Thinking beyond a course can help us explore different formats for learning pathways
Courses are a widely used format in learning, offering structure and clear outcomes. But they’re not always the best fit. This post explores the origins, pros and cons of course formats, alternative approaches like learning pathways and the impact of AI on future learning design. You’ll find practical comparisons, trends and tips for rethinking the default course model—and how to choose the right format for your learners.
Table of contents
- Why do we use the course format for learning?
- Where did it originate?
- What are the benefits of the course format?
- What are the drawbacks?
- What are the alternatives?
- How do different formats compare - quick comparison
- How courses can cover the known unknowns and the unknown unknowns
- How to make courses flexible, personal and adaptable
- What future trends are changing the traditional course format
- How flexible learning pathways offer a real alternative
- The impact of AI on the course format
- Considering other formats? one thing you can try today
- Conclusion
- Related topics
Why do we use the course format for learning?
Courses offer a structured, sequenced approach to learning that helps guide learners through topics in a logical and purposeful way. They often feature clear objectives, defined outcomes, and a beginning, middle and end which is ideal for scaffolded learning. Courses also help institutions and organisations manage enrolment, assessment, and certification. For learners, they provide a sense of progress and completion. This format supports accreditation and record-keeping, making it ideal for formal learning contexts. Despite the rise of microlearning and informal formats, courses remain a powerful and familiar container for delivering learning that has scope, depth, and direction.
Where did it originate?
The course format has its roots in traditional education systems, particularly in universities where subject matter needed to be broken down into semesters or modules to fit academic calendars. The idea of learning as a journey with checkpoints and assessments emerged from this need to manage and deliver learning at scale. Over time, this model was adopted in training and professional development, especially with the growth of online learning. Platforms like MOOCs, the LMS and formal eLearning adopted this same model, replicating familiar classroom structures into digital environments, even as new needs and technologies emerged.
What are the benefits of the course format?
The course format provides consistency, predictability and measurable outcomes. It helps learning designers and educators plan learning in digestible sections and align outcomes with activities and assessments. For learners, courses create a clear path, often with visible progress indicators, deadlines and feedback loops. This sense of order supports motivation and retention. Courses can also include peer interaction, projects and reflection points, allowing for a richer learning experience. When well-designed, courses promote mastery over time, especially when they are scaffolded effectively with increasing complexity and opportunities to apply knowledge. and demonstrate skill development.
What are the drawbacks?
Courses can appear to be rigid, slow to adapt, and sometimes artificial in their structure. They often assume all learners start from the same place and move at the same pace. This can lead to disengagement for advanced learners or confusion for beginners. Courses may also focus too heavily on content delivery, rather than interaction or exploration. In digital settings, courses can suffer from overproduction, long timelines and clunky user experiences. If designed poorly, they become a checklist rather than a meaningful learning journey. Lastly, some knowledge or skills simply don’t fit well into a course format - especially if they're too open-ended, too experiential or the course format simply doesn't fit the activites planned.
What are the alternatives?
Learning is not contained within courses. Alternatives include learning playlists, curated resource hubs, simulations, performance support tools, communities of practice, social learning spaces, and microlearning pathways. These formats allow learners to access what they need, when they need it - this is known as just-in-time learning. They also allow for greater exploration, peer exchange and reflection, particularly in professional contexts. Rather than being assessed via traditional tests or assignments, learners can demonstrate understanding through contribution, reflection or real-world application. These formats suit environments where flexibility, autonomy and continuous learning are key.
How do different formats compare against a typical course? Quick comparison table
| Feature | Course Format | Alternatives |
|---|
| Structured path | ✅ | ❌ / Optional |
| Learning outcomes | ✅ | ❌ / Optional |
| Certification | ✅ | ✅ |
| Flexibility | ❌ | ✅ |
| Peer learning | ✅ | ✅ |
| Real-time application | Sometimes | ✅ |
| Just-in-time learning | ❌ | ✅ |
| Scalability | ✅ | ✅ |
| Suitability for accreditation | ✅ | ❌ |
How courses can cover the unknown unknowns
Courses are particularly useful when we know what learners need to know, and can map a path to that understanding, they cover the ‘known unknowns’. However, they can also surface the ‘unknown unknowns’ by prompting reflection, presenting real-world case studies or offering choices that challenge default assumptions. When a course is designed with exploratory tasks, branching scenarios or co-designed elements, it invites learners to engage with uncertainty and complexity. This makes the course a dynamic, rather than prescriptive, space, this is especially useful in fields like leadership, ethics, or innovation where there are no single correct answers.
