Course Content Planner
Use this tool to organize your course content with backwards design: decide where students should end up, plan the assessments that will verify they got there, decide what content you will use and build your course and schedule module-by-module.
Your work will be saved automatically as you go.
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Click into the text boxes with an arrow for additional guidance.
Course basics
Decide what your students will take away
from your
course
Backwards design starts with your objectives for the course. Before choosing readings or lectures, name what students will be able to do when the course is over.
Why start at the end?
The three core elements of a course — Learning Objectives, assessments, and activities — only work when they point at the same destination. Starting from Learning Objectives keeps everything aligned.
Use the Learning Objective Builder if you want help writing an objective, then paste the result into the list below.
What should students be able to do by the end of the course.
Decide how you'll assess each course objective
Before planning any activities, decide how you will assess the objectives you chose in Step 1. They appear below — plan at least one assessment for each.
What makes a good assessment online? — course objectives
An assessment is any student work you can evaluate against an objective. Common options in online courses include auto-graded quizzes (recall and concept checks), discussion posts and peer replies (critique and application), papers and problem sets, projects and portfolios, recorded presentations or demonstrations, and reflective journals.
Match the assessment to the verb in your objective: if students should analyze, a multiple-choice quiz alone won't show it. And keep your own grading load in mind — every assessment you assign is something you (or an autograder) must respond to.
Organize your course content into modules
Break down your course content into manageable chunks. Distribute your learning materials, activities, and assessments across the modules.
Why break content into modules?
Helps students avoid feeling overwhelmed by too much information at once.
Modules may be organized by topic, by week, or by any other logical grouping that makes sense for your course.
For tips on structuring and scheduling your modules, see the (not yet released) Structure and Scheduling Tips resource from UOES.
Plan Your Modules
For each module, you should:
- Create Learning Objectives that represent student expectations.
- Decide how you will assess student success.
- Select Learning Activities that build the skills and knowledge its assessment will measure.
- List any materials & resources needed for the module.
Resources for planning
Visit the UOES Resource Library for a refresher on Learning Objectives, Assessments, and Learning Activities.
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