Your course serves various purposes, so you definitely need various formats and structures for every one of them. To provide you with multiple course templates, I considered the most common patterns successful courses usually have.
Let’s find out the best 11-course structure templates and 30-course website templates you can use for free. At the end of the article, I’ll show you a free AI tool as well that can generate your course structure and act as your guiding template. So, make sure you read till the end.
Online course website templates on Uteach
Further, we will discuss course structure templates and examples that you can adapt to your own course. But what if you already want to put yours into practice? How can you put your course together based on a pre-defined structure and template?
You can do so by using Uteach’s online course website templates.
Uteach offers about 30 niche templates with which you can build your course pages. They cover a wide variety of topics, from photography to coding, from fitness to cooking, from language learning to learning how to drive.
As you choose one of the templates, they apply to your course website overall, as well as individual course pages.
From the builder section, you can change all colors and styles, add your images, add more blocks from widgets, and customize your page to match your course brand.
Explore more course page design templates, and you can start building your pages for free starting today.
Course design templates
Now that you know where to start, let’s discuss some options for course templates you can start with and how.
X-day challenge course template
If you have taken some courses for yourself, you have surely noticed the X-day challenge courses. You are right! The ones that say, “Get your dream body in 30 days”, or “Become a computer genius in 10 days.” These examples do sound unrealistic, but what makes this pattern so popular?
An X-day challenge course is a highly focused learning experience that encourages students to achieve a specific goal within a set number of days. Each day comes with a clear, actionable task or a small lesson that moves students closer to completing the challenge.
Why does this work? Because this format creates a sense of urgency and motivation. With this type of course, you can provide quick wins for your students every day.
“A sprint is a quick win to give the student the feeling and the reassurance that the money that they spent on you was well spent. And if we don't do that, we're going to lose the high motivation that they had when they signed up”.
Mariana Pena,Instructional Designer
You can use the template below if you
- Help students develop a habit (for example, daily fitness routines)
- Teach a skill in small steps (for example, learning a programming language)
- Motivate personal transformation (for example, improving productivity)
Template and example
Here is a challenge course template with the example of overcoming camera-shyness.
It works best when students can follow a daily progression and see measurable improvements along the way.
Let’s see how Thomas Alex Norman did it. With his course, he helps content creators become more comfortable and confident when talking to the camera. He includes his own techniques and experience.
Bootcamp course template
The next popular format of almost all times is the bootcamp course. These are intensive, fast-paced programs to immerse students in a subject. So, if you like the approach of teaching an in-demand skill within a short period, this next template will help you.
With the X-day challenge, we saw that the idea was to build habits or skills step-by-step over time. The difference with bootcamps is that we have more intensive sessions. The focus is on hands-on practice and real-world application.
So, you can take this format and template if you
- Teach high-demand skills (for example, coding)
- Offer career-focused training (for example, resume building)
- Running practical workshops (for example, starting a blog)
Template and example
Our next template includes an example of digital marketing.
For example, Seijin Jung has a bootcamp program on digital marketing. His course on Udemy mainly includes lectures and quizzes at the end of the module.
Cohort-based course template
If you have already launched a course, you know that students join with great motivation at the beginning, then they can lose interest real quickly.
I used to ask creators who offer pre-recorded courses what their main challenge was when they started. Believe it or not, retention was one of the commonly mentioned answers. Jan Keck, for example, thinks that with cohort courses, students are less likely to drop out.
“I feel like the drop-off is lower. With a cohort-based course, I know for myself, I'm putting the dates in my calendar, I'm going to show up. And for that time, I will be learning something. I'll be engaging with the content”.
Jan KeckLearning experience designer, course creator
As you can see, deadlines feel real because they are shared. Discussions become deeper, richer. And with direct access to you, students do not just absorb your content. They ask questions and get answers from you.
Related: How to Design Cohort-Based Courses and Experiences
Let’s discuss it in an example.
Template and example
One great example you can templatize yourself is Jan Keck’s cohort programs. He usually includes office hours, community discussions, live sessions, guides, PDF resources, and engaging activities for his cohort programs.
Based on similar activities, you can create your cohort course using the example structure of virtual facilitation.
Live-workshop series template
Have you ever attended a live class or an online workshop? If yes, you know how much fun they bring in. Any guesses on why students love live courses? For me, one thing is the interactive and engaging approach in relation to pre-recorded courses.
We consume so much content passively. So, one live lesson feels like a breath of fresh air to connect with people who share the same goals and aspirations.
Your live course can consist of webinars or other types of live meetings. For example, you can have assignment discussions or even use the flipped classroom method, where you provide your students with material for self-study beforehand and then discuss it live.
Whatever your approach is, you can use the template below to get started.
Template and example
A nice example of a live workshop is Koosje Koene’s drawing workshop. It is a 90-minute session where the participants join for a “show-and-tell” workshop, where they share their work, ask questions, and learn from each other.
If you plan to host live workshops, here is the structure template about Leadership I adopted from other famous workshops.
Certification course template
Who does NOT love sharing their course certificate and speaking about their new accomplishment? Certainly, the minority. That is why the students are more motivated to finish a certification course.
With certification courses, there is a structured curriculum. Each module builds upon the previous one. The focus is on mastering the subject matter.
With this type of course, you have two ways to go. First is when you validate the learning with a final examination or a quiz. So, unless the learners pass the examination, they will not receive a certificate.
