How to Build an Entire Course With AI Step-by-Step Directions

How to Build an Entire Course With AI Step-by-Step Directions

6 minute read

This isn't a high-level overview of how AI can help you build a course. This is the actual step-by-step process, tool by tool, prompt by prompt, for taking a course from idea to published without a production team. Every step in this guide is something you can do today, most for free or near-free, using tools that are widely available in 2026.

For the strategic framework behind AI course building, see our post on how to use AI to build your first online course in half the time. This guide is the hands-on execution version. For where to host the finished course, see our LMS comparison guide.

We'll cover:

• Step 1: Define the course (AI-assisted)

• Step 2: Build the outline (AI-assisted)

• Step 3: Write lesson scripts (AI-assisted)

• Step 4: Build slides (AI-assisted)

• Step 5: Record and produce video (AI-enhanced)

• Step 6: Build assessments (AI-assisted)

• Step 7: Build the course in your LMS (AI-optional)

• Step 8: Write the sales page (AI-assisted)

Table of Contents

1. 1. Step 1: Define the course
2. 2. Step 2: Build the outline
3. 3. Step 3: Write lesson scripts
4. 4. Step 4: Build slides
5. 5. Step 5: Record and produce video
6. 6. Step 6: Build assessments
7. 7. Step 7: Build in your LMS
8. 8. Step 8: Write the sales page
9. 9. Key tips

Step 1: Define the Course (30 Minutes)

Before you use AI for anything, write a one-paragraph course brief by hand. Include: who the learner is, what specific problem the course solves, what the learner will be able to do after completing it, and any constraints (length, format, prior knowledge). This paragraph is the seed for every AI prompt that follows.

Example brief: 'This is a five-module online course for first-time managers at mid-size companies. After completing it, they will be able to run a productive one-on-one meeting that builds trust and surfaces real information. The course should take about 90 minutes to complete and assume no prior management training.'

Tool: No AI needed for this step. Write it yourself. This is the most important step in the entire process.

Step 2: Build the Outline (20 Minutes)

Open Claude or ChatGPT. Paste your course brief and use this prompt:

'Using the course brief below, create a detailed course outline with five modules. For each module, provide: a module title, a specific learning objective written as an observable behavior, and three to five lesson topics. Format as a numbered list.'

Review the output. Cut anything that doesn't serve the stated outcome. Add any topic that only you would know to include. Restructure the sequence if it doesn't flow logically. The AI draft gives you a starting point in two minutes rather than two hours.

Step 3: Write Lesson Scripts (2 to 4 Hours)

For each lesson, record yourself talking through the content for five to ten minutes without stopping. Use your phone's voice memo app. Don't worry about being polished. Just talk through the key points.

Tool: Otter.ai or Descript (free tier). Upload your voice recording and transcribe it. Then feed the transcript to Claude or ChatGPT with this prompt:

'Here is a raw transcript from a subject matter expert talking through a training lesson. Clean it up into a clear, conversational lesson script. Keep the speaker's natural language and all specific examples. Remove filler words and organize the content, but don't add any new information or remove the personal stories.'

Review every script out loud before you record anything. Read it as if you're talking to a person, not reading text. Fix anything that doesn't sound like how you actually talk.

According to ATD's research on self-paced learning content, conversational, first-person scripts produce 31 percent higher learner engagement than formal third-person scripts. AI handles the structure; your voice handles the connection.

The script is where your expertise lives. AI cleans it up. You still have to put the substance in.

Step 4: Build Slides (1 to 2 Hours)

Tool: Gamma (gamma.app) or Beautiful.ai, both free to start. Feed your lesson script to Gamma with this prompt:

'Here is a lesson script for a training course. Create a slide deck that visually supports this script. One concept per slide. Use the script's main points as slide headlines. Keep text minimal. Suggest relevant visuals or graphics where appropriate. Maximum 12 slides.'

Review and adjust. Gamma produces presentation-quality output that is significantly faster to refine than to build from scratch. Expect to spend 10 to 15 minutes per lesson adjusting the slides to match your specific needs.

Step 5: Record and Produce Video (2 to 4 Hours)

Tool: Loom (free tier) or your phone camera for recording. Descript or Captions (free tier) for editing.

Record yourself presenting to the slides. Don't stop and re-record every mistake. Record each lesson in one take, note the timestamps of significant errors, and cut them in editing. A lesson that took two takes to get right is far more valuable than a perfect lesson you haven't shipped yet.

Use Descript to edit: it shows your transcript as editable text, so cutting a section means deleting words from the transcript. This makes editing 70 percent faster than traditional timeline-based video editing.

Final step: add captions using Descript's automatic caption feature. This takes under five minutes and is non-negotiable for accessibility.

Step 6: Build Assessments (30 to 60 Minutes)

For each lesson, use this prompt in Claude or ChatGPT:

'Based on the learning objective and lesson script below, write three assessment questions for this lesson. Two should be multiple choice with four options each. One should be a short reflection prompt. All questions should test application of the concept, not just recall. Include the correct answer and a one-sentence explanation for each multiple choice option.'

Review each question. Verify that the wrong answers are plausible enough to require genuine understanding to reject. If a wrong answer is obviously silly, replace it.

Step 7: Build the Course in Your LMS (1 to 2 Hours)

This step has the least AI involvement and the most platform-specific mechanics. The process is the same regardless of platform: create course structure, upload videos, add assessment questions, configure completion requirements, set up any certificates or notifications, and test the whole thing as a learner before publishing.

For platform selection, see our LMS comparison guide for coaches and consultants. For the learner experience checklist that should be run before publishing, see our post on how to build an online course for your organization.

Step 8: Write the Sales Page (1 to 2 Hours)

Tool: Claude or ChatGPT, with this prompt:

'I've built an online course. Here is the course brief: [paste brief]. Here are the five modules: [paste outline]. Write a sales page for this course that includes: a headline focused on the outcome, a description of who this is for, a summary of what's included, three to five specific benefits, and a call to action. Write in a direct, conversational tone. Avoid hype and buzzwords.'

The AI output will be a solid first draft. Personalize it: add your specific credentials, add testimonials once you have them, and make sure the voice sounds like you. A sales page written in AI corporate-speak won't convert.

According to Podia's conversion rate research on course sales pages, the single highest-impact element on a sales page is the headline: pages with a specific, outcome-focused headline convert at 2 to 3 times the rate of pages with generic titles. Get that headline right.

Key Tips for Building an Entire Course With AI

• Write the course brief yourself before touching any AI tool. It's the foundation everything else rests on.

• Record your own talking notes first. Feed those to AI, not the other way around.

• Read every AI script out loud before recording.

• Caption every video. Use Descript's auto-caption. Five minutes, non-negotiable.

• Test the entire course as a learner before publishing.

How Course in 30 can help

At Course in 30, we build online courses, employee training, and onboarding programs that people actually finish. If you're ready to turn your expertise into a course that works, let's talk.

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