Step 1: Define the End Goal

Using the backward design principle, we want to start with the end in mind.

☂️ Start with the umbrella topic: the overarching focus of the course.

👀 For example: consultative selling, performance reviews, hiring and interviewing, product knowledge, safety, cybersecurity, etc.

Now, identify the expected action or behavior learners should apply by the end of the learning experience.

🎯 State the end goal as: “By the end of the course, learners will [2-3 actions or behaviors learners are expected to apply].”

Step 2: Set Metrics of Success

How will you measure the success of this course? Set 2-3 metrics of success to assess learner achievement and instructional impact.

⚙️You may use a combination of qualitative and quantitative data to measure success.

You may also need to report on course engagement metrics like completion rate, answer accuracy, interactivity rate, confidence lift, and learner sentiment.

📏 Establishing clear success metrics also helps you formulate relevant questions for each lesson. See the question section to dive deeper.

Step 3: Identify Knowledge and Skills Needed

💭 Start by asking yourself, “How will learners achieve the end goal?”

The answer to this question is the 2-4 components, knowledge & skills, learners need to accomplish the end goal.

❗Pro tip! Meet learners where they are; know your audience and their baseline understanding and skill level to determine the components needed in the course.

Step 4: Create an Outline

Now that you have the end goal and lesson components identified, you can start to lay out the course outline.

🧠 Keep 2 things in mind:

1. Lesson topics should be organized in a way that builds on one another logically.

2. Take the lesson topic and make it outcome-based.

❗Pro tip! Put yourself in the learner’s shoes and ask, “What’s in it for me?”

This looks great, but what’s in it for the learner? Why should they care about building these skills?

Lesson 1: Give meetings purpose by setting an agenda

Lesson 2: Get shit done by maintaining focus and participation

Lesson 3: Ensure your team is aligned on next steps by setting actions, owners, and timelines.

🔑 These are your lesson objectives, and these should be communicated to the learner.

Step 5: Fill in the Outline

At this stage, you’ll pull internal or external content to build out each lesson.

Remember, less is more! Focus on what’s most important to know or build to achieve each lesson objective and eventually the end goal.

🎯Lessons have 1200 characters–we are aiming for depth versus breadth.

While each lesson looks different, here is a rough outline you can use:

👀 Check out this course to see an example of how lessons vary while including each of these components: Boost Productivity and Collaboration by Running Effective Meetings.

Step 6: Add Questions

Questions not only make the learning experience interactive and engaging for the learner, but they also provide good data and insights.

✍️ Here are 5 best practices when adding questions:

• Use 1-2 questions per lesson.

• Balance multiple-choice and free-response questions (too many free response will have lower engagement).

• Use parameters in free-response questions (e.g. “What's 1 action step...” or “Share your thinking in 2-3 sentences...”)

• Ask yourself, “Does this question add value to the learner?”

• Provide the correct answer and an explanation of why the answer is correct.

💬 These are 4 question types to choose from:

1. Multiple-Choice (MC)

A question that consists of 4-7 possible options with 1 correct option. Learners can only select one option as their answer.

2. Multi-select Multiple-Choice

A multiple-choice question that consists of 4-7 possible options with multiple correct options. Learners must select all of the correct options to get the question correct.

3. Free-response (FR)

An open-ended question that requires a short written response.

4. Custom-rating (CR)

A survey-style question used to measure degrees of opinion on a scale of 0-10 (0 being not at all, 10 being completely).

🔍 You can use questions to:

• Assess recall (knowledge checks)

  Example: ❓Reply back: According to OSHA, what is your right as an employee if you believe you are in danger of being harmed while on the job?

  A. To refuse to do the task

  B. To be given protective equipment

  C. To complain about it with a coworker

  D. To be given hazard pay

• Practice with scenarios

  Example: ❓Reply back: As the manager, you set a clear and measurable goal of increasing your team’s productivity by 20% within the first 3 months of using the new software. What is 1 way you monitor your team’s progress in achieving this goal?

• Build an action plan

  Example: ❓Reply back: Share 1 specific situation where you plan to use the SBI feedback framework this week.

• Reflect on past, present, or future

  Example: ❓Reply back: Reflect on your own body language, tone, and facial expressions during a negotiation. Write 1 way you can improve your nonverbals during the next negotiation.

• Survey real-time feedback

  Example: ❓Reply back: How comfortable are you with using ChatGPT?

