MODULE 1: ANALYZE – INTRODUCTION TO

INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN, NEEDS ANALYSIS AND

COURSE DESIGN

Table of Contents
MODULE 1: ANALYZE – INTRODUCTION TO INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN, NEEDS ANALYSIS AND COURSE DESIGN ......... 1
Module Overview ........................................................................................................................................................... 2
Module 1, Task 1(OPTIONAL): Building Community Discussion ............................................................................... 3
Module 1, Task 2: Course Pre-Test............................................................................................................................ 4
Module 1, Task 3a: Overview of Instructional Design............................................................................................... 4
Module 1, Task 3b: Check for Understanding ........................................................................................................... 5
Module 1, Task 4: Needs Analysis ............................................................................................................................. 6
Module 1, Task 5(OPTIONAL): Analyze Your Data to Create a Learner Story ......................................................... 15
Module 1, Task 6: Course Objectives ...................................................................................................................... 17
Module 1, Task 7a: Designing a Course Outline ...................................................................................................... 21
Module 1, Task 7b: Course Outline ......................................................................................................................... 22
Module 1, Task 7c: Check for Understanding ......................................................................................................... 26
Module 1, Task 8(OPTIONAL): Course Outline Discussion ...................................................................................... 26
Module 1, Task 9(OPTIONAL): Design a Learner Story and Course Outline ........................................................... 26
Module 1, Task 10: Module Summary .................................................................................................................... 30

© 2023 by Arizona State University. Module 1 Downloadable Packet for the Online Professional
English Network (OPEN), sponsored by the U.S. Department of State with funding provided by the
U.S. government and administered by FHI 360. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons 1
Attribution 4.0 License, except where noted. To view a copy of this license, visit
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Module Overview
Welcome to Module 1!
Analyze – Introduction to Instructional Design, Needs Analysis, and Course Design

In this module, you will begin the process of creating and implementing online courses. You will learn about a
model for online course design. You will engage in the first two steps of this model: Analyze and Design. You will
learn how to analyze your students’ needs through a needs analysis and learn about creating a learner story. Then,
you will learn about using your needs analysis and learner story to design a course outline.

The suggested date for completion of this module is August 27, 2023.

Learning Objectives:

By the end of this module, you will be able to:

● describe the process and tools used for doing a needs analysis
● create a learner story based on a needs analysis
● write 2-4 course objectives following SMART criteria
● describe the parts of a course outline
● design a course outline

Course Glossary
We have also created a glossary for you to use as you take the course. In the glossary, you will find words and
definitions that will help you in the course tasks.

Below is the schedule for Module 1:

Module 1 Schedule

Task Description Time to Complete

1 OPTIONAL: Post on a Building Community Discussion 30 minutes

2 Take a Course Pre-Test 30 minutes

3a Watch a Video 30 minutes

3b Check for Understanding 25 minutes

4 Read about Needs Analysis 30 minutes

5 OPTIONAL: Watch a Video 30 minutes

6 Read about SMART Course Objectives 30 minutes

7a Watch a Video 30 minutes

7b Read About the Course Outline 30 minutes

7c Check for Understanding 25 minutes

CIOC, Module 1, Page 2

 8 OPTIONAL: Post on Course Outline Discussion 30 minutes

9 OPTIONAL: Design a Learner Story and Course Outline 1.5 hours

10 Read a Module Summary 10 minutes

M O D U LE 1 , T A S K 1 ( OP T I ON A L ) : B U I L D IN G C O M MU N IT Y
D IS C U S S I O N
Discuss and Share (30 minutes)
This discussion is optional and ungraded.

“Coffee” by Andrew Lloyd Gordon is licensed under the Pixabay License

Let's get to know each other!

Write a 5-7 sentence introduction about yourself. You will receive 10 points for including the following:

● 2 activities that you enjoy when you're not teaching

● 2 facts about your school and/or students
● 1 reason (or more) why you are taking this course
● 1 worry or fear that you have about creating and implementing an online course.

After you post your introduction, find one other person and comment on his or her post. Ask a question or share
some information. Remember that we're building a community here and that community depends on your
participation!

Below is an example from Sarah:

Hi everyone! I’m Sarah. When I’m not teaching, I love to hike and watch movies. Right now, I am teaching
English to young students (10-14 years old). My students’ level is quite low, so we focus a lot on learning basic
vocabulary and grammar. The reason I am taking this course is because my principal recently asked me to
make my course online and I do not know where to start! One worry that I have about moving my course
online is how to keep students engaged, especially when they are that young.

CIOC, Module 1, Page 3

M O D U LE 1 , T A S K 2 : C OU R S E P R E -T E S T
Complete a Pre-test (30 minutes)
Now you will take a pre-test, or a diagnostic, so we can find out what you know about creating and implementing
online courses. You will not receive a grade for this pre-test. At the end of the course, you will take a course post-
test to measure how much you learned.

<<This diagnostic can only be completed online>>

M O D U LE 1 , T A S K 3 A : O V E R V I E W O F I N S T R U C T I ON A L D E S I GN
Watch a Video (30 minutes)
In the Welcome Module, you met Sarah, who has the challenge of developing an online course for the first time.
Now let's watch a video about Sarah as she gets help from peers who have expertise in online course design.

You can also read a transcript of the video below.

Overview of Instructional Design – Video Transcript

Sarah: It looks like some teachers have responded to my vlog. Let’s see what they have to say!

