1. Structure and optimal flow
Welcome back! In this lesson, we will cover the structure and optimal flow of course development, starting with the course itself, then chapters, lessons, and exercises.
2. Development flow
To ensure that the course flows well, we build courses in the order that learners will consume the material.
This means building Chapter 1 before Chapter 2 and Lesson 1 before Lesson 2.
We find that this accelerates the course development cycle, yields a cohesive narrative, and ensures learner engagement throughout the course.
3. Course overview
Let's start at the top with a course.
Courses are broken into four chapters, which are then further divided into three to four lessons.
At a high-level, the first chapter should be concise and motivate the learner to continue on through the rest of the course. Also, the course should increase in difficulty as the learner progresses through the material.
4. Chapter overview
Just as courses are a series of chapters, chapters are also a series of lessons.
Here is an example of a chapter. Notice that it contains three lessons, covering related topics.
Each lesson begins with a video exercise, note the video icon which looks like a triangle, and is followed by interactive exercises that relate to the learning objectives covered in that video.
5. Overall lesson structure
Now let's discuss lessons.
DataCamp specifically defines a lesson as a collection of exercises that relate to the same topics, or learning objectives.
Lessons begin with a video exercise and are followed by two-to-four interactive exercises practicing what was taught in the video.
It is critical that there is a clear mapping between the video exercise and the interactive exercises. This means that the interactive exercises should cover only content that is covered in the preceding video exercise.
For example, if the video exercise covers subtopics A, B, and C, then we can cover subtopics A, B, and C throughout the subsequent interactive exercises within the same lesson.
This is so that concepts are contextualized both visually and verbally in the video, and reinforced practically in the interactive exercises.
This repetition helps ensure the transition of knowledge from short-term to long-term memory.
6. Overall lesson flow
Within the scope of a lesson, we recommend a general flow for introducing core topics.
First, the why: Why am I learning this? What real-world problem am I attempting to solve?
Then, the what: What solution am I going to implement to solve this problem?
Finally, the how: How do I actually implement the solution?
7. Flow of a video exercise
Let's look at how the why-what-how flow fits in a video exercise.
When we begin to introduce a concept, we surface a real-world problem that can be approached using data skills. This is the "why", or motivation, for the lesson.
To approach these problems, we use datasets and technical solutions. These solutions often represent the core concepts to be taught. This is the "what".
Learners then need to understand "how" to implement the solution. The solution implementation should be introduced first in a general way, such that it applies to problems and datasets outside of what is being referenced in the lesson. Subsequently, concrete examples should be provided with specific references to datasets, packages, functions, objects, results, and interpretations.
8. Structure of an exercise
Let's look at an example coding exercise to see how the why-what-how flow fits in interactive exercises.
In the context section on the top left, there is a short explanation of the goal of the exercise. This is the "why", or motivation.
Throughout the exercise, we focus on the code or topic itself, including the functions needed to achieve the exercise goal; this is the "what".
Then, the implementation details, or the "how", are addressed in the instructions and code sections, referencing and employing specific code to complete the exercise.
9. Let's practice!
Now let's proceed to the interactive exercises in this lesson on lessons!