How to Use AI and Generate Courses in Less Than 3 Hours

Did you know that 56% of course creators believe that AI tools help them save 26 hours a week? That means you can turn your course ideas into fully structured lessons, quizzes, and visuals in just hours instead of weeks. If you are exploring how to use AI for online course creation, you are in the right place.

In this article, you will find specific ChatGPT prompts you can use to generate course content efficiently. Plus, I will introduce Uteach’s free AI tools that help with generating course ideas, outlines, and descriptions. You will also discover AI-powered tools for creating visuals and quizzes, making your course creation process faster. 

To bring you even more insughts, I interviewed Kelly Schuster-Paredes, an experienced educator who frequently uses AI in her online courses and specializes in computer science. She shared unique, practical tips for you. 

And before you get deeper into the article, I have a special a guide featuring 20 AI tools designed for various aspects of course creation. You can download it for free. 

• 20 AI and Automation Tools to Use in Course Creation

Create courses with these ChatGPT prompts 

ChatGPT is an AI-powered language model developed by OpenAI that generates texts and images based on prompts. It usually assists with tasks such as content creation, brainstorming, and answering questions.

It is not specifically built to create courses. But you can use it to develop your course materials, assessments, marketing content, and so much more. 

At the moment, OpenAI offers several models within its ChatGPT suite

• GPT-4o is a versatile model capable of processing and generating text, images, and sound, making it suitable for multimedia content creation. 
• The o3 model is designed for tasks requiring advanced reasoning and step-by-step logical analysis, excelling in complex problem-solving scenarios.
• GPT-4o Mini is better for reasoning tasks. 

And who knows, as you are reading this article, more models are developed NOT only by OpenAI. You can try the prompts we shared with other models, such as Claude AI, Perplexity, Gemini, Deepseek, etc. 

What you need to pay attention to is whether the product you are using is safe. Our team interviewed course creator and educator Kelly Schuster-Paredes, who often experiments with different AI tools to develop her materials. Here is what she emphasized. 

“When you are using AI or online products or tools, make sure you know the product and can stand behind it and use it without putting yourself or your learners at risk.”

 

Kelly Schuster-Paredes 

Ed Tech Specialist, Course Creator, and Podcast Host 

You can check our interview with Kelly on how to use AI in course creation. 

Brainstorm and write course outlines with ChatGPT

If you already have a topic idea, you can continue generating a draft outline for the course. 

TIP: Whether you want to generate an outline, a quiz, or any other type of content, take that process step-by-step. This way, you get better and more specific results. So, you do not just go ahead and write something like generate an outline on this topic. Instead, you can ask for lesson ideas, and if you like all of them, you can categorize them into modules. 

Here is an example prompt you can use to create an outline for your course. 

Create a list of [Number] subtopics I shall touch on in my course [Specific Topic] for [Specific Audience]. 

Here is an example of what I got for a Content Marketing course for non-marketers. 

From here, select the topics you would like to cover. Afterwards, you can organize them into modules. 

TIP: It is very important to be specific with your prompts. If you are expecting great outcomes, your input should be great as well.  

For example, in this case, instead of having something like “Generate the modules,” you can say: 

Organize the topics into [Number] modules, each module containing at least [Number of episodes] relevant episodes, which can be covered in [Lesson length] minutes maximum. Do not cover the ideas number [Number of the suggested topics from the previous prompt.]

You can go even more specific and mention the type of outline you want. It can be topic-based, problem-based, outcome-based, common mistakes, etc. So, you can add a sentence like:

The outline should follow the [Type] modular structure. 

In my case, I created four modules with five lessons each and set the maximum duration to five minutes. I did not specify the type, so it suggested an outcome-based outline. 

From here, you can edit the results yourself or do follow-up prompts so that ChatGPT can edit for you. 

For example, I would like to cover “Social Media Marketing” as a separate module and not as a part of the module “Creating Engaging Content.” That is why I used the following prompt.

Reorganize the modules in a way that they follow a topical structure instead of an outcome structure. For example, consider “Social Media Content Marketing” as a separate module instead of a lesson. Apply this logic to the rest of the lessons. 

Generate learning outcomes

When you like the structure, you can proceed with the outcomes. Here is an example prompt I usually use. 

Develop one learning outcome for each module based on the SMART goal-setting technique. Always start with an action verb. 

You can continue to ask about developing a content outline for each episode, assessment, and evaluation techniques just the same way. 

Specify the tone of voice you want the AI to write in

Creating an engaging course requires careful consideration of the tone of voice. It is also inseparable from developing your brand identity.

The tone sets the mood and establishes a connection with the audience. For example, you can choose your tone to be informative, friendly, or conversational. 

If you use concise sentences, AI  can maintain clarity and avoid unnecessary complexity. This way, you will ensure the results AI provides are precisely how you want them to be.

Here is an example prompt for setting the tone of voice A.I. can write your course description. 

