Create Course Materials That Get Results
Design worksheets, quizzes, workbooks, and supporting materials that turn passive watchers into active learners. The difference between a course students watch and a course students finish.
A course without materials is just a lecture series. Students watch, nod along, and forget everything by next week. This course fixes that.
You’ll learn how to design worksheets, quizzes, workbooks, and supporting materials that get students to actually do the work. Not decorative PDFs that look nice and get ignored. Materials that produce specific, measurable outputs and move students closer to their goal.
We cover the 7 types of course materials, when to use each one, how to match materials to specific lesson types, and how to test everything with real people before you launch.
What you’ll walk away with:
- A complete materials plan for your course
- At least one finished worksheet you can use immediately
- A system for matching the right material to each lesson
- A tested workbook structure (not just a pile of PDFs)
Before you start: You should have a course outline (or at least a topic) in mind. If you don’t have one yet, start with Plan Your Course.
What’s Inside
- Why Materials Matter — The bridge between watching and doing
- The 7 Types of Course Materials — Checklists, cheat sheets, worksheets, diagrams, swipe files, comparison guides, and resource guides
- Designing Worksheets: One Milestone Per Sheet — The rule that separates useful worksheets from busywork
- Worksheet Types and When to Use Each — Fill-in-the-blank, step-by-step, decision trees, checklists, and before/after
- Matching Materials to Lessons — A framework for choosing the right material for each lesson type
- Fillable PDFs and Interactive Tools — Making materials students can actually type into
- Quiz Design That Teaches — Quizzes that reinforce learning, not just test it
- Workbook Design: Bundling Into a Companion — Organizing individual worksheets into a cohesive workbook
- Swipe Files, Scripts, and Templates — When to give copy-paste vs. frameworks students adapt
- Action Items: Every Lesson Needs a “Do This Now” — The one-sentence prompt that turns passive reading into practice
- Test Your Materials Before You Launch — The 3-person test and what to watch for
Before You Start
Design Materials
Why Materials Matter
The data behind why courses with supporting materials get finished and courses without them get abandoned.
The 7 Types of Course Materials
Checklists, cheat sheets, worksheets, diagrams, swipe files, comparison guides, and resource guides — what each one does and when to use it.
Designing Worksheets: One Milestone Per Sheet
The rule that separates useful worksheets from busywork. Each worksheet should produce one concrete output.
Worksheet Types and When to Use Each
Fill-in-the-blank, step-by-step, decision trees, checklists, and before/after — matching the exercise type to the lesson's goal.
Matching Materials to Lessons
A framework for choosing the right material for each lesson type — walkthroughs, talking head, written content, and more.
Fillable PDFs and Interactive Tools
Making materials students can actually type into — tools, formats, and when interactivity matters.
Quiz Design That Teaches
How to write quizzes that reinforce learning, reveal misunderstandings, and create 'aha' moments — not just test what students remember.
Package Materials
Workbook Design: Bundling Into a Companion
How to organize individual worksheets, checklists, and materials into a cohesive course workbook that feels like a complete product.
Swipe Files, Scripts, and Templates
When to give students copy-paste materials and when to give them frameworks they adapt. How to create both.
Action Items: Every Lesson Needs a 'Do This Now'
The single most important element in any lesson — a clear, specific prompt that tells students exactly what to do next.
Close
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