Summary
Lessons are the asynchronous materials you provide to your students
They are completed outside of live sessions.
Lessons can be articles, frameworks, case studies, templates, resource links, or videos.
Course lessons
To get started creating your lessons, visit your course Syllabus. Once you add a lesson, you'll see an editable page where you can add text, videos, links, and images.
What should I include in my lessons?
Add lessons in your course Syllabus. First, create a module (modules are collections of lessons, projects, and resources organized by topic or course outcome) and add as many lessons as you'd like. Lessons can be articles, frameworks, case studies, templates, resource links, or videos. Customize the lesson title and use emojis to grab students' attention.
The number of lessons you include will depend on your course's topic, outcomes, and style. Here's some general guidance to help you think about how many lessons to include:
Mostly live course | Hybrid course |
If you plan to host multiple live sessions (≥ 2 per week or 6-8 live workshop hours), most of the learning may happen during those workshops. As such, you may not provide as many asynchronous lessons. | If you plan to host fewer live sessions (≤1 live session per week), most of the learning will happen outside of the live sessions. In a hybrid course, you will provide more asynchronous lessons and projects. |
Lessons are supplementary to live sessions. They might be pre-readings or additional resources for students to continue their learning. | Lessons replace traditional "lectures" and are one of your students' main sources of learning. They should be dense and rigorous; students should walk away with new insights. |
Example lessons:
from Technical Foundations for Product Managers by Colin Matthews
Designing for Innovation
From Become an AI Product Designer by Maheen Sohail
Lecture 1 (VOD) - Personal, Team, & Company Level Executive Performance
From Stuck at Senior Manager - How to Break Through to Executive by Ethan Evans
Course style: mostly live
If you're hosting a mostly live-style course, lessons will likely supplement the insights you share during live sessions. They might be pre-readings so you can dive deeper into concepts in class or address questions. Lessons might contain additional resources for students to continue their learning.
Here's an example of lesson titles and organization in a mostly live-style course:
Course style: hybrid
If you're hosting a hybrid-style course, the lessons will provide immense learning value. In this style of course, lessons replace traditional "lectures" and are one of the main sources of learning for your students. They should be dense and rigorous; students should walk away with new insights.
Here's an example of lesson titles and organization in a hybrid-style course:
How should I structure my lessons?
Lessons in Maven are very similar to Notion pages or Google Docs. You can type directly on them, add headings and subheadings (pro tip: to create a heading type "# [space] text"; to create a subheading type "## [space] text"), insert images and videos, and link to additional content or back to other lessons/projects in your course.
Here's some general guidance for what content to include and how to structure your course lessons.
✅ Do | 🚫 Don't |
Provide introduction text if you're linking to additional resources or templates. Explain why you're sharing the resource or template, and consider providing some guiding questions for students as they read or engage with the resource. | Drop a standalone link in the lesson without providing context to the students. |
Transfer as much of your content into Maven as a native document (i.e. avoid linking out when possible) so students can use the course syllabus as a central resource without having to open new tabs. | Use the lesson to outline what's covered in the live session. |
Add images when possible, especially if you're sharing a framework. Visuals help students comprehend and retain information. | Share only full-length recordings of previous live sessions. Students learn best when videos are bite-sized and actionable.
Note: you can share a full-length webinar or podcast as *bonus* material. |
Add short videos (many instructors use Loom, and you can upload up to 2GB MP4 videos). Consider including an introduction or guiding questions with the video to help students focus on key parts and retain content through active listening. | Provide blank lessons! |
Should I add due dates?
We encourage you to add due dates to lessons to help keep students on track to complete your coursework. Due dates are also a great way to help students complete pre-work before your live sessions. Maven will email a reminder to students 24 hours before a lesson is due if they have not yet completed it. To read more about these notifications, check out this guide.
To add a due date, click on the calendar icon next to the lesson. Remember to click "save changes" once you've added a due date.
What do students see?
Before they enroll, students will see an outline of the lessons you offer. Additionally, the number of lessons offered will be displayed in the section "This course includes" on your course landing page. Here's an example:
Once they enroll, students will get access to your lessons after the Student Portal Open Date has passed and any module release dates have passed (module release dates are optional). You can always review the "Student View" of your course by clicking "View as student" in the top right of your Syllabus or by clicking the Student View button near the bottom of the black side navigation bar.
Students can mark the lesson as complete and see their course progress on the right-hand side of their screen.
Here's a short video showing you a sample student view:
FAQs
Are lessons required?
You must have a syllabus added to publish your course landing page. We strongly encourage you to add lessons and projects before you publish the landing page. When browsing your course landing page, students will see if a module has 0 lessons and/or projects. Having 0 lessons will likely negatively impact your course's conversion.
Can students see the lesson content before they enroll?
No, they can only see the lesson title. Unless you offer the lesson as a free preview, they cannot read the content.
Can students download the lesson materials or videos?
No, we don't allow students to download lesson materials, including videos. Your content will remain secure in the student Home portal, only visible to enrolled students.
Can I upload a PDF to my lessons?
Not yet! We plan to offer this feature in the future. For now, if you need to share a PDF, you can link to one hosted externally (i.e., Google Drive, Dropbox) or turn each page of the PDF into a JPEG and add those images to your lessons.
Can I see students' progress on lessons?
Coming soon! We'll likely be releasing analytics so you can see student engagement, including the number of modules and lessons completed.
If you have further questions about adding course lessons, please reach out to [email protected].