coursework design ideas

• Teaching Tips

10 Effective Course Design Ideas for Higher Education

Learn the difference between course design and curriculum design, as well as tips for finding a great course design template

Top Hat Staff

Course design is a critical component of higher education, as it ensures courses are structured and organized in a way that facilitates student learning and success. Course design involves planning and developing the content, assessments, and activities that will make up the course, with the goal of creating a meaningful and engaging learning experience for students.

“The good news is, we live in a golden era of discovery regarding how people learn,” says Brad Cohen, Top Hat’s Chief Academic Officer. “Personalized learning, surfacing prior knowledge and fostering belonging are essential strategies that we should all be incorporating.”

By following a systematic approach to course design, educators can create courses that meet the needs of their learners and help them achieve their educational goals.

Table of Contents

What is involved in the course design process, what’s the difference between course design and curriculum design, what are some effective course design ideas for higher ed, where can i find a good course design template for higher ed.

The course design process typically involves several key steps:

• Defining learning outcomes: The first step in course design is to define the learning outcomes or objectives for the course. These outcomes should be specific, measurable, and aligned with the overall goals of the program. An example of a well-written learning outcome would be: By the end of this course, students will be able to identify the strengths of formal vs. informal language by advancing through the following three levels of knowledge and skill: – Using language formally vs. informally – Explaining how to write and speak in each type of language – Teaching others how to choose and use the appropriate type of language in different situations
• Identifying content and resources: Once the learning outcomes are defined, the course designer needs to identify the content and resources that will help students achieve those outcomes. This may involve selecting textbooks, articles, videos, and other materials.
• Developing assessments: Assessments are an essential part of course design, as they help measure the students’ understanding and mastery of the material. These assessments may include quizzes, exams, essays, and projects.
• Creating a course schedule: A course schedule outlines the sequence of activities and assignments that will take place during the course, as well as any due dates. This schedule should be designed to ensure that students have enough time to complete assignments and master the material.
• Designing activities and assignments: Activities and assignments should be designed to help students achieve the learning outcomes and reinforce the course content. These may include group projects, case studies, discussions, and hands-on activities. 
• Choosing instructional strategies : The course designer needs to select instructional strategies that are appropriate for the course’s goals and learning outcomes. This may include lectures, discussions, simulations, and online activities. 

Throughout the course design process, it’s important to consider the needs and abilities of the learners. This may involve designing the course content in a way that is accessible to all learners, accommodating different learning styles, and using technology to enhance the learning experience.

While course design and curriculum design are often used interchangeably, there are some key differences between the two. Course design refers to the process of designing a specific course, while curriculum design refers to the larger process of designing an entire educational program.

Course Design

Course design is a process that involves creating a specific plan for a single course. The goal of course design is to create a structured and organized learning experience that meets the needs of the learners and the goals of the institution. This process typically includes:

• Defining learning outcomes: The first step in course design is defining the learning outcomes or objectives for the course. These should be specific, measurable, and aligned with the overall goals of the program.
• Identifying content and resources: Once the learning outcomes are defined, the course designer needs to identify the content and resources that will help students achieve those outcomes.
• Developing assessments: Assessments are an essential part of course design, as they help measure the students’ understanding and mastery of the material.
• Creating a course schedule: A course schedule outlines the sequence of activities and assignments that will take place during the course, as well as any due dates.
• Designing activities and assignments: Activities and assignments should be designed to help students achieve the learning outcomes and reinforce the course content.

Free Download: Top Hat’s Course Planning Template

Curriculum Design

Curriculum design, on the other hand, is a more extensive process that involves creating a comprehensive educational program. The curriculum is designed to ensure that learners receive a consistent and high-quality education, regardless of the individual courses they take. The process of curriculum design typically involves:

• Defining educational goals: The first step in curriculum design is defining the educational goals for the program. These goals should be aligned with the institution’s mission and the needs of the learners.
• Developing learning outcomes: Once the educational goals are defined, the curriculum designer needs to develop specific learning outcomes for each course in the program.
• Creating a course sequence: The course sequence outlines the order in which courses should be taken to ensure that students receive a comprehensive education.
• Selecting instructional strategies: Curriculum designers need to select instructional strategies that are appropriate for the program’s goals and learning outcomes.
• Developing assessment strategies: Assessments should be designed to measure the student’s progress toward the program’s learning outcomes.
• Ensuring alignment: Finally, the curriculum designer needs to ensure that all the elements of the program are aligned with the educational goals and learning outcomes.

As the landscape of higher education continues to evolve, so too does the need for effective course design. While there is no one-size-fits-all approach to designing a course, there are certain principles that can help ensure that your course is engaging, relevant, and effective. Here are 10 effective course design ideas for higher education:

• Define clear learning outcomes: As mentioned above, before you start designing your course, it’s essential to define clear learning outcomes. What do you want your students to know, understand, or be able to do by the end of the course? This will help you structure your course and ensure that your students are learning what you intend.
• Use active learning techniques: Active learning techniques such as group work, case studies, and problem-based learning can help students engage with the material, apply what they’ve learned, and develop critical thinking skills. Top Hat helps students engage with—not just respond to—their learning. More than 14 different question types allow instructors to gauge understanding in nearly any discipline. Real-time feedback helps students stay on track and helps you give learners the support they need. 
• Incorporate technology: Technology can enhance your course in many ways. You can use online platforms like Top Hat to facilitate discussions and collaboration , create interactive quizzes and activities, and provide multimedia resources. 
• Create a diverse and inclusive learning environment: It’s important to create a learning environment that is inclusive and welcoming to all students. This means considering diverse perspectives, using inclusive language, and providing accommodations for students with disabilities.
• Scaffold learning: Scaffolding refers to breaking down complex tasks into smaller, more manageable steps. By scaffolding learning , you can help your students build on their prior knowledge and gradually develop more complex skills.
• Provide timely and meaningful feedback: Feedback is crucial to student learning. By providing timely and meaningful feedback, you can help your students understand where they are in their learning and how they can improve. Top Hat leverages real-time data and insights in the form of attendance, participation, assignments, and tests, making it easy to pinpoint struggling students. This data can also help instructors improve engagement, outcomes and course satisfaction. 
• Use real-world examples: Real-world examples can help students see the relevance of what they’re learning and apply it to their lives and future careers.
• Balance theory and practice: Higher education courses should strike a balance between theory and practice. This means providing students with a strong theoretical foundation while also giving them opportunities to apply what they’ve learned in real-world settings.
• Foster a sense of community: Students are more likely to succeed when they feel like they are part of a community. You can foster a sense of community by providing opportunities for students to connect with each other and with you, such as through group projects and office hours.
• Continuously evaluate and improve: Course design is an iterative process. It’s important to continuously evaluate your course and make improvements based on feedback from your students, your own observations, and changes in the field.

By incorporating these course design ideas into your courses, you can help ensure that your students are engaged, motivated, and equipped with the skills they need to succeed.

A well-designed template can help ensure that all the necessary components of the course are included and that they are organized in a logical and coherent way. Here are some places where you can find good course design templates:

• Your institution’s learning management system (LMS): Many learning management systems offer built-in course design templates. These templates are often customizable, allowing you to tailor them to your specific needs.
• Online course design resources: Many websites and resources are available online that offer course design templates. Some of these resources are free, while others require a subscription or fee. Examples of these resources include CourseArc, Canva, and Prezi.
• Professional organizations: Many professional organizations for educators, such as the Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT), offer course design templates as part of their resources for members.
• Colleagues and peers: Your colleagues and peers may have course design templates that they are willing to share. This can be a great way to get inspiration and ideas for your own course design.
• Books and publications: There are many books and publications available on the topic of course design, many of which include templates and examples. Examples of these publications include “The Course Syllabus: A Learning-Centered Approach” by Judith Grunert O’Brien and Barbara J. Millis, and “Designing Effective Instruction” by Gary R. Morrison, Steven M. Ross, and Jerrold E. Kemp.

When looking for a course design template, it’s important to consider your specific needs and the needs of your learners. Look for templates that are flexible, customizable, and aligned with your course goals and objectives.

Click here to download Top Hat’s Course Planning Template to design meaningful weekly lessons and track progress toward curriculum goals.

Effective course design is critical to the success of your courses, as it ensures learners are provided with an engaging and meaningful learning experience. A well-designed course should be organized and structured in a way that facilitates the achievement of specific learning outcomes or objectives and should utilize appropriate instructional strategies, activities, and assessments. 

Effective course design also takes into account the needs and abilities of learners, including accommodating different learning styles and utilizing technology to enhance the learning experience. With the right approach to course design, educators can create courses that effectively facilitate learning and help students achieve their educational goals. By following a systematic process and utilizing available resources, educators can develop courses that are engaging, effective, and meaningful for their learners.

Recommended Readings

The Ultimate Guide to Metacognition for Post-Secondary Courses

25 Effective Instructional Strategies For Educators

Subscribe to the top hat blog.

Join more than 10,000 educators. Get articles with higher ed trends, teaching tips and expert advice delivered straight to your inbox.

• Higher Ed Gamma

7 Innovative Approaches to Course Design

By  Steven Mintz

You have / 5 articles left. Sign up for a free account or log in.

The pandemic-driven switch to remote learning alerted many faculty members to the importance of course design. In an online course, keeping students on track requires clarity and structure; it also demands that instructors think intentionally about how to motivate and engage students, prompt interaction, and assess student learning without the crutch of in-person proctoring.

One can only hope that the pandemic is nearing its end, and hope, too, that the budding concern with course design will persist.

So let me take this opportunity to discuss seven innovative learning- and learner-centered approaches to course design that seek to encourage student participation, critical thinking, and metacognition and reflexivity, and promote social-emotional development.

First, let’s look at three approaches that dominate course design today.

The standard approach to course design, which I suspect all instructors have used at one time or another, is to compile and arrange a list of topics that one wants to cover.

A topical approach offers a number of advantages: it’s easy; all one has to do is glance at how other faculty have organized similar classes and copy or modify their syllabi. This approach also ensures content coverage, and, if done well, a logical and progressive topical sequence.

A topical approach that emphasizes content, coverage and information transfer is, of course, out of step with the times -- even when it is supplemented with video, animations, online tutorials and interactive problem sets.

Most campuses now expect instructors to specify a series of measurable learning objectives that spell out the knowledge and skills students are expected to acquire and be able to demonstrate.

Supplanting the topical approach are two common alternatives:

1. Backward Design

Backward design offers the simplest way to ensure that a course has clearly specified learning objectives. Just plan backward to move forward.

The guiding principle is to begin with the end in mind. Start by specifying the outcomes that you want your students to attain, and then design a sequence of activities that will help students acquire the understandings and competencies you seek, then create assessments that measure whether your class members have met your learning goals.

But backward design isn’t a panacea. For one thing, specifying learning objectives with the proper level of precision ain’t easy. It’s really hard to come up with measurable learning objectives that aren’t too simple or too complex, too narrow or too broad, and, above all, too numerous. After all, for the design process to be truly successful, it has to achieve a level of granularity that isn’t practical.

But there’s a deeper problem. Backward design doesn’t sufficiently take into account a basic fact: students differ. An approach that might work for one class might well be inappropriate for another. Teaching requires a degree of improvisation, adaptation and personalization that backward design doesn’t accommodate well.

Our desired outcomes may well remain fixed, but our teaching strategies often need to change. After all, there isn’t one path to heaven.

2. Learner-Centered Course Design

An alternative to backward design is an approach that begins not with the outcomes but with an analysis of the learners, their needs, characteristics, expectations and prior knowledge, and the constraints on learning (for example, the amount of time that learners can reasonably be expected to devote to the course).

ADDIE is an example of learner-centered course design. After analyzing the learners and their needs, this instructional design approach the desired learning outcomes and the best ways of delivering instruction. It is then followed by design, development, implementation and evaluation phases.

A learner-centered, student-focused approach certainly makes sense. But this approach also has its own weaknesses. It places a heavy burden on the instructor, who must develop activities aligned with the students’ needs and interests, which almost certainly vary widely. After all, your students differ radically in their level of preparation, learning goals, motivation and level of engagement.

So what, then, are the alternatives to backward design and learner-centered design? Here are seven innovative approaches that you might consider as you design or redesign your courses.

Approach 1: An Inquiry-Based Approach

An inquiry-based approach to course design transforms students into investigators or detectives and helps them develop the ability to formulate meaningful questions, solve problems, interpret data and other forms of evidence, and participate in the creation of knowledge.

The inquiry approach that I want to suggest is not simply designed around questions, like when and why slavery arrived in England’s New World colonies. Rather, it embraces the basic insights of postmodern or critical theory.

This approach seeks to problematize master narratives, interrogate facts that are too often considered unproblematic, and strive to understand multiple perspectives and realities depending on how an individual is positioned or situated. This approach encourages students to repeatedly ask: What do we know and how do we know that?

When informed by the insights of postmodernism, the inquiry approach helps students understand the way that knowledge is constructed and how seemingly settled conclusions are contested and revised.

Inquiry can, of course, be structured and guided or open, individual or collaborative. It can confirm what is already known or be more open-ended and original. Regardless, this approach places students at the center of the learning process, it foregrounds research skills and higher-order thinking skills, and it helps students achieve conceptual understanding.

Approach 2: A Case Study-Based Approach

A case study approach organizes a class around a series of crises, pivotal episodes or incidents, critical junctures, legal cases, and other real-world scenarios where the students can study the decision-making process, the societal or professional response to a dilemma, past precedents for current events, societal and cultural change over time, and shifts in public concerns or values or in scientific understanding.

Student engagement in authentic problem solving is one of the strengths of this approach. Well-chosen cases can bring a topic to life, foster active student involvement in their own learning, encourage discussion and debate, and help students develop their critical thinking skills.

Approach 3: A Decoding the Discipline Approach

This approach introduces students to the methods, skills and interpretive techniques used by scholars in a particular field of study. This methodological and skills-based approach might, for example, familiarize students with how experts within a discipline collect and analyze data; understand causality; interpret a graph, a text, a document or another piece of evidence; or understand various social, biological or psychological processes.

Approach 4: An Interdisciplinary, Team-Taught Approach

It’s odd: most of the topics that absorb serious intellectual attention bridge disciplines -- think childhood, conflict resolution, the environment and sustainability, health care, human rights, and social inequality. Yet the overwhelming majority of courses are taught by a lone scholar from a distinct disciplinary vantage point.

Might it not make sense to offer more courses that integrate multidisciplinary perspectives or that closely and intentionally link cross-disciplinary viewpoints and methodologies? This is precisely what Georgetown has done with its Core Pathways, in which students take seven-week modules from different disciplinary lenses on the world’s great challenges, such as climate change and humanity and technology. UCLA’s cluster program does something similar as interdisciplinary faculty teams explore pressing issues of our time.

Approach 5: A Gamified Approach

Gamification can take diverse forms. There is serious gaming, video games in which the goal is not entertainment but education, practice and skills development. There are role-playing games, like Reacting to the Past . There are also simulations and immersive virtual environments.

The elements that make game playing so alluring can also be integrated into course design. These typically include points, achievement levels, interaction, competition and instant feedback. I have seen this approach in action, and to quote Lincoln Steffens in a very different context, “I have seen the future, and it works.”

Approach 6: A Policy-Oriented Approach

A variant on problem-based teaching, a policy-oriented approach systematically addresses policy design and delivery. Students undertake policy research, data analysis, policy planning and formulation, policy implementation, and policy assessment. This approach almost inevitably leads students to understand the technical, political and organizational barriers to change, theories of change and the role of stakeholders in policy decisions.

Approach 7: A Project-Based Approach

A project-based approach substitutes process and product or performance for outcomes. This “show us what you know” approach assesses student learning not by homework or quizzes or exams or response or research papers, but rather authentically: by a tangible result, typically a capstone project or presentation or exhibition or recital that must meet certain standards.

Scaffolding is key to the success of project-based learning. Vague direction and oversight are insufficient. A project needs to unfold in stages with clear deadlines, guidance and frequent feedback.

As my colleague Michael Rutter points out, at schools like MIT experiential, project-based learning has now become the norm. It means that by junior year, most students at those schools have become quasi-graduate students. I think it makes good sense for talented students to work on meaningful projects, and not just over the summer.

In practice, you do not need to adopt a single approach. A Franken-course approach, which combines various models, often makes sense.

Let me conclude by urging you to think outside your comfort zone and integrate one or more of these course design strategies into your classes. I am convinced that today’s students need something different from the approaches that have long dominated the curriculum.

Our students need a learning-centered education that places a greater emphasis on technical, research and soft skills and on social and emotional development, and that fosters greater interaction with faculty and classmates.

Students need this kind of education not simply as preparation for the job market, but because our society has a desperate need for engaged citizens who have the ability to conduct research, evaluate information, bring skeptical intelligence and ethical awareness to bear on topics of public interest, and reach reasoned judgments grounded in evidence.

Steven Mintz is professor of history at the University of Texas at Austin.

Minding the Perception Gap in College Math Classrooms and Beyond

Math educator Sheila Tabanli offers three instructional strategies that instructors teaching the “most hated su

Share This Article

More from higher ed gamma.

Navigating Life’s Layers of Complexity

What you can learn from this country’s premier chronicler of trauma and the broken heart.