How to make courses flexible, personal and adaptable
To make courses more flexible, you can build in optional pathways, self-paced elements and multiple formats for engagement (text, social, activities, etc.). Personalisation can be achieved by allowing learners to set their own goals or skip content they’ve already mastered. Adaptability comes from iterative design: reviewing data, feedback and performance to improve over time. You can also include project-based or reflective tasks that invite learners to apply what they’ve learned in their own context. Using tools like Coursensu allows for visual mapping of outcomes, content and activities, ensures better alignment and room for design-based agility.
What future trends are changing the traditional course format
Courses are evolving. Modular learning is on the rise, where content is packaged into smaller, stackable elements. Microcredentials and digital badges are replacing or supplementing formal qualifications. Social learning, AI-enhanced feedback and personal learning environments are reshaping how learners interact with content. There's also growing interest in experiential learning, simulation and collaborative design. Increasingly, the traditional course format is being blended with new delivery models -resulting in more learner-driven, dynamic formats that still provide the scaffolding of a course but without traditional limitations.
How flexible learning pathways offer a real alternative
Flexible learning pathways allow learners to navigate content based on their needs, rather than in a fixed sequence. These pathways can be built from a combination of short courses, tasks, projects and reflective practice. They encourage autonomy, promote curiosity, and often reflect real-world learning, where people seek knowledge across contexts. These pathways are particularly effective in adult learning, professional development and cross-disciplinary fields. Unlike rigid courses, they offer room to explore, return to key ideas and connect learning with immediate tasks. Many institutions and organisations are exploring this format to improve engagement and relevance. How we design and build these learning experiences is also changing due to technologies, such as LXPs and AI.
The impact of AI on the course format
AI is reshaping how we think about course creation and delivery. It can help design more adaptive courses by tailoring content and feedback to the learner’s needs in real time. AI can also review existing course material to ensure alignment with objectives, flag outdated resources, and generate alternate formats for accessibility. AI tools can simulate learner perspectives, helping designers refine the learner experience. These technologies challenge the one-size-fits-all course format and offer a future where content adapts dynamically. This creates more responsive, personalised learning journeys that are continuously improving, for the benefit of both learners and organisations that invest in their learners.
Considering other formats? one thing you can try today
Try mapping your next piece of content or learning experience as a journey, rather than as a linear course. Think about what support materials, social interactions or reflections could support learning without needing to bundle it into a course. Tools like Coursensu can help you visualise and experiment with different formats, mixing structured and unstructured learning in one plan. You don’t have to abandon the course format altogether, just try removing it as a default and instead ask: what’s the best shape for this learning experience?
Conclusion
The course format remains a foundational structure in learning, but it’s no longer the only option. With new technologies, shifting learner expectations and diverse educational contexts, we have the opportunity to think beyond the course and embrace more flexible, responsive formats. Whether you use a course, a pathway, or something entirely new, the goal is the same: create meaningful learning that empowers and supports the learner. That starts with being intentional about the format and being open to evolving it.
Related topics
- Flexible learning pathways: How to design for learner choice and control
- Microlearning vs full courses: When smaller is better
- How to design learning experiences outside the LMS
- Learning journeys: Beyond the course shell
- AI and adaptive learning: Moving beyond linear courses
- The future of curriculum: Do we still need modules and units?
- How to assess learning without a formal course
- How to curate a learning experience, not just create one
- The psychology of structured learning: Why we still need start and end points
- When learning isn't the goal: Designing experiences for action, not just knowledge
