Course Draft

What is a course draft?

A course draft is an outline or preview of a workplace training course’s structure. It is an important phase before the course is edited, reviewed, published, and distributed. A draft often includes a breakdown of the topic and subtopics, laid out in the sequence they’ll appear for the learner. The draft may also include source material, multimedia, and interactive features—or placeholders for them. An effective course draft provides a clear vision of the learning experience and its expected outcomes from start to finish. 

Example: Our L&D department uses course drafts to get all key stakeholders on the same page and avoid costly changes later in the process.

Benefits of creating a course draft

L&D departments use course drafts to plan a successful course. First, they address important details that shape the course, such as the target audience, delivery time and methods, and assessment requirements. The draft should lay out the course learning objectives and explain how addressing these skills gaps will impact business outcomes.

Organizations also use the course draft process to start a stakeholder feedback process. Early reviewers typically include subject matter experts, instructors, and learner test groups who help identify technical mistakes, awkward phrasing, and poor content flow. This refinement process creates a better learning experience and saves organizations time and money by reducing the risk of costly updates. 

Innovations in course drafting

Instructional designers traditionally use design mapping, active mapping, and storyboarding to help build comprehensive course drafts. New AI options, such as Articulate’s AI Course Drafts, allow training creators to upload source materials and define an audience and course goals. The AI Assistant generates a structured course outline and first draft, which includes learning objectives, suggested content, and interactive elements that the course author can then refine into a complete course.