Why We Should Worry About the Decline of American Intellectual History as a Field of Study

• Become a Member
• Sign up for Newsletters
• Learning & Assessment
• Diversity & Equity
• Career Development
• Labor & Unionization
• Shared Governance
• Academic Freedom
• Books & Publishing
• Financial Aid
• Residential Life
• Free Speech
• Physical & Mental Health
• Race & Ethnicity
• Sex & Gender
• Socioeconomics
• Traditional-Age
• Adult & Post-Traditional
• Teaching & Learning
• Artificial Intelligence
• Digital Publishing
• Data Analytics
• Administrative Tech
• Alternative Credentials
• Financial Health
• Cost-Cutting
• Revenue Strategies
• Academic Programs
• Physical Campuses
• Mergers & Collaboration
• Fundraising
• Research Universities
• Regional Public Universities
• Community Colleges
• Private Nonprofit Colleges
• Minority-Serving Institutions
• Religious Colleges
• Women's Colleges
• Specialized Colleges
• For-Profit Colleges
• Executive Leadership
• Trustees & Regents
• State Oversight
• Accreditation
• Politics & Elections
• Supreme Court
• Student Aid Policy
• Science & Research Policy
• State Policy
• Colleges & Localities
• Employee Satisfaction
• Remote & Flexible Work
• Staff Issues
• Study Abroad
• International Students in U.S.
• U.S. Colleges in the World
• Intellectual Affairs
• Seeking a Faculty Job
• Advancing in the Faculty
• Seeking an Administrative Job
• Advancing as an Administrator
• Beyond Transfer
• Call to Action
• Confessions of a Community College Dean
• Higher Ed Policy
• Just Explain It to Me!
• Just Visiting
• Law, Policy—and IT?
• Leadership & StratEDgy
• Leadership in Higher Education
• Learning Innovation
• Online: Trending Now
• Resident Scholar
• University of Venus
• Student Voice
• Academic Life
• Health & Wellness
• The College Experience
• Life After College
• Academic Minute
• Weekly Wisdom
• Reports & Data
• Quick Takes
• Advertising & Marketing
• Consulting Services
• Data & Insights
• Hiring & Jobs
• Event Partnerships

4 /5 Articles remaining this month.

Sign up for a free account or log in.

• Sign Up, It’s FREE

• Request a Consultation
• Workshops and Virtual Conversations
• Technical Support
• Course Design and Preparation
• Observation & Feedback

Teaching Resources

Designing a Course

Resource overview.

Designing a course can seem like a daunting task, so we break it down into a few easy steps to help you navigate creating a structure that's engaging and fun for your students.

Begin the process early, giving yourself as much time as you can to plan a new course.  Successful courses require careful planning and continual revision. Consult with colleagues who have taught the same or similar courses to learn from their strategies and their general impressions of the students who typically take the course. If you are team-teaching, you and your teaching partner(s) should begin meeting well in advance to discuss course goals, teaching philosophies, course content, teaching methods, and course policies, as well as specific responsibilities for each instructor.

Define course goals.  Determining the goals for the course will clarify what you want the students to learn and accomplish. Having these course goals in mind will then help you make decisions about which content to include, which teaching methods to use, and what kinds of assignments and exams are appropriate. For a useful introduction to curriculum planning that begins with defining goals for student learning, rather than with course content, see Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe’s Understanding by Design (1998). When you define the course goals, focus on student learning. One way to formulate these goals is to determine what students should be learning in terms of content, cognitive development, and personal development. Be as specific as you can and make sure that the goals define learning in ways that can be measured. Consider the following questions:

• What do you want your students to remember from your course in 5-10 years?
• How should taking your course change students?
• What skills should students gain in this course?
• How does this course relate to other courses in the discipline? How, then, might you define the course goals accordingly (e.g., for an introductory, fundamental, or advanced course in the discipline)?

In addition, you should learn about the students who typically take the course (their level of preparation, their majors or academic interests, etc.) in order to think about how your course will help this group of students build their knowledge and understanding of the topic.

Benjamin Bloom’s Taxonomy of Educational Objectives (1956) provides a helpful framework for identifying the observable and measurable skills you would like your students to learn.  Bloom identified six types of cognitive processes and ordered these according to the increasing level of complexity involved: knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. This page provides resources for using Bloom’s Taxonomy to help write learning goals.

Below is an example of a list of course goals, as developed for a General Chemistry course. (At Washington University, General Chemistry is a foundational course for several scientific disciplines; it attracts mainly first-year students who were in the top one percent of their high-school classes and whose academic interests represent a variety of disciplines.)

General Chemistry: Course Goals

• Teach chemistry topics that must be covered to help students prepare for other courses and for standardized exams.
• Teach study skills that students need to succeed in university-level science courses; these skills are distinct from those required to succeed in high-school science courses. For example, teach students how to study effectively in a group.
• Teach students problem-solving and critical-thinking skills. Demonstrate how chemistry is used in other fields and in everyday situations.
• Teach students the beauty of chemistry.

Determine course content.  Select the major topics and determine the order in which you will teach them.

• Select the main topics to be covered.  To obtain an initial list of course topics, look in current textbooks or the current literature (for a special-topics course). Determine whether there is a consensus concerning the necessary topics by obtaining previous course syllabi and discussing potential topics with colleagues. Refine your list by considering your course goals and the characteristics of your students. At the same time, use the desired content to refine the course goals.
• Pare down and refine your initial list of topics.  Instructors often plan initially to teach more material than they can cover in the allotted time.
• Determine the structure of the course; arrange the topics in a logical order.  Developing a rationale that guides the structure of the course can help you explain the material more clearly to the students. In other words, you can discuss how and why you have organized the material in a particular way, helping them to see, for example, how one topic builds on, illustrates, or offers a different perspective on another. Articulating the rationale behind the course structure also increases and maintains the students’ interest in the course content. Determining the course structure can help you decide which texts are most appropriate.

You can choose to organize the topics in a variety of ways, whether chronological, topical, conceptual, survey-oriented, or process-oriented. Think about how the structure of the course will contribute to student learning. Ask questions such as the following:

• Can I organize the topics according to a theme or storyline?
• Do I need to teach certain skills initially and then discuss applications?
• Do I want to introduce a particular theory before illustrating it with specific examples or problems?

Develop teaching methods and tools.  Once you have determined the course goals and content, think about how you will present the content. Select and develop teaching methods and tools that are 1) appropriate for the size of the class and 2) consistent with the course goals. Consider the following questions and suggestions:

• What is your teaching style? How will you apply or adapt your style to suit the course goals, the size of the class, and the types of students who are likely to enroll?
• Which types of teaching methods will best fulfill your course goals?
• When deciding whether or not you will use technology in your teaching, identify specific goals that technology will help you reach. Plan carefully to determine how you will integrate technology with more traditional teaching tools, such as the chalkboard.
• Whenever possible, use a variety of approaches, taking into account that students use a diverse range of learning preferences.
• Plan to use teaching methods that will require and measure active student learning.

Determine how you will evaluate student learning: Plan assignments and exams. The evaluation must go hand-in-hand with course goals. For example, if one course goal is to improve problem-solving skills, the exam should not contain only questions that ask students to recall facts; it should contain questions that ask students to solve specific and well-chosen problems. By the same token, homework and class activities leading up to the exam must include some questions that require problem-solving skills. Consider the following questions:

• Do assignments reflect and help achieve course goals? For example, are the papers required for the course an appropriate genre and length? How much time will you give students to complete these papers?
• Do exams and quizzes reflect course goals? Do they measure the extent to which students are achieving the learning objectives you have set out for the course?
• Will the students have an opportunity to acquire and practice the skills that are required for exams and major assignments?

Select text(s) and other materials.  If you are using texts, decide whether the course goals will be best met by using a published text or a course reader that compiles material published elsewhere (and unpublished material, if applicable). Take into account the cost of all materials. Consider placing some of the material on reserve at the library so that students can borrow, photocopy, or download the material themselves. Order texts early and call the bookstore about a month before the course starts to ask if the texts have arrived.

If you are compiling a course reader, consider copyright issues (see the University’s guidelines on copyright and fair use ). If you need to obtain permission to reprint or otherwise use published material, allow at least 3 months to complete the process. Keep in mind that some publishers now offer faculty the option of creating custom readers, for which the publisher has already obtained the necessary permissions. You can also use commercial copyright clearance services.

Before the semester begins, order text(s) and other materials, including films, videos, or software; contact guest speakers; and arrange field trips. If you plan to use instructional technology or multimedia equipment, ensure that you will have the necessary equipment, software, and training.  Reserve a classroom that has all the necessary components. Classroom reservations are handled by the  Office of the University Registrar (OUR), formerly the Office of Student Records. Typically, requests to register classrooms for a course are forwarded to OUR by departmental administrative assistants. To learn about the process in your department, ask the department chair or administrative assistant. Contact The Teaching Center at 935-6810 to schedule training on how to use the classroom multimedia or to arrange for additional, licensed software to be installed on the classroom PC. If you would like to reserve a classroom to practice using the multimedia before the semester starts, or when classes are not in session, please contact Jeanine Gibson in the Office of Student Records by email , or by phone at 935-4145.

Define course policies.  Determine how you will grade all required work, including all assignments, papers, exams, and, if applicable, class participation. Decide ahead of time how you will deal with such issues as tardiness, attendance problems, work turned in late, and requests for extensions or the rescheduling of exams. Learn the  Policy on Academic Integrity  and develop strategies for preventing and responding to plagiarism and cheating. Include all course policies on the syllabus and plan to review them with students on the first day of class.

Develop the course schedule. The tendency is nearly always to try to accomplish too much during each class period. Allow time for active learning to occur during class and for students to complete major assignments and prepare for exams. When preparing the schedule, consult the relevant academic calendars, and keep in mind major religious holidays and significant campus events (for example, Homecoming and Thurtene Carnival).

Write the course syllabus. At a minimum, the syllabus should contain the following: course title, time, and location; prerequisites; required texts and other materials; course topics; major assignments and exams; course policies on grading, academic integrity, attendance, and late work; and contact information for instructor and assistants to instruction (if applicable).

Refine the Course Design.  Course planning is a continual process, as illustrated by the diagram below. Each of the steps is necessarily undertaken with the others in mind, and each will necessarily undergo revision each time you teach a particular course.

As you plan and revise courses, remember the importance of teaching core concepts and critical-thinking skills. Focusing only on content can quickly lead you to over-emphasize knowledge-based skills and to ignore the teaching of the higher-level thinking skills in Bloom’s Taxonomy.

Further Reading

Nilson, L. (2016). “Outcomes-Centered Course Design” in  Teaching at It’s Best , 4th edition. Jossey-Bass.

Fink, L. D. (2005).  A Self-Directed Guide to Designing Courses for Significant Learning .

Bloom, Benjamin (ed). Taxonomy of Educational Objectives. Vol. 1: Cognitive Domain. New York: McKay, 1956.

Davis, Barbara Gross. “Preparing or Revising a Course.” Tools for Teaching. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers, 1993.

McKeachie, Wilbert, et al. McKeachie’s Teaching Tips: Strategies, Research, and Theory for College and University Teachers. 12th ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2005.

“Planning Your Course: A Decision Guide.” Center for Learning and Teaching, Cornell University.

Stout, Julie. “Radical Course Revision: A Case Study.” National Teaching and Learning Forum 10(4). May 2001.

Wiggins, Grant and Jay McTighe. Understanding by Design. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 1998.

Teaching Commons Autumn Symposium 2024

Get ready for autumn quarter at the Teaching Commons Autumn Symposium. Friday, September 27.

Foundations of Course Design

Main navigation, for new teachers or course designers.

This guide is for those who are new to teaching, designing a course, or refreshing and updating their foundational knowledge.

Covers the foundations of pedagogy and course design

It includes course design frameworks, definitions of common terms, general Stanford resources and services, and core pedagogic concepts and strategies. While this guide is most applicable to the early stages of planning a course, the concepts in this guide are widely applicable to teaching in general.

This guide generally does not include example activities, specific tools, or strategies specific to a particular course mode or discipline area. If you're looking for more concrete and specific strategies consider the other Teaching Guides or the Browse Topics  section of this website.

Use the side menu to navigate

Use the menu on the left side of the page to navigate through the various topics and content pages. If you are on a device with a small screen, use the menu icon in the upper-right corner of the page.

Sections within this guide

Theory to practice, course planning, feedback and assessment, learning activities, improving teaching effectiveness, table of contents.

• TEACH Framework
• Teacher-centered vs. Student-centered Course Design
• Technology Integration Framework
• Instructional Design Framework
• Defining Course Modalities
• Creating Learning Outcomes
• Design Principles for Canvas
• TAs and the Teaching Team ​​​​​​​
• Optimizing the Syllabus ​​​​​​​
• Using Academic Technologies ​​​​​​​
• Equipment Loans and Support ​​​​​​​
• Formative Assessment and Feedback ​​​​​​​
• Summative Assessment and Feedback ​​​​​​​
• Academic Honesty and Stanford's Honor Code ​​​​​​​
• Increasing Student Engagement
• Growth Mindset and Enhanced Learning ​​​​​​​
• Gathering Student Feedback ​​​​​​​
• Course Evaluations and End-term Student Feedback ​​​​​​​
• Professional Development Opportunities ​​​​​​​

9705 D&T coursework examples

Topic outline.

A range of coursework submissions (for both components) for this Syllabus have been included here along with a breakdown of the marks awarded, and a moderator commentary explaining how the marks were decided. You should always refer to the syllabus for specific details about the requirements for and assessment of coursework. Additionally, the Cambridge Handbook sets out the process and requirements for submitting coursework for moderation by Cambridge International.

• Select activity Component 2 Component 2
• Select activity Component 4 Component 4

Select your location

• North America English
• Brazil Português
• Latin America Español

Asia Pacific

• Australia English
• Germany Deutsch
• Spain Español
• United Kingdom English
• Benelux Dutch
• Italy Italiano

Top 5 Ways to Improve Your Canvas Course Design

Table of Contents

With the back-to-school season quickly approaching, educators are preparing not only their physical classrooms but also their digital learning spaces – all with the goal of creating an immersive and engaging learning experience. As you begin creating or refreshing your courses, consider these five Canvas course design tips and tricks.

  1. Utilize Templates 

Templates offer an appealing and organized way to present courses, providing a consistent module structure. They can save educators a ton of time, giving them a head start in their course design. Search the commons for templates or utilize the Ready Made Templates Suite . 

Once in the Template Suite, select a template based on your specific needs. Templates can be segment-specific or based on specialized programs. Each is built by professional Canvas instructional designers with Universal Design for Learning (UDL) .

2. Back up Resources with the Link Validator

Often an overlooked tool, the Link Validator helps support a smooth digital learning experience. The link validator runs a check for the entire course making sure everything is in working condition. Avoid navigational errors and interruptions in learning by validating resource links . Take advantage of these tools, helping students avoid interruptions or blocks in their education. 

3. Ease Students into Canvas & Course Material

Educators can use the Welcome Module in each new course to introduce themselves and set expectations. For example, some educators like creating welcome videos to show their personalities and humanize them as a teacher. The video can then be followed up with an introductory discussion with students.  

Next, use low-stakes assignments to get students familiar with using Canvas. This is a great way to ease students into the course material. Low-stakes quizzes can also provide insight into the student's prior knowledge and anticipate what support they will need during the course.

4. Set Expectations with Rubrics

Canvas rubrics can be used for assignments, discussions, and assessments. 

Rubrics can be designed at both the account level and the course level. On the course level, rubrics can be copied, which is ideal for assignments with consistent expectations, such as a weekly discussion. Rubrics collaborate well with Canvas's popular SpeedGrader tool . With SpeedGrader, rubrics assist the grading process, expediting and providing an efficient grade. 

Students also benefit from knowing expectations and pre-defined learning outcomes. Learn more about creating and managing rubrics with this helpful Rubrics Overview video.

5. Ensure Course Material is Accessible

Course content needs to be accessible to all students. The Accessibility Checker detects accessibility issues and allows educators to quickly fix alerted problems. The checker can be accessed through any editable course content. After the edit button is selected, the accessibility icon pops up with a notification showing the number of issues to fix. 

Use the checker to help with common accessibility concerns such as color contrast, alternative text, and captions & headers. 

More Best Practices

For more course design tips & tricks, check out the Best Practices for Canvas Course Design video. To learn and collaborate with other educators and Canvas users, join the Canvas community .

Discover More Topics:

Related Content

The Top Five Ways AI Will Impact Teacher-Student Relationships

Better Together: Unlocking the Power of Learning Analytics with Canvas LMS and IntelliBoard

How Florida State College at Jacksonville Empowers Canvas Admins with Intelligent Insights

Stay in the know.

A FREE PUBLICATION FROM THE CREATORS OF THE TEACHING PROFESSOR

• Free Reports , Free Reports: Course Design

Course Design and Development Ideas That Work

• April 1, 2010
• Faculty Focus

Free Reports

• Name * First Last
• Job Title *
• Password Enter Password Confirm Password
• Hidden report_pdf
• Hidden Title

So much of what determines the overall success or failure of a course takes place well in advance of the first day of class. It’s the thoughtful contemplation of your vision for the course — from what you want your students to learn, to hand-crafting each and every activity and finding materials that will fuel learning. This special report,  Course Design and Development Ideas That Work , brings you proven course design alternatives implemented in courses of varying sizes and disciplines.

This report is free when you sign up for  Faculty Focus , a free newsletter with effective pedagogical techniques to bring with you to the classroom!

Articles include:

• A Course Redesign that Contributed to Student Success
• The Placement of Those Steppingstones
• Understanding Different Types of Group Learning
• A Brain-Friendly Environment for Learning
• A Large Course with a Small Course Option
• A Blog, a Physics Course, and a Change in Student Attitudes
• A Critique of Scaffolding
• Maximizing Engagement in the Flipped Classroom
• The Truly Participatory Seminar
• When to Begin the End: The Role and Use of Summary in Course Design
• In-Class Writing: A Technique that Promotes Learning and Diagnoses Misconceptions
• Should Students Have a Role in Setting Course Goals?

Stay Updated with Faculty Focus!

Get exclusive access to programs, reports, podcast episodes, articles, and more!

• Opens in a new tab

Welcome Back

Username or Email

Remember Me

Already a subscriber? log in here.

All Solutions

Explore all the solutions you can create with Paperform: surveys, quizzes, tests, payment forms, scheduling forms, and a whole lot more.

Connect with over 2,000 popular apps and software to improve productivity and automate workflows

Integrations

110 online course ideas (with real-life examples for inspiration).

With the rise of elearning options, it's only natural to be curious about getting into the game. Teaching online is a great way to earn some extra cash for sharing your unique skills and passions.

But, like any business, you can’t just up and start an online course without an idea. With that in mind, we’ve put together a colossal list of 110 online course ideas to give you inspiration. They’re split into industries and accompanied by a real-life success story to give you further context.

The Golden Age Of Online Learning

The COVID-19 pandemic and the digital shift that followed revolutionised both the way that companies do business and the way customers expect to do business. This, along with technological advancements, led to virtual solutions like ecommerce solutions , webinars replacing in-person events, and a rise in online learning.