Sam: Hey Sarah! I had the same problem last year. Putting my whole course online was a huge challenge. I would
say that one of the things that helped me out the most was becoming familiar with a basic design model. It takes
time and preparation to put a course online, so definitely spend at least part of that time learning how course
design works. For first timers, I always recommend taking a look at the ADDIE model. It is simple and it gives you a
model around which you can build. I hope this helps!

Jessie: Hi, Sarah. I feel your pain. I guess the best bit of advice I’ve ever received for building an online course was
to think about your audience. If you are going to an online space, does that change your audience at all? Maybe
your students have full time jobs and have time only in the evenings. Maybe they are younger or older or have
different reasons for taking the course than students in your face-to-face class. Collecting as much information as
you can is important in course design so that you don’t make any serious mistakes. As soon as you create videos
and readings and assessments, it is really hard to change them, so try to get it right from the beginning! And one
more thing, maybe the most important thing, I always do a needs analysis. I’ll send you an example needs analysis
after I teach my class. Speaking of class, it is time for me to teach. Gotta run!

Narrator: Great advice from these two experts in the field. Let’s discuss their ideas. The first expert mentioned the
ADDIE model. Now, there are many common
instructional design models such as MPI, Gagne’s 9
Events of instruction, ARCs, and Backward Design;
however, ADDIE is probably the most common
model in the online world, so let’s discuss it.

The ADDIE model allows you to plan a course in an

organized fashion. ADDIE stands for analyze,
design, develop, implement, and evaluate.

We will use the ADDIE model ourselves during this

course to give you a good sense of how you can

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use it to build out your own course. Each module will introduce one of the parts of the ADDIE model, and in this
first module, we will begin with the first letter: analyze.

Our second expert mentioned a needs analysis. For

designers, a needs analysis can be one of many
different kinds of instruments. It could be a survey,
a series of interviews, or other data collection tools.
Let me suggest three reasons you should start with
a needs analysis, rather than just putting ‘a bunch
of stuff’ on the Internet.

First, a needs analysis helps you learn about your

audience and why they want to learn English.
Second, it helps you understand the objectives and
interests of different groups. For example, you will
need to think not only about your learner audience,
but also about the teachers who will likely teach your course, and the administrators that support it. Each group
may have different ideas about the purposes, content, and delivery of the online course. Third, a good needs
analysis helps you determine the learners’ background. This might include their location, their purpose for taking
your course, their skill with technology, and their knowledge of English and the English skills you are going to
teach. Much of this you may already know from experience, but doing a needs analysis often gives surprising
results.

Review the ADDIE model infographic below.

M O D U LE 1 , T A S K 3B : C H E C K F OR U N D E R S T A N D IN G
Check for Understanding (25 minutes)
Now you will take a quiz about the video.

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You can take the quiz multiple times. Your highest score will be used as your grade. To pass the quiz, you need to
answer at least 4 questions correctly.

<<This quiz can only be taken online>>

M O D U LE 1 , T A S K 4 : N E E D S A N A L Y S IS
Read About the Needs Analysis and Its Tools (30 minutes)
Definition and Purpose of a Needs Analysis

In the video, Jessie, the teacher, recommends that Sarah conduct a needs analysis. In fact, you have probably
already conducted a needs analysis in the classroom. Have you ever given a diagnostic or a pre-test to your
students? If you have, then you have done a needs analysis. A needs analysis, just like the name suggests, is a
process for collecting and analyzing the needs of the stakeholders or those people who are affected by the
course. The stakeholders are the students, but they can also be other teachers teaching the same course,
administrators, or even parents.

There are a number of reasons why you should use a needs analysis, but the most important reason is when
creating a course online, you need to know much more about your students and their needs. Who are your
students? Why are they taking your course? Why are they learning English? How much do they know about
English? How well do they know technology? What do they need to learn? A good needs analysis can give you that
information and help you to make informed decisions about your course.

Types of Needs

There are two different types of learner needs. One type includes those needs that are easy to measure, like
learners’ demographic information, language level and abilities, skills with technology, while the other type of
needs are those needs determined by the learners themselves. These needs include attitudes, interests,
expectations, goals and motivation for learning, and preferences, like learning styles or strategies, for how they like
to learn (Brown, 2007).

Needs Analysis Tools

There are different tools that you can use to learn about these two types of needs. To find out more about your
students’ needs, you could give them diagnostics or pre-tests. You could also carry out observations of your
students in other classes. These tools will help you to gauge the students’ language levels.

“Untitled” by Andreas Breitling is licensed under the Pixabay License .

One of the most common needs analysis tools is the survey, which includes questions about the different needs of
learners. A survey can be used to find out more about students’ educational background and experience, including
their knowledge of technology. A survey can also help to find out their goals, motivation, attitudes, and
preferences.

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Surveys can include different types of questions, such as multiple choice, ranking/scale, and open-ended (those
questions that require detailed responses).

For a survey, you should choose the question types that work best for collecting information on your students.
There are also advantages and disadvantages to these question types. For example, in an open-ended question,
students can provide information specific to their needs, but these questions usually take more time to answer.

Other needs analysis tools include the interview and the focus group. An interview is when you talk with a student
one on one using open-ended questions to get more detailed information about the different types of needs. A
focus group is also a good opportunity to find out more about students’ needs and interests. In a focus group, you
ask a small group of students to meet for a guided discussion. This can take more time because of coordinating
with everyone to set up a time, but you can learn a lot of useful information about your students.

