course-authoring-playbook

L&D course authoring playbook

Purpose: Single source of truth for how Brainforge authors internal L&D courses: folder layout, markdown templates, naming, and quality checks. Use alongside design standards in NORTH-STARS.md.

Audience: L&D owners, module authors, and anyone scaffolding new learning materials in knowledge/people/learning-development/programs/courses/.

Related: programs/courses/README.md (course index) · programs/README.md · platform-page-standard.md (Forge presentation + wiring) · claude-education-skills (pedagogy skills, optional)

Last updated: 2026-04-17

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When to use this playbook

Situation	What to do
New course	Run through Pre-authoring checklist, create the folder structure, fill the Course README template, then modules and lessons. Register the course in programs/courses/README.md.
Add a module	Add modules/{NN}-{module-slug}/ with Module README + lesson files. Update the course README.md (navigation table, module sequence, mermaid diagram if used).
Add a lesson	Add lesson-{N}-{slug}.md using the Lesson template. Update the module README.md lesson table and prev/next links in adjacent lessons.
Wire vault course to Platform routes	After content exists under programs/courses/{slug}/, follow platform-page-standard.md and run ld-course-builder Mode D (typed config + route wiring patterned after Quickstart—no redesign of existing L&D UI).

Agent workflow: Use the ld-course-builder skill (.agents/skills/ld-course-builder/SKILL.md) to scaffold files from these templates (Modes A–C) and Mode D for platform wiring.

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Pre-authoring checklist

Ground every new course or major module in NORTH-STARS.md. Before writing content:

1. State desired behavior first — Observable, real-work (what someone does differently on Tuesday), not vague awareness.
2. Classify learning targets — Type 1 (hierarchical / right-wrong), Type 2 (reasoning / judgment), Type 3 (habits / disposition). Type 3 cannot be “passed” with a quiz alone; design observation or longitudinal evidence.
3. Design assessment before activities — What evidence proves the behavior? Rubric dimensions before lesson copy.
4. One new core workflow per module (unless the module is explicitly a survey or map).
5. Retrieval checkpoints — Do not exceed ~45 minutes of new content without a formative check (questions, short task, or rubric-aligned practice).
6. Post-cert reinforcement — Plan Week 1 / Week 2 / Week 4 anchors for anything that must stick.

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Folder structure conventions

Courses live under:

knowledge/people/learning-development/programs/courses/{course-slug}/
  README.md                     # Course overview (required)
  certification-rubric.md       # Criterion-referenced rubric (if the course certifies)
  presentation/                 # Optional: HTML deck, pptx, assets (if needed)
  modules/
    {NN}-{module-slug}/
      README.md                 # Module overview + lesson table (required)
      lesson-{N}-{slug}.md      # One file per lesson (required)

• NN — Two-digit module order: 01, 02, …
• course-slug — Lowercase, kebab-case (e.g. operating-allocations-for-sls).
• module-slug — Short kebab-case descriptor (e.g. what-is-operating, cursor-for-operating).
• Lessons — lesson-1-{slug}.md, lesson-2-{slug}.md, … within each module folder.

Optional: certification-rubric.md at course root; link from course README.md and from modules that reference the capstone.

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Course README template

Copy and replace {{placeholders}}.

# {{Course Title}}
 
**Course:** {{Course Title}}  
**Program:** Brainforge AI L&D Program Q2 {{year}}  
**Audience:** {{Audience}}  
**Owner:** {{Owner name}}  
**Status:** {{Draft | Active | Archived}}  
**Time:** ~{{X}} hours total across {{N}} modules{{+ certification if applicable}}, {{pace note}}  
**Format:** {{e.g. Async-first, self-paced}}  
**Related:** [Notion — Brainforge AI L&D Program Q2 {{year}}]({{Notion URL}})
 
---
 
## Why this course exists
 
{{1–3 paragraphs: problem, why now, who owns the outcome.}}
 
**Desired behavior after this course:**
> {{One blockquote: observable real-work behavior.}}
 
---
 
## Course learning outcomes
 
By the end of this course, every learner will be able to:
 
1. **{{Verb}}** {{outcome 1}}.
2. **{{Verb}}** {{outcome 2}}.
…
 
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## Module sequence
 

Module 1: {{Title}} ({{min}} min, {{format}}) ↓ Module 2: {{Title}} ({{min}} min, {{format}}) ↓ …

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## Module navigation

| Module | Folder | Time | Format |
|--------|--------|------|--------|
| Module 1 — {{Short title}} | [modules/01-{{slug}}/](./modules/01-{{slug}}/README.md) | ~{{min}} min | {{format}} |
| … | … | … | … |
| Certification Rubric | [certification-rubric.md](./certification-rubric.md) | Reference | Read before {{module}} |

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## Visual progression (optional)

```mermaid
flowchart TD
    M1[Module 1: {{Short}}] --> M2[Module 2: {{Short}}]
    M2 --> M3[Module 3: {{Short}}]
    …

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How to complete this course

1. {{Ordered steps: prerequisites, order of modules, when to read the rubric, hands-on requirements.}}
2. …

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Post-certification reinforcement schedule

Timeline	Practice anchor
Week 1 after cert	{{Concrete action tied to work systems}}
Week 2	{{…}}
Week 4	{{…}}

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Questions

Slack: #ai-learning | Owner: {{Owner}}

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## Module README template

```markdown
# Module {{N}}: {{Module Title}}

**Track:** {{Course short name}}  
**Time estimate:** ~{{minutes}} minutes ({{async | live | mixed}})  
**Format:** {{I Do — Concepts | We Do — Guided | You Do — Practice | mixed}}  
**Prerequisite:** {{None | Quickstart certified | other}}  
**Last updated:** {{YYYY-MM-DD}}