The flexibility and learning possibilities that have emerged from necessity are likely to shift the expectations of students and educators, diminishing further the line between classroom-based instruction and virtual learning.”

— Online Education in the Post-COVID era, in Nature Electronics (2021).

Luckily, there are benefits to online learning (also called ‘elearning’) that make it an effective alternative—and often a viable replacement—for in-person education.

Benefits of Online Learning

Flexibility: Need to juggle study with full-time work? Prefer to work late at night than early in the morning? By learning online, students can work through lesson plans at their own pace and control their own schedule.

Time Management: elearning is a great way to practice and improve time management and scheduling skills. These are important abilities that employers of any shape and size value in the workplace.

Improve career prospects: Got a job and want to learn new skills? Or looking to learn a few new things to really make your portfolio pop? Online courses offer a path to higher-paying jobs and career advancements.

Lower costs: Studying an online course is much cheaper than traditional courses or tertiary education. Everything is included in the single fee, so you don’t have to worry about things like admin fees and ultra expensive textbooks.

More choice: Whether you want to learn digital marketing, graphic design or how to write an award-winning movie, there’s an online course for every topic.

Grow your network: If you’ve signed up to a course for a specific niche, you’ll be with a cohort of like-minded people with similar interests/goals. It’s a great way to grow your professional network (or make new friends).

Not just for work: Courses don’t just have to be about leveling up work-related skills. It can also be a great way to pick up new hobbies and meet people online.

Try to think about these benefits when thinking about your own online course. Brainstorm how you can leverage these to give your students the best possible offering.

“Studying online has obvious practical advantages for those who are time poor, who are juggling work, personal lives and study. Online learning gives students greater flexibility to choose when, where and how they study.”

— David Seignior, Learning Designer at the University of Melbourne . “

These benefits have led to a greater demand in high-quality, elearning solutions, making it a great time to build an online course of your own.

How To Create An Online Course

Becoming an online course creator isn’t as simple as putting together a presentation , recording a video and uploading it to your website. But with some forethought, organisation, and a bit of work, you can be on your way in no time.

Here’s a quick rundown of the steps you’ll need to take to start your online course.

1. Identify your niche

The first step is to identify a subject that you specialise in—this could be anything from personal training to running a bakery . Whatever niche you settle on, the key is to be both passionate and knowledgeable about it.

To questions to consider:

• What do you want to teach?
• What do you know that others may want to learn?

It goes without saying, but you can't fake this. Your audience will be able to tell if you’re just mailing it in, or regurgitating other people’s information for your own benefit.

Moreover, teaching a class you aren't interested in won't be a lot of fun for you, either. Both parties will benefit from instructors investing some time in discovering what particular class they are best suited to teach.

2. Gauge interest

It’s important to make sure there’s an interested audience before you get too deep into course planning. If people aren't interested in your course, it's better to know early so you can pivot.

A great way to gauge interest is to make a landing page . This will allow you to give an overview of your course, explain what people will learn, and ultimately collect sign-ups from interested parties.

With Paperform , you can create stunning, feature-rich landing pages for any course, all in our easy to navigate editor. Plus, once you've got your course up and running, you can use that same digital Swiss Army Knife of tools to create forms, surveys, quizzes and more to keep your students engaged.

While you may not have started creating your materials yet, try to include any information that will encourage your target audience to sign up. Include a clear call-to-action for folks to sign up, register their interest or even offer ‘early bird’ deals for people willing to purchase.

Based on the response you get you’ll be able to find out whether your online course idea has legs or not. With some luck you’ll have a few sign-ups and new additions to your email list that you can leverage for marketing outreach.

Form a better life now.

3. research your subject.

Once you’ve settled on your course topic, it’s important to research not only what you will teach, but also what courses are already available on the topic. Think about what type of things people want to know about the subject, and what gaps you can fill.

Now is also a good time to do some keyword research. This gives you an idea of subcategories that you can explore within your niche, as well as what kind of questions people commonly have about the topic.

For example, let’s say you’re running an online blogging course. You may find that alongside the overarching subject of “how to blog”, people search for writing tips, how to build a website and a crash-course in SEO.

Look out for different angles and use them to provide maximum value with your course. Just try not to stretch your skill-base too much—there’s a difference between a broad scope and trying to do too much.

market research survey

4. outline the course structure.

When you’ve collected all the information on the topic (and written down unique insights of your own) it’s time to develop what, in the biz, they call a curriculum. This is a concrete plan of the lessons you’ll provide and topics you’ll cover.

To make a curriculum, break down the broad topic into smaller sub-topics you want to cover, then create individual lessons for each one. Every lesson should have a clear outline and objective. For example, if you are teaching a cooking course, your curriculum may include lessons on how to properly chop vegetables one week, and how to make a pan sauce the next.

It’s a good idea to supplement each lesson with a collection of relevant resources, whether that is books, articles, YouTube videos, or your own additional content people can explore for further learning.

Assignments, activities and worksheets are useful tools to use to ensure students are engaging with what you’re teaching. Many successful courses use these after completion of a set of sub-topics, or at the end of the overall course.

5. Create your course content

Once you've done your research and planning, it's time to actually make your course. Many teachers split course content between written and video content, but you can also use things like podcasts or live webinars.

The beauty of online courses is that you don’t need any crazy equipment. You can write your content in Google Docs, use free screen recording software like Loom to record videos.

Paperform is a great, multi-puprose tool for educators. The interface is intuitive yet powerful, and can be used to make everything from one-page websites for presentations, quizzes, registration forms , to payment portals, to virtual escape rooms . Plus, with over 650+ unique and fully customisable templates to choose from, you can be sure you'll find something that works with your unique course.

6. Get your course online (and start making some cash)

Time to figure out what kind of online course you want to run. Will you go with a hybrid model? Hold weekly meetings on Zoom? Host your content on an online course platform like Teachable or Udemy, or build your own website?

There are plenty of tools to support your course online. Website builders like WordPress or Wix offer the features you’ll need, and many digital product solutions like Podia and Thinkific have started popping up recently as well.

You could also use Paperform for online course creation. Within the versatile platform you can manage your students, accept payments (including subscriptions ), send class summaries and results, as well as run assessments or interactive quizzes —all from the one place.

Want to hold one-on-one consultations? Just connect your calendar and invite students to book a slot. Need to share downloadable PDFs, grade students and connect with tools like Notion or Google Sheets? You can do all that and more with Paperform’s app ecosystem.

course registration form

110 profitable online course ideas to inspire you.

No online course ideas turn into gold overnight. Even the top-earning online course creators had to work their tails off for years before achieving their desired results. But, there are a lot of people that have found resounding success.

Why not you, too? We’ve curated a list of more than a hundred online course ideas to inspire you to find (or create) the course you want to teach.

We’ve split these into different niches and included real-life examples where possible for a bit of additional motivation.

Health & wellness courses

Health and wellness online courses have always been in high demand. However, as more people get interested in gym alternatives, there has been a surge in interest when it comes to health and wellness initiatives that can be done from the comfort of your own home.

While many personal trainers and wellness instructors offer face-to-face online classes, there has been a lag when it comes to online teaching. This leaves a gap for online course creators interested in topics like cooking, working out, or wellness coaching.

Before you start planning your health and wellness course, consider that many fitness-related courses require certification. For example, you may need to be a certified gym instructor or a yoga studio instructor to give certain advice.

Potential health and wellness course topic ideas:

• Kettlebell (or any weights) for beginners
• Performing CPR at home and in the workplace
• All-natural detox guide
• Introduction to HIIT training
• Wellness retreat for remote workers
• Preparing for your first marathon
• How to manage your mental health during COVID-19
• Taking care of a child with special needs
• Crystal healing for skeptics
• Life transformation with better sleeping patterns

A health and wellness course success story:

Elizabeth Rider’s journey to full-time online health coaching wasn’t linear. Her college degree in mathematics prepared her for a career in one of the big four accounting firms.

After a particularly bad bout with a chronic illness, she decided to shift full-time to blogging and teaching online courses. Since then, she has been an advocate for healthy living through her online lifestyle and diet courses, while making six digits annually.

Personal development courses

People are always looking for ways to develop themselves. They might wish to get through a traumatic life episode, acquire useful skills, or increase their confidence. In lieu of face-to-face sessions with trainers and counselors, online personal development courses give people the boost they’re after.

The level of expertise you need to become a personal development guru varies according to the topic—some courses require intensive training and certification from an accredited testing body, while others require little training.

Potential personal development course topic ideas:

• The seven habits of highly effective people
• Presentation skills for remote workers
• Coaching for managers
• How to increase productivity
• The basics of personal finance
• 10 easy ways to deal with stress
• Professional life coach certification
• How to balance personal and work time while working remotely
• Remote social skills

A personal development course success story:

Carrie-Anne Moss founded Annapurna Living to help people connect with themselves through meditation and mindfulness. By adding her own modern twist on age-old methods, Carrie Anne gathered a large audience of loyal subscribers.

As of 2021, her Fierce Grace webinars are closed for enrollment due to increased demand, but she still offers free courses on the Annapurna Living website.

Language courses

Learning a language has always been a popular form of extra-curricular learning. Whether folks want to learn to speak french for their trip to France, or brush up on the Spanish they did in high school, the demand for language courses is huge.

There are two pretty big competitors here: Duolingo and Rosetta Stone. Think about what your new course can bring that those two monoliths can’t—things like personalised lessons, and one on one chats are good places to start.

Potential language course topic ideas:

• Essential business writing skills
• Spoken english for ESL workers
• The differences between US and UK english
• Korean for K-Pop fans
• Hindi for beginners
• Speak basic French in ten days
• The basics of Mandarin for business
• Spanish for young people
• German for travelers
• Learn sign language

A language course success story:

Kieran Ball is a language teacher based in the UK who offers online courses in French, Spanish, German, Italian, and Portuguese. His courses range from 3-minute tutorials that aim to help beginners put together complete sentences in a short time to quick grammar guides for students who are seeking to learn languages faster. His courses are so effective that he has over 300,000 students on Udemy, with glowing reviews.

Photography courses

Photography has always been a popular hobby, but the increasing availability of digital cameras has spawned a whole new generation of photography enthusiasts. Many amateurs dream of becoming professional photographers , and are eager to sign up for online courses to improve their skills.

You’ll need to invest heavily in equipment if you want to provide an optimal learning experience to your students. You’ll also need to put together a strong online portfolio so potential students can see your prowess and techniques for themselves in real-life situations.

Potential photography course topic ideas:

• Food photography for Instagram
• How to take perfect landscape shots
• Sports photography basics
• Adobe Photoshop and Graphic Design
• Photography pricing for product shoots
• How to use your new DSLR
• Lighting 101: playing with light and shadows
• How to take beautiful portrait photos
• A guide to wedding photography
• Posing for photos, a guide for newbies

A photography course success story:

Corey Reese is a celebrity photographer who started a YouTube channel in 2011, gaining over 400,000 views. His online courses now have over 55,000 students.

Reese’s drawing power comes from his teaching style, which breaks the art of photo composition into bite-size pieces. He has also trained countless professional photographers who are now making a living out of photography.

Cooking courses

Everyone loves delicious food . Not everyone knows how to prepare and cook their own delicious food. This makes culinary schools and tutorials one of the most profitable online course ideas—as long as you can actually cook.

Share your skills with a course and show folks how to cook awesome food from scratch. Keep in mind that this is a niche that requires solid experience. Whether you're a home chef or a trained culinary expert, having unique skills and training that the average Joe does not will set you apart.

Not everyone can be Gordon Ramsay. In the age of TV shows like Masterchef and Bake Off, people are willing to learn from amateurs as long as you show you’ve got the skills. If you’re a professionally trained chef or have experience in small business, you can also give advice on how to start your own restaurant.

Potential cooking course topic ideas:

• Healthy meals that won't break the bank
• Vegan recipes
• Essential cooking skills for first-timers
• Baking for beginners
• Keto cooking made fun
• How to make soup: from squash soup to minestrone
• Basic Italian dishes for every home chef
• Online cake decorating for kids
• Essential cocktails for entertaining at home
• Going gluten-free: a guide

A cooking course success story:

Viorel Copolovici took the long route towards becoming a professional chef. He was a marketing executive for ten years before deciding to make cooking his vocation. After running a food blog and two restaurants, he finished culinary studies at Le Cordon Bleu, London. His videos are easy to understand and follow, even for newbies who have never held a knife.

Home decor and gardening courses

Home improvement has always been a popular topic. There’s a reason that Instagram is full of snazzy shots of people’s homes and furniture layouts—people love fiddling with their decor or optimising their space.

Out of all the niches listed in this post, we’d have to say home decor and gardening courses are the easiest to enter. Unless you’re teaching something like an advanced carpentry class, there’s no need to get any special certifications or equipment to get started.

Potential home decor and gardening course topic ideas:

• Plants at home: adding a touch of green to your living space
• Minimalist decor
• How to organise your home in small spaces
• Taking care of succulents
• Interior design for home offices
• Bedroom design for optimal sleep
• Low-maintenance gardening for busy people
• A step-by-step guide to growing your own herbs at home
• Introduction to aquatic plants
• All-natural weed control and pruning

A home decor and gardening course success story:

You might know Marie Kondo from her popular Netflix series, but before she started starring in the series, she was already known for her books and videos on tidying up. Her KonMari Method Fundamentals of Tidying course consists of 10 lessons, each focusing on a specific aspect of tidying and organizing.

Just like in the series, Marie Kondo's courses teach you a way of cleaning up that simply sparks joy.

Travel courses

Thanks largely to social media influencers, travel blogging is a particular popular topic. Who wouldn’t want to learn how to travel for a living? While you don’t need formal education to start an online course based around travel, you do need vast experience traveling*.*

Students will know right away if your Paris travel tips come from your own experience, or were  copied from a Lonely Planet guidebook. Like with any course, faking it won't benefit you or your students in the long run.

Potential travel course topic ideas:

• Travel writing 101
• How to get paid for traveling the world
• Hosting a successful Airbnb
• Travel hacks: getting around on a shoestring budget
• Cheap and safe solo travel for female tourists
• How to start a travel agency
• Camping for beginners
• How to become a digital nomad
• Family-friendly travel tips
• Working on a cruise ship

A travel course success story: Theresa Christine wears many hats—photographer, romance writer, and podcast host. But through her online travel courses on Skillshare, she was also able to build a following as a travel writing course creator.

Her popular course, Being a Travel Blogger (Even When You’re Not Traveling!) , has more than 5,000 students and is one of the best online courses on the subject.

Arts & craft courses

As we touched on earlier, online course topics don’t always have to be about serious things like marketing strategy and entrepreneurship. Sometimes people just want to learn cool new skills or improve their drawing.

To run a successful arts and craft course, you should have a certain creative talent and know your material back to front. It’s important to be able to explain complex processes and ideas in a way that’s easy for first-timers to understand. Channel your inner Bob Ross.

There’s also a real opportunity at the moment to teach artists about bringing their creations to a larger audience. There’s a shortage of courses around content curation, exhibits and art pricing, which are all important elements for budding creatives to understand.

Potential arts and crafts course topic ideas

• Sell your artwork online
• Make money out of NFTs
• The basics of drawing
• Essentials of graphic design
• Master Origami in two weeks
• Sewing skills
• Colour theory for non-artists
• Designing your brand
• How to make jewelry and sell it online

An arts and craft course success story:

Danielle Clough is a good example of online learning’s ability to educate people across the world. Aside from collaborating with performing artists under the stage name Fiance Knowles, she is also a visual artist who creates art through embroidery.

Her online course, Painting with Thread, has more than 10,000 students on SkillShare.

Digital marketing and sales courses

Digital marketing isn’t going anywhere. Whether folks want to switch careers or level-up their existing skills, marketing is always a popular course topic. Digital marketing covers such a wide umbrella of topics—from social media and SEO to blogging on WordPress—that the sky's the limit in terms of what you can cover.

Because digital marketing is such a wide-ranging industry with different applications, there is a massive demand for high-quality courses. Just be aware that there are lots of shady marketers out there looking to make some easy cash with an online course. Separate yourself by providing specific, valuable lessons from your education or unique experience.

Potential digital marketing and sales course topic ideas:

• Fundamentals of content marketing
• Affiliate marketing made easy
• SEO for Amazon
• How to increase your social media engagement
• Branding fundamentals for startups
• Boost leads with high-performing event landing pages
• The ultimate guide to email capture
• Sales management masterclass
• How to manage a remote sales team
• Introduction to business development
• Cold calling and email outreach

A digital marketing and sales course success story

Course content creator Justine Grey of Brilliant Affiliate helps thousands of aspiring affiliate marketers learn how to monetize their content and turn it into a true online business. She does it not by promising too much, rather by emphasizing that affiliate marketing is a long-term passive income channel with gradual results.

Mathematics and science courses

Science and mathematics are ways of understanding the world: observing, measuring, and predicting natural phenomena and applying them to human problems. These have always been popular avenues for learning, since Aristotle taught philosophy and science in Ancient Greece.

With many people becoming more conscious about the environment and humankind’s effect on it, the demand for online courses based around the sciences has grown even higher.

However, this makes it a very competitive market with a high barrier to entry—you’ll be competing with course creators from some of the world’s top universities.

Potential mathematics and sciences course topic ideas:

• A basic introduction to physics
• Sustainable water use in the home
• How to deal with vaccine hesitancy
• Ten ways to reduce your carbon footprint
• Maths hacks you wished you learned at school
• Psychology 101: how your brain works
• The science behind your favourite drinks
• Using food to combat disease
• Introduction to astronomy
• Science communication for parents

A mathematics and science course success story:

Leandro Caruso brings more than 10 years of experience building solar power installations in the U.S. and Australia to his online courses. As an environmental engineer, he is considered one of the top solar energy advocates in the world and has a successful course to match.

Programming and data science courses

Programming and data science are two niches going through a major growth phase. Businesses are either starting to go digital or strengthen their online presence, so they need programmers, developers, and data scientists to help them accomplish those goals.

To teach any sort of programming or web development courses, you have to have advanced knowledge of the tools you’ll teach. For example, a data science class will attract more students if the course creator has advanced statistical programming and analysis degrees. For more common tools such as C++ or Excel, you will need experience and knowledge of programming trends.

