Online Course Creation Planner

Who this is for

Your course, lesson by lesson. Lay out the modules and lessons with what each should teach, then tick each one through script, recording, editing and upload. The launch checklist covers the jobs around the course that are easy to leave until the last day.

Tutors, coaches, trainers and creators building their own online course on a hosted platform or their own site, working alone or with one helper.

What this helps you track

• The course, its platform, audience, launch date and your price
• Every module and lesson, and what each lesson should teach
• The format and length of each lesson
• Where each lesson stands: scripted, recorded, edited, uploaded
• The launch jobs still to do

How to use it

1. Write the course title, platform, target launch date, audience and the price you intend to charge.
2. List the modules in order, then the lessons in each, with one learning aim per lesson in plain words.
3. Choose a format and estimate a length for each lesson so you can see how big the course is before you record anything.
4. Move each lesson's script status along and tick recorded, edited and uploaded as you go, on paper or in the browser version, which saves in your own browser.
5. Work through the launch checklist in the weeks before the launch date.

Formats

• Printable PDF (A4 and US Letter)
• Fillable PDF with form fields
• Fill in online, saved in your browser

The printable is laid out inside a box that fits both A4 and US Letter, so the two files are identical and neither one is scaled. The fillable PDF has real form fields. The online version keeps what you enter in your own browser and builds the completed PDF on your device.

How to print

Download the A4 or US Letter file to match the paper in your printer, open it in a PDF reader and print at 100% — not "fit to page", which shrinks the writing space. Both files leave a 14 mm margin, which clears the unprintable edge on home printers. To print the online version with your entries in it, use the Print this sheet button, which prints only the sheet and none of the page around it. More on printing.

Questions

How many lessons should a module have?

As many as the aims need. Some modules need two lessons, some need eight. Writing an aim for each lesson first usually shows where a module is too thin or trying to do too much.

What is a learning aim?

One sentence saying what someone can do after the lesson that they could not do before. If you cannot write one, the lesson may not be needed or may be two lessons in one.

Where do I track students once it launches?

This sheet covers building the course. For following a learner's progress through a course, the online course progress tracker is the separate sheet for that.

Does the price field suggest what to charge?

No. It is there so the figure you have decided on is written down with the plan. Nothing on the sheet proposes a price.