As you can see, you have a variety of needs analysis tools to choose from. If possible, it is a good idea to use 2 or 3
tools. The more data you can collect, the better understanding you will have of your students. When trying to
decide which needs analysis tools to use, think about your teaching context and choose the 2 or 3 tools which will
be the most effective for your context to give you the most comprehensive picture of your students.
References

(The content in these references is copyrighted, and cannot be adapted, or distributed after the end of this course. It is not Public or Creative
Commons-licensed, and therefore not for public use.)

Brown, D. H. (2007). Teaching by principles: An interactive approach to language pedagogy. Pearson Education, Inc.

OPTIONAL: Study an example needs analysis survey.

Here is the needs analysis survey mentioned in the video. The teacher chose 10 questions from the below survey
and gave it to her adult students to assess their needs.

You can use this survey to analyze your own students. If you are interested in conducting a needs analysis of your
students, please use the survey below.

Because most surveys have fewer questions (between 8-10), choose which questions would work best in your
teaching context. You can also change or adapt them if needed.

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Needs Analysis Survey
Please fill out this survey. This will help me to get to know you and to make our class better. This survey
is anonymous.
Demographic Information
1. How many years have you studied English?
2. What was the last English language class you took?
Language Use
3. When do you use English outside of class? Check (✔) all that apply.
❑ my job ❑ video games ❑ watching TV/shows movies in English
❑ writing emails ❑ talking with friends ❑ listening to music in English

❑ on social media platforms like Facebook/Instagram

❑ Other: ________________________________________________________________
4. Who do you speak English with outside of class?
Technology
5. Have you ever taken an online English language course? If yes, what did you like about the course?
What did you not like about the course?
6. How comfortable do you feel taking a class online?
Somewhat
Very uncomfortable Uncomfortable Comfortable Comfortable Very Comfortable

7. How often do you use the following:

Very
Never Rarely Sometimes Frequently Frequently
Online English dictionaries

Apps for learning English

Online games

Google Translate

8. How much do you like using technology (for example, apps) to help you learn English?
Dislike A Lot Dislike Somewhat Like Like Like Very Much

CIOC, Module 1, Page 12

Language Level/Abilities
9. How good are you at the following in English?
Very Poor Poor Average Good Excellent
Reading

Writing

Listening

Speaking

Grammar

Vocabulary

Pronunciation

10. Which area of English is the easiest for you? Choose 1.

o Reading o Grammar
o Writing o Vocabulary
o Listening o Pronunciation
o Speaking
11. Which area of English is the most difficult for you? Choose 1.
o Reading o Grammar
o Writing o Vocabulary
o Listening o Pronunciation
o Speaking
12. Which area of English do you want to work on the most? Choose 1.
o Reading o Grammar
o Writing o Vocabulary
o Listening o Pronunciation
o Speaking

Attitude/Motivation

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13. Why are you learning English?
14. How do you feel about learning English?

Learning Preferences
15. Which activities are most helpful for you to learn English? Check (✔) all that apply.
❑ working by myself ❑ working in pairs/groups

❑ reading silently ❑ reading out loud

❑ listening to dialogues ❑ watching videos

❑ conversation ❑ playing games

16. How would you describe yourself as a learner?

Strongly Neither Strongly

Disagree Disagree Disagree/Agree Agree Agree
I prefer explanations with visual
aids (graphs, pictures, etc.).

I like to use my hands and make

something in class.

I remember something better if I

repeat it out loud than write it
down.

I like to draw pictures and graphs

when I take notes.

I prefer to read a textbook than

listen to a lecture.

Interests/Expectations
17. What topics do you like to talk about in English? Check all that apply.
❑ sports ❑ music ❑ famous people

❑ shopping ❑ vacations ❑ friends and family

❑ work ❑ clothing ❑ food

❑ health ❑ hobbies ❑ plans/goals

CIOC, Module 1, Page 14

 ❑ Other: ________________________________________________
18. What do you want to learn about in this class?
M O D U LE 1 , T A S K 5 ( OP T I ON A L ) : A N A L Y Z E Y OU R D A T A T O
C R E A T E A L E A R N E R S T OR Y
Watch a Video (30 minutes)
As you build your course, you’ll want to develop objectives that meet the needs of all stakeholders, and you’ll want
to design flexibly to allow for different learner preferences and interests. By having a clear learner story in your
head, you will be able to make choices that all groups want.

Watch an optional video about Sarah and learn how to analyze the data in a needs analysis to create a learner
story.

You can also read a transcript of the video below.

Analyze Your Data to Create a Learner Story – Video Transcript

Sarah: Hey, thanks to Sam and Jessie who gave me great advice. I really love the advice. I created a needs analysis
and gave it to my students. But now I have another problem...what do I do with all this data?

Sarah: Let’s take a look at my vlog. It looks like Jessie responded! Let’s see what she has to say.

Jessie: Hey, I’m back from class. Okay, you ask a really great question. What do you do with all the data? Well, I
guess the best thing you can do after collecting data is to create a learner story. Let me explain. A learner story is a
small 4-5 sentence description of the learners in your course. It shows their needs, their motivations, and their
general characteristics. A learner story helps you imagine who your general audience is in a way that informs your
curriculum.

So how do you write a learner story? First, I look for trends. In other words, look for ways learners are all or mostly
the same in their needs, motivations, and characteristics. Especially look for trends that might make you change
your topics, objectives, or graphic design. For example, if your learners are all learning English to get a job, you
might want to teach more job vocabulary. If most of your learners are not good at technology, you might want
your first module to teach the technology needed for your course. If your students are young, you might want to
choose bright colors or even cartoon animals as part of your graphic design. Remember...look for trends!

