Step 8: Building Your Course Structure (Modules, Lesson Plans, Syllabus

Overview

Now that you have:

Outcomes
Assessments
Learning activities
Instructional materials
UDL and WCAG-compliant digital accessibility considerations
Engagement strategies aligned to your modality

…it’s time to assemble everything into a clear, usable course structure.

Your structure will depend on your modality and the length of your course:

Online courses → Canvas modules
Face-to-face courses → lesson plans and weekly agendas
Partially online courses → a flipped, bridged structure
All courses → a clear, student-facing syllabus
Course lengths (4-week, 6-week, 8-week, 12-week, 16-week) → scaffolding and pacing for the scheduled time

This step helps you organize your course into a sequence that makes sense to learners and supports their success.

In the video below, Tanessa Sanchez (our Distance Education Coordinator for Spring 2026) provides guidance on building course structure in multiple modalities.

Read the video transcript (Select to open)

Hi there. Welcome to building your course structure. My name is Tanessa Sanchez, and I'm your Distance Education Coordinator. At this point in your course planning process, you've done a lot of important thinking and you're bringing together in this step all of those learning outcomes, assessments, your activities, those UDL principles, that RSI, active engagement, and you're assembling all of that work into a clear, usable course structure, one that students can follow and be successful in. To build structure, your design decisions have to become visible to the learner. And it's really important because it helps to reduce the cognitive overload, increases clarity, and predictability. You will be able to support accessibility and those UDL, Universal Design for Learning principles, and you'll surely actively engage your students as much as possible by keeping them focused and on their learning. So good structure is a form of equity as we have covered so far throughout this course. It helps all students and is essential to ensure there's consistency, scaffolding, and a clear pathway. So your structure will look different depending on what modality you're teaching your course in. If you're teaching online, you'll organize your Canvas modules and course shell. In a face-to-face course, you might rely on some lesson plans, unit plans, and your course syllabus. In a hybrid course, you might consider maybe a flipped classroom or a bridged structure that intentionally connects online and in-person learning. The goal across all modalities, however, is the same. You want to have a logical sequence that aligns outcomes, activities, assessments, and engagement. Let's start with your online course. To ensure that you have a clear, consistent Canvas course shell, I encourage you to take a look at our quality course templates. You can find them available in Canvas Commons, where we've already built in accessibility and navigation. We've utilized the CVC Course Design Rubric to ensure that we're meeting all of those requirements and expectations for not just accommodations, but also for RSI. The Quality Quest Canvas course can help guide you step by step into building this high-quality online course. You can find that in our DE handbook under courses and training. But each module should include an overview, instructional materials in an accessible format, and learning activities for practice and engagement. You'll include those assessments and multiple modalities for students to be able to demonstrate their understanding. You'll also include those RSI elements such as your announcements, your videos, your instructor-created videos, feedback, and even discussion facilitation. If you're teaching face-to-face, your structure might look a little bit different. You'll bring in your lesson plans, your unit plans, and weekly agendas. You'll ensure that your course syllabus clearly outlines what this could look like so that students can easily follow. And when you're looking at your lesson plans, be sure that you include those outcomes. Those outcomes are really important. Students want to know what it is they are doing and why. You'll want to help provide active learning and guided practices, including opportunities for interaction and application. That interaction can be between you and the student, as well as the students interacting with one another. You want to make sure that your face-to-face engagement feels natural, but you are also designing it with purpose and intent. If you are teaching in a hybrid format or partially online, think about the flipped classroom model. In doing that, you'll have the online for information while the in-person is more of your interactions. So online time could be the readings, watching videos, guiding them through notetaking, or low-stakes practices so that your time together can be more meaningful and relevant by engaging them in collaborative discussions, problem-solving, or opportunities to demonstrate their learning. And again, the key here is connection. You want to avoid creating two separate courses because every online activity should clearly support what's happening in the face-to-face modality. So, while you're working on this portion of your course map, take time to build in that structure based on whatever modality you're teaching. Add in those modules, the sequencing, and your lessons. Include that structural design, whether it's the flipped elements or using those weekly agendas. Your course map should translate directly into a plan that you'll be able to use to build your course. Again, no matter the modality. We're here to support you. You just have to reach out.

Pedagogy Best Practices for Fully Online Courses

Palomar offers fully online courses in three formats. For the following formats, we have provided examples using the example course time as:

Example: 16-week, 3-unit course, with 3 hours/week of class time (total instructional time of 54 hours)

It does not matter what modality the course is taught in; the course will still have the same total instructional time.