Potential programming and data science course topic ideas:

• Fundamentals of statistics
• Python for researchers
• Algorithms and data structures
• C++: the basics
• IT project management
• Full stack web development tools
• The applications of Blockchain
• Automate your processes and cut busywork
• Cybersecurity essentials

A programming and data science success story:

Rafeh Qazi, one of the biggest online course creators and the founder of Clever Programmer , has a community of over 100,000 students. Qazi posts free course content on platforms such as Udemy and paid courses on his website.

Over To You

Whether you’re looking for some extra money or want to transform one of these online course ideas into a full-time job, being a course creator is a viable online business strategy.

As the old proverb goes, “a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." So why not get started with Paperform today? From building a website to advertise your course, to engaging quizzes, to powerful payment pages and contact forms,

Paperform is a multi-use tool that has the integrations and analytics power to support your course creation needs, and look effortlessly gorgeous doing it. Give it a go yourself with the 14-day free trial —no CC required.

In this guide we show you how an employee development plan can help boost productivity, increase ret...

We'll walk you through how to sign a Word doc—and offer a much better alternative.

Learn how to boost productivity and automate processes with this essential guide to the 13 top workf...

In this guide, Rob Press from Deputy covers seven practical ways to boost productivity and build a b...

• Utility Menu

GA4 Tracking Code

fa51e2b1dc8cca8f7467da564e77b5ea

• Make a Gift
• Join Our Email List

Designing Your Course

Outside of an academic setting, if someone asked you to design a "course," you'd first need to ask them some questions: where should it start? where should it go? will it be used primarily by runners, cyclists, or skiers? That is, you'd need to imagine the course as something situated within a broader landscape, and designed to help a specific group of users reach a certain destination. Within the academic setting, we should be asking the same questions: what sorts of students will take this course? Where am I trying to take them? How will I get them there? How will I know whether they’ve arrived?

At the Bok Center we have developed a method of developing course materials which combines both the latest research into student learning and the accumulated wisdom that comes with our years of working with faculty from all across Harvard's curriculum. In what follows, we share our advice for designing a course that will maximize student learning.

• Learner-Centered Design

What are the essential features of a course? How can you translate the things that you, as the instructor, wish to teach into a syllabus that is transparent, engaging, and wholly focused on your students' learning?

• Putting Evidence at the Center

Can you really say that you have taught something if you can't show that your students have learned it? What kinds of evidence can you collect about your instruction, and what your students still need to learn?

• What Should Students Learn?

How should you set goals for your students? How can you draw upon the literature on teaching and learning, your disciplinary identity, your research interests, and your sense of what students need for the future to set the agenda for your teaching? 

• Start with the Capstone

How will students make sense of the full arc of your course? Are your goals and students' experiences aligned? How can starting the design process with your final assignment(s) help you to bring your goals into greater focus, and guarantee that they permeate the rest of the semester?

How to Write an Effective Assignment Prompt

Are your students' assignments giving you good evidence about what they are (or are not) learning—and, for that matter, about how effectively you are teaching? How can you draft assignment prompts that stand the best chance of eliciting the evidence and feedback that you seek?

• Scaffolding: Using Frequency and Sequencing Intentionally

How can escape from the tyranny of the academic calendar, and create the most sensible sequence of assignments that prepare students to undertake their capstone projects or final exams? Will they learn the skills necessary to succeed sequentially, or practice them all repeatedly? When, and how often, should your students receive feedback on their progress?

Grading and Responding to Student Work

What kind of feedback is most helpful to students as they progress towards mastery of your course material? How can you use rubrics effectively to norm the grading across your teaching staff? If you think a creative assignment is the best way for your students to demonstrate their learning, how can you make sure they are the occasion for substantive feedback? How can you grade them fairly?

• Syllabus Design

How do you transform the assignments and curated content you've chosen into a document that is transparent, engaging, and useful to your students? What is the best way to make sure that your priorities and expectations come through on the page? Can your syllabus layout motivate students?

• Catalogue Materials

Are your course catalogue materials—namely, the title of your course and brief course description which students see through the my.harvard portal —mere "advertising"? Or do they present an opportunity to engage students in the intellectual project of your course before the semester has even begun? How can you write a catalogue description that accurately reflects what students will experience in your classroom?

• How to Write an Effective Assignment
• Curating Content: The Virtue of Modules
• Making a Course Presentation Video
• Teaching Teams
• In the Classroom
• Getting Feedback
• Equitable & Inclusive Teaching
• Artificial Intelligence
• Advising and Mentoring
• Teaching and Your Career
• Teaching Remotely
• Tools and Platforms
• The Science of Learning
• Bok Publications
• Other Resources Around Campus

Create Your Course

130+ online course ideas & examples (plus tips on how to get started), share this article.

Online learning offers unparalleled growth and skill acquisition opportunities, making it a prime choice for those eager to advance personally and professionally. 

This article aims to inspire learners and creators by presenting course examples from a variety of fields, like marketing, design, technology, and more. From mastering digital marketing to unlocking the secrets of AI, we showcase courses that inspire and provide actionable insights for creating your own. 

Join us as we explore the diverse world of online course ideas , providing you with 130+ examples and ideas that showcase the best of what digital learning has to offer. Let’s get started on this educational journey together, where knowledge is just a click away.

Skip ahead:

Finding your profitable course topic

Online career growth and leadership course ideas, online business and marketing course ideas, online design and creativity course ideas, online personal development and lifestyle course ideas, online personal finance and money course ideas, online relationship course ideas, online music course ideas, online science course ideas, online sports & fitness course ideas, online cooking course ideas, online parenting course ideas, online religion & spirituality course ideas, online lifestyle course ideas, online technology and innovation course ideas, online academic and tutoring course ideas, other online course ideas, unlocking the power of course creation on thinkific, unleashing potential: the power of online courses.

Discovering the best online course topic isn’t just about teaching what you know—it’s about filling a need and solving real-world problems for your audience. Here’s a strategic approach to uncovering topics that can transform your expertise into a successful online course:

Identify challenges and questions

Start by reflecting on your own experiences. What obstacles have you overcome? What insights have you gained? Then, listen to your audience. What questions do they frequently ask? These inquiries and your answers highlight areas where you can provide valuable knowledge and solutions.

Conduct thorough market research

Use tools like Google Trends to gauge interest levels in various subjects. Explore forums and social media groups related to your expertise. Pay attention to the questions people ask and the problems they discuss. Are there recurring themes or frustrations with existing courses? This research can reveal untapped niches or areas where current courses fall short, offering you a clear path to make an impact.

Analyze and refine your approach

Take a close look at what’s already out there. Can you bring a new perspective to the topic? Maybe there’s outdated content that you can refresh with the latest information or trends. Consider how you can elevate the e-learning experience—perhaps through more engaging content, interactive elements, or offering personalized support and feedback. Highlighting what makes your course different sets it apart and makes it more appealing to potential learners.

Solve a specific problem

People are drawn to courses that promise and deliver solutions to their specific challenges. Define the problem your course solves in clear, direct terms. Then, outline how your course provides the solution. This approach makes your course more attractive and more actionable for your students.

Offer actionable insights and tools

Your course should empower students with practical knowledge they can apply immediately. Include actionable tips, step-by-step guides, and resources for students to implement what they’ve learned. This enhances the value of your course and boosts student satisfaction and success.

Career and leadership development courses need to resonate with the unique aspirations and challenges of your audience:

• Breaking the glass ceiling: Career advancement for women: Empower women with the tools to overcome barriers in the workplace, including negotiation tactics, strategies for increasing visibility, and overcoming gender bias, complemented by actionable advice and inspiring case studies.
• Mastering the modern job interview: Equip job seekers with the skills to excel in today’s competitive job market, from acing virtual interviews to showcasing their unique value proposition clearly and confidently.
• Effective networking strategies: Unveil the art of building and nurturing professional relationships that can open doors to opportunities, focusing on leveraging both online platforms and in-person connections.
• Leadership essentials for new managers: Transition smoothly from team member to team leader, covering effective communication, team motivation, delegation, and conflict resolution.
• Personal branding for career success: Teach professionals how to craft and communicate their personal brand online and offline to stand out in their industry, attract career opportunities, and establish themselves as thought leaders.
• Time management for productivity: Offer strategies for managing time effectively, setting priorities, and achieving work-life balance, enabling professionals to maximize productivity without burnout.
• Navigating career transitions: Guide individuals looking to make a career change, whether shifting industries, returning to the workforce, or starting a new role, with practical steps for a successful transition.

The world of online business courses can be overwhelmingly large, but focusing on entrepreneurship, marketing, and critical business skills can yield significant benefits for your students. Here are some helpful courses:

• Digital marketing fundamentals: Launch learners into digital marketing with this course. Cover the basics of SEO, content marketing, social media strategies, and analytics. Real-world case studies and hands-on projects can equip students with the skills to craft compelling digital marketing campaigns.
• Social media marketing and management mastery: This course can teach students how to effectively manage and grow social media platforms for businesses. From crafting engaging content to analyzing social media metrics, learners can gain insights into building a strong online presence.
• Content writing essentials: Guide your students through the art of creating compelling, valuable content that resonates with audiences and drives engagement. Include techniques for SEO optimization, crafting headlines, and content strategy planning.
• SEO optimization techniques: Dive deep into the tactics that make websites rank higher in search engine results. This course can cover keyword research, on-page SEO, link building, and the latest algorithms used by major search engines.
• Email marketing strategies: Show learners how to create email campaigns that convert. Topics could include list building, segmenting audiences, designing emails, and measuring success through analytics.
• Personal branding bootcamp: Equip students with the tools to build and manage their personal brand online. Cover aspects like defining one’s unique value proposition, leveraging social media, and networking strategies.
• Public speaking confidence: Help students overcome the fear of public speaking and develop the confidence to present persuasively in front of any audience. Techniques for effective speech writing, delivery, and handling audience questions could be included.
• Leadership and management skills: Teach the principles of effective leadership and management, including how to inspire teams, manage conflict, and lead projects to success. Interactive simulations and leadership challenges can provide practical experience.
• Entrepreneurship fundamentals: Dive into the nuts and bolts of starting a business, from ideation and market research to creating a business plan. Interviews with successful entrepreneurs can offer students real-world insights.
• Introduction to e-commerce: Show learners how to launch and grow an ecommerce business, covering choosing the right platform, e-commerce SEO, and mastering customer service online. Real-life success stories can significantly enhance learning.
• Financial literacy and money management: Provide students with the knowledge to manage finances effectively, covering budgeting, investing, and financial planning for both personal and business contexts.
• Introduction to public relations: Teach the basics of crafting and maintaining a positive public image for businesses, including press release writing, media relations, and crisis communication.
• Event planning and management: Guide students through the process of organizing successful events, from conception to execution, including budgeting, venue selection, and marketing.
• Introduction to freelancing: Offer insights into starting a freelance business, covering finding clients, setting rates, managing projects, and building a portfolio.

Thinkific online course example

Entrepreneurs on Fire , led by John Lee Dumas and Kate Erickson, has harnessed Thinkific to support entrepreneurs through their journey with courses like Podcasters’ Paradise, hosting a vibrant community of 3,000 students. Their strategic use of Thinkific’s features, from welcome videos to progress check-ins, has enhanced student engagement and provided valuable feedback for course improvement. Offering free courses like Your Big Idea has generated thousands of leads and bolstered their monthly revenue, demonstrating the power of online courses in growing their business and fostering a community of inspired entrepreneurs.

Unleash your inner artist with courses designed to spark creativity and enhance your aesthetic skills. Here’s a snapshot of courses tailored for the imaginative mind:

• Introduction to graphic design: Start with the basics of design principles, color theory, typography, and layout. This course is perfect for beginners aiming to understand the foundational elements that make designs stand out.
• Photography basics for beginners: Capture the world through your lens. Learn about camera settings, composition, lighting, and post-processing. Ideal for those looking to elevate their photography from snapshots to art.
• Video editing for beginners: Dive into the techniques of cutting, transitioning, and adding effects to create compelling videos. This course introduces popular editing software and storytelling principles.
• Music production basics: Explore the building blocks of music production, including beat-making, mixing, and mastering. Get hands-on experience with digital audio workstations to start producing your own tracks.
• Digital illustration techniques: This course reveals the methods behind creating digital art using tablets and software. It covers everything from basic sketches to fully rendered illustrations.
• Fashion styling and personal image: Explore the world of fashion styling, learning how to create looks that enhance personal image, understand body types, and keep up with current trends.
• Interior design essentials: Transform spaces into aesthetic and functional environments. Learn about color schemes, furniture placement, and bringing a design concept to life.
• Creative writing workshop: This workshop will unleash your imagination and refine your writing skills. It will cover storytelling techniques, character development, and crafting compelling narratives.

Dive into a world of self-improvement and well-being with courses designed to enhance your lifestyle, health, and personal productivity. Whether you’re looking to teach how to master time management, explore mindfulness, or learn a new language , there’s a course for every aspect of personal growth:

• Time management and productivity hacks: This course teaches you to prioritize, organize, and execute your daily tasks more efficiently. It offers strategies to conquer procrastination and maximize productivity, making every moment count.
• Mindfulness meditation practices: Discover the art of mindfulness and meditation to reduce stress, improve concentration, and enhance overall well-being. Suitable for beginners and seasoned practitioners alike.
• Yoga and wellness coaching: Combine the physical benefits of yoga with wellness coaching to achieve a balanced lifestyle. This course covers yoga poses, breathing techniques, and personal wellness plans.
• Healthy cooking and nutrition: Explore nutritious recipes and cooking techniques that promote a healthy lifestyle. Learn about meal planning, balanced diets, and making healthy eating a delicious habit.
• Language learning crash course: Jumpstart your journey to learning a new language with practical tips, essential phrases, and cultural insights. Ideal for travelers or anyone looking to expand their linguistic skills.
• Travel photography tips: Capture the beauty of your travels with professional photography tips. Learn about composition, lighting, and post-processing to bring your travel memories to life.
• DIY home improvement projects: Tackle home projects with confidence. This course guides you through basic repairs, renovations, and decorating techniques to transform your living space.
• Gardening for beginners: Cultivate your green thumb with tips on starting a garden, choosing plants, and maintaining your outdoor oasis.
• Self-defense and martial arts: Empower yourself with self-defense techniques and martial arts fundamentals for safety and fitness.
• Healthy living and stress management: Learn strategies to live a healthier lifestyle while effectively managing stress for a happier, more balanced life.
• Parenting tips and strategies: Navigate parenting challenges with practical advice, from managing tantrums to fostering positive development.
• Pet care and training: Ensure the well-being of your furry friends with guidance on care, nutrition, and behavior training.
• Introduction to sustainable living: Embrace a more eco-friendly lifestyle with tips on reducing waste, conserving energy, and making sustainable choices.
• Nature photography techniques: Master the art of capturing nature’s beauty with techniques suited for outdoor photography enthusiasts.
• Culinary arts and gastronomy: Learn all about culinary arts, focusing on technique, flavor, and global cuisines for aspiring chefs and food lovers.
• Holistic health and wellness: Explore a comprehensive approach to health that integrates physical, mental, and spiritual well-being.
• Mindfulness-based stress reduction: Adopt mindfulness practices, such as guided meditations and mindful living strategies, to reduce stress and improve your quality of life.
• Mastering public speaking: This course boosts confidence and public speaking skills with strategies for managing anxiety, crafting speeches, and engaging audiences, complemented by video practice assignments.
• Productivity hacks for the modern professional: Improve time management and productivity through proven strategies, digital tools, and insights from highly productive individuals.
• Building self-esteem for a fulfilling life: Address the roots of low self-esteem with exercises and strategies for positive self-perception, fostering a healthier, happier life.
• Goal setting for success: Outline effective goal-setting techniques, from vision to execution, overcoming setbacks, and tracking progress towards personal and professional milestones.
• Mindfulness for everyday living: Introduce practices to incorporate mindfulness into daily life, reducing stress and enhancing well-being through guided exercises and lifestyle adjustments.

Empowering individuals through financial education can lead to significant personal growth and stability:

• Real estate investing 101: This course unpacks the basics of real estate, touching on market analysis, choosing properties, and understanding financing. Real-life success stories illuminate the path to investment success.
• Mastering personal finance: From budgeting to saving, investing, and managing debt, this course provides the tools for financial stability. Features interactive budget planners and investment simulators for hands-on learning.
• The side hustle success plan: Explore identifying and managing side hustles, integrating them with full-time work. Success stories inspire and guide learners through the process.
• Cryptocurrency investing for beginners: Simplify cryptocurrency, covering essentials from blockchain basics to strategic investing, aimed at safe and informed participation in the crypto market.
• Navigating the stock market: A beginner’s guide to the stock market, highlighting how to read trends, manage investments, and assess risks, fostering informed and strategic investment decisions.

Improving relationships through targeted courses can offer profound benefits to your students’ personal lives:

• The art of modern dating: Tackle modern dating’s complexities, from navigating online platforms to effective communication and setting boundaries for safe, meaningful connections.
• Family harmony: Improving relationships at home: Offer techniques for better communication, conflict resolution, and strengthening family ties, with practical activities for family members to engage in together.
• Understanding attachment styles in relationships: Dive into how different attachment styles affect relationships, providing strategies for fostering secure connections, enhanced by real-life examples and expert insights.
• Effective communication in partnerships: Focus on enhancing communication between partners, covering active listening, empathy, and resolving disagreements constructively.
• Navigating parenthood together: Guide new or expecting parents through relationship challenges that present during parenting, emphasizing shared responsibilities and maintaining a strong partnership.

Online language course ideas

With globalization and the accessibility of international travel, language learning has never been more in demand:

• Conversational Spanish for travelers: Equip travelers with practical Spanish for navigating common travel situations, emphasizing useful phrases and cultural tips.
• Mandarin Chinese for business: Tailor content for professionals dealing with Chinese markets, focusing on business communication, cultural norms, and essential vocabulary.
• Rare languages rediscovered: Revive interest in lesser-known languages, offering cultural and historical context alongside language lessons, promoting cultural heritage preservation.
• French for culinary arts: Connect culinary professionals and enthusiasts with French cuisine through language, covering key culinary terms and phrases, menu reading, and ordering in French.
• English for healthcare professionals: Support non-native English-speaking healthcare workers with medical terminology, patient interactions, and professional communication within English-speaking healthcare environments.