So, what are some of the trends I found when I conducted my needs analysis? Well, I learned that all of my
students share the same language background and come from my country. I learned that many are adults, and that
they have full time jobs. Most of them want to improve their English to advance their careers or be successful at
their jobs. My administration asked me to create a business class for these students.

Oh, and one more thing. Sometimes you won’t find a clear trend. You might find that the class is split into two or
three groups. For example, in my class, about half of the students come from the same workplace...a hotel
business, and they want vocabulary that will help them at their jobs. The rest of the students work in sales and
general business. This allowed me to think about two major groups and write up a learner story that includes both
groups.

Sarah: Hmmm…so I take my data, I look for trends, and I try to imagine a story. Four or five sentences? That
shouldn’t be too hard. Okay, time to start writing!

OPTIONAL: Read more about creating a learner story and study two examples below.

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After Sarah’s needs analysis of her students, she noticed that
● her students are young, between the ages of 12-14.
● her students are interested in basic communication, and all enjoy using social media in English.
● her students already have all had two or more years of English (but still at A1 proficiency on CEFR).
● half of the students prefer speaking, while the other half of the students prefer writing.
● half of the students are comfortable with online technology, while the other half is not.

Sarah also talked with the administrators at her school and confirmed that they want:
● students to achieve an A2 (CEFR) level by the end of the school year.

She also checked in with a few teachers at her school and learned that they want students to be able to
● use past, present, and future tenses.
● write a full paragraph.

Using all the data, she came up with a story about her learners and focused on two groups of typical learners. Here
is Sarah's learner story:

Sarah's Learner Story:

Through my needs analysis, I learned that I have a young group of students, between 12-14, who are interested in
basic communication. They all enjoy social media. They have all had more than 2 years of English, and my
administration wants them to achieve an A2 (CEFR) level of proficiency by the end of the school year. I want to
make sure my students can use the simple past, present, and future, and write a full paragraph using compound
and complex sentences.

I have also identified two groups of typical learners based on my needs analysis:

Typical Learner Group 1: These learners are bright students who love talking and make friends easily. They do well
in group work situations where they can speak. They are not proficient in technology and struggle a little with
formal writing. They love using English to listen to music and watch videos on social media.

Typical Learner Group 2: These learners are shy and rarely speak up in class. They are very good at technology and
writing, but they have a hard time with pronunciation and speaking in front of others. They are good readers and
enjoy getting things done on their own. They love to post pictures and ideas on social media.

Notice how Sarah has two very different learner groups. As she creates her course, she will need to think about the
different needs and interests of both. She will try to meet the administration’s goal to get these students to a high
beginning level of English. Now let's move on to one other example.

Jessie teaches at a language school in her country. After Jessie's needs analysis of her students, she noted that:
● her students are adults
● the students speak the same language
● many of the students come to the language school after full-time work
● although there are many differences, most of the students want to improve their English for better jobs or
general workplace success.

Jessie spoke with her administrators and confirmed that they want:
● a business class created for students who work in the hotel industry and for students who work in sales.

Using all this data, she came up with a story about her learners and focused on two groups of typical learners. Here
is Jessie's learner story:

Jessie's Learner Story:

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Through my needs analysis, I learned that I have a group of adult students. They come to class after working all
day. Most of them want to take English classes because they want to get a better job or be more successful at
work. They studied English at high school and university but did not focus on business English. My administration
wants me to create a business English course that is for different types of work environments.
I have also identified two groups of typical learners based on my needs analysis:

Typical Learner Group 1: These learners work in sales at a business that has many opportunities. However, many of
these jobs require better English in order to engage in business meetings, attend conferences, and work with
clients. They will need to give presentations, send emails, have good skills on the phone, and learn how to talk
about the various business products their company makes. They hope that by learning general and business
English, they will be able to get one of these higher paying positions.

Typical Learner Group 2: These learners work in the hotel industry. This workplace pays for their English classes and
expects that they will be able to pass a test that the company has created that will prove a high enough level of
proficiency. They are very good at speaking already, but need to know certain terms and ideas for the hotel
industry. They are required to answer phones, meet with clients, and organize and host conferences. They are also
required to send emails to clients and answer questions.

Notice how Jessie’s situation is different from Sarah’s, and thus, her course design may be different as well. Jessie
also has to think about the needs and interests of her learners and create a course that pleases the administration.
Did you notice any places where the interests of the administration, Typical Learner Group 1, and Typical Learner
Group 2 are similar? Did you notice any areas of difference?

As you build your course, you’ll want to develop objectives that meet the needs of all stakeholders, and you’ll want
to design flexibly to allow for different learner preferences and interests. By having a clear learner story in your
head, you will be able to make choices that all groups want.

M O D U LE 1 , T A S K 6 : C OU R S E OB JE C T IV E S
Read about Writing Course Objectives Based on a Learner Story (30 minutes)
After you have conducted your needs analysis, analyzed your results, and created your learner story, your next
step in designing your course is to write your course objectives. Often teachers are excited to start planning the
course, module or unit, and lesson activities, but it’s necessary to start first with the course objectives. Your
objectives are the foundation for your course and include the specific skills that you want your students to
develop. The activities come later and are planned to help your students achieve the objectives.

