My 3-Step Process for Building a Career-Ready Online Course from Scratch
As an educator, the shift to a new teaching modality is both an exciting and daunting task. This summer, I’m tackling a big one: converting my senior-level, in-person seminar into a fully asynchronous online experience for the fall. The biggest challenge? Avoiding the common pitfall of just posting old materials online. A true online course requires a fundamental redesign, a new architecture built from the ground up to be engaging and effective.
With so many ideas swirling, the question is always where to start. For me, the answer is a structured, intentional system. I begin every new build in my course-building spreadsheet, which acts as my command center for turning abstract goals into a concrete plan.
Here’s the three-step process I use to lay the foundation for a course that’s not only pedagogically sound but also professionally relevant.
Anchor in Outcomes. The first tab I open is my Learning Outcome Matrix. I place the official course description and my key goals at the very top to serve as a constant reference. This simple act ensures every decision I make—from projects to readings—is directly connected to the core purpose of the course. It’s hard work, but it pays off; one of the most consistent pieces of feedback I get from students is that they see how everything in the class builds on itself.
Align with the Job Market. For a senior-level class, theoretical knowledge isn't enough. I head straight to LinkedIn Jobs and search for roles related to my course topic, like “localization project manager”. I analyze the key responsibilities listed in job descriptions from major companies and ensure the verbs in my learning outcomes—like “integrate,” “recommend,” and “collaborate”—mirror the skills employers are actively seeking. This step gives me confidence that my course is preparing students for their next steps.
Visualize the Structure. With my outcomes defined and validated, I map them across my planned assignments. Using a simple color-coded system, I track where each outcome is
Introduced, Practiced, and Assessed. This visual check ensures there are no gaps and that students have ample opportunity to develop each skill before being measured on it.
This methodical process is how I build a cohesive, career-focused learning experience. Having a dedicated space to organize, visualize, and align these critical components is the key to moving from initial ideas to a fully-realized course.
If you’re an educator who loves to organize and visualize your course design, you can grab the same Course Building Spreadsheet template I use over at the Teacher’s PET shop. It’s available in both Excel and Google Sheets formats.