Yet, the quizzes are not mandatory. You can make it so that every student who passes the course content receives the certificate.
Template and example
Let’s see how Angel Rodriguez, who is a trainer and offers a certification program in security training, structures his courses. To create a structure template for your certification course, I asked Angel about his experience with it personally.
“My students take the progress quizzes, and I'm able to see the percentage and how they're progressing through the course when they last logged in. We actually use a regular engagement throughout the course, and at the very end of the course we do a final examination, and that's usually a culmination of all of those progress quizzes that we did along the way. So, it reinforces it”.
Angel Rodriguez
Trainer, creator at Uteach
A template for your certification course can look like this:
Project-based course template
Project-based or task-based learning has been one of the popular approaches teachers use in an offline classroom. And they could not help but adopt this approach for online courses as well, because this makes so much sense.
I want you to think about the last time you consumed educational content via a video or blog. Did you truly think you accomplished something just by listening or reading? Most likely, no. Because real accomplishment comes from applying what we learn, solving problems, and creating something tangible.
This is what your project-based course is all about. You act as a guide, providing structure, resources, and checkpoints to ensure progress.
Here are the resources you can include in such courses and programs.
- Guides
- Live sessions
- Feedback sessions
- Progress checkpoints
- Community discussions
Template and example
Let’s discuss the structure template for a content marketing course.
An example is the Robotics course. After completing the course, students can already have their portfolios due to the ongoing tasks and assignments.
Micro-learning course template
Today, time is precious, and attention spans are shorter than ever. Micro-learning fits into busy schedules, making learning achievable for even the busiest professionals.
Plus, the sense of accomplishment after completing each small task keeps learners motivated. Every time they hit "next," they are more motivated to continue.
The reason why is that you offer bite-sized content, and the students can complete one lesson more quickly. And what can become a part of microlearning? For example, you can include
- Short video lectures
- Podcasts and audio materials
- Quizzes
- Infographics
- Checklists and guides
- Challenges
- Etc.
Related: What is Microlearning and How to Incorporate in Your Courses
Template and example
A great example of a microlearning course that can inspire your course structure and serve as a course template is Dr Stacy Sims’ courses. She offers several microlearning lessons on different topics in Health and Wellness for female athletes. Her courses can also be seen as a continuation of one another. So, one who completes a course can get another course in the same category.
Here is a template structure about a finance course that you can adapt to your topic.
Membership-based course template
Would you like a learning experience where students keep coming back, not for a single lesson or program, but for a steady stream of valuable content? That is what we call the membership model.
But it does not always have to include a variety of resource releases like video tutorials, downloadable resources, or community discussions. If you plan on a big course on a big topic, you can drip-schedule it. That is, releasing a new piece of content, like your video content, on specific dates over the course of time.
With the membership model, the members join not just for a specific result but for continuous growth, resources, and interaction.
Related: How To Build Memberships to Support Your Course Business
Template and example
Here is a template for a membership program on meditation you can adapt and use for your own course.
For example, consider Cathy Heller’s membership program. Rather than focusing on masterclasses or courses, her membership provides guided meditations released monthly.
Niche course template
A niche course covers a very specific topic that fits a particular need perfectly. These are similar to the mini-courses we have discussed above. If you teach a specific skill, this can be your format for courses. For example, it can be something like “How to draw a hand” or “How to crochet a flower.” You get the idea!
Why would you use a niche course? Because specificity sells. People search for courses that solve their exact problems. Niche courses also work well when you want to test demand for a subject without creating a full-length program. They require less content but still deliver.
As part of your niche course, you can have
- Video tutorials
- PDF instructions
- Small tasks
- Bonus tips
Template and example
The template below discusses the course structure template of a pixie haircut.
Onboarding course template
An onboarding course is a focused, step-by-step experience designed to familiarize learners with a new product, platform, or process. This is your warm welcome with practical training. It helps the students understand the essentials, reduces overwhelm, and sets them up for long-term success.
We can say they are similar to tutorials. But, unlike general tutorials, onboarding courses create engagement and drive quick wins early on.
When it comes to what you can include, do not just use dry instructions. Instead, you can have
- PDF guides
- Video demonstrations
- Interactive checkpoints
- Live sessions to answer questions
Let’s put everything into a course template.
Template and example
The course template below showcases an example of an employee onboarding course.
Lecture-series course template
Lecture-based courses are about sharing knowledge with presentations. If I were to describe it, the course would be similar to watching a series of TED talks. It is not only academic lectures. But rather topics you share your experience as an industry expert.
Another thing is that you do not cover all the sessions yourself. You can invite speakers and leaders of a certain industry to share their take and record their video presentations.
You can host them in a live format, and also make pre-recorded videos.
Generate online course structure templates for any course with AI
As you can already tell, the possibilities and opportunities are endless. Above, we have seen just some examples of course structures as templates. But there is a 50% chance I missed mentioning your specific format and niche.
That is why I suggest you generate your structure template yourself in seconds. You can do so for free using Uteach’s AI generator tool.
How does that work? First, you register on Uteach for free, and then you can follow these steps.
- Go to your “Courses” section to create a course
- You will be directed to your course builder, where you have the “Generate” button
After generating, you will have a detailed outline done for you on the topic you mentioned- Next, you can readjust and edit the structure and start uploading your content.
As easy as that. And when you go back to your course page, the course content is there to follow, like this one we have here:
Start your free trial today and generate your course structure template easily.