  A. Very uncomfortable

  B. Uncomfortable

  C. Neutral

  D. Comfortable

  E. Very comfortable

  OR

  ❓ Reply back: On a scale of 0-10 (0 being not at all, 10 being very comfortable) how comfortable are you with using ChatGPT?

  💡 Don’t forget to add confidence lift and learner sentiment blocks.

• Confidence Lift: The confidence lift question block is added as the first question in the first lesson and the second to last question in the last lesson. Confidence lift measures the increase in confidence from the start to the end of the course. This data is shown as a percentage.

• Learner Sentiment: The learner sentiment question block is the last question of the last lesson. Learner sentiment measures the learner’s satisfaction with the course on a scale of 0-10. This data is shown as a number between 0-10.

Step 7: Response to learner

After a learner responds to a question, you have 800 characters for the response to learner. The response to learner aims to acknowledge the learner’s response and provide a relevant follow-up to solidify or continue the learning.

When writing the response to learner, keep in mind these 2 variations:

1. For questions that have right and wrong answers (think of recall questions or scenario-based practice questions), be sure to:

✏️ Mark correct options with “ ✅ Correct!” and incorrect options with “ ❌ That is incorrect!”

💬 Provide a short explanation for why the option is correct or incorrect.

✖️ For incorrect options only, provide the correct answer, “The correct answer is [option letter],” and include a short explanation of why the answer is correct.

2. For questions that do not have right and wrong answers (think of reflection, survey, or action plan), be sure to:

💡 Validate the learner response using a short and appropriate statement.

👀 When helpful, provide an example of how someone might approach this question or a call to action for the learner to implement what they are learning.

For the last response to learner in the lesson, alert learners that the lesson is over and preview the next lesson.

Step 8: Put it All Together

You have all the pieces, now it’s time to review and refine.

Remember to focus on depth versus breadth. You have:

• 1200 characters per lesson

• 300 characters per question

• 800 characters per response to learner

❗Pro tip! If the lesson feels too heavy with content, utilize the response to learner for the 1st question to break up the lesson.

Use this checklist to review your course:

• Ensure each lesson has a clear welcome statement.

• Add relevant images at the start of each lesson: infographic, meme, gif, etc.

• Include the lesson number and lesson title at the start (this helps learners know where they are)

• Welcome learners to the lesson and provide a one-liner to introduce the lesson.

• Use insightful quotes, data, and real-world examples to illustrate main ideas.

• Check for a conversational and inviting tone.

• Break up large chunks of information using bullet points or lists.

• Add relevant emojis as fancy bullet points at the beginning of a new line and to clearly mark questions (❓Reply back)

• Shara a link to a resource to supplement learning at the end: article, podcast, video, etc. (use the 🔗 for consistency)

• Alert learners that the lesson is over and preview the next lesson in the last response to learners

Step 9: Course Description & Activation Message

↩️ Go back and write the course description and activation message.

How are these messages used?

• The course description is shared on the enrollment page when learning is pulled.

• The activation message is the first message learners receive when they enroll in a course for both pushed and pulled learning.

❗Pro tip! Include a “what’s in it for me” statement to connect how this course will benefit the learner and promote high engagement.

Here are the outlines for each message:

Course Description:

🧠 Intro: Welcome to the [course name] course!

Course Preview: With just 5-10 minutes a day for [course length] you’ll learn [2-3 skills or concepts they will develop in the course].

🎯 What’s in it for them: This course will help you [1-2 outcomes].

🔍 Arist-specific context (if needed): Arist delivers concise and impactful lessons directly through [delivery channel: SMS, Slack, or Teams]. Expect to receive a few texts each day that will prompt you to engage with, reflect on, and apply the knowledge and skills you are building. Plus, it only takes a few minutes!

Activation Message:

💡 Welcome: Welcome to the “Course Title” course!

📲 Course Preview: With just 5-10 minutes a day for [course length] you’ll learn to [2-3 skills they will develop in the course].

🔑 What’s in it for them: This course will help you [1-2 outcomes].

❗ Pro tip! When writing the activation message:

• Think like a marketer: You are selling to the learner; what’s going to get them engaged?

• Get to the “aha” moment: What key takeaway can you share with learners at the start to grab their attention?

• Play on current trends and themes: Use gifs, characters, or trends that learners can resonate with.

• Say more with less.