Music courses can attract a broad audience, from beginners who want to learn a new hobby to professionals seeking to refine their craft:

• Guitar fundamentals: A beginner-friendly course focusing on chords, strumming, and simple songs, enriched with interactive play-along tracks for immersive learning.
• Vocal training for all levels: Techniques to enhance vocal range and performance, including anatomy, breathing exercises, and practice routines suitable for every singer.
• Advanced piano techniques: Dive into complex compositions, improvisation, and performance skills for those ready to elevate their piano playing.
• Drumming from scratch: Introduce learners to the basics of drumming, covering rhythm patterns, kit setup, and practice drills to kickstart their percussion journey.
• Music theory made easy: Decode the language of music, offering a foundational understanding of music theory, notation, and composition principles.
• Ukulele in a month: A fast-paced course designed to get beginners strumming, playing chords, and performing full songs on the ukulele in just four weeks.
• Electronic music production: Cover the basics of creating electronic music, from beat making and sampling to mixing and mastering using digital audio workstations.

James Testani, the founder of Good Guitarist , has transformed traditional guitar teaching into a global online school using Thinkific. His transition from one-on-one lessons to creating a comprehensive online learning experience allows students worldwide to discover guitar playing’s joy. From beginner to advanced levels, Good Guitarist offers structured courses, play-along songs, and lessons tailored to different skill sets, all made possible by Thinkific’s user-friendly platform. This hassle-free approach enables James to focus on delivering quality content, from strumming patterns to soloing techniques, ensuring students progress confidently at their own pace.

Science courses offer endless opportunities for engaging content that appeals to students and hobbyists alike:

• Fun with physics: Explore physics through engaging experiments and everyday applications, making complex concepts accessible and enjoyable.
• Mathematics uncovered: Strengthen math skills from algebra to calculus, emphasizing practical problem-solving and real-world applications.
• Exploring the universe: An introduction to astronomy: Engage space enthusiasts with lessons on celestial phenomena, space missions, and stargazing techniques.
• Biology basics: Dive into the building blocks of life, covering cell biology, genetics, and ecosystems through interactive content and virtual labs.
• Chemistry in the kitchen: Merge science with everyday life by examining the chemical processes in cooking, making chemistry relatable and fun.
• Environmental science for a sustainable future: Address global environmental challenges, sustainability practices, and the impact of human activity on the planet.
• Robotics for beginners: Introduce the fundamentals of robotics, including design, programming, and real-world applications of robotic technology.

New Scientist used Thinkific Plus to launch the New Scientist Academy, expanding its repertoire into online education alongside its established science and technology content. The platform’s simplicity and scalability enabled a quick launch, enriching their mission to disseminate scientific knowledge. Leveraging Thinkific Plus’s customization options, New Scientist integrated its distinct branding into the course design, offering an immersive learning experience. With dedicated support from Thinkific, New Scientist Academy was successfully launched within just over three months, marking a significant milestone in its journey towards diversifying revenue through online learning.

The desire for physical well-being continues to drive interest in sports and fitness courses, catering to beginners and seasoned athletes alike:

• Yoga for every body: Tailor yoga practice to diverse needs, promoting physical health and mental well-being with adaptable poses and mindfulness techniques.
• High-intensity interval training (HIIT) at home: Maximize fitness gains with minimal equipment, focusing on short, intense workouts suitable for busy lifestyles.
• Mastering the marathon: Comprehensive training advice for marathon runners, covering everything from beginner tips to advanced strategies.
• Strength training essentials: Guide learners through building muscle, improving endurance, and proper weightlifting techniques for all fitness levels.
• Zumba fitness party: Combine fun and fitness with a course on Zumba, teaching choreographed dances to energetic music for an invigorating workout.
• Pilates for posture and flexibility: Focus on core strength, flexibility, and improving posture through Pilates exercises, suitable for all fitness levels.
• Sports nutrition: Offer insights into optimizing nutrition for athletic performance, covering meal planning, hydration strategies, and supplements.

Jason Yee , leveraging his expertise as a former professional hockey player and kinesiologist, utilizes Thinkific to revolutionize how hockey players enhance their skills. Through his online coaching programs like Downhill Skating System and Train 2.0, Jason offers detailed analyses of NHL techniques and personal support, transforming players’ on-ice potential globally. Moving from WordPress to Thinkific, Jason found a seamless way to share training content, including video reviews and community feedback, significantly improving the learning experience for his clients. His pathway from free courses to paid memberships on Thinkific streamlines the learning process and effectively builds his client base.

Whether for budding chefs or home cooking enthusiasts, these courses blend culinary skill development with cultural exploration:

• The art of baking bread: Dive into artisanal bread making, from sourdough to international varieties, with a focus on techniques and the science of baking.
• Culinary techniques from around the world: Journey through global cuisines, teaching authentic recipes and culinary traditions from Italian to Japanese cooking.
• Plant-based cooking for health: Address the demand for vegan and vegetarian diets with delicious, nutritious plant-based recipes and meal planning strategies.
• Quick and healthy weeknight meals: Simplify mealtime with quick, nutritious recipes perfect for busy weeknights, including meal prep tips and kitchen hacks.
• Mastering the grill: From meat to vegetables, teach the secrets of grilling, covering techniques, marinades, and recipes for the perfect barbecue.
• Decadent desserts: Introduce learners to the art of dessert making, from classic pastries to contemporary sweet treats, focusing on techniques and presentation.
• Fermentation at home: Explore the world of fermented foods, teaching the benefits and methods of fermenting everything from sourdough bread to kombucha.

Parenting is a journey that’s both rewarding and challenging. Equip yourself with strategies and insights to navigate this journey with courses designed for today’s caregivers:

• Gentle sleep training methods: Learn techniques for fostering healthy sleep patterns in babies and toddlers, focusing on routines, sleep environments, and common sleep challenges.
• Navigating potty training: A comprehensive guide to potty training, from recognizing signs of readiness to implementing effective training methods and staying positive through setbacks.
• Mindful parenting: Integrate mindfulness into your parenting to improve communication, reduce stress, and deepen connections with your children.
• Positive discipline strategies: Discover ways to guide behavior with empathy and respect, fostering self-discipline, responsibility, and problem-solving skills.
• Raising digital natives: Equip parents with strategies to safely guide their children through the digital world, addressing screen time, online safety, and digital literacy.
• Parenting through transitions: Offer support for managing life’s big changes, from welcoming a new sibling to moving homes or navigating parental separation.
• Special needs parenting: Provide insights and resources for parents of children with special needs, covering advocacy, support networks, and fostering independence.

For those seeking inner peace and understanding, courses on religion and spirituality can provide meaningful insights and practices:

• Introduction to meditation: Master various meditation techniques for enhancing focus, reducing stress, and cultivating self-awareness, suitable for all experience levels.
• Exploring world religions: Gain an understanding of the world’s major religions, exploring their core beliefs, practices, and cultural impacts to foster greater empathy and understanding.
• The journey to self-discovery: Merge spirituality with personal growth to explore your beliefs, values, and life purpose, facilitated by reflective and mindfulness practices.
• Practicing mindfulness in daily life: Learn to integrate mindfulness into everyday activities to improve mental clarity, emotional balance, and overall well-being.
• The power of gratitude: Discover the transformative effects of cultivating gratitude, including exercises and practices to make gratitude a daily habit.
• Spiritual journaling for healing: Use journaling as a tool for spiritual exploration, healing, and expressing creativity, with prompts and practices for regular writing.
• Chakras and energy work: Explore the chakra system and energy healing practices to balance and harmonize your physical and spiritual self.

Lifestyle courses offer practical advice and skills for enhancing everyday life in various domains:

• The ultimate guide to pet care: Everything you need to know about selecting, caring for, and training your pets, ensuring their health and happiness.
• Urban gardening 101: Transform limited spaces into lush gardens, learning about container gardening, hydroponics, and urban composting.
• Mastering remote work: Maximize productivity and work-life balance while working remotely, including tips for creating effective routines and workspaces.
• Sustainable living made simple: Practical steps for reducing waste, conserving energy, and living a more eco-friendly lifestyle.
• Fitness and nutrition for busy people: Find ways to incorporate fitness and healthy eating into a hectic schedule, focusing on quick workouts and simple meal planning.
• DIY home décor and organization: Create a beautiful, organized home on a budget, with projects ranging from simple decluttering to full room makeovers.
• Travel hacking basics: Learn the art of travel hacking to save money, earn rewards, and travel smarter on a budget.

Stay ahead of the curve with courses on the latest in technology and innovation, designed to demystify complex topics and open up new realms of possibility:

• Introduction to UX/UI design: Master the fundamentals of user experience and user interface design to create intuitive and attractive digital products.
• Introduction to machine learning: Explore the basics of machine learning, from algorithms to real-world applications, and how it’s shaping the future.
• Introduction to virtual reality: Dive into the world of VR, learning about its development, applications, and how to create immersive experiences.
• Introduction to augmented reality: Discover how AR technology blends the digital and physical worlds and its potential in various industries.
• Introduction to robotics: Understand the principles behind robotics, including design, programming, and real-world applications.
• Introduction to quantum computing: Get to grips with the concepts of quantum computing and its implications for solving complex problems.
• Introduction to cybersecurity essentials: Equip yourself with knowledge to protect against cyber threats, covering encryption, ethical hacking, and digital security.
• Introduction to data science: Dive into data science, learning about data analysis, visualization, and how to extract meaningful insights from big data.

Supporting students’ academic achievements and tackling challenging subjects can be both rewarding and impactful. Here are courses designed to meet learners where they are in their educational journey:

• SAT/ACT prep success: Equip students with the tools and knowledge for test-taking success, including strategies, comprehensive review materials, and practice tests.
• STEM made easy: Simplify complex science, technology, engineering, and math concepts with engaging tutorials and interactive sessions for middle and high school students.
• College essay writing workshop: Walk students through the process of crafting standout college application essays, from brainstorming to final edits.
• Understanding literature: Dive into classic and contemporary works of literature, analyzing themes, characters, and historical context, to foster a deeper appreciation and critical thinking skills.
• Advanced placement exam mastery: Offer intensive review sessions and strategies for tackling AP exams across various subjects, aiming to help students achieve high scores.
• Language arts fundamentals: Strengthen students’ grasp of grammar, vocabulary, and writing skills, laying a solid foundation for effective communication and academic success.
• Homework help and study skills: Provide strategies for efficient studying, time management, and tackling homework, tailored to individual learning styles and needs.

Schudio has harnessed Thinkific Plus to empower UK schools and educators, providing them with a powerful online platform for learning and communication. With SchudioTV and The Ability Bridge, they offer on-demand, specialized training for engaging with school communities and supporting students with Autism and special educational needs. Thinkific Plus was chosen for its flexibility, easy integration, and ability to create customized learning experiences across multiple sites. This approach has transformed how Schudio’s clients—over 500 schools—access training and resources, making education more inclusive and accessible.

Broadening the scope of online learning to include niche and unconventional topics opens up new avenues for exploration and skill acquisition:

• Efficient trip planning for adventure seekers: Guide travelers through the nuances of planning memorable trips, including budgeting, choosing destinations, and safety considerations.
• Project management for non-project managers: Demystify project management principles and tools for professionals stepping into project management roles without formal training.
• Digital detox: Reclaiming focus in a distracted world: Offer strategies for reducing screen time, managing digital distractions, and improving digital well-being.
• Creative writing for self-expression: Encourage students to explore their creativity through writing, covering fiction, poetry, and non-fiction, with prompts and feedback to hone their craft.
• Fundamentals of personal branding online: Teach individuals how to build and maintain a strong personal brand on digital platforms, crucial for career advancement and online presence.
• Introduction to home brewing: Learn all about the art and science of brewing beer at home, covering ingredients, equipment, and the brewing process for beginners.
• Survival skills for the great outdoors: Equip adventurers with essential survival skills, including navigation, shelter building, and emergency preparedness, for confidence in the wilderness.

Creating your own online course can seem daunting, but with Thinkific, it’s a journey filled with discovery and success. Whether you’re looking to share your expertise in business, design, technology, or personal development, Thinkific provides an intuitive platform to bring your educational vision to life. 

Here’s a brief guide on how to start:

• Define your course goals: Outline what you want your students to learn. Setting clear objectives guides your content creation and helps you measure success.
• Structure your content: Organize your course into modules and lessons that logically progress toward achieving the course goals. Thinkific’s flexible structure allows for a variety of content types, including videos, quizzes, and downloadable resources.
• Engage with multimedia: With Thinkific, you can enrich your courses with multimedia elements to cater to different learning styles. From HD videos to interactive assignments, make learning dynamic and engaging.
• Leverage Thinkific features: Use Thinkific’s comprehensive set of tools to enhance the learning experience. Features like quizzes, discussion forums, and certificates of completion can significantly boost student engagement and satisfaction.
• Market your course: Thinkific offers built-in marketing tools to help you promote your course. Use coupons, email marketing, and affiliate programs to reach your target audience and drive enrollments.

Benefits of course creation on Thinkific

Course creators have harnessed Thinkific to reach thousands of students worldwide. By focusing on quality course content and leveraging Thinkific’s online course platform, they’ve seen remarkable benefits:

• Increased engagement: Interactive content and community features on Thinkific lead to higher student engagement and completion rates.
• Revenue growth: Premium pricing strategies and effective marketing tools on Thinkific enable course creators to significantly boost their earnings.
• Scalability: With Thinkific’s scalable solutions, educators can grow their audience without compromising the quality of education.
• Brand building: Thinkific’s customization options allow for a branded learning experience, helping educators establish their online presence.

Thinkific success stories

BankersHub® has leveraged Thinkific Plus to redefine financial services training, offering an all-access 12-month Passport membership that supports global financial institutions with the latest industry insights and trends. By choosing Thinkific Plus for its simplicity and scalability, BankersHub® successfully transitioned to online education, enhancing customer autonomy and engagement. Their platform, BankersCollegeTM, simplifies B2B selling and improves customer service through Thinkific Plus’s advanced features, demonstrating a commitment to staying at the forefront of financial education technology.

IntelyCare responded to the urgent educational needs during the COVID-19 pandemic by launching a free online certification course for nurses on Thinkific Plus. Reaching over 500,000 students across 30+ countries, the course’s success was amplified by social media sharing and the platform’s ability to support a large-scale rollout quickly. IntelyCare’s initiative showcases how Thinkific Plus facilitates rapid, impactful educational responses to global challenges, leveraging the platform’s robust integration capabilities and dedicated support.

Ellie Diop transformed her career setback into an opportunity by creating engaging, interactive online business courses with Thinkific Plus. Focusing on a branded and modular student experience, Ellie Talks Money Academy offers in-depth training with built-in accountability, resulting in higher completion rates and tangible outcomes for students. Her transition to Thinkific Plus enabled a more polished and effective delivery of content, emphasizing the platform’s ability to enhance the educator’s brand and student success.

Alacrity Canada

Alacrity Canada expanded its educational impact by opening its Digital Marketing Bootcamp to the public through Thinkific Plus, adapting to virtual delivery during the COVID-19 pandemic. Supporting over 6,000 students with diverse content types and interactive learning, Alacrity Academy illustrates Thinkific Plus’s flexibility and ease of use for delivering comprehensive digital marketing training. The platform’s capability to accommodate a wide range of educational materials has made it an ideal solution for Alacrity’s mission to support Canadian entrepreneurs in today’s digital landscape.

SuperHuman Academy

Jonathan Levi’s SuperHuman Academy on Thinkific exemplifies how premium online courses can elevate learning and memory skills for students worldwide. Since 2016, Jonathan has attracted over 120,000 learners to his 12 courses, focusing on productivity, lifestyle design, and personal finance. Leveraging Thinkific’s customizable platform, he’s enhanced course delivery with high-quality videos, interactive assignments, and branded content, setting his courses at a premium price to match their value. This strategic approach improved educational outcomes and allowed for creative marketing strategies, further expanding his reach.

The National Institute for Crime Prevention (NICP) quickly adapted to the challenges posed by COVID-19 by transitioning 64 hours of in-person Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) training to Thinkific Plus. This quick pivot, achieved in just over a month, expanded NICP’s global reach, maintaining its mission to educate law enforcement, architects, and city planners. With Thinkific Plus’s dedicated support and flexible platform, NICP seamlessly converted their expert onsite training into accessible online content, ensuring continuous learning amid global disruptions.

Latrina Walden

Latrina Walden Exam Solutions on Thinkific is a testament to the power of personalized and effective online education in the medical field. Since 2019, nearly 5,000 students have succeeded in their board exams thanks to Latrina’s engaging and comprehensive courses. With a focus on exceptional student experiences and a rapidly growing course library, Latrina leverages Thinkific’s user-friendly platform and supportive community to achieve remarkable growth, transitioning her passion for clinical education into a thriving online business that continues to expand its reach and impact.

Wallbreakers

Wallbreakers leverages Thinkific Plus to bridge the gap between recent computer science graduates and top tech companies looking for specific development skills. By offering specialized online certification courses, Wallbreakers prepares candidates to excel in the tech industry and ensures diversity in tech talent. The platform’s features, like reminder emails and analytics, have been instrumental in scaling their training programs, making it a strategic solution for both job seekers and employers aiming for excellence and inclusivity in the tech field.

Epoch Education

Epoch Education , a leader in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) training, utilizes Thinkific Plus to extend its impactful DEI courses to a broader audience. Transitioning seamlessly to online education in response to COVID-19, they’ve enhanced their training delivery through engaging multimedia lessons, personalized content, and quizzes. With Thinkific Plus, Epoch Education has significantly widened its reach, offering over 50 in-depth courses that facilitate meaningful conversations and foster inclusivity in educational and corporate environments.

Online learning isn’t just about accessing information but unlocking potential. Through platforms like Thinkific, educators are empowered to share their unique insights and skills, while learners gain the flexibility to grow personally and professionally on their own terms. This article has journeyed through various online courses, from the foundational to the innovative, each designed to inspire and foster success.

