Design your online course around what students should be able to do. Choose a way to check that skill, then build the lessons and practice that prepare them for it.
This is often called backward design: outcomes first, assessment second, learning activities third. The University of Kentucky explains this planning model.
Here is a practical way to apply it to a small course.
Jump to: The example · The six steps · The planning checklist
A simple course design example
Imagine you are creating Food photography on a phone for restaurant owners. This is an illustrative course plan, not a case study or a promise of results.
- Student: A restaurant owner using a phone camera, with no photography experience.
- Outcome: Photograph and edit one dish for the restaurant’s social media.
- Final task: Submit a finished photo with a short explanation of the lighting and composition choices.
- Modules: Find suitable light → compose the shot → style the dish → edit and export.
- Practice: Make a photo at each stage and compare it with a checklist.
That plan gives every lesson a job. A history of photography might be interesting, but it does not help this student complete the task.
1. Define the student and the outcome
Finish these two sentences before listing lessons:
This course is for ___ who already know ___.
By the end, they will be able to ___ using ___.
Be specific about the starting point. A beginner may need to find the camera settings; an experienced photographer may only need help with food styling.
Then replace broad goals with actions you can check:
- Too broad: Understand lighting.
- Clearer: Position a dish beside a window and compare the shadows from two angles.
Keep a separate list of interesting extras. Only add them to the course when they support the outcome or a necessary prerequisite.
2. Choose how students will show the skill
Decide what successful work looks like before recording the explanation.
For the photography example, the final photo could be checked for three things: the dish is in focus, the lighting makes its details visible, and the crop suits the intended post.
Share those criteria with students before the task. They should know what to look for when reviewing their work.
Choose the assessment to fit the goal:
- Practical skill: A finished photo, spreadsheet, or other piece of work.
- Knowledge: A quiz with explanations for the answers.
- Judgment: A scenario where the student explains a choice.
A quiz can be useful without being the right assessment for every outcome.
3. Put modules in a useful order
List the steps needed to complete the final task. Group related steps into modules and put prerequisites first.
For the example course, students need a usable photo before they can edit it. That makes lighting and composition sensible starting points.
Give each module a clear purpose. “Find and use window light” tells students more than “Module one: fundamentals.”
Use the course outline generator for a starting structure. It uses fixed lesson patterns, so edit the suggested titles and remove anything your students do not need. For a detailed walkthrough, see how to create a course outline.
4. Pair explanations with practice
A lesson can follow this simple pattern:
- Show the goal: Display the photo students are trying to make.
- Demonstrate: Move the dish and explain how the light changes.
- Let students try: Ask them to photograph their own dish from two positions.
- Help them review: Provide an example and a checklist for comparing shadows.
These can sit inside one lesson. They do not need to become four separate videos.
Make the next action explicit: what to do, which file to use, and how to check the result. If you offer personal feedback, explain where students submit work and when they can expect a response.
5. Make lessons easy to use
Plan the presentation alongside the teaching:
- Use descriptive lesson titles and consistent navigation.
- Put instructions and downloads beside the relevant activity.
- Check that text and demonstrations are readable on a phone.
- Add accurate captions, including meaningful non-speech audio.
- Provide transcripts and describe important details shown only on screen.
- Check keyboard navigation, link labels, and text contrast.
Automatic captions need review. W3C explains what captions should include and how transcripts can cover visual information. These checks are a starting point, not a complete accessibility assessment.
6. Test one module before building the rest
Give a sample module to someone who matches your intended student. Ask them to complete the task, not just say whether they liked the video.
Watch for these problems:
- They need knowledge you assumed they already had.
- They cannot find the worksheet or the next lesson.
- They finish the explanation but do not know how to begin the task.
- They cannot tell whether their work meets the criteria.
Use what you learn to adjust the sequence, instructions, and examples. Then apply that lesson format to the rest of the course.
Your course design checklist
Before production, make sure you can answer:
- Who is the course for, and what do they already know?
- What will they be able to do afterward?
- How will they demonstrate that skill?
- Does each module help them reach that outcome?
- Where will they practice and get feedback?
- Can they access the lessons and materials in the formats they need?
Once the plan is clear, move to creating your course content. You can use Courselink to organize the finished lessons into modules; building and publishing a free course is available on the Free plan, and charging for one starts on Lite. See pricing for what each plan includes.