OpenLearning Course Design Workshop
Signature Program
A practical course design workshop helping educators reimagine online learning, structure courses clearly, and build usable learning experiences on OpenLearning.
Programme Positioning
A practical course design workshop helping educators reimagine online learning, structure courses clearly, and build usable learning experiences on OpenLearning.
The Problem We're Solving
Many online courses are built as content repositories. Learners receive materials, but the learning experience itself is not designed strongly enough to create engagement, reflection, and application.
The gap is not content. It is learning experience design.
Who This Is For
- Educators and lecturers
- Instructional designers
- Training teams building online courses
- Subject matter experts converting content into online learning
Programme Overview
This workshop guides participants from online learning mindset into course structure, activity design, platform build, and peer review.
The emphasis is on creating a course journey that learners can follow, participate in, and apply.
The Learning Journey
The journey begins by reframing online learning as an experience, not just a place to upload content. Participants then design the course structure, build learning activities, and refine their course through showcase and feedback.
Day 1
| Time | Topic |
|---|---|
| 0900am - 1030am | Reimagining Online Learning Experience Overview Participants examine what makes online learning engaging, clear, and human. The block challenges the habit of treating online learning as content storage. Learners identify what their learners need to experience, not just consume. Learning Outcome - Explain online learning as an experience design challenge. - Identify weak points in content-only course design. - Define the intended learner experience for a course. |
| 1030am - 1045am | Morning Break |
| 1045am - 1245pm | Course Structure and Learning Flow Overview Participants design the flow of topics, activities, learner instructions, and checkpoints. The block helps them organise content into a journey learners can follow. Debriefing focuses on clarity, pacing, and learner motivation. Learning Outcome - Structure a course around learner progression. - Align topics, activities, and outcomes. - Improve clarity in learner instructions. |
| 1245pm - 1400pm | Lunch & Prayer |
| 1400pm - 1530pm | Activity and Engagement Design Overview Participants create activities that prompt learners to think, discuss, practise, or reflect. The block moves beyond passive content delivery. Learners test whether their activities create the intended learning behaviour. Learning Outcome - Design activities that create learner participation. - Connect activities to learning outcomes. - Use reflection and interaction to deepen learning. |
| 1530pm - 1545pm | Evening Break |
| 1545pm - 1700pm | Build Sprint and Day 1 Review Overview Participants begin building their course structure in OpenLearning. The block turns design decisions into visible course pages and learner flow. The day closes with a review of what still needs refinement. Learning Outcome - Build a basic course structure on the platform. - Translate learning design into course pages. - Identify gaps for Day 2 refinement. |
Day 2
| Time | Topic |
|---|---|
| 0900am - 1030am | Course Build Continuation Overview Participants continue developing course pages, activities, and learner instructions. The block focuses on making the course usable and coherent. Facilitator coaching helps participants refine design choices as they build. Learning Outcome - Develop a clearer course prototype. - Improve activity instructions and learning flow. - Apply feedback during the build process. |
| 1030am - 1045am | Morning Break |
| 1045am - 1245pm | Peer Review and Learning Experience Testing Overview Participants review one another's course experience from a learner perspective. The block uses structured feedback to test clarity, engagement, and usability. Learners refine their course based on what peers notice. Learning Outcome - Evaluate a course through learner experience criteria. - Give and receive useful design feedback. - Improve course flow based on peer review. |
| 1245pm - 1400pm | Lunch & Prayer |
| 1400pm - 1530pm | Showcase and Refinement Overview Participants present their course prototype and explain the design logic behind it. The showcase creates accountability for clarity and learner value. The debrief identifies the strongest ideas and common design risks. Learning Outcome - Present a course prototype with clear design reasoning. - Identify strengths and improvement areas. - Refine the course before implementation. |
| 1530pm - 1545pm | Evening Break |
| 1545pm - 1700pm | Course Launch Readiness Overview Participants close by identifying what must be completed before launch. The block turns workshop output into an implementation checklist. The final reflection connects design decisions to learner impact. Learning Outcome - Create a course refinement and launch checklist. - Prioritise next steps for completion. - Connect course design to learner engagement and application. |
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the programme, participants will be able to:
- design online courses as learning journeys
- structure topics, activities, and outcomes coherently
- build a course prototype on OpenLearning
- improve learner engagement through activity design
- refine course quality through feedback
Design Philosophy
The workshop treats course design as a learning experience, not a formatting exercise. Participants build as they learn so design decisions are tested immediately.
Why This Is Different
| Typical Platform Training | OpenLearning Course Design Workshop |
|---|---|
| Teaches where buttons are | Teaches how learning should flow |
| Focuses on upload and setup | Focuses on learner experience |
| Output is familiarity | Output is a course prototype |
| Feedback is optional | Peer review is part of the learning |