Thinkific successes like Entrepreneurs on Fire and SuperHuman Academy illustrate the transformative impact of well-crafted courses. They demonstrate that online education can achieve remarkable outcomes with the right tools, a commitment to quality, and a focus on student success. Whether it’s enhancing career prospects, exploring new hobbies, or advancing technical skills, the potential is limitless.

If you’re contemplating sharing your expertise or advancing your knowledge, there’s never been a better time. Embrace the journey, harness the tools available, and see where this vast and vibrant world of online learning can take you. Learn more about creating online courses with our helpful guide, How to Make Online Learning Accessible: a Guide for Course Creators .

Stephanie is a content marketing expert with a passion for connecting the dots of strategy and content. She has worked with industry leaders including HubSpot, Oracle, Travel + Leisure, and Forbes.

• 13 Best Marketplaces to Sell Digital Products
• How To Craft Magnetic & Compelling Learning Outcomes
• Essential Questions To Ask In Your Training Evaluation Survey
• Best Equipment & Software For Creating Online Courses
• How to Create a Compelling Sales Page for Your Online Course

Related Articles

These are the best platforms for online course hosting.

Looking for the best way to host an online course? Explore the top platforms for hosting online courses and discover the best one for you.

How To Design An Effective Learning Path

Everything you need to know about designing a learning path - including examples and best practices for creating structured learning journeys that work.

Teaching History Online: A Comprehensive Guide

Are you a history teacher or enthusiast? Interested in monetizing your passion? Use our guide to learn how to teach history online.

Try Thinkific for yourself!

Accomplish your course creation and student success goals faster with thinkific..

Download this guide and start building your online program!

It is on its way to your inbox

We use essential cookies to make Venngage work. By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.

Manage Cookies

Cookies and similar technologies collect certain information about how you’re using our website. Some of them are essential, and without them you wouldn’t be able to use Venngage. But others are optional, and you get to choose whether we use them or not.

Strictly Necessary Cookies

These cookies are always on, as they’re essential for making Venngage work, and making it safe. Without these cookies, services you’ve asked for can’t be provided.

Show cookie providers

• Google Login

Functionality Cookies

These cookies help us provide enhanced functionality and personalisation, and remember your settings. They may be set by us or by third party providers.

Performance Cookies

These cookies help us analyze how many people are using Venngage, where they come from and how they're using it. If you opt out of these cookies, we can’t get feedback to make Venngage better for you and all our users.

• Google Analytics

Targeting Cookies

These cookies are set by our advertising partners to track your activity and show you relevant Venngage ads on other sites as you browse the internet.

• Google Tag Manager
• Infographics
• Daily Infographics
• Popular Templates
• Accessibility
• Graphic Design
• Graphs and Charts
• Data Visualization
• Human Resources
• Beginner Guides

Blog Education Online Course Design Examples and Templates

Online Course Design Examples and Templates

Written by: Letícia Fonseca Oct 29, 2021

Whether you’re creating a course for university students or a training program for your colleagues, you need a course design template to keep you on the right track.

Learn what course design is, how you can create a course template and several lesson plan templates you can customize using Venngage’s Education Content Maker .

Click to jump ahead:

What is course design?

What is a course design template, how do you write a course template.

• How do you create an effective course?
• Course design templates & examples

Course design refers to the process and method of creating high quality, engaging learning environment and experience for students or trainees.

Whatever goes into your course is part of your course design, whether it’s the course objectives, student activities, course materials, the frequency of quizzes and exams, etc.

This term mostly refers to courses created for formal education, but it can also refer to professional development courses which have become a lot more popular now. Leadership skills training is an example of one:

A course design template or a curriculum outline template is a template used to help educators, marketers or trainers create their course outlines instead of having to come up with course outline content from scratch.

Here’s an example of a course curriculum template. This is a Math lesson plan template created for college professors. You’ll see that it contains most of the elements needed for a course outline, which we’ll explore further in the next section.

Course design templates and examples

Online learning template: simple lesson plan.

This is a variation of the course outline example in the previous section. It’s a simple online course design template that contains the most basic part of a course outline, but you can always make it your own by adding more sections as needed.

Blank Course Design Template/Lesson Plan

Have your course information all ready and just want to transfer them into a prettier template? This blank class curriculum template is perfect for you. Swap out the icons or change the template colors as you like.

Basic Elementary Course Template: Science Lesson Plan

This is a simple lesson plan for elementary students. The Reflection part is meant to help students think of their project outcome, but you can always duplicate it and add a Reflection part for yourself to learn how your lesson goes and how you can improve it. 

How can you create an effective course?

There are several tips for creating an effective course that can have off-the-charts student engagement and feedback. Here’s the basic breakdown of them:

Choose the right course topic

Create a course about something you’re knowledgeable and passionate about. Your expertise provides credibility to the course, and your passion will affect the way you deliver it.

Make sure your course aims to solve a pain point

Whether you’re creating courses for school or for work, make sure they are effective by digging deep into the problems your target audience (students) is facing. 

Always look for what makes your course unique and valuable to your students as well. As long as you have something to offer that others don’t, you’re already one step ahead of your competitors.

Always create actionable learning objectives

Learning objectives guide both the educator and the learner in their teaching and learning process.

They answer the million-dollar question: “What’s in it for me?” for every course or training program and they help your students have a clear idea of what they can achieve after completing the course. They also help you know what to do to help your students achieve those objectives.

Report on learnings and feedback

Always ask for your students’ feedback on what’s working, what’s not working and how you can improve your course to improve the next course you’re planning to create. You can ask for feedback on the course content, your delivery methods, whether the pacing is good enough for your students, and more.

You should also come up with a plan to implement these learnings and think of how the changes will affect your course. Gather data before and after the changes to see if what you’re implementing is working or not, and repeat the process.

Related: Learning and Development 101: How to Get Started [With Visual Tips and Templates]

What you should include in your course outline may change depending on the type of courses you’re creating (whether it’s for formal education or for professional development), but you’ll get the gist of what you’ll need to include next time you create a course .

Here’s what typically goes into a course design template:

Course name, number, credits and description

Of course, if you’re not creating a course for universities or the like, there’ll be no need to include course number or credits.

Make sure you choose a course name that clearly conveys what the course is about and provide a holistic course description. There’s no need to go into too much detail for the description—the course outline aims to that anyway—but it should say what the course will cover and/or course learning assessment.

Prerequisites/Co-requisites

Students taking more advanced courses are better off with a prerequisite (a course that must be completed prior) or a co-requisite (a course that must be taken at the same time). 

If you’re creating an online course for your organization, this part may be unnecessary. Instead, you can point out who the course is for and whether they need some experience or knowledge related to the topic covered in the course prior to taking it.

For instance, for our course Becoming an Infographic Design Pro , Lydia Hooper included a section elaborating on who the course is for:

Instructor(s) information

Always include information about the instructor(s) like their name, contact information and a brief bio. Students should know who’s teaching them and whether the instructor has the right experience to provide a quality teaching and learning environment. 

Course schedule

Include the date, time and/or location of each lesson. As the number of online and hybrid courses increases, there’s less of a need to include the location of the course—but always make sure students know when your lesson is happening and when there’s a recording if you’re teaching live.

Learning objectives

Having actionable learning objectives for your courses is essential, as it helps you set your desired instructional goals and also helps you measure the success of your course i.e. whether students get what they want out of the course.

Let’s say you want your employees to take phishing training. The course can look like this:

Based on this method, here are some learning objective examples for this course:

• After the course, employees will be able to explain the characteristics of a phishing email.
• After the course, employees who have fallen for a scam will successfully take the four actions required to deal with that situation.

Want to learn how you can write actionable learning outcomes for your courses? Check out our post (learning objective examples included).

Course curriculum

Include a detailed outline of what goes into each course session. You can also list the date and time of each lesson in this outline and if you do, there’s no need to include a separate, detailed section on course schedule.

Here’s a course outline sample of how it could look like:

Or if you host your courses online, you can still create a rough outline and add it to the course curriculum, like how it looks in our Becoming an Infographic Design Pro course:

Teaching and learning strategies

Unless it’s too obvious (an online training with just video content, for example), you should also include your teaching resources and strategies.

Will it be just lectures, or a combination of lectures, quizzes and group assignments?

Customize this template if you’re thinking of creating a group assignment handout.

Will there be in-class discussions? Will your students or trainees need to present to an audience or will they need to sit an exam to complete the course?

Course evaluation guidelines

Having clear learning assessment guidelines will help set students’ expectation and help them plan their own study process to finish the course. Make sure you include all assessment tools you plan to use for the course, as well as how each of them makes up to the final grade.

Here’s an example of a simple Assessment/Evaluation section (2nd page) on a course design template:

In summary: Use these course design templates to guarantee students’ and trainees’ success

We hope these templates and our course design guidelines inspired you to create your lesson plans and course templates effectively.

Want to add some fun to your course templates but have no design experience? No worries. Use Venngage’s professional, fully customizable templates and our easy-to-use editor to create your plan, or even your own template.

Discover popular designs

Infographic maker

Brochure maker

White paper online

Newsletter creator

Flyer maker

Timeline maker

Letterhead maker

Mind map maker

Ebook maker

Course Design Template

Create Engaging, Actionable Courses

Create innovative & well-crafted course designs to generate positive outcomes on students’ learning experiences..

• Intuitive visual tools for planning lectures & courses
• Multiple editable templates for different course designs
• Online whiteboard for online classes & presentations

Course Design Templates and Examples

Learning Design Template

Course Mapping Template

University Course Map

Create Optimal Pathways for Your Desired Learning Outcome

Multiple frameworks and templates for instructional design, lesson plans, course schedules, learning material, and more.

Professional diagramming tools to visualize your course design structures and brainstorm around course content.

Smart formatting and preset color themes to highlight, color-code, and group course information on the canvas.

Centralize All Your Course Information

Add detailed docs, attachments, links and more via the notes feature on course elements to capture and centralize information and resources.

Import images and vectors to the canvas and embed documents with in-app previews to compile a data-rich course design in one space.

Full-version history to keep analyzing all the changes and revisions. Easily revert to a previous iteration anytime. Cross-reference with older versions to find the most optimal learning outcome.

Universal full text search to quickly locate important information across course designs.

Collaborate with Colleagues & Students, Anytime, Anywhere

In-app video and audio calls to work closely and consult with colleagues in real-time.

Real-time cursors to track changes made by participants working together on the course design.

Comment with context , have discussions and follow-ups on the same canvas. Async!

Multiple access levels and roles to streamline managing, sharing, editing, and reviewing course designs and lesson plans.

Achieve Better Learning Outcomes

Interactive online whiteboard with freehand drawing to facilitate teaching and classroom discussions.

Built-in tools to organize content and create interactive and dynamic presentations, graphic organizers, and more for classroom activities.

Multiple app integrations to help you import and export data across different learning management systems and platforms.

Powerful documentation capabilities to document information on courses, student performance, and academic endeavors.

What is a Course Design?

A course design process allows you to determine the learning outcomes students are expected to meet, the methods by which the students are measured and the learning activities that should be designed to help them achieve the learning objectives.

How to Create a Course Design Template?

• Start early by consulting with colleagues who have taught the same course and mark down techniques from their strategies.
• Determine the goals for the course; these are the learning outcomes you want your students to learn and accomplish.
• Select the course content; identify the major topics and decide the order in which you will teach them to your students.
• Use a mind map to organize the selected topics and other information. Share the diagrams and collaborate to discuss the options.
• Determine the structure of the course and organize the topics in a logical order with a course design template.
• Link to the course design diagram from other documentation that’s created on the course content and assessment methods.
• Embed the course outlines you have created in your intranet or other internal websites so everyone can easily access it.

Eberly Center

Teaching excellence & educational innovation.

Many of the decisions affecting the success of a course take place well before the first day of class. Careful planning at the course design stage not only makes teaching easier and more enjoyable, it also facilitates student learning. Once your course is planned, teaching involves implementing your course design on a day-to-day level.

Design Your Course

To design an effective course, you need to:

• Consider timing and logistics
• Recognize who your students are
• Identify the situational constraints
• Articulate your learning objectives
• Identify potential assessments
• Identify appropriate instructional strategies
• Plan your course content and schedule

Write a Syllabus

View syllabus specific information on how to:

• Write a syllabus for a new course
• Revise a syllabus
• Check your syllabus against Faculty Senate recommendations
• View samples of syllabi

Teach Your Course

Here you can find information on how to:

• Make the most of the first day of class
• Implement effective instructional strategies (lectures, discussions, labs, studios, case studies)
• Anticipate and respond to cultural differences in the classroom
• Create a productive and inclusive learning environment
• Manage your course (on-line and off-line)
• Assess your teaching effectiveness & student learning
• Address problematic student behavior
• Direct students to support services
• Teaching from an anti-racist pedagogical stance

This site supplements our 1-on-1 teaching consultations. CONTACT US to talk with an Eberly colleague in person!

learning principles

• Students' prior knowledge can help or hinder learning.   |   MORE
• How students organize knowledge influences how they learn and apply what they know.   |   MORE
• Students' motivation determines, directs, and sustains what they do to learn.   |   MORE
• To develop mastery, students must acquire component skills, practice integrating them, and know when to apply what they have learned.   |   MORE

teaching principles

• Effective teaching involves acquiring relevant knowledge about students and using that knowledge to inform our course design and classroom teaching.   |   MORE
• Effective teaching involves aligning the three major components of instruction: learning objectives, assessments, and instructional activities.   |   MORE
• Effective teaching involves articulating explicit expectations regarding learning objectives and policies.   |   MORE
• Effective teaching involves prioritizing the knowledge, skills and attitudes we choose to focus on.   |   MORE
• Faculty Support
• Graduate Student Support
• Canvas @ Carnegie Mellon
• Quick Links

You're signed out

Sign in to ask questions, follow content, and engage with the Community

• Canvas LMS Blog
• 2020 Course Design Essentials: Ready-Made Template...

2020 Course Design Essentials: Ready-Made Template Refresh

• Subscribe to RSS Feed
• Mark as New
• Mark as Read
• Printer Friendly Page
• Report Inappropriate Content

• Instructional Design Services
• Instructional Designer

You must be a registered user to add a comment. If you've already registered, sign in. Otherwise, register and sign in.

deonne_johnson

As a child, Deonne could often be found in the basement with the chalkboard set up in front of her stuffed animals and dolls, playing "school." That love of teaching has permeated her life as she has over 25 years teaching experience in a variety of settings: K-12, private vocational college, community college and university. She was fascinated with computers when she took her first technology class in high school and has been fortunate to teach technology courses for the majority of her teaching career. Deonne is delighted to share her expertise and love of learning with educators around the world. She loves managing the incredible Instructional Design team at Instructure and looks forward to sharing her knowledge with you!

Community Help

View our top guides and resources:.

To participate in the Instructure Community, you need to sign up or log in:

You’re using an older browser version. Update to the latest version of Google Chrome , Safari , Mozilla Firefox or  Microsoft Edge for the best site experience. You are using an outdated browser, so there may be issues with displaying the page. To make the website work correctly, use the latest version of one of these browsers: Google Chrome , Safari , Mozilla Firefox or  Microsoft Edge .

• Corporate Training
• Course Selling
• Academic Learning
• Learning Basics
• Instructional Design
• Online Training Tools
• Manufacturing
• Products iSpring Suite iSpring Learn
• Use Cases Training organizations Onboarding Compliance Training Induction Training Product Training Channel Partner Training Sales Training Microlearning Mobile Learning
• Why iSpring
• Company About Us Case Studies Customers Partnership Course Development Contact Us
• Knowledge Hub Knowledge Hub Academy Webinars Articles Guides Experts on iSpring
• Language EN English Français Deutsch Español Italiano Nederlands Português Polski 中文 日本語 العربية Indonesia
• Shopping Cart

The 100 Best Online Course Ideas & Topics in 2024

content creator

Irina Vlady See full bio →

You’d like to create and sell your own online course but aren't sure what to teach? Don’t worry, we’ve prepared a hundred ideas to give you a hand at choosing a profitable topic and provide some inspiration.

Given the variety of courses that already exist, it’s really a challenge to settle on the topic for a course and invest your time and money into content creation. Will it work? Will there be a payoff? It’s really difficult to choose. So, it’s totally fine that you’re searching for ideas and considering alternatives from various fields. We understand.

We’ve prepared a list of one hundred online course topics. Click the topic in the table of contents below to jump to the category of your interest or simply scroll down to explore everything on the list. 

Please note that these options aren’t written in stone, you’ll likely feel the need to make them more specific to attract a specific audience. 

See the difference? So, use this list as a source of inspiration and feel free to adapt the ideas as you see fit. 

Enough chat, let’s get started.

• Courses on Business
• Courses on Marketing
• Courses on Career
• Courses on Personal Finances & Side Hustling
• Courses on Art, Design & Creativity
• Courses on Technology
• Courses on Self-Development
• Courses on Family and Relationships 
• Courses on Parenting
• Courses on Lifestyle

10 Ideas for Courses on Business

Content creator

Irina Vlady

A true eLearning fan with a multi-year background in marketing and team management. In her texts, Irina writes about new trends in eLearning, as well as proven approaches that help readers get the most out of eLearning technologies.

You Might Also Like This

eLearning Storyboard for Instructional Designers: Tips & Examples [+Free Template]

How to Pick a Niche for Your Online Courses

How to Price Your Online Course (So It Actually Sells)

How Much Does It Cost to Develop an Online Course in 2024?

We use cookies to collect info about site visits and personalize your experience. See our Cookie Policy for more details.

Manage your cookies

Essential cookies are always on. You can turn off other cookies if you wish.

Essential cookies

Analytics cookies

Social media cookies

90+ Online Course Ideas For Anyone Who Wants To Sell Online Courses. Examples & Templates

How to know if your new business idea is any good?

It’s a harsh truth that some of the digital products put on the market likely will not make it. And the ones that do make it, that earn revenue come from the same place as any failed products: an idea.

So what are the best online courses ? You need to come up with a creative course idea, and find a sweet spot of something that people will want and that will make your offer stand out.

We've put together 90+ examples of the top creative ideas for online courses in various areas; photography , illustration, painting, visual art, marketing, business animation, and graphic design. We include case studies, examples, and templates to help you get started .

Click here to start selling online courses now with CreativeMindClass

Online courses are a great way for creators to share their skills with others, as well as to learn new techniques and stay up-to-date with the latest trends.

