Online CourseCourse CreationEducationContent MonetizationKnowledge Products
Create Educational Course Outline
T. Krause
Build a structured, outcome-driven online course that students actually complete and recommend. This prompt designs your full course curriculum — from learning objectives through module structure, lesson formats, and student assessments — before you record a single video.
Most online courses fail not because the creator lacks expertise, but because the content wasn't structured for how adults learn. Great course design starts with learning outcomes and works backward to content — not the other way around. This prompt builds a pedagogically sound, engaging course curriculum that sets students up for real-world success and generates the completions and testimonials that drive your reputation.
What It Does
- Produces a complete course outline organized around concrete student learning outcomes, with module structures, lesson titles, recommended formats, and estimated durations.
- Designs the learning arc — the sequence that takes students from where they are to where you want them to be — using proven instructional design principles.
- Includes practical assignments, checkpoints, and a final project structure that cement learning and create tangible results students can show for their effort.
The Prompt
#CONTEXT:
I need to create a comprehensive curriculum outline for an online course. This course should deliver genuine transformation for students — not just information. I want a structure that is engaging, learnable, and produces real outcomes that students will credit to the course when they recommend it to others. The outline should be detailed enough that I can begin creating content immediately, with clear direction for each lesson.
#ROLE:
You are an instructional designer and curriculum developer with experience building online courses for professional audiences. You understand how adults learn, how to sequence content to build on prior knowledge progressively, how to use varied formats to maintain engagement, and how to design assessments that reinforce rather than just test learning. You build courses that get completed, not just purchased.
#RESPONSE GUIDELINES:
1. Begin by defining the course transformation statement: who the student is before the course versus who they are after completing it.
2. Identify 5–7 core learning outcomes — specific, measurable skills or knowledge the student will have by the end.
3. Structure the course into modules (major topic areas) and lessons (individual units), with each module's structure derived from the learning outcomes, not from what I already have to teach.
4. For each lesson, specify: title, learning objective, recommended format (video, worksheet, reading, exercise, discussion), and estimated duration.
5. Design a progression arc: early modules should deliver quick wins to maintain motivation; deeper complexity should come in the middle; capstone content should synthesize everything.
6. Include checkpoints, quizzes, or assignments between major modules so students consolidate learning before moving on.
#COURSE DESIGN CRITERIA:
1. The first module must deliver a meaningful win within the first 30 minutes of the course — students who experience early success are dramatically more likely to complete.
2. Every lesson must have a stated learning objective that begins with an action verb: "By the end of this lesson, students will be able to [verb] [outcome]."
3. No module should require more than 60–90 minutes to complete — this is a typical adult learning session limit before retention drops significantly.
4. At least 30% of lessons should involve student action (an exercise, template completion, or reflection) rather than passive consumption of content.
5. The final module should include a capstone project that integrates the full course learning and produces a tangible deliverable the student can use or share.
#INFORMATION ABOUT ME:
- My course topic: [TOPIC — what the course is about]
- My target student: [STUDENT — who they are, their current knowledge level, what problem they're trying to solve]
- The transformation I want to create: [TRANSFORMATION — where students start vs. where they end]
- My course format and platform: [FORMAT — e.g., video lessons, Teachable, Kajabi, self-paced, cohort-based]
- My target course length: [LENGTH — e.g., 4 weeks, 6 modules, 8 hours of total content]
- My course price point: [PRICE — helps calibrate depth and perceived value expectations]
#RESPONSE FORMAT:
Course Overview:
- Title (working): [title]
- Subtitle: [subtitle that describes the transformation]
- Transformation Statement: "[Student type] who [starting point] will [ending point] after completing this course."
- Target Completion Time: [hours of content + recommended timeline]
Core Learning Outcomes:
1. Students will be able to [outcome 1]
2. Students will be able to [outcome 2]
[Continue to 5–7 outcomes]
Course Curriculum:
Module 1: [Title] — [Theme: Foundation/Quick Win]
Lesson 1.1: [Title] | Objective: [action verb + outcome] | Format: [format] | Duration: [time]
Lesson 1.2: [Title] | Objective: [...] | Format: [...] | Duration: [...]
Module Assignment: [brief description]
[Repeat for each module]
Capstone Project:
Title: [project name]
Description: [what students build/produce]
Deliverable: [what they submit or share]
Success Criteria: [what "complete" looks like]
Recommended Platform and Launch Notes:
[Brief recommendation on platform fit and 2–3 suggestions for the launch approach]
How to Use
- Define your course transformation statement before providing any other input — this is the most important input and the one that determines everything else. "Before: struggling to use AI tools. After: confidently automating 5 hours of weekly work with AI" is a transformation statement. "Becoming better at AI" is not.
- Specify your target student's current knowledge level precisely. A course for complete beginners is structured very differently from one for intermediate practitioners — and trying to serve both usually serves neither.
- Use the curriculum outline as a production script: each lesson row is an episode brief. Assign them to your calendar in production order before you start recording anything.
- Review the capstone project design carefully — it's often where courses fall short. A great capstone should produce something the student can show to someone else. If it doesn't, redesign it.
Example Input
## Information about me
- My course topic: Using AI tools (ChatGPT, Claude, AI writing tools) for business productivity — specifically for marketing and operations professionals
- My target student: Marketing managers or ops professionals at SMBs who have tried ChatGPT but get mediocre results; they're frustrated that the outputs need so much editing and don't match their brand
- My transformation: Students start as occasional, frustrated AI users; they finish able to reliably use AI to save 5+ hours/week with outputs that need minimal editing
- My format and platform: Self-paced video lessons + downloadable templates; Teachable platform; students expected to spend 3–4 hours/week
- My target length: 4 weeks / approximately 6 hours of video content
- My price point: $297 one-time
Tips
- Film the capstone instructions first. Counterintuitively, knowing exactly what the final project looks like before you build the curriculum helps you ensure every module builds toward it. Revise the curriculum after you've finalized the capstone.
- Use the learning objectives as your video titles. Clear, outcome-focused lesson titles like "Write a Converting Product Description in 10 Minutes" outperform generic titles like "Module 3, Lesson 2" for completion rates and student motivation.
- Build the workbook/template before the video. For every lesson with an exercise, create the worksheet or template first. Then build the video around explaining how to use it. This produces better content and better student outcomes.
- Add a "quick win" lesson to Module 1. Students who complete one meaningful task in the first session are significantly more likely to return. Design a Lesson 1 exercise that produces a real output in under 20 minutes.
- Ask the AI to write a sales page based on the outline. Once your curriculum is complete, prompt the AI to write a course sales page using the transformation statement, learning outcomes, and curriculum structure as inputs. The outline contains everything you need for a compelling sales page.