The learner story provides a description for what your students need to learn. Below is an example learner story
from Sarah:

Learner Story:
Through my needs analysis, I learned that I have a young group of students, between 12-14, who are interested in
basic communication. They all enjoy social media. They have all had more than 2 years of English, and my
administration wants them to achieve an A2 (CEFR) level of proficiency by the end of the school year. I want to
make sure my students can use the simple past, present, and future, and write a full paragraph using compound
and complex sentences.

I have also identified two groups of typical learners based on my needs analysis:

Typical Learner Group 1: These learners are bright students who love talking and make friends easily. They do well
in group work situations where they can speak. They are not proficient in technology and struggle a little with
formal writing. They love using English to listen to music and watch videos on social media.

CIOC, Module 1, Page 17

Typical Learner Group 2: These learners are shy and rarely speak up in class. They are very good at technology and
writing, but they have a hard time with pronunciation and speaking in front of others. They are good readers and
enjoy getting things done on their own. They love to post pictures and ideas on social media.

OPTIONAL: Learn more about creating a learner story above in Task 5 (OPTIONAL): Analyze Your Data to Create a
Learner Story.

Because the learner story details the needs of learners, you can use the story to help create your course
objectives. From this learner story above you can see that Sarah’s young learners have some specific needs for
learning English. As we mentioned earlier, the course objectives should be based on the learners’ needs. Below
you can see how Sarah’s course objectives work toward meeting the needs of her learners.

Course Objectives:
By the end of the course, students will be able to:
● produce language using high frequency words in English that are appropriate to the context
● use the simple present and present continuous correctly in oral and written communication
● write paragraphs with appropriate sentence structure and vocabulary on everyday topics

In addition to writing objectives based on our learners’ needs, we want to make sure we write objectives that meet
the SMART criteria, which stand for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-oriented. Many teachers
use Bloom’s Taxonomy to write objectives that meet these criteria. This taxonomy, or classification system, lists six
levels or categories of learning and gives you verbs that you can use in stating the skills you want learners to
demonstrate.

OPTIONAL: Read more about using Bloom’s Taxonomy to write SMART objectives and review example course
objectives below.
Supplemental Resource for Writing Objectives
Writing Smart Course Objectives

In addition to writing objectives based on our learners’ needs, we want to make sure we write objectives that meet
the SMART criteria, which stand for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-oriented.

Review Sarah's objectives for her online course below.

Course Objectives:
By the end of the course, students will be able to:
● produce language using high frequency words in English that are appropriate to the context
● use the simple present and present continuous correctly in oral and written communication
● write paragraphs with appropriate sentence structure and vocabulary on everyday topics

Let’s look at the first objective and ask some questions.

Course Objective 1:
By the end of the course, students will be able to:
● produce language using high frequency words in English that are appropriate to the context

SMART Objectives
First, is the objective specific? Can you clearly identify the skill in the statement? In this case, we
would say yes, we can: it is to be able to produce language using high frequency words in English
that are appropriate to the context. If you compare this objective to one such as, “improve
vocabulary,” you can see that this statement is more specific.

Next, is it measurable? Will you be able to measure your learners’ achievement of the objective? How will you
measure their achievement? If the objective is to produce language using high frequency words in English that are

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 appropriate to the context, then Sarah will look for the student to demonstrate understanding of
those words by using them correctly. She will be able to measure the skill with those clear results or
outcomes.

Then, is the objective achievable in the timeframe? She has said students will be able to produce
language using high frequency words in English that are appropriate to the context by the end of the
course. In this case, the course is one academic year, and she expects students to be able to build
their vocabulary in that timeframe. When writing your objectives think about the timeframe, and
ask yourself, “Is that possible?”

Objectives should be relevant and work toward skills that students need. That takes us back to our
needs analysis, doesn’t it? Well in Sarah’s learner story, we identified that students need to achieve
at least a high beginning level of English and improve their communication skills. Does this course
objective work toward meeting that need? Yes, the objective connects to this need by building their
vocabulary to a higher proficiency level and giving them an essential skill for communication.

Lastly, is the objective time-oriented? That is, have you clearly stated the time period in which the
objective is to be achieved? In this case, Sarah has included the time period “by the end of the
course.”

Keep the SMART criteria in mind as you write your overall course objectives and as you plan objectives for
individual modules and lessons.

Icons by The Noun Project are licensed under CC BY 3.0.

References

(The content in these references is copyrighted, and cannot be adapted, or distributed after the end of this course. It is not Public or Creative
Commons-licensed, and therefore not for public use.)

Doran, G. T. (1981). There’s a SMART way to write management’s goals and objectives. Management review, 70(11), 35-36.

Using Bloom’s Taxonomy to Write Course Objectives

In order to write clear objectives that meet the SMART criteria, many teachers use Bloom’s Taxonomy. This
taxonomy, or classification system, lists six levels or categories of learning and gives you verbs that you can use in
stating the skills you want learners to demonstrate.

Below you can see the levels of learning, and example verbs and SMART objectives for each level.

Bloom's Taxonomy and SMART Objectives

Bloom's Level Common Verbs Example Objectives Using SMART Criteria

design, build, invent, create,

By the end of the course, students will be able to
Creating compose, generate, modify,
develop a proposal to make their city more sustainable.
develop, plan

choose, support, determine, By the end of the course, students will be able to
Evaluating
defend, judge, assess, evaluate support and defend their ideas in an academic debate.
differentiate, categorize, analyze,
By the end of the course, students will be able to
Analyzing compare, contrast, discuss,
compare and contrast two characters in a story.
criticize, simplify

CIOC, Module 1, Page 19

 predict, apply, solve, illustrate,
By the end of the course, students will be able to use the
Applying use, demonstrate, model,
present perfect to talk about past experiences.
perform

describe, explain, paraphrase,

By the end of the course, students will be able to
Understanding summarize, discuss, classify, give
describe 3 types of an essay introduction.
examples of

list, state, outline, define, name, By the end of the course, students will be able to list the
Remembering
match, identify, label, recognize parts of an essay.

