5 Prompts to Create AI Courses That Actually Work

Creating courses with AI is not about just saying "make me a course" and expecting miracles. The value lies in knowing what to ask for and in what order. These 5 prompts to create AI courses serve as a template: clear objectives, aligned content, and assessments that measure what matters. AI accelerates; the criteria define it. To dive deeper into the complete process (from objectives to publication and tool selection), check out our ultimate guide to creating AI courses.

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1. Define Objective and Audience (the "who and why")

Before generating a single screen, you need to anchor the course. Use a prompt like this:

"I need a course on [topic]. The audience is [profile: e.g., sales team, new hires, middle management]. The objective is that by the end they can [specific behavior: e.g., apply the sales protocol in a real call]. Level: [beginner / intermediate / advanced]. Target duration: [e.g., 20–30 min]. Do not include content yet; just return the learning objective in one sentence and 3–5 measurable learning outcomes (starting with action verbs)."

This prompt forces the AI—and you—to clarify who the course is for and what they should be able to do by the end. Without that, the content becomes scattered, and the course lacks focus when published.

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2. Generate the Structure (modules and sections)

With the objective clear, ask for the backbone of the course:

"With the objective [insert the phrase from step 1] and the learning outcomes [list them], generate the course structure: number of modules, title of each module, and list of sections per module. Each section should have a short title and a sentence describing what will be covered. Do not write the content yet; just provide the structure in list or table format."

This way, you avoid the AI writing filler pages too early. You review the structure, adjust modules or sections, and only then move on to the content. Publishing is the hard part; a good structure makes the rest faster.

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3. Draft the Content of a Section (block control)

To maintain control, work section by section:

"For the section [section title] of the module [module name], write the training content in [length: e.g., 2–3 paragraphs or 5–7 bullets]. Tone: [e.g., direct, corporate, friendly]. Include a concrete example [optional: e.g., in our sector X]. Do not use generic phrases like 'in the digital age'; get to the point. Format: text ready to copy into a slide or course screen (without complex markdown)."

With this type of prompt, you reduce vagueness and force the AI to provide usable content. If a section doesn’t convince, you can repeat just that part without rewriting the entire course.

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4. Create Assessment Questions Aligned with the Objective

The questions should measure the learning outcomes you defined at the beginning:

"For the course with the objective [objective in one sentence] and learning outcomes [list them], generate [N] assessment questions. Requirements: each question must map to at least one learning outcome; mix multiple-choice questions and at least one brief application question (e.g., 'What would you do in the case...?'). Include the correct answer and a brief justification. Avoid questions that only measure memory of definitions; prioritize application."

This way, the assessments are not left hanging: they close the loop with the objective and learning outcomes. The course doesn’t end when it’s "created"; it ends when it’s published and people answer those questions.

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5. Summarize and Review (checklist before publishing)

Final step before considering the course complete:

"Summarize in a list the course we have built: objective, audience, modules with their sections, and type of assessment. Then generate a review checklist before publishing: [e.g., coherence of objective–content–assessment, uniform tone, length per screen, basic accessibility]. Mark which items are critical and which are optional."

This prompt gives you an executive summary of the course and a reusable QA checklist. It reduces the risk of publishing something misaligned or incomplete.

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When NOT to Rely Solely on These Prompts

• When the topic is highly regulatory or legal: content must be validated by someone with expertise; AI helps structure and draft but does not replace legal or regulatory judgment.
• When you are unclear about the objective: if you don’t know what the learner should be able to do by the end, no prompt will save you; first define that (even by hand) and then use the prompts.
• When the course already exists and you just want to "translate" it into another language: in that case, a specific translation and review flow is advisable, not the same flow of creation from scratch.

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In Summary

These 5 prompts to create AI courses cover: (1) objective and audience, (2) structure of modules and sections, (3) drafting by section, (4) assessment aligned with the objective, and (5) summary and checklist before publishing. Used in order, they give you control over the outcome and avoid the "generic course" that AI tends to produce when the brief is vague.

If you want to put this into practice on a platform where creating, publishing, and measuring courses with AI is the default flow, you can explore CoTraining plans and see how these prompts fit into a real publication flow.