Course Creation Roadmap
Step 2 - Course Mapping
Now you have your course strategy clearly defined, it’s time to map out your content.
(Wait… don’t have your course strategy ready yet? Do not pass go, do not collect $200, head straight to the Course Strategy Guide instead).
Content Mapping = Turning your course idea into a structured learning journey
What is Content Mapping?
Content mapping is the process of laying out, step by step, the content you’re going to cover and the purpose of each lesson.
It’s just like planning out the route before you get in the car.
It’s much easier to get to where you want to go, if you have a clear plan or journey laid out in front of you.
Course mapping forces us to slow down a little at the beginning, break down our content into bite sized chunks, and think carefully about what we are trying to achieve with the content we create.
You’re ready for course mapping if…
- You have a course idea, but you’re not really sure what content to start building.
- Or you’ve started building content already, but it feels scattered, and you’re not sure what to build next.
But before you get stuck in, it is REALLY helpful if you have your course strategy ready. Your course strategy tells you the who, what, and why of your course. You can head over to the Course Strategy Guide if you haven’t done this step yet.
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What to include:
You can create your course map in a word doc, spreadsheet, or your favourite online tool… or if you’re old school you can map it out with good old pen and paper.
I often find the best maps start on post-it notes so they can be juggled around, and then moved into a digital tool once I have a feel for how I want the content to sit.
Your map should include:
- The titles of the modules and lessons in the order you want to deliver them
- The objective or purpose of each lesson (Why are you covering that content?)
- The key points to include for each lesson
- A list of any learning activities, resources or assessment that need to be prepared
- A spot for tracking video links
I also find a column for keeping notes is really handy!
Then, during the course building process, I keep the Course Map updated, ticking off items that have been created, linking to videos and tools, and making notes about things that still need to be done.
Bite Sized Chunks…
Ideally, your lessons should exist as bite sized chunks.
You want each lesson to stand alone, with a clear start, an activity or reflection, a clear objective, and a end that leads you nicely on to the next lesson.
The size of your “bite” really depends on your audience. Think about concepts like:
- How much time are they dedicating to the course?
- How long will the lesson take to complete… not just to consume your content, but to complete any learning activities as well?
- If they get interrupted, how difficult will it be to started again, or come back to what they were doing?
- Will they need support to get the best results from this chunk?
Questions to ask at this stage...
- What’s the journey your students will take ... from where they are now to their desired outcome?
- How can you break that into clear, manageable sections?
- Does the content flow logically?
- What should students know, feel, or be able to do?
- How will each module build on the one before it?
- What key topics, skills, or activities fit within each module?
- What specific outcomes or results can they expect?
- How long should each lesson be to keep learners engaged and avoid overwhelm?
- What reflections or checkpoints do you need?
Book a chat…
Know you need a course map, but not sure where to start or looking for some guidence?
Book in for a course chat and the team can point you in the right direction for getting started or provide with a quote for a specific project.