On average, students are expected to plan for the same amount of homework time as class time.

If there are 3 hours per week of class time, on average there are also 3 hours per week of homework.

So, what changes in course planning based on online format? How the 3 hours of class time occur and how that time is structured for learning.

1) Fully Online Asynchronous (no live meetings)

All 3 hours of class time occur in Canvas.

Example Asynchronous Weekly Structure

3 hours class time (asynchronous):

Instructor-designed learning sequence (readings, short lecture videos, guided explanations)
Structured engagement (discussion, applied tasks, collaboration)
Guided practice and feedback
Instructor presence built into the module (RSI by design)

Homework (about 3 hours): Examples include completing assignments, extended practice, studying, project work, exam preparation, and revision.

Design focus: Structure replaces the live classroom. The module should guide students through instruction → engagement → application.

2) Fully Online Synchronous (live weekly Zoom meetings)

All 3 hours of class time occur live.

Example Synchronous Weekly Structure

3 hours class time (synchronous):

Short instructional segments (mini-lecture, modeling, explanation)
Discussion and interaction
Guided problem-solving
Active learning
Demonstrations of understanding
Immediate feedback

Homework (about 3 hours): Examples include completing assignments, extended practice, studying, project work, exam preparation, and revision.

Design focus: Avoid a lecture-centered session. Alternate instruction → interaction → practice → feedback so live time stays active and applied.

3) Fully Online Blend: Synchronous + Asynchronous (the best of both worlds)

The 3 hours of class time are intentionally divided between asynchronous and synchronous learning.

Example Asynchronous/Synchronous Weekly Structure

2 hours asynchronous class time (Canvas)
1 hour synchronous class time (Zoom)

Homework (about 3 hours): Examples include completing assignments, extended practice, studying, project work, exam preparation, and revision.

Asynchronous class time: Core content delivery, guided explanations, structured practice, and preparation for the live session.

Synchronous class time: Discussion and clarification, application and analysis, demonstrations of learning, and feedback.

Design Benefits

Big picture: Time expectations stay the same. Homework expectations stay the same. Only the structure of the 3 hours of class time changes.

If Your Course Uses Canvas: Start with a Strong Structure

Your Canvas course should be organized into clear, consistent Modules. You do not have to start from scratch. Use Palomar’s existing supports to build quickly while maintaining quality.

1) Use Palomar’s Quality Course Templates (Canvas Commons)

Provides a consistent structure for modules and pages
Includes built-in design patterns that support clarity, engagement, and navigation
Helps you reduce setup time while improving the student experience

Search: Canvas Commons → Palomar Quality Course Template and import into your course.

2) Use the Quality Quest Course for Guided Design

Complete the Quality Quest Course to learn how to design an effective Canvas course and apply the templates with purpose.

A Practical Module Checklist

Overview: What students will learn, why it matters, and what to do
Instruction/content: Readings, videos, and resources in usable formats
Practice/learning activities: Low-stakes activities that build toward the assessment
Assessment: Evidence of learning aligned to the outcomes
Instructor presence: Planned feedback, facilitation, and outreach (RSI by design)

If Your Course Is Face-to-Face

Face-to-face instructors are also encouraged to use Canvas and follow many of the same course design standards provided in the Canvas Quality Course Templates. In support of student success, it is helpful if face-to-face instructors at least use Canvas for their syllabus and grades.

Your structure will appear in:

Lesson plans
Unit plans
Activity agendas
Your syllabus and course calendar

A strong face-to-face lesson plan includes:

Weekly outcomes
In-class active learning
Guided practice
Demonstrations
Homework or reading
Clear preparation for assessments

Face-to-face interaction feels natural, but strong instructors still design it intentionally.

If Your Course Is Partially Online (Hybrid)

Partially online teaching works best when designed using a flipped classroom model.

Think of partially online as “online asynchronous for information, in-person for interaction.”

Asynchronous Online Time Should Be Used For:

Consuming content
Reading
Watching lectures
Completing guided notes
Low-stakes practice
Reviewing examples

In-Person Time Should Be Used For:

Active learning
Group collaboration
Problem-solving
Discussions
Application and analysis
Demonstrations of learning (assessments)
Labs or hands-on tasks
Building relationships and community
Increasing social presence and teaching presence
Providing opportunities to confirm students are actively participating and learning

Why This Structure Works for Partially Online Courses:

Students arrive prepared
Class time becomes deeper and more meaningful
Engagement increases
Understanding improves
Students apply concepts rather than passively listen
Faculty directly engage with students and assess their learning

Avoid Creating “Two Courses”

Each online activity directly supports the in-person activity
Students clearly understand the connection
The sequence flows as one cohesive learning journey

If Your Course Is 4 Weeks, 8 Weeks, 12 Weeks, or 16 Weeks

Course length changes the pacing and scaffolding of learning, not the course itself.