---

## Lesson sequence

| # | Lesson | Time |
|---|--------|------|
| 1 | [{{Lesson title}}](./lesson-1-{{slug}}.md) | ~{{min}} min |
| 2 | [{{Lesson title}}](./lesson-2-{{slug}}.md) | ~{{min}} min |
| … | … | … |

---

## Module learning outcomes

By the end of this module, you will be able to:

1. {{Observable outcome}}.
2. {{Observable outcome}}.
…

---

## Why this module

{{1–2 paragraphs: narrative bridge from prior module; why this block exists before the next.}}

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## Navigation

- **Previous module:** [Module {{N-1}} — {{Title}}](../{{prev-folder}}/README.md) OR *Course overview* [README.md](../../README.md)
- **Next module:** [Module {{N+1}} — {{Title}}](../{{next-folder}}/README.md)

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Lesson template

Format tags: I Do — Concepts, We Do — Guided practice, or You Do — Independent practice (or mixed in one lesson if short).

# Lesson {{M.N}}: {{Lesson title}}
 
**Module:** {{N}} — {{Module title}}  
**Time:** ~{{minutes}} minutes  
**Format:** {{I Do | We Do | You Do}} — {{Concepts | Guided practice | Independent practice}}
 
---
 
## {{I Do — Concepts | We Do — … | You Do — …}}
 
{{Core content: tables, lists, worked examples. Prefer concrete Brainforge workflows and systems.}}
 
---
 
## Check your understanding
 
1. {{Retrieval question 1}}
2. {{Retrieval question 2}}
3. {{Retrieval question 3}}
 
---
 
## Navigation
 
- **Previous:** [{{Previous lesson or Module README}}](./{{prev-file}}.md)
- **Next:** [{{Next lesson}}](./{{next-file}}.md)

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Certification rubric template

Use for any course with a criterion-referenced pass/fail (not norm-referenced).

# Certification Rubric — {{Course Title}}
 
**Course:** {{Course Title}}  
**Assessor:** {{Name}}  
**Format:** {{Artifact review + N-minute Feynman peer check | other}}  
**Standard:** Criterion-referenced — fixed observable behaviors, not a curve
 
---
 
## What pass looks like
 
A passing learner can, **{{context: e.g. working independently on real data}}**:
 
1. {{Observable capability 1}}
2. {{Observable capability 2}}
…
 
---
 
## Rubric dimensions
 
### Dimension 1: {{Name}}
 
| Standard | Pass | Does not pass |
|----------|------|----------------|
| {{Criterion}} | {{Pass criteria}} | {{Fail criteria}} |
| … | … | … |
 
### Dimension 2: {{Name}}
 
…
 
### Dimension {{K}}: Feynman peer check (if used)
 
The peer check is a {{N}}-minute conversation, not a quiz.
 
| Pass | Does not pass |
|------|----------------|
| {{Pass}} | {{Fail}} |
 
**Feynman check question pool (one chosen at random):**
 
1. {{Question}}
2. {{Question}}
…
 
---
 
## Submission checklist
 
Before submitting, confirm:
 
- [ ] {{Artifact 1}}
- [ ] {{Artifact 2}}
…
 
---
 
## Post-certification
 
{{How completion is recorded (e.g. Linear link). Point to the course README reinforcement schedule.}}

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Naming and sequencing rules

Item	Rule
Course folder	kebab-case, stable, no spaces (e.g. delivery-sourced-opportunities).
Module folder	{NN}-{kebab-case} with zero-padded NN.
Lesson files	lesson-{N}-{short-slug}.md where N is 1-based within the module.
Module scope	Prefer one primary workflow or concept cluster per module; split if cognitive load is high.
Time honesty	Round estimates; sum module times to match course “Time” line in course README.
Links	Use relative paths between lessons and modules; test Previous / Next after edits.

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Quality checklist before merge

• Course registered in programs/courses/README.md
• NORTH-STARS alignment: behavior-first, assessment evidence, no Type-3-only quiz
• Every module has outcomes + “Why this module”
• Every lesson has retrieval questions (or equivalent formative)
• Rubric exists before learners hit the capstone (if applicable)
• No secrets in markdown; use env / 1Password per repo rules
• Owner and Slack channel on course README
• If this course is (or will be) on the Platform: platform-page-standard.md QA checklist satisfied or ticketed (routes, breadcrumbs, platform sidebar, learning subnav, prev/next, module redirect)

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Platform presentation (The Forge)

Vault markdown drives on-app pages once a track is wired. Do not fork pedagogy here—use this playbook for content structure and platform-page-standard.md for:

• Course overview layout (Quickstart proportions: hero, stat chips, what you’ll learn, phased timeline, sticky right rail)
• Module routes as redirects to the first lesson; module README as intro lesson body
• Lesson layout (breadcrumbs, optional previous link, optional Zoom Clip embed, markdown body, sticky lesson sidebar)
• Typed LdCoursePlatformConfig fields and authoring-to-platform file mapping
• Route-path documentation notes (internal /internal/learning/... vs /learning/... inconsistencies)
• Required navigation registration in the Platform sidebar and learning-area subnav

ld-course-builder Mode D generates the typed config and route-wiring checklist from the vault folder—see the skill file.

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References

• Design standards: NORTH-STARS.md
• L&D home: README.md
• Programs index: programs/README.md
• Forge presentation + wiring: platform-page-standard.md