Write a description in no more than [Lenghth] words for the course [Topic] for [Audience]. The tone of voice should be [Friendly] but not too [Conversational]. Use [Short and Concise] sentences. Make it [Engaging] using active voice constructions, and include a CTA for the students to enroll. Start by [Addressing the most common problem] my audience faces that this course solves. Phrase it as a [Rhetorical question]. Talk about [main components]. 

If you want the AI to write in a specific style, specify what you want to sound like and the vibe your description should give. 

After these many details, there would not even be a need for any edits. 

Check and edit the outcomes 

Artificial Intelligence may be efficient in generating quick results. However, you need to double-check the results to be on the safe side.

So feel free to adjust the parameters and make necessary corrections to ensure the results align with your expectations. Especially when you deal with facts or recent information. 

Kelly, an AI-focused educator whom I interviewed, emphasized the importance of double-checking, especially when you generate a quiz. 

“The worst case scenario is assuming that the answers to a question from a generative I are true is horrible. You don't want to go in and assess a student and have the wrong answer. That is not going to prove well for your credibility as an educator. So, do fact-check, know your information, and know what you want the students to learn”.

 

Kelly Schuster-Paredes 

Ed Tech Specialist, Course Creator, and Podcast Host  

Generate your online course with Uteach’s AI tools

With Uteach, you can start building your online course from scratch. That is if you are still brainstorming ideas for your online course. Here is how. 

Generate your course idea

If you are a man/woman of many talents, choosing a specific idea for the course can be difficult. To get your course ready quickly, you can use Uteach’s A.I. course outline generator tool.

• First, you will need to enter your niche, and the tool will suggest several ideas for your online course. 

• You can then log in to the platform completely for free to choose the ideas you like. 
• Next, you can choose whichever of those ideas you want and generate a course description and outline for it in one click. 

Generate a course description  

Once you finalize the course topic, you can generate a description based on that. The AI tool already got the subtopics your online course covers. So, at this point there is no need to specify anything else. Just click to generate the course description, and you will have a brief overview on what the course is all about. 

If you want to get into more details, like mention any requirements, CTA, you can edit the description afterwards. 

Generate your course outline 

The next step is when we start to build the actual course. Here, you can start with a generated outline as well. The tool generates the modules each containing several lessons. If you are happy with the results, you can add materials for each lesson. 

If not, you can always edit the outline to rephrase titles, reorganize modules, etc. 

AI tools to create visuals for the course

When it comes to online courses, visuals play an important role in enhancing their learning experience. Today's learners seek interactive and visually appealing content, which you can create with AI tools. 

Especially if you are offering online courses related to graphics and arts, you may need specific examples and images. For this purpose, you can use

• Artbreeder - to blend images together, creating new and unique artwork.
• Runway ML - to create different projects by editing images and videos
• Lumen5 - to transform plain text into engaging presentations 

If you want to create beautiful course presentations, you can use tools such as Wepik, Canva, Beautiful.ai, and Mentimeter. 

AI tools to create quizzes for the course 

Kelly Schuster-Paredes, who has a passion for integrating technology into education, uses generative A.I. a lot of the time to generate a whole bunch of quizzes. 

“I will generate a prompt with AI tools, such as Gemini, Omni, and ChatGPT. For example, give me options for some questions and add information that is specific to my outcome. These generative AI tools really produce some great questions. Of course, next, you want to check over the answers”. 

 

Kelly Schuster-Paredes 

Ed Tech Specialist, Course Creator, and Podcast Host 

A few tools you can build assessments, quizzes and surveys with include Coursebox, Revisely, Quizgecko, and Jotform. 

FAQ

• Is there AI that can create a course for you? 

Yes, there are AI tools that can create courses for you. Platforms like Mini Course Generator, Coursebox, and Uteach AI can generate course outlines, content, quizzes, and even assessments. These tools allow users to input basic details, and the AI produces structured course materials. They help save time, ensure consistency, and offer customization to fit various teaching styles and subjects.

• How to build a course with AI? 

To build a course with AI, you can start free on Uteach. If you do not have a specific idea in mind, Uteach’s AI course idea generator will offer you ideas. Pick one of the, and generate your course description in one click. You can also generate your course outline with modules and specific lessons. Once you are done, you can edit the results and add your course materials. 

• How AI is used in content creation?

AI is used in content creation to generate text, videos, quizzes, and presentations. It can draft course outlines, write lesson scripts, and create interactive assessments. AI tools also help with editing, paraphrasing, and enhancing content quality.

With AI, you can automate repetitive tasks, personalize learning materials, and maintain a consistent tone throughout your courses.

Conclusion 

AI has revolutionized the creation of online courses. It addresses challenges, offers innovative solutions, and enhances the teaching and learning process. 

AI tools like ChatGPT provide personalized learning experiences and automate administrative tasks. You can use them to create visuals, maintain your brand’s positive voice, and create interactive elements.

If you are ready to create your first course with the help of AI, use Uteach’s free course idea generator and start quickly.