, tensions, and players), a middle (that develops and explores these issues), and an end (in which the various threads come together or relevant new questions are introduced).

Selecting a teaching strategy

Fink distinguishes overall teaching strategies from particular instructional strategies or techniques. A teaching strategy involves combining and sequencing a number of different instructional activities to help students accomplish the learning goals of the class. To determine an effective teaching strategy, think about what you want students to be able to do when they leave the course (e.g., apply certain formulas? create an interactive animation? debate the merits of particular policies? create a stage design that reflects a critical reading of an historical play?).

Having identified the broad learning objectives, work backwards, asking yourself: What particular skills and knowledge will students need in order to accomplish these objectives? Then address the following questions:

What kinds of activities will students need to engage in to acquire the necessary skills and knowledge?
How can you organize these activities to provide sufficient practice?
How can you sequence them so that skills build upon one another?

For example, if one of your course objectives is for students to be able to identify the key theoretical positions in a topic area, discuss them critically, and apply them to particular issues, the teaching strategy might combine lecture (to introduce the theories and their proponents), discussion (to critique the theories and discuss their applications), and a writing assignment (to apply them to a specific problem or topic.) If one of the course objectives is for students to compare different approaches to theatrical costume design, then a teaching strategy might combine mini-lectures to identify key issues in costume design, student observations of different theatrical productions, group discussion, and an individual written assessment.

Creating a Schedule

After determining the main topics to be covered, the organizational scheme, and an appropriate teaching strategy for accomplishing our objectives, we must create a schedule for the course. Here it is important to gauge the amount of time necessary for the activities we have in mind, both in and outside of class time, and to map this structure onto the academic calendar.

While there is no easy formula for devising the course schedule, here are some things to think about:

Consider the time constraints of your particular course: obviously, a 3-hour class that meets once a week will pose different challenges than a 50-minute class that meets three times a week.
Spread assignments out to help students manage the workload and to avoid an unrealistic grading burden for yourself.
Provide sufficient time between assignments to give students feedback and allow them opportunities to incorporate it.
Take into account religious holidays and special events on campus that may affect student work.
Think about how interruptions (weekends, holidays, etc.) will affect the flow of your course (for example, you might not want to schedule a film for one class day and a discussion of it the next, if the viewing and discussion are separated by a week.)
Leave some unscheduled time in your course in case exciting, unanticipated opportunities present themselves or certain topics or activities take longer than expected.

Some strategies that instructors use to plan their course schedule include these:

Write all the dates of class meetings on a flipchart. Then write different assessments (homework, papers, presentations, etc.) you are considering on different colored post-its. Stick the post-its on the flipchart calendar and move them around until you find a good balance and distribution, taking into account the time students need to do the work, the time you need to mark and return it, and situational constraints like holidays.
Count the number of class days and create a grid with a box for each class day. Fill in each box with the activities you tentatively have in mind for that class day, taking into account the issues outlined above. Plot your assessments and due-dates so that are supported by your instructional strategies, reinforce your learning objectives, and fit reasonably within the rhythm and time constraints of the semester.
Create a grid with three columns. Write your topics in the first column, the instructional strategies and assessments (homework, discussions, group work, etc.) you are considering in the second, and the materials or resources (readings, films, slides, equipment, etc.) you will need for these instructional strategies and assessments in the third column. See where there are too few or too many activities and add/subtract/reassess as you go.

You’ll notice that the instructors who employ these strategies revise and tweak their schedules as they plan until the schedule reflects their objectives for the course, supports the course structure and teaching strategy, sequences work logically, and distributes it realistically across the semester. Creating a good schedule can be time-consuming, but the thought and effort invested at this stage will both help you write your syllabus and prevent problems (e.g., time conflicts, student panic, grading bottle-necks) by helping the course run more smoothly and effectively.

Davis, B. G. (1993). Tools for teaching . San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Fink, L. D. (2003). Creating significant learning experiences: An integrated approach to designing college courses . San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Nilson, L. B. (2003). Teaching at its best: A research-based resource for college instructors . Bolton, MA: Anker Publishing Company, Inc.

Woolvard, B. E., & Anderson, V. J. (1998). Effective grading: A tool for learning and assessment . San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

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CATL Teaching Improvement Guide

Course structure

A page within catl teaching improvement guide, brief description, examples .

Identify and set clear course goals
Design an effective syllabus
Design learning environments that support a variety of learning styles
Methodically organize and sequence course content

Tips to Implement Course Structure Effectively

Content Goals - Consider what knowledge you want students to attain. Start with a broad perspective, considering all that you want students to become away of and then narrow your selection to fit the parameters of your course.
Skill Goals - Consider what abilities you want your students to attain . What should students be able to do with their learning after completing your course? How can they apply their new knowledge?
The structure of the course need to be logical and consistent. It needs to reflect some natural order within the content.
Provide a detailed description of your course structure .
Where possible, categorize sections into organized groups with a hierarchical structure.
Fink, L. D. (2003). Creating significant learning experiences: An integrated approach to designing college course . San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

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Learning Outcomes

Course Design – Course Components, Structure, and Style

The design of something refers to what it is comprised of and how it will look and function. Use the information that you gathered about your audience, course goals and the learning environment to inform your decisions about what to include in the course, how to sequence topics and concepts, and how the course will look and function.

