Outline a course with Claude or ChatGPT
10 min read · Beginner · Guide 2 of 9
A good outline has one result for the whole course and one goal per lesson. The AI is fast at structure, but only you know your learners. So you give it the facts, and it gives you a draft to fix.
What you need
- Claude or ChatGPT. A free plan works.
- 10 minutes of notes: who your learners are, what they already know, and what they want.
1. Tell the AI who you teach
Paste this prompt into a new chat. Fill in each part in brackets.
You help me plan a short online course. My learners: [who they are, their age, their work] They already know: [what they know] They want to: [the result they want] They learn on: a phone, often on slow internet, in short breaks. My topic: [your topic] Write a course outline with 3 to 7 lessons. For each lesson give: - a short title (6 words or fewer) - one goal that starts with "After this lesson, you can" - the one idea it teaches - one example from daily life in Haiti Then give one sentence that says what the whole course lets them do. Ask me 3 questions if you need more facts before you start.
2. Cut and fix
Read the draft as your learner would. Then:
- Remove any lesson that teaches two ideas. Split it, or cut one idea.
- Change every example that would not happen in your learners' lives.
- Keep 3 lessons for your first course, even if the AI gave you 7.
3. Ask for the order
Send: "Put these lessons in the order a beginner needs them. Tell me which lesson depends on another." Keep the order only if it makes sense to you.
Kreyòl check: none yet. You translate after the scripts are written (guide 4).