(Airasian et al., 2001)

Let's review Sarah's course objectives again. Notice how the objectives use verbs that clearly describe the skill she
wants her students to demonstrate by the end of the course.

Course Objectives:
By the end of the course, students will be able to:
● produce language using high frequency words in English that are appropriate to the context
● use the simple present and present continuous correctly in oral and written communication
● write paragraphs with appropriate sentence structure and vocabulary on everyday topics

You may also want to refer to Bloom’s Digital Taxonomy. In this version, there are additional verbs that are
relevant to online content and tasks, for example blog, post, and search.

Digital Bloom's Taxonomy

Digital Bloom's
Common Verbs Activities with Digital Tools
Level

publicly share, publish, contributing to open social networks, publishing,

Sharing
broadcast broadcasting, networking
design, construct, plan, programming, filming, animating, blogging, video blogging,
Creating produce, invent, devise, mixing, re-mixing, wiki-ing, video casing, podcasting,
make directing
check, hypothesize,
critique, experiment, blog commenting, reviewing, posting, moderating,
Evaluating
judge, test, detect, collaborating, refactoring, testing
monitor
compare, organize,
deconstruct, attribute, hacking, mashing, linking, validating, reverse engineering,
Conceptualizing
outline, find, structure, cracking
integrate

implement, carry out, use, running, loading, playing, operating, uploading, sharing
Applying
execute with group, editing

CIOC, Module 1, Page 20

 interpret, summarize,
advanced searches (Boolean searches), blog journaling,
infer, paraphrase, classify,
Connecting tweeting, categorizing, tagging, commenting, annotating,
compare, explain,
subscribing
exemplify

recognize, list, describe,

bullet pointing, highlighting, bookmarking, group
Doing identify, retrieve, name,
networking, shared bookmarking, searching
locate, find

This table is a derivative of “Bloom’s Digital Taxonomy” by Fractus Learning, licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0
International License. This derivative is licensed under Creative commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

References

(The content in these references is copyrighted, and cannot be adapted, or distributed after the end of this course. It is not Public or Creative
Commons-licensed, and therefore not for public use.)

Airasian, P., Cruikshank, K., Mayer, R., Pintrich, P., Raths, J., & Wittrock, M. (2001). A taxonomy for learning, teaching, and assessing: A revision
of Bloom’s taxonomy of educational objectives. (Anderson, L. W., & Krathwohl, D. R., Eds.). Longman.

M O D U LE 1 , T A S K 7A : D E S I GN IN G A C O U R S E O U T L IN E
Watch a Video (30 minutes)
Now let's watch a video of other teachers cascading knowledge with Sarah about the course outline.

You can also read a transcript of the video below.

Designing a Course Outline – Video Transcript

Sarah: It seems like the more I learn about making my own online course, the more I want to talk about it, or
cascade what I am learning, with my colleagues. In fact, now that I think about it, Jessie and Sam are cascading
new knowledge with me. Thanks to the both of you for answering my questions about how to get started
designing a course. You really helped me out! Okay, so now I have my needs analysis, my learner story, and yes,
my course objectives. And, I’m going to say it again. I love being able to turn to the Internet when I feel stuck. So,
I’m going to ask again, Okay, now what? I would love to get some more guidance. Thanks! Bye.

Sarah: Alright, so I’m just checking my vlog, and I see that I got some comments. Great! Let’s see. @lovestoteach
wrote, “Outline your course! Having an outline is great for writing an essay, giving a presentation, and yes, even for
creating an online course. If you’ve ever done an outline for a class, you know how to do an outline for a course!”

Wow. I have taught students how to write outlines for their essays before, so I think I understand what I can do.
Thanks; that sounds like excellent advice.

Okay, one more, @ESLForLife wrote, “A course outline helps you to think about the themes you will have in your
course, and maybe even helps you to determine where you will have major tests and projects. By designing a
course outline, you can make sure that the course feels balanced...that you divide the material evenly over the
entire course. If you don’t do this, you might get some parts in the course that are much harder than others. So, a
course outline helps you spread out the content evenly. Sounds like a good idea. I better learn more about how to
create a course outline.

CIOC, Module 1, Page 21

Narrator: Sarah does have some work to do, and so will
you! In this module, we will discuss the next steps to help
you build out your course: the course outline. To begin,
let’s think about building a home. In the Analysis stage, you
are building a foundation for your entire course. A needs
analysis, a learner story, and the course objectives are now
part of that foundation.

Now, in our current stage, the Design stage, you are ready
to frame out your home. In other words, you need to build
the outside walls, or scaffolding, of your course, as you can
see in the image. Here you see how the foundation,
analysis, helps to support all the rest of your course, and
how design is the next step. Design is like a primary wall of
your building. Taking this step helps you prepare for the
next stage.

As you might have guessed, we believe that a course

outline helps you do just that. A course outline will allow
you to build out the major topics of the course. For
example, if you have an 8-week course, you may want to
plan 1 module each week and then, you’ll want to think of 8 different module topics. If you have a 12-week course,
you may want to do 1 module every 2 weeks, and then you will need to have 6 module topics. In an outline, you
will likely want to consider where in the course you want to put big tests, presentations, or projects, you know,
those assessments that are linked to the course objectives. And you will want to make sure that the big
assignments aren’t right next to each other.