See Designing a Course – The Analysis Phase

Step 1: Write Learning Outcomes

Well written learning outcomes will specify what learners will need to know and be able to do as a result of learning. They will also help you select, create, and organize the content, activities, instructional strategies and assessments for the course.

Review the information about course goals and your audience from your analysis and blueprint and write the associated learning outcomes. See the resources on Learning Outcomes for information about learning outcomes and how to write them.

Step 2: Determine Course Structure

Using the learning outcomes and information from the analysis and blueprint, determine how you want to organize and structure various pieces of information, and sequence the content. For example, content should flow from basic and broad concepts to more complex and specific ideas. Content organization can be based on theme, or related concepts, issues and topics. Options include:

Organize the content by week with learning outcomes for each week
Subdivide the into units and modules with learning outcomes for each unit or module

Appropriate organization and sequencing will help students feel the connectedness of the content and will provide students with what they need in order to scaffold their learning and meet the more complex learning outcomes.

Overview or guide pages

Your course design can include an overview or guide page for each week, module, or chapter. The content of these pages will act as a map for students as they engage in the materials and it would typically include information such as the following:

an introduction,
learning outcomes,
readings and resources,
topics for the week or module, and
learning activities.

Step 3: Determine Assessment and Feedback

It is important to think about assessment, evaluation and feedback early in the design phase as it may be easier to determine instructional strategies, learning activities, and learning materials and resources after you determine the main assessment for the course. Fink (2013) notes that “if we deal with assessment first, it greatly enhances our ability to identify what learning activities are needed” (p. 70).

How can learners demonstrate that they have met the learning objectives? Would one of the following assessment types work? Are there other types that would work for this course?

Assignments
Presentations
Quizzes and exams

What do students need in order to complete the activities and assessments? How can technology help or what technology tools will you use? Examples include:

Assignments folders
ePortfolios
Online quiz tools
Grade books

How will you provide feedback? Examples include:

Automated or manually provided feedback via the quiz tool
Scores and comments provided via rubrics
Written or audio recorded feedback on assignments

Step 4: Select or Design Instructional Strategies

Now it is time to integrate instructional strategies into the course structure. Instructional strategies are methods and learning activities that are arranged and used strategically in order to maximize students’ ability to learn. An instructional strategy will likely include the following:

Exposing students to subject matter, concepts and ideas
Introducing and demonstrating skills
Coaching and providing feedback to ensure students can perform to expectations
Providing opportunities for students to collaborate
Assessing learning and performance with feedback incorporated into the assessment activity
Incorporating reflection activities

For each learning outcome, and with the course assessments in mind, think about what learners will need to know and be able to do. Then, design and or select the learning resources, learning activities and instructional strategies that will provide learners the best opportunity to meet the learning outcome. Ask yourself:

Will you edit existing resources or do you need to develop new resources?
Answer a reflection question for a concept or scenario
Engage in a debate, case study or role play
Complete an experiment
A flipped classroom strategy for a specific concept
Inquiry-based or problem-based learning
Reflective practice
Scaffolding the learning activities to help students complete the final assessments

How can technology help?

What tools and technologies can help assess learning and provide feedback?
What are the specific technologies that students will be required to use for learning? For example, a specific database.
How can technology help in creating learning resources for the course?
How can technology aid in making accessible and functional online activities?
How can technology increase student engagement with the course, the instructor and each other?

Step 5: Prepare Your Course Syllabus

Use the syllabus to communicate details about the course and to set expectations for students.

Syllabus contents/topics:

Course Instructor
Contact Information
Course Description
Course Objectives
Course Resources
Course Assessment and Evaluation
Course Schedule

See course Syllabus resources for detailed information.

Step 6: Describe or Design the Course Style, Theme and Context

You have to decided on the course structure, (organized by week, modules or units) and now you can design style and theme. This can be done after you have a design for one or two weeks, modules, or chapters.

Describe the course style or theme, and design elements that can facilitate the instructional strategies. You may need to do this for the course as a whole and for specific learning outcomes.

Page design considerations include the following:

Stylized headings provide structure and organization for the content and make it accessible to screen readers and easier to read in general
Icons convey meaning
Stylized boxes for reminders and important information
Stylized tables, charts, and lists make the content easy to read and use
Colours and images help the learner engage with the materials
Provision for accessibility features such as image descriptions and transcripts for videos

Related Resources

Constructive Alignment
Learning Outcomes – Definition, Characteristics and Benefits
Bates, A.W. (2015). Retrieved from https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/teachinginadigitalagev2/
Biggs, J., & Tang, C. (2011). Teaching for Quality Learning at University. Buckingham: Open University Press/McGraw Hill.
Fink, L.D. (2013). Creating Significant Learning Experiences: An Integrated Approach to Designing College Courses, Revised and Updated . (2nd ed.). San Francisco: Wiley/Jossey-Bass.
Portland Community College. Accessibility Handbook. Retrieved from http://www.pcc.edu/resources/instructional-support/access/handbook.html
Ramsden, P. (2003). Learning to Teach in Higher Education . London; New York: Routledge Falmer.

Resource created by: Denise C

Originally Published: August 21, 2018

Last Updated: July 16, 2024