The Course Outline of Record (COR) still defines the required outcomes and content scope, and the required contact hours do not change.

What changes is how you sequence learning, set timelines, and support students as they build toward mastery.

Plan pacing intentionally. In shorter terms, students have less time between class meetings and deadlines, so keep sequencing tight and expectations clear.
Adjust scaffolding. Longer terms often allow for more drafts, check-ins, and extended practice. Shorter terms may require more frequent, smaller practice opportunities.
Review assignment timing. Some assignments that work well in a 16-week course may need revision in an 8-week course.
- Consider faculty grading time. In shorter terms, you may have less time to provide helpful feedback. This may affect the types of activities you select.
Keep outcomes constant and refine the evidence of learning. Outcomes stay the same, but you may need to streamline, combine, or reduce the number of graded tasks while ensuring students can clearly demonstrate mastery.
Be thoughtful in highly compressed courses. Some courses transition easily across term lengths. Others require more intentional design to avoid overload and maintain meaningful learning.

If you would like to learn more about designing shortened or accelerated courses, explore these resources:

Create Your Syllabus

By this point, much of your syllabus is already complete. Your Course Map contains the outcomes, assessments, activities, materials, course structure, and weekly sequence. The syllabus turns those design decisions into a clear, student-facing guide.

A syllabus is more than a required document. It serves as:

A roadmap for student success
A clear statement of course expectations
A reference students can use throughout the term
A professional agreement between you and your students

A strong syllabus should be both welcoming and direct. Students should understand what they will learn, how they will demonstrate learning, how they will be graded, what is expected of them, and where they can find support.

Use the Accessible Syllabus Template provided in this course. Transfer information from your Course Map into the template, then add your instructor information, grading practices, communication expectations, course policies, student support resources, and course calendar.

Remember: Before students experience your course, they experience your syllabus. A clear, welcoming, and well-organized syllabus helps establish trust and shows students what success looks like from the beginning.

Your Course Map Task for Step 8

Open your Course Map and:

Build your course structure based on your modality
Build your course structure based on your course length
Add module, lesson, or unit sequencing
Note Canvas structural decisions for online courses
Add flipped-structure notes for hybrid courses
Add weekly agendas for face-to-face courses
Draft or revise your syllabus using the Accessible Syllabus Template
Confirm alignment between your Course Map, syllabus, and planned learning experience

Your Course Map should now translate into the structure and syllabus you will use to build and teach your course.

Tips for Using AI as a Brainstorming Partner

Try prompts such as:

“Turn this Course Map into a module-by-module online course outline using Quality Course Template principles for an 8-week course: [paste map].”
“Create a weekly module rhythm of Overview → Learn → Practice → Apply → Assess for this Course Map: [paste map].”
“Help me design a fully online blended weekly plan with 2 hours asynchronous and 1 hour synchronous that includes RSI and student demonstrations of learning: [paste outcomes and assessments].”
“Design a 3-hour Zoom class agenda that avoids extended lecture and includes short instructional segments, active learning, practice, and checks for understanding for this topic: [paste topic and outcomes].”
“Create a 60-minute synchronous session plan that includes student interaction, application, and a demonstration of learning aligned to this outcome: [paste outcome].”
“Create a face-to-face lesson plan that includes a hook, brief instruction, guided practice, active learning, and an exit ticket aligned to these outcomes: [paste outcomes].”
“Suggest three ways students can demonstrate learning in real time for this assessment without relying on AI-generated work: [paste assessment].”
“Use this Course Map to draft a clear, welcoming syllabus outline. Include the outcomes, major assessments, weekly sequence, grading information, communication expectations, and course policies: [paste Course Map].”

AI can reduce drafting time; you provide the expert judgment. Carefully review all generated content for accuracy, alignment, and tone.

Where You Are in the Design Process

You now have:

A full, aligned Course Map
A plan for your modality
A clear structure for building your course
Pedagogy guidance for fully online formats
A plan for creating or revising your syllabus

You are ready for the final step: sharing your completed Course Map.

Click Next to continue.