Alright, it is now time for you to learn more details about how to build a course outline. Enjoy the next steps, pay
attention to the examples we give, and we’ll see you soon.

M O D U LE 1 , T A S K 7B : C O U R S E OU T L IN E
Read About the Course Outline (30 minutes)
The course outline is like the scaffolding of the house. Without it, the house,
or your course, will not have the support it needs to be successful. Now that
you have done your needs analysis and created your learner story, and
course objectives, let’s take a look at what a course outline is, what its
purpose is, and what to include in a course outline.

What is a course outline?

A course outline is the plan for the course and includes information learned “Untitled” by Brett Jordan is licensed under the Unsplash
License.
from the needs analysis and learner story. It provides a general overview,
or outline, of each module of the course. The outline will include the course objectives and specific module
objectives, and give a “big picture” description of the course content.

What is the purpose of a course outline?

The course outline can help teachers to design their courses. In the course outline, teachers can include not only
the course objectives, but also a description of the course. They can also include a detailed schedule with the
module topics, module objectives, and a timeframe for each of the modules. Teachers often add the assessment
plan and the materials they will be using. As a result, this document clearly helps teachers to plan the course.

CIOC, Module 1, Page 22

For peers and administrators, the course outline can act as a reference. Another teacher or administrator can look
at the course outline and see a clear plan of the course. They will know what the course is about, what topics will
be taught, and when those topics will be taught.

For students, the course outline can serve as a guide. You may choose to share the course outline with your
students. The course outline can give them a general idea of what is going to be happening in the course and help
guide them as the course progresses.

What do you include in your course outline?

The parts of a course outline may be different depending on the course. Below is a list of parts that are typically
included in a course outline and a description of each part.

● course description - introduces the overall topic or theme for the entire course, and describes who
the course is for and explains its purpose in general.
● course objectives - includes the specific skills that you want your students to develop by the end of
the course, as you learned in Module 1.
● course schedule - gives the overall plan for the course divided by modules. For each module you
should include the following:
o module topics - includes the topics or themes of the content in the module. Some
examples of content-based topics or themes are art, health, or technology. These topics
or themes can then be used to teach grammar and vocabulary in context.
o module objectives - includes the specific skills that you want your students to develop
by the end of the module.
o timeframe - includes the amount of time for completing a module.
o assessment tasks - includes the specific assessment tasks for each module.
● assessment plan - gives a summary of how students will be assessed in the course, and describes the
overall plan for measuring if students have achieved the course objectives.
● required materials - lists any material that students need to complete course activities and
assessments.

Summary

By including all of these parts, the course outline is a design tool that will help you to build a strong course. To
help you more with the course outline, you can study Sarah’s example course outline below.

Sarah has prepared an outline for her 16-week EFL course. She has used her needs analysis results and her learner
story to design a course that will meet the needs of her stakeholders.

OPTIONAL: Study the example course outline below.

CIOC, Module 1, Page 23

CIOC, Module 1, Page 24
CIOC, Module 1, Page 25
M O D U LE 1 , T A S K 7C : C H E C K F OR U N D E R S T A N D IN G
Check for Understanding (25 minutes)
Now you will take a quiz about the video.

You can take the quiz multiple times. Your highest score will be used as your grade. To pass the quiz, you need to
answer at least 4 questions correctly.

<<This quiz can only be taken online>>

M O D U LE 1 , T A S K 8 ( OP T I ON A L ) : C O U R S E OU T L IN E
D IS C U S S I O N
Discuss and Share (30 minutes)
This discussion is optional and ungraded.
You have just learned about the course outline. It is important to
“Untitled” by Geralt is licensed under the Pixabay License.
cascade your new knowledge by discussing takeaways, or things
you have learned, with your peers in your teaching context. This
will help you to better understand the information and to design
your own course outline. To help you prepare for designing your
own course outline, let’s discuss!

Instructions
1. Answer the following questions in a discussion post:
o What are 2 takeaways about designing a course outline that you will share with a peer in your
teaching context?
o Think about your learners and teaching context. What are 2-3 module topics that you would like
to include in your course outline?
o Explain why these 2-3 topics would work well with your course outline and match your learners
and context.
2. Write 4-8 sentences and post them to the discussion.
3. Reply to 1 (or more) of your peers' discussion posts. Choose a module topic discussed by a peer. In 2-3
sentences, explain why this module topic would or would not work well with your course outline.

Below is an example from Sarah:

I’ve learned a lot in this module. One takeaway that I am going to share with a peer in my school is what to
include in a course outline (for example, course description, objectives, module topics). I am also going to tell
her about why we do course outlines. I had not thought about why it would be important to have a course
outline for everyone: students, teachers, and administrators. 2 topics I want to include in my course outline are
friends/family and health. My students are teenagers and definitely like to talk about those topics. Also, if I
look at students’ levels and my course objectives, my students will be able to speak and write about these
topics well.

M O D U LE 1 , T A S K 9 ( OP T I ON A L ) : D E S I GN A L E A R N E R S T OR Y
A N D C OU R S E OU T L IN E
Design a Learner Story and Course Outline (1.5 hours)
This task is optional and ungraded.

CIOC, Module 1, Page 26

Now it’s your turn! Design a learner story based on a needs analysis of your learners. Then use your needs analysis
and learner story to design a course outline.