Whether you're a creative or a business coach, you'll find plenty of inspiration and resources to help you choose online course topic . So let's get started with some of the best online course ideas for content creators.

Table of Contents:

• What are online courses in high demand?
• How to come up with a creative online course idea?
• Where to host your online course?
• Where to find templates for online courses?

Online course ideas FAQs

What online courses are in high demand.

Hundreds of online course ideas available will have very different focus areas. However, some course categories are more popular and sell better than others.

Here is our list of the most popular online course ideas with examples based on CreativeMindClass sales data:

• Photography Courses
• Illustration Courses
• Painting Courses
• Visual Art Courses
• Marketing Courses
• Business Courses
• Animation Courses
• Graphic Design Courses

Examples of creative online courses

Ideas  for courses on photography.

Ideas for Photography Courses

Include topics such as camera techniques, lighting and composition, portrait photography, landscape photography, documentary photography, photojournalism, digital editing, and post-processing. Other potential focus areas might include black and white photography, color theory, fine art photography, photo history and theory, and portfolio development.

Example 1. Capture your vision through photography

Guide your learners in using photography to express their unique creative vision and tell their stories. Teach this course to all levels. It helps to improve their skills and create visually striking images. This course could cover composition, lighting, post-processing, and storytelling.

Get Capture your vision through a photography template.

Example 2. Lighting Techniques for Photography

The Lighting Techniques for Photography course is the perfect opportunity to teach how to master the art of lighting and create stunning visual effects in images. This is our favorite course topic , as the customization options are endless. Don't miss this chance to enhance your photography skills and bring knowledge about lighting techniques to your learners.

Get the template for lighting techniques for photography course.

Example 3. Street Photography: Capturing Candid Moments

Get outside to the bustling streets and share with your learners how to capture the essence of urban life with the Street Photography course. Capture stunning images of people, architecture, and cityscapes. Teach how to tell a story through photographs and teach how to create striking compositions that convey the energy and character of the city.

Get the template for the street photography course.

Example 4. Food Photography: Creating Mouth-Watering Images

Are you passionate about food and photography? Teaching how to make a Food Photography course is the perfect blend of both. Teach the skills and techniques needed to create mouth-watering images of food. Start creating the course and delicious food images that will leave your learners hungry for more.

Get the template for the food photography course.

Example 5. Nature Photography: Capturing the Beauty of the Outdoors

Is there anything better than combining work with nature? We don't think so, particularly if it's capturing breathtaking images of the great outdoors and taking your learners' photography skills to the next level. It's a perfect course for beginners as well as experienced photographers. The course will equip them with knowledge and techniques to capture stunning images of landscapes, wildlife, and more.

Get the template for the nature photography course.

Example 6. Black and White Photography: The Art of Simplicity

If you love the simplicity of black and white photographies, then this idea is for you. It packs all timeless art form that has captivated people for over a century. It embraces simplicity, stripping away the distractions of color to reveal the raw beauty of light and shadow. So why wait? Dive into creating the online course where you share your unique skills.

Get the template for the black and white photography course.

Example 7. Travel Photography: Capturing the Essence of a Place

You can pair your love for traveling and photography with creating an online course that's out-of-this-world amazing. Travels (and photos) never get boring, so you can create such a course over (and over!) again.

Get the template for the travel photography course.

Example 8. Action and Sports Photography: Freezing the Moment

We love some action, but photographing it can be a lot of work. So if you have some experience with capturing those adrenaline-fueled moments, share the knowledge in your next online course. Teach how to take great shots, and provide insights into the business of sports photography, including how to market work and sell images.

Get the template for the action and sports photography course.

Example 9. Post-processing and editing in Lightroom and Photoshop

If you are a fan of going the extra mile to get that perfectly edited, well-balanced photos, then you might consider teaching this skill. Without the need to leave your room, this course can be created in several days. Turn on your microphone, screen recorder, or camera.    

Get the template for the post-processing photography course.

Ideas  for Courses on Illustration

Ideas for Illustration Courses

Include topics such as drawing techniques, digital illustration, character design and development, editorial illustration, book illustration, graphic novels and comics, concept art, and surface design. Other potential areas of focus might include traditional illustration methods, art history, illustration theory and criticism, and portfolio development.

Example 1. How to create imaginative, dreamlike illustrations

It's an idea of an online illustration course that could teach aspiring and professional illustrators how to create captivating, otherworldly images. The course could be designed to help students develop their own unique style and explore the creative possibilities of illustration.

Get the How to create imaginative, dreamlike illustrations template .

Example 2. Surrealistic illustration with narrative intention

If you ever had to make an illustration of a narrative, this one is for you. Teach how to create visually stunning, thought-provoking illustrations that tell a story through surrealism. Guide your learners through the process of developing their own surrealistic style and using it to craft compelling narratives.

Get the template for surrealistic illustration with narrative intention course .

Example 3. Watercolor and mixed media for magical illustrations

Want an awesome idea for an online course but don't want to spend your entire year recording video lessons and talking? Watercolor and mixed media is the perfect course to create. It's an easy topic that doesn't require much face recording, and it's always a winner.

Get the template for the watercolor and mixed media course .

Example 4. Illustrating Children's Books

Craving illustration course but trying to narrow down the topics or have a sure bet? This Illustrating Children's Books course is going to inspire you. The template comes with real kid's book illustrations!

Get the template for illustrating children's books course .

Example 5. Digital Painting Techniques

Teach how to create stunning digital paintings that look like traditional oil, watercolor, or acrylic paintings. Guide your learners through the process of using digital painting software to create realistic textures, brushstrokes, and color blends.

Get the template for the digital painting course .

Example 6. Vector Illustration

Vector illustrations course teach how to create professional-grade line using vector graphics software. Guide your learners through the process of creating clean, precise lines and shapes that are easily scalable for use in a variety of applications.

Get the template for the vector illustration course .

Example 7. Watercolor Illustration: Techniques and Applications

Recording the process of making watercolor illustration is a great way to make and online course. On to of being a super-quick course to make, you won't need to prepare much theory or content. All the techniques can be explained while painting. So turn your camera on for the perfect watercolor illustration course.  

Get the template for the watercolor illustration course .

Example 8. Science Illustration: Creating Accurate and Engaging Images

Get the template for the science illustration course .

Example 9. Illustrating for Advertising and Marketing

Get the template for illustrating for advertising course .

Example 10. Sketching and Drawing for Illustration

Get the template for sketching for illustration course .

Example 11. Creating Storyboards and Comics

Get the template for storyboards and comics course .

Ideas  for Courses on Painting

Ideas for Painting Courses

Include topics such as color theory and composition, brushwork and techniques, painting from observation, still life painting, portraiture, landscape painting, abstract painting, and mixed media painting. Other potential areas of focus might include art history, contemporary painting practices, and portfolio development.

Example 1. Learn how to transfer emotions to portraits

Provide individuals with the knowledge and skills needed to create emotionally powerful and expressive portraits using traditional mediums such as oils, watercolors, acrylics, and pastels. The course is suitable for learners with some experience in painting and is designed for both hobbyists and professionals looking to improve their skills in portrait painting.

Get the Learn how to transfer emotions to portraits template .

Example 2. Introspective portraits

Get the template for the introspective portraits course .

Example 3. Portrait: Being true to your nature

Get the template for the portrait course .

Example 4. Glowing the lights of self-awareness

Get the template for the glowing the lights of self-awareness course .

Example 5. Portrait Painting in Pastels

Get the template for pastels painting course .

Example 6. Still Life Painting in Oils

Get the template for oil painting course .

Example 7. Abstract Painting Techniques

Get the template for abstract painting course .

Example 8. Landscape Painting in Watercolors

Get the template for landscape painting course .

Example 9. Exploring Color Theory in Painting

Get the template for color theory course .

Example 10. Creating Texture in Acrylic Paintings

Get the template for texture painting course .

Example 11. Mastering Composition in Oil Painting

Get the template for composition in oil painting course .

Ideas for Courses on Visual Art

Ideas for Visual Art Courses

Include topics such as drawing and painting, sculpture, printmaking, photography, digital art, mixed media, and art history. Other potential areas of focus might include color theory and composition, portraiture, landscape art, abstract art, and contemporary art movements.

Example 1. Connect your creativity and deep dive into your artistic soul

This visual art course idea could teach aspiring and professional artists how to unlock their creative potential and discover new ways to express themselves through art. The course could be designed to help students embark on a journey of self-discovery and explore the depths of their creative souls.

Get the Connect your creativity and deep dive into your artistic soul template .

Example 2. Combining illustration and photography

Combining illustration and photography is essentially an illustration course with many of the topics like color, composition or contrast. It's a fun way to start with online courses and can be created as a mini course . This versionis fun, bold and vibrant but you can match the style to your own.

Get the template for the combining illustration and photography course .

Example 3. Discover inner symbols and use them to create your visual universe

Get the template for the discover inner symbols and create your visual universe course .

Example 4. Drawing Guided Meditation Path

Missing soulsearching time? Create a drawing guided meditation path course with gong and nature sounts, then top them with warm up exercises for a healty drawing session you can enjoy.

Get the template for the drawing guided meditation path course .

Example 5. Introduction to Visual Art: Techniques and Concepts

An easy beginning, the introduction to visual art course. It's designed to help learners to make the first step in the art world. Go for color theory, composition, fun warm-up exercises, or line drawing.

Get the template for introduction to visual art course .

Example 6. Drawing and Sketching: Techniques and Materials

Get the template for drawing and sketching course .

Example 7. Photography: Techniques and Equipment

Get the template for photography: techinques and equipment course .

Example 8. Printmaking: Techniques and Methods

Get the template for printmaking course .

Example 9. Mixed Media: Combining Different Techniques and Materials

Get the template for mixed media course .

Example 10. Illustration: Techniques and Styles

Get the template for illustration course .

Example 11. Art History: Understanding and Appreciating Different Art Movements and Styles

Get the template for art history course .

Ideas  for Courses on Marketing

Ideas for Marketing Courses

Include topics such as market research, branding and positioning, digital marketing, social media marketing, content marketing, advertising, and public relations. Other potential areas of focus might include consumer behavior, marketing analytics, email marketing, search engine optimization (SEO), and mobile marketing.

Example 1. Social Media Marketing Tips & Tricks

This idea could cover tips for a good training course for strategies for promoting business or brand on social media platforms. Guide your learners through wide range of topics to help create a strong social media presence and reach their target audience.

Get the Social Media Marketing Tips & Tricks template .

Example 2. Grow your Instagram followers

Get the template for the grow your Instagram followers course .

Example 3. Social media content creation

Get the template for the social media content creation course .

Example 4. Basics of social media for beginners

Get the template for the basics of social media for beginners course .

Example 5. Advertising on social media

Get the template for advertising on social media course .

Example 6. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Techniques

Get the template for SEO course .

Example 7. Social Media Marketing Strategies

Get the template for social media marketing course .

Example 8. Content Marketing Fundamentals

Get the template for content marketing course .

Example 9. Email Marketing Best Practices

Get the template for email marketing course .

Example 10. Google Analytics for Marketers

Get the template for Google Analytis course .

Example 11. Influencer Marketing: Strategies and Tactics

Get the template for influencer marketing course .

Example 12. Paid Advertising on Google and Social Media

Get the template for paid advertising course .

Example 13. Measuring Marketing ROI and Analytics

Get the template for measuring marketing ROI course .

Example 14. Brand Management and Marketing Communications

Get the template for brand management course .

Ideas  for Courses on Business

Ideas for Business Courses

Include topics such as marketing and advertising, finance and accounting, entrepreneurship, leadership and management, human resources, data analysis and decision-making, and project management. Other potential areas of focus might include business strategy and planning, communication and negotiation, and ethics and social responsibility in business.

Case study. Transform your business

Business and entrepreneurship online courses are popular and profitable, covering a wide range of topics from starting a business, to sales, financial management, and leadership.

These courses are designed for those interested in starting their own business or for business owners looking to improve their skills and transform their businesses.

Such courses are usually taught by successful entrepreneurs and industry experts, providing valuable insights and strategies for success.

Many business and entrepreneurship courses also offer networking opportunities and resources, such as access to venture capital firms and incubators to help students start or grow a business.

Business course topic idea: "Transform your business."

"Transform Your Business" is an example you could use to create an online business course that aims to help individuals and business owners improve their skills and knowledge in various areas of business management. It is designed for people who want to start a business or for those who are already running a business and want to take it to the next level.

The course could be designed to be interactive and engaging, with a combination of video lessons, downloadable files, and assignments. The course could also include hands-on activities, such as creating a business plan, and a final project where students apply what they have learned to their own business. The course might offer resources like access to a business mentor, a community of like-minded entrepreneurs, and networking opportunities.

Overall, "Transform Your Business" could be an ideal course for anyone looking to start or grow their business, providing them with the necessary knowledge and skills to succeed in today's competitive business environment.

Classes you could create for this course:

01. Introduction to Business Transformation : Learn the key concepts and principles of business transformation and why it's important for business growth and survival.

02. Identifying Opportunities : Learn how to identify new opportunities for growth and innovation in your industry.

03. Developing a Strategic Plan : Learn how to develop a strategic plan that aligns your business goals with your market opportunities.

If you are starting a new online business course, use the template below to get set up in minutes. The template is the ultimate time-saver when creating an online course. It's designed to convert (sell your course), and it's got all the essential elements—it's just waiting for your finishing touch. Slap on your photos, update the copy and visuals, and bam! You've just created an effective business course. It's really that easy.

10 more online business course topic ideas:

Example 1. Starting a Small Business: From Idea to Launch

Get the template for starting a small business course .

Example 2. Making the most use of Excel

Get the template for excel course .

Example 3. Digital Marketing for Small Businesses

Get the template for digital marketing course .

Example 4. Basics of Google Analytics

Get the template for google analytics course .

Example 5. Leadership and Management for Entrepreneurs

Get the template for leadership and management course .

Example 6. E-commerce and Online Business Strategies

Get the template for e-commerce course .

Example 7. Business Planning and Strategy Development

Get the template for business planning and strategy course .

Example 8. Innovation and Creativity in Business

Get the template for innovation in business course .

Example 9. Human Resources Management for Small Businesses

Get the template for human resources course .

Example 10. Business Growth and Scaling Strategies

Get the template for business growth course .

Ideas  for Courses on Animation

Ideas for Animation Courses

Include topics such as character design and development, storyboarding and scriptwriting, 2D and 3D animation techniques, sound design, visual effects, and motion graphics. Other potential areas of focus might include animation software proficiency, animation history and theory, and portfolio development.

Case study. Basics of Animation in Blender

Animation online courses provide individuals with the knowledge and skills needed to create animated content using software such as Adobe After Effects, Blender, or other animation software.

These courses cover a wide range of topics such as keyframe animation, character animation, rigging, special effects, compositing, and rendering. They are designed to be flexible and self-paced, allowing students to learn at their own convenience.

Animation online courses offer a combination of video lessons, downloadable assets, demonstrations, and hands-on exercises that equip students with a solid understanding of animation principles and techniques, allowing them to apply them in their own projects. These courses are geared towards individuals with little to no experience in animation, as well as professionals.

Animation course topic idea: "Basics of Animation in Blender"

"Basics of Animation in Blender" is an online animation course idea that could provide an introduction to the principles and techniques of animation using the popular open-source software Blender. The course could be designed for individuals with little to no experience in animation and is suitable for both hobbyists and professionals looking to expand their skills.

You could provide access to step-by-step tutorials, sample files, native files, to help learners practice and reinforce the concepts covered. The course could be designed to be self-paced, so you can complete it at your own convenience.

By the end of the course, learners would have the knowledge and skills to create basic animations in Blender and have the foundation to create more complex animations in the future.

01. Introduction to Blender: Learn the basics of the Blender interface and navigation, as well as how to set up a project for animation.

02. Keyframe Animation : Learn the fundamental principles of animation, such as timing, spacing, and easing, and how to create smooth animations using keyframe animation in Blender.

03. Character Animation: Learn how to create believable and expressive character animations, including walk cycles, lip sync, and body mechanics.

If you are starting a new online animation course, use the template below to get set up in minutes. The template is the ultimate time-saver when creating an online course. It's designed to convert (sell your course), and it's got all the essential elements—it's just waiting for your finishing touch. Slap on your photos, update the copy and visuals, and bam! You've just created an effective animation course. It's really that easy.

10 more online animation course topic ideas:

Example 1. 2D Animation

The techniques and tools used in traditional 2D animation, such as hand-drawn animation, cel animation, and digital 2D animation.

Get the template for 2D animation course .

Example 2. 3D Animation

The techniques and tools used in 3D animation, such as modeling, texturing, lighting, and rigging.

Get the template for 3D animation course .

Example 3. Stop-motion Animation

The techniques and production methods used in stop-motion animation, such as clay animation, puppet animation, and object animation.

Get the template for stop-motion animation course .

Example 4. Animation for Video Games

The techniques and tools used in creating animations for video games, including character animation, physics-based animation, and motion capture.

Get the template for animation for video games course .

Example 5. Motion Graphics and Visual Effects

The techniques used in creating motion graphics and visual effects for film, television, and advertising.

Get the template for motion graphics course .

Example 6. Character Animation

The techniques used in animating characters, including walk cycles, lip-sync, and facial expressions.

Get the template for character animation course .

Example 7. Rigging and Character Setup

The techniques used in setting up characters for animation, including rigging, weighting, and skinning.

Get the template for rigging and character setup course .

Example 8. Animation for Advertising and Marketing

The techniques used in creating animation for advertising and marketing, including explainer videos, product demos, and commercials.

Get the template for animation for advertising course .

Example 9. Compositing and Post-production

The techniques used in compositing and post-production for animation, including color correction, compositing, and sound design.

Get the template for compositng and post-production course .

Example 10. Storytelling and Scriptwriting

The techniques used in writing and visual storytelling for animation, including character development, plot structure, and scriptwriting.

Get the template for storytelling course .

Ideas  for Courses on Graphic Design

Ideas for Graphic Design Courses

Include topics such as typography, color theory, branding and logo design, layout and composition, illustration, user interface design, and motion graphics. Other potential areas of focus might include design software proficiency, design history and theory, and portfolio development.

