Prompt library
Outline a course from outcomes backward
Designing the capstone before the modules (backward design) guarantees the course teaches toward proof rather than coverage. The build-something-early and drop-curve requirements attack the real failure mode of courses, which is abandonment, not confusion.
EducationPlan
Last reviewed July 17, 2026
The prompt
Outline a course.
Subject: {{subject}}
Audience and their starting point: {{audience}}
Length and format: {{format}}
Work backward:
1. Exit outcomes: 4-6 things a graduate can DO, each observable and each genuinely reachable in the stated length. Cut ambitions that do not fit; list the cuts.
2. The capstone: the final project or assessment that proves all the outcomes at once. Design it before the modules.
3. Modules: sequence them so each produces something the capstone needs. Per module: the outcome slice it owns, the one hard concept in it, the practice activity, and what learners have built by module end.
4. The prerequisite chain: which module depends on which; flag any circular or front-loaded-theory patterns and fix them so learners build something within the first 10 percent of the course.
5. The drop curve: where learners typically quit a course like this, and what in modules 1-2 is engineered against it.
State the total learner workload in hours and check it against the format.Run in idaptOpens a new chat with the prompt prefilled. Nothing sends until you press send.
Fill in the variables
| Variable | What it is | Example |
|---|---|---|
| {{subject}} | What the course teaches | practical data analysis with spreadsheets |
| {{audience}} | Who takes it and what they know | marketing folks who can use formulas but not pivot tables |
| {{format}} | Length and delivery | 6 weeks, self-paced video plus exercises |