Sample Course Content Document:
SAMPLE COURSE 101: GAMING OUT YOUR CONTENT DOCUMENT
Short Description
This should summarize or “sell” your course in one sentence of no more than 150 characters.
Long Description
This easy-to-skim paragraph (or paragraphs) should explain what your course is all about. It can
summarize the key concepts covered, but should be written in a way that no prior knowledge of
the subject is assumed. It should contain about 150–300 words. Consider using bullet points to
list your points. The first four lines of this description will show on the course catalog page.
Learning Objectives:
At the end of this course, you will be able to:
● Build ….
● Design …
● Prioritize …
Section 1: Introduction to Time Management
Subsection: 1.1 Course Introduction
UNIT: Descriptive Title for the Page (not the same as the section or subsection title; try to keep it
short and simple).
This is flow text that sets up what the video is about and what learners might learn from it.
Include any special instructions.
Video Component: https://youtu.be/JOlI3rP0LsxI
More flow text here. Summarize what you think learners saw in the video, and set up the
concepts in the graphic that comes next. We tend to write at the 8th grade level, because we
have lots of users for whom English isn’t their first language. We also like to include geeky jokes
that will translate across cultures, but that’s a pretty narrow repertoire because American culture
can be pretty specific.
Graphic 7. Graphic Title (Provide a link or just copy it into this document so your ID knows they
have the right graphic) (Be sure to Include alt text to be accessible to all learners)
Section 2: New Topic Title that is covered in this section
Subsection: 2.1 Sub-Topic Title
UNIT: Page Title (Cause it will make navigation easier)
More flow text here. Keep it interesting and use natural language as much as possible. Add
definitions for those five-dollar words, even though your students are smart. See how we
bolded that? Try to do that if its a term you think your students need to know. By doing it in this
document, you communicate to your ID that you want it that way in the course. Here’s another
set of course-writing tips for free:
● Use Bulleted Lists - Studies have shown that breaking up long sections of text into
bullets makes them easier to absorb.
● Graphics are Your Friends - Seriously, this generation is super visual, and including at
least one per page makes your course much prettier. Don’t we all deserve a little beauty
in our lives?
● Videos solve problems - Talk about a picture is worth 1,000 words? Videos are like the
billionaires of the bunch! But keep them short; those same studies also show that about
3-5 minutes is as long as you can expect to keep a student’s attention.
Graphic 5. Friendly Photo (Include alt text to be accessible to all learners)
UNIT: Name that Activity (Seriously, if a Unit contains an activity, make sure you say that)
Set up the activity with a short explanation in a text component. Just a couple of sentences can
help your student know what’s coming.
Drag and Drop: Tell your IDA which component you want them to use and the title to use.
Zones: Zone A Name, Zone B Name, Zone C Name, Zone D Name
Standard Mode (Remember to tell your IDA if you want Standard (immediate feedback) or
Assessment (no feedback until all elements are placed) Mode
Draggable Elements: (Remember to keep these short to make them easier to drag. Also, see
how I scrambled the order? They show up in the interactive in the order you enter them, so
scramble them here so you IDA builds them scrambled)
● Element 4 Title - Incorrect feedback: Element 4 doesn’t belong there! Correct feedback:
Great job! Element 4 goes in Zone D
● Element 2 Title - Incorrect feedback: Element 2 doesn’t belong there! Correct feedback:
Great job! Element 2 goes in Zone B
● Element 1 Title - Incorrect feedback: Element 1 doesn’t belong there! Correct feedback:
Great job! Element 1 goes in Zone A
● Element 3 Title - Incorrect feedback: Element 3 doesn’t belong there! Correct feedback:
Great job! Element 3 goes in Zone C
Background Graphic: Don’t forget to provide the background graphic!
General Feedback: Three cheers for your student! Seriously, tell them they did great!
Text Component:
After the interactive, include some more flow text. Ask them to reflect on how they did. If Maybe
suggest something to review if they didn’t do great.
We also like to include some preview text at the bottom of the page: “Click "Next" to see how to
do XYZ (what comes next).”
Subsection: 2.2 What Comes Next
Unit: New Topic Title
Last Tip: We generally try to limit a page to 4 components so learners don’t have to scroll too far
down. But we don’t like to have a page with just a few paragraphs (it looks sooooooo lonely!).