Case Study: Getting started with Adobe Photoshop

Graphic design online courses provide individuals with the knowledge and skills needed to create visually appealing designs using software such as Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign.

These courses cover a wide range of topics such as layout, typography, color theory, and branding. They are designed to be flexible and self-paced, allowing students to learn at their own convenience.

Through a combination of video lessons, downloadable files, native files, case studies, and hands-on exercises, students will gain a solid understanding of graphic design principles and techniques and be able to apply them in their own projects.

Graphic design course topic idea: "Getting started with Adobe Photoshop"

"Getting started with Adobe Photoshop" is an idea for online graphic design course that could privide a comprehensive introduction to the popular image editing software, Adobe Photoshop. The course could be designed for individuals with little to no experience using the software and is suitable for both hobbyists and professionals looking to expand their skills.

01. Introduction to Adobe Photoshop: Learn the basics of the Photoshop interface and navigation, as well as how to set up a project for editing.

02. Basic Image Editing: Learn how to make basic adjustments to an image such as cropping, resizing, and color correction.

03. Layers and Masking: Learn how to use layers and masks to edit and composite images.

If you are starting a new online graphic design course, use the template below to get set up in minutes. The template is the ultimate time-saver when creating an online course. It's designed to convert (sell your course), and it's got all the essential elements—it's just waiting for your finishing touch. Slap on your photos, update the copy and visuals, and bam! You've just created an effective graphic design course. It's really that easy.

10 more online graphic design course topic ideas:

Example 1. Graphic Design Fundamentals

Typography, Color Theory, and Layout. It covers the basics of design, including principles of design, layout, and composition. It also covers the principles of typography, including typeface selection, type hierarchy, and readability. Also, the basics of color, including color theory, color matching, and color correction.

Get the template for graphic design fundamentals course .

Example 2. Branding and Identity Design

Covers the principles of branding and identity design, including logo design, typography, and color schemes.

Get the template for branding and ideantity design course .

Example 3. Illustration and Vector Graphics

This category covers the techniques used in creating illustrations and vector graphics.

Get the template for illustration and vector graphics course .

Example 4. Digital Design

It's about the digital tools and software used in graphic design, including Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign.

Get the template for digital design course .

Example 5. Advertising Design and Conceptual Thinking

This category covers the techniques used in creating advertising and marketing materials, including visual storytelling, conceptual thinking, and design research.

Get the template for advertising design course .

Example 6. Web Design and User Interface (UI) Design

Get the template for web design and UI course .

Example 7. Introduction to Graphic Design: Tools and Techniques

Get the template for introduction to graphic desing course .

Example 8. Photography for Graphic Designers

Get the template for photography for designers course .

Example 9. After effects for beginners

Get the template for motion design course .

Example 10. Product Packaging & Labels Design in Illustrator & Photoshop

Teach the art of designing visually stunning and impactful packaging. Through real-world projects and practical exercises, create a hands-on experience for your learners. In this course you can cover how to create beautiful Photoshop mockups and gain the versatility to design for any industry. Plus, you could teach how to kickstart a freelancing career on popular platforms like Fiverr and Upwork. Encourage your learner to showcase their skills and shape the future of product packaging and label design.

Get the template for packaging design course .

How to come up with a creative online course idea

The world of e-learning has developed rapidly. Since the advent of the web, it’s been possible to create online courses with far fewer restrictions than had previously been possible with traditional courses.

Even so, this area still remains niche, with many people struggling to understand the nature of online education and the type of courses that would actually be interesting for people.

C reate a course you would like to take.

Creating an interesting online course involves five main steps:

1. Online Course Plan Set up a place to create your online course

2. Course topic Figure out what and who you'll teach

3. Course outline   Plan each lesson you need

4. Content delivery Prepare videos, downloadable files, and exercises

5. Course website Persuade your audience to buy with text and visuals

These steps are the main focus of our beginner's guide on how to create an online course .

Where to host an online course

The best option for setting up an e-course is to take advantage of the existing business offerings from multiple vendors. Some of the leading software and tech companies offer integrated online learning platforms or website builders . These platforms are free to use for a limited duration, and then provide a subscription fee for customized content and training.

Where to find templates for any online course

An online course needs a great website to sell it. Whether you're a designer, marketer, photographer, coach, or visual artist, this collection of creative online course templates will help you get started and create a successful website for any online course.

Final thoughts

Online courses offer a wide range of opportunities for creators to learn new skills and improve their craft. From graphic design and painting to animation and digital marketing, there is a course for everyone.

The topics discussed in this article, such as "Basics of Animation in Blender", "Getting started with Adobe Photoshop" and "Learn how to transfer emotions to portraits" are just a few examples of the many available options.

With the right course and the right approach, creators can take their skills to the next level, and open new doors for their careers. In addition, having access to examples and templates will make the learning process more accessible and provide a foundation to start creating your own material.

Whether you’re a startup or an industry vet, it’s important to come up with digital product ideas based on your target market. Excellent ideas will make creating an online course easier, keep you ahead of the competition, delight your customers, and earn more sales.

Now you’re equipped with resources to help you come up with a great list of winning online course ideas to start. Get out there and start exploring!

How to Price an Online Course in 3 Simple Steps (+Calculator)

• 90+ Online Course Ideas For Anyone Who Wants To Sell Online Courses. Templates & Examples
• 5 Quick Steps to Create an Online Course: Guide
• How to Choose an Online Course Topic
• Website Builder for Online Courses & Course Website Maker by CreativeMindClass

How do you develop an online course idea?

To develop an online course idea, identify a specific problem or skill gap in your audience and create a course that provides a comprehensive solution or fills that gap. In this blog post, we go over 90 ideas to help you to come up with and develop an online course.

How do I get online courses for my business?

You can create your own courses, partner with course creators or resell existing courses.

What online courses are in high demand today?

Current high-demand online courses are mostly centered around photography, illustration, and painting courses are among the most sought-after categories. We also offer in-demand courses in visual art, marketing, business, animation, and graphic design.

What courses do people buy the most?

You’ll be surprised at the number of courses offered on many online course platforms .

The real question is: What do people in your niche want to learn?

If you are in a creative niche, for most creative people, the answer is that they want to learn anything related to art; design, illustration, graphic design, animation, and photography , but that can be very different. Some people may only be looking to enhance their skills in one or two specific areas, while others may want to learn everything at the basic level.

Get Started with the CreativeMindClass Course Builder— It's Free!

Teaching space, video courses.

Building a Teaching Platform was never that easy. Want to turn followers into students with your own video course platform? Everything you need to launch engaging video courses and to build an online community. Start for free!

You might also like

The 10 Best Free Online Course Platforms (2024)

How to Create a Mini Course: Tips & Examples

How Do Online Courses Work and Why Should You Care?

How to Create an Online Course

How to Pitch Course Design Ideas to Your Customer

Ever wonder how to present e‑learning course ideas to your customers? Try these tips to work with a client and get the best approach to e‑learning course design.

How to present e-learning course ideas

I had a conversation the other day with someone who was presented with a somewhat boring course project. We chatted about ways to make it less boring. During the conversation, the person was concerned that the customer would never go for a different idea and only wanted the tried and true, click-and-read course.

This is a common challenge because the easiest course to build is the linear, explainer type course with information and next buttons. It’s also what many customers are used to, so trying to get them to see a different way to approach the course design can be a challenge, especially with a tight timeline and limited budget.

Here are a few ideas to get you thinking.

What type of course are you building?

Determine if the course is an explainer or performance course . An explainer course is one where you present information, but there is no performance requirement. This can be tricky because many courses are related to performance but the course itself may not have a performance improvement angle. A lot of compliance training falls into this bucket.

For example, ethics training is important and we want people to be ethical. But the training tends to focus on policies and principles. And the end measure is a final quiz to certify completion. If it was performance-based, then it might look like this:

The organization has an increase of supply costs and realizes that employees are taking things home. The organization has a laid back culture where taking things home was tolerated because it wasn’t a big deal. In that sense, the performance goal is to decrease the supply costs by focusing on the ethics of taking things home for personal use.

Explainer courses generally require less effort and end up becoming the default way courses are constructed.

Help the customer see the difference in e-learning course design ideas

I like to give the customer a few demo courses that represent different ways to approach course content. Limit it to three types of courses. One type is too limiting which tends to cause a lot of scope creep as people come up with different ideas. And more than three can be debilitating because it takes time to review and explain all of the options.

The three options I recommend are:

• Simple linear course
• Linear plus some simple learning-based interactivity
• Decision-based interactivity

Here’s an example of how this plays out from a previous blog post on creating objectives for compliance training.

A simple linear course is mostly content. The content is relevant, but it’s still just content. And the performance measure is a completed quiz to certify a base level of knowledge, exposure to the content, and attendance.

The next stage is a blend of content, practice activity (focused on some relevant performance expectation) and then a means to certify understanding. With compliance training, a lot of the content is already known, so it’s mostly a way to refresh understanding and then an activity to practice using the content.

When there are real performance goals it starts with a current gap in ability. Assuming that training is the correct solution, the course focuses on the type of content and activities that the learner needs to demonstrate their ability to make the right decisions. I try to focus on relevant decision-making activities.

I recommend that you convert some compliance training that is common in the organization to three versions that you can present when meeting with clients. It’s content the client probably recognizes. And seeing the same content three ways lets you show and explain the differences and why you’d recommend one over the other.

What e-learning course design idea does the customer really need?

If the course is an explainer course, then I try to keep it linear and as simple as possible. If it’s a performance course, I lean towards decision-making activities. But I like to have the customer see the difference.

The customers generally choose the second option because it’s a type of course they understand, includes some focus on performance and interactivity, and is a lot quicker to build. This is where your performance consulting hat comes in. The client’s choice may be the easiest for them, but it may not be the right one. You can guide them to the right decision when you know what the performance expectations are (assuming they have some) and how the course’s success will be measured.

Obviously, there’s a lot more that goes into helping a client build the right type of training. Hopefully, these ideas help.

You may also like

What is WCAG? A Quick Guide to Web Accessibility Conformance

Unlock the power of accessible e-learning with our WCAG guide. Engage more learners, expand your reach, and make a meaningful impact.

How To Get the Most Out of Your Subject Matter Experts

Learn practical tips for collaborating with Subject Matter Experts in e-learning development. Improve communication, respect their time, and create better courses.

Why a Learning Culture Makes for Happy, Productive Employees

Discover how a learning culture provides resources for career development, leading to improved productivity, engagement, and profits.

AS Art Coursework: A Guide for Students

Last Updated on April 2, 2023

This article summarises what is expected for your AS Art Coursework Project (CIE).

CIE AS Art & Design students are required to submit:

• 1 x project (a two or three-dimensional final work, maximum weight 4.5kgs and maximum dimension in any direction of 750mm);
• Source material (your ‘starting point’ / source of inspiration);
• Development of ideas into personal solutions (original finished pieces);
• Experimentations with media and processes including trial samples;
• The influence of historical, contemporary and cultural factors (evidence that you have learnt from other designers and/or artist models).

Coursework should be an individual response to a theme (if you are struggling to come up with a theme, see this article for help coming up with good A Level Art ideas ).

Coursework must be focused on one area of study: Painting and Related Media; Textiles; Ceramics; Sculpture; Graphic Design; Fashion Design; Printmaking; Photography, Digital and Lens Media; Jewellery; Puppetry and so on.  Schools usually select which areas are available for students based on the interests of their students and the strength and expertise of their teachers.

AS Art Coursework assessment

The AS Coursework project is worth 40% of your final AS grade and 20% of your final A Level Art grade. It is internally assessed, which means it is marked by the Coursework Accredited Art teacher/s at your school and then externally moderated by CIE examiners. Most countries send Coursework to Cambridge University to be moderated; other counties, like New Zealand, are lucky enough to have the examiners travel to them.

The final project and supporting work are assessed together and are given a single mark out of 100, using the following criteria:

AS Art Coursework examples

READ NEXT: How to make an artist website (and why you need one)

Further AS Level Art Coursework examples and case studies will be added here over the coming months.

This article relates to CIE AS Coursework, Component 2, 9704 A Level Art and Design – the International version of A Levels, assessed by the University of Cambridge. Information is sourced from the CIE A Level Art and Design syllabus .

If you wish to see examples of more great student artwork that would be helpful for AS Art & Design students, please view our Featured Art Projects .

Amiria has been an Art & Design teacher and a Curriculum Co-ordinator for seven years, responsible for the course design and assessment of student work in two high-achieving Auckland schools. She has a Bachelor of Architectural Studies, Bachelor of Architecture (First Class Honours) and a Graduate Diploma of Teaching. Amiria is a CIE Accredited Art & Design Coursework Assessor.

JOIN OVER 21,000 PEOPLE WHO RECEIVE OUR FREE NEWSLETTER

You will be notified first when free resources are available: Art project ideas, teaching handouts, printable lesson plans, tips and advice from experienced teachers. What are you waiting for?

Email Address*

We send emails monthly. And don’t worry, we hate spam too! Unsubscribe at any time.

• Inspiration

Course websites

Make your business shine online with a custom course website designed just for you by a professional designer. Need ideas? We’ve collected some amazing examples of course websites from our global community of designers. Get inspired and start planning the perfect course web design today.

Want a free course website?

Try the Vista x Wix website builder today. No design expertise or team needed.

Codecourse Website

Bellydance School

Arabian Rose Belly Dance

MakeMoneyOnline needs a market leading tight design

We're creating an online blog and courses that will help teach people how to make money online. The site should include more green if possible than what is in my mockup. Also, Client wanted very pixel perfect tight space design so that single pixel is not waste in-terms of user experience and scrolls

BestSellerBusiness

Right now mainly, we will teach you in an online course how to sell things on Amazon.

New homepage for Codecourse

Codecourse is a website for teaching people to code (and build something awesome) through practical, fun screencasts. The client wanted a very light yet fun and colorful webpage. I used coding elements and abstract shapes to achieve what He wanted. He loved it right from the moment he saw the design. I only had to make just one revision to get to the final layout.

Clean Website Design for Continuing Education Site

A welcoming & playful website design for Queen Street Yoga

Web Design for CodingTutor.de

Landing page design

Top Five Consultants Education

Students academic courses

Course page interaction design

This design is for course access page. Students go to this page to view video lessons.

Modern and clean website for Online Academy

Service of private and group lessons via video or face-to-face.

Web design for law firm

Website for online trainings

Alberta Carpenter's Training Website Re-Design

Personal brand site for a software developer

Personal brand site for a software developer who:⠀ - write technical articles and tutorials on software development ⠀ - sell programming online courses ⠀ - sell training services ⠀ - give talks about programming⠀

Kick-ass freelancer course

Spiritual School

Run Calendar Website Design

Fun Runs, Marathons, Half Marathons, Obstacle Courses and Stair Climbing events website design runcalendar

Smart Futures Dashboard Screen

We are an online career transition planning platform for kids, teens and young adults. Our most common clients are school systems and community based education organizations that use this tool with their youth participants. as we go forward we expect the site to be used by all users of all ages.

Lifetime Investor

Learn A Step-by-Step Method for Investing and Building Wealth

Education Website Homepage Design

Homepage design for education service.

Income School - Sales Page

Sales Page design Income School is a popular Youtube channel and website where we teach people how we create passive income websites.

Modern design for online education

It is basically a website for free online course.Client wants the website to be website to be very simple and modern and to remake his existing website

Netflix of the Bible world

Courses for contest Redesign of the memorization app

Concept for this design is, to show a simple design to make user focus to what they want to do from the course, they can change the layout from list to grid, or change the basic color from ligth to dark mode. (this is a dark mode color)

School Website Page

Concept for this design is, to show a simple design to make user focus to what they want to do from the course, they can change the layout from list to grid, or change the basic color from ligth to dark mode.

landing page design for an elearning platform

This design is made for MOOCs and e-learning websites, the perfect colors combination keeps it clean and cool.

Website For Online Course Provider

Clean website design Contest design

Simple clean website. For an online course website where you can find the best instructors.

Web site for online courses

Personal landing page

Course and test page

Website design for Mage Mastery educational portal

Mage Mastery is an online learning portal with courses and video lessons dedicated to Magento 2 platform. Their goal is to be the number one learning resource for Magento 2 platform. They do this by creating daily video lessons and tutorials. The main goal of the project was to create modern website design for developers with custom illustrations (desktop and mobile versions).

Homepage / GuitarZoom website

Guitarzoom.com is the place on the web that’s dedicated to top quality guitar music education and instruction. We offer a large variety of guitar instructional courses ranging from beginner to advanced/professional level that addresses specific aspects of guitar playing and tackles a wide range of genres and styles such as the Blues, Rock, Metal, and Country. With its roster of highly qualified guitar instructors, every visitor of GuitarZoom is guaranteed to receive the highest quality of guitar instruction that you can find anywhere on the planet. The website needs to be clean, simple, with a lot of images, modern looking. Something like https://www.apple.com/iphone-11/ 80% of GuitarZoom students and customers are US males, 50 years and older. But we also want this redesigned website to be attractive to younger demographics.

Website (pc + mobile) for educational courses

Site sections: home, benefits, courses, team, reviews, partners, footer. Fully adaptive design.

Web Design Submission for Lernify

Web Design Submission

Course websites not a good fit? Try something else:

How to create your course website design.

If you want an amazing course website that stands out from the competition, work with a professional designer. Find and hire a designer to make your vision come to life, or host a design contest and get ideas from designers around the world.

Start a contest

Designers from around the world pitch you ideas. You provide feedback, hone your favorites and choose a winner.

Start a project

Find the perfect designer to match your style and budget. Then collaborate one-on-one to create a custom website.

4.6 average from 2,355 web page design customer reviews

What makes a good course website?

A great website shows the world who you are, makes people remember you, and helps potential customers understand if they found what they were looking for. Websites communicate all of that through color, shape and other design elements. Learn how to make your course website tell your brand’s story.

Types of websites There are 8 different types of websites. Find out what they are, so you can decide which will meet your needs… Keep reading

How to create a website Creating a website can be complicated. This guide will walk you through the process of getting a website step-by-step… Keep reading

Web design colors Choosing the right website colors can highlight your business’ strengths and help you attract the right customers… Keep reading