Instructions:
1. Use the learner story and course outline template below for optional Task 9.
2. Use the template to design your learner story and your course outline. Follow the instructions for each
part of the template:
o Part 1: Design Your Learner Story. Use the information and examples from Module 1, Task 5;
your own needs analysis; and information you learned after speaking to other teachers or
administrators to design your learner story.
o Part 2: Design Your Course Outline. Use your needs analysis, your learner story, and the
information and examples from Module 1, Task 6; Module 1, Task 7a; and Module 1, Task 7b to
design a course outline for your own online course.
3. Self-assess your work using the rubric below.

Module 1, Task 9: Self-Assessment Rubric

Criteria Ratings

Excellent Good Needs Improvement

I wrote a description of
my possible learners
I wrote a clear based on my needs
description of my analysis, but it may need
possible learners based more detail. I have
on my needs analysis. included typical learner
My typical learner examples, but these
examples include a clear examples might be I did not write a
description of learners' missing one or more of description or give
Learner Story
interest/reasons for the following: a clear examples of my typical
taking the course, age, description of learners' learners.
cultural background, interest/reasons for
technological taking the course, age,
background, level of cultural background,
English/background technological
knowledge. background, level of
English/background
knowledge.
My course description
My course description
may introduce the
clearly introduces the
overall topic for the
overall topic for the I did not write a course
Course Description whole course and
whole course and description.
explains its purpose, but
explains its purpose. I
may be unclear. I wrote
wrote 2-3 sentences.
less than 2 sentences.

CIOC, Module 1, Page 27

 Module 1, Task 9: Self-Assessment Rubric

Criteria Ratings
My course objectives are
mostly clear and provide
My course objectives are somewhat specific
clear and provide specific outcomes for course. My
outcomes for my course. course objectives meet
I did not write any course
My course objectives are most of the SMART
Course Objectives objectives or wrote only
SMART and match the criteria, but need some
1 objective.
course description. I revision to meet all the
wrote 2-4 course criteria. They may not
objectives. match the course
description well. I wrote
2-4 objectives.
My course schedule
includes all the required
information for 2 My course schedule
modules. The timeframe includes most of the
is appropriate for required information for
module topics. I wrote 2 modules, but the
the topic and 1 (or more) timeframe, module I did not write a course
SMART objective for topics, module schedule or my schedule
Course Schedule each module. I included objectives, and/or is missing most of the
1 (or more) assessment assessment tasks may required information for
task for each module and need some revisions. My 2 modules.
my assessments match course schedule may not
the module topics and clearly match my course
objectives. My course description and
schedule matches the objectives.
course description and
objectives well.
Design a Learner Story and Course Outline - Template
Now it’s your turn! Design a learner story based on a needs analysis of your learners. Then use your
needs analysis and leaner story to design a course outline.

This task is optional and ungraded. Use the rubric on the Module 1, Task 9 page to self-assess your work.

Part 1: Design Your Learner Story

Use the information and examples from Module 1, Task 5, your own needs analysis, and information you
learned after speaking to other teachers or administrators, to design your learner story.

Instructions:
1. Write a 4-8 sentence description of your learners and the course you want to design. In the
description, include your administration's purpose for the course.
2. Write 4-8 sentences about two groups of typical learners who might be examples of the learner
experience. These could be actual students or students you imagine.

CIOC, Module 1, Page 28

 Learner Story:

Typical Learner Group 1:

Typical Learner Group 2:

Part 2: Design Your Course Outline

Use your needs analysis, your learner story, and the information and examples from Module 1, Tasks 6-
8a to design a course outline for your own online course.

Instructions:

1. Write your course description below. Introduce the overall topic for the entire course and
explain its purpose. Write 2-3 sentences.

Course Description:

2. Write 2-4 course objectives. State the specific skills that you want your students to develop.

Course Objectives:

By the end of the course…

●
●
● (optional)
● (optional)

3. Write your course schedule. Include the timeframe, 2 modules, the module topics, the module
objectives and any assessment tasks. Include at least 1 objective and 1 assessment task for each
module. You can include more than 2 modules as needed for your context. You can also include
an assessment plan and the required materials for your course.

CIOC, Module 1, Page 29

 Timeframe Module Module Topics & Objectives Assessment Tasks
1 Topic:

By the end of the module, students will be able to:

2 Topic:

By the end of the module, students will be able to:

*Stop here or plan additional modules as needed.

4. Write your assessment plan below. Give a summary of how students will be assessed in the
course.

Assessment Plan: (optional)

5. Write your required materials below. Include any material that is necessary for students to have
for the course.

Required Materials: (optional)

M O D U LE 1 , T A S K 1 0 : M O D U L E S U M M A R Y
Read a Summary of Module 1 (10 minutes)

We have discussed the importance of a needs analysis, which is a tool or series of tools you can use to identify
your learners, stakeholders, and purposes for the course. We also discussed how to analyze the data from your
needs analysis to create a learner story, which is a brief description of the types of learners you are building the
course for. Then, we discussed how the needs analysis and the learner story can point you toward creating SMART
course objectives. Finally, you learned about a course outline, which is the plan for your course and includes
information learned from the needs analysis and learner story.

You have now completed the Analyze stage of the ADDIE model and have started the Design stage. With a course
outline, you are beginning to build your scaffolding, like building the walls of a home.

CIOC, Module 1, Page 30

In the next module, we will continue our discussion of design, and you will learn how to create a module
framework.

As always, remember to cascade new knowledge by sharing what you have learned with your peers!

CIOC, Module 1, Page 31