AI Agent for Course Creation: Outline Generation, Content Drafting, and Quiz Design

The Course Creation Pipeline

Building a course is a complex, multi-stage process that most educators dread. You need learning objectives that are measurable, a logical content sequence, lessons that build on each other, and assessments that actually test what was taught. An AI course creation agent automates this pipeline while maintaining pedagogical rigor by following established instructional design frameworks like Bloom's Taxonomy and backward design.

The pipeline has four stages: Objective Mapping, Outline Generation, Content Drafting, and Assessment Design. Each stage's output feeds into the next, creating a coherent course where every lesson and quiz ties back to specific learning objectives.

Course and Curriculum Data Models

from dataclasses import dataclass, field
from enum import Enum
from typing import Optional

class BloomLevel(str, Enum):
    REMEMBER = "remember"
    UNDERSTAND = "understand"
    APPLY = "apply"
    ANALYZE = "analyze"
    EVALUATE = "evaluate"
    CREATE = "create"

@dataclass
class LearningObjective:
    objective_id: str
    description: str
    bloom_level: BloomLevel
    measurable_verb: str  # e.g., "identify", "compare", "design"
    assessment_criteria: str

@dataclass
class Lesson:
    lesson_id: str
    title: str
    module: str
    order: int
    objectives: list[str]  # objective_ids
    estimated_duration_minutes: int
    content: str = ""
    prerequisites: list[str] = field(default_factory=list)
    key_concepts: list[str] = field(default_factory=list)

@dataclass
class QuizItem:
    question: str
    question_type: str
    correct_answer: str
    distractors: list[str] = field(default_factory=list)
    objective_id: str = ""  # Links back to learning objective
    bloom_level: str = ""
    explanation: str = ""

@dataclass
class Module:
    module_id: str
    title: str
    description: str
    order: int
    lessons: list[Lesson] = field(default_factory=list)
    quiz: list[QuizItem] = field(default_factory=list)

@dataclass
class CourseOutline:
    title: str
    description: str
    target_audience: str
    prerequisites: list[str]
    objectives: list[LearningObjective] = field(default_factory=list)
    modules: list[Module] = field(default_factory=list)
    total_hours: float = 0.0

Stage 1: Learning Objective Generation

The backward design approach starts with what students should be able to do after completing the course, then works backward to content:

from agents import Agent, Runner
from pydantic import BaseModel

class ObjectiveOutput(BaseModel):
    objectives: list[dict]
    prerequisite_knowledge: list[str]
    target_audience_description: str

objective_designer = Agent(
    name="Learning Objective Designer",
    instructions="""You design measurable learning objectives using
Bloom's Taxonomy. Given a course topic and target audience:

1. Generate 8-15 learning objectives that span Bloom's levels:
   - 20% Remember/Understand (foundation)
   - 40% Apply/Analyze (core skills)
   - 40% Evaluate/Create (advanced skills)

2. Each objective MUST:
   - Start with a measurable action verb from Bloom's Taxonomy
   - Be specific enough to assess (not "understand databases" but
     "design a normalized schema for a given business domain")
   - Include the condition and criteria for success

3. Organize objectives in a logical learning sequence where each
   builds on previous ones.

BLOOM'S VERBS BY LEVEL:
- Remember: list, define, identify, recall, name
- Understand: explain, summarize, classify, compare
- Apply: implement, execute, solve, demonstrate
- Analyze: differentiate, examine, deconstruct, debug
- Evaluate: justify, critique, assess, defend
- Create: design, construct, produce, compose

Return a JSON object with objectives, prerequisites, and
target audience description.""",
    output_type=ObjectiveOutput,
)

async def generate_objectives(
    topic: str, audience: str, duration_hours: float
) -> list[LearningObjective]:
    result = await Runner.run(
        objective_designer,
        f"Topic: {topic}\nAudience: {audience}\n"
        f"Course duration: {duration_hours} hours",
    )
    output = result.final_output_as(ObjectiveOutput)

    objectives = []
    for i, obj in enumerate(output.objectives):
        objectives.append(LearningObjective(
            objective_id=f"obj-{i+1:03d}",
            description=obj["description"],
            bloom_level=BloomLevel(obj["bloom_level"]),
            measurable_verb=obj["verb"],
            assessment_criteria=obj["criteria"],
        ))
    return objectives

Stage 2: Outline Generation

With objectives defined, generate a modular course outline that maps every objective to specific lessons:

class OutlineOutput(BaseModel):
    modules: list[dict]
    objective_coverage: dict  # objective_id -> list of lesson_ids

outline_generator = Agent(
    name="Course Outline Generator",
    instructions="""You create course outlines that ensure complete
coverage of learning objectives. Given a set of objectives:

1. Group related objectives into modules (3-7 modules typical)
2. Within each module, create lessons (2-5 per module)
3. Each lesson should:
   - Address 1-3 specific learning objectives
   - Build on previous lessons (define prerequisites)
   - Include estimated duration (30-90 minutes each)
   - List key concepts to cover

4. COVERAGE CHECK: Every learning objective must appear in at least
   one lesson. Verify this explicitly.

5. SEQUENCING RULES:
   - Remember/Understand objectives before Apply objectives
   - Concrete before abstract
   - Simple before complex
   - Each module should end with an integrative lesson

Return modules with their lessons and an objective coverage map.""",
    output_type=OutlineOutput,
)

async def generate_outline(
    topic: str,
    objectives: list[LearningObjective],
    duration_hours: float,
) -> list[Module]:
    obj_text = "\n".join(
        f"- [{o.objective_id}] ({o.bloom_level.value}) {o.description}"
        for o in objectives
    )
    result = await Runner.run(
        outline_generator,
        f"Topic: {topic}\nDuration: {duration_hours}h\n"
        f"Objectives:\n{obj_text}",
    )
    output = result.final_output_as(OutlineOutput)

    modules = []
    for i, mod in enumerate(output.modules):
        lessons = []
        for j, les in enumerate(mod["lessons"]):
            lessons.append(Lesson(
                lesson_id=f"les-{i+1}-{j+1}",
                title=les["title"],
                module=mod["title"],
                order=j + 1,
                objectives=les.get("objective_ids", []),
                estimated_duration_minutes=les.get("duration", 45),
                prerequisites=les.get("prerequisites", []),
                key_concepts=les.get("key_concepts", []),
            ))
        modules.append(Module(
            module_id=f"mod-{i+1:02d}",
            title=mod["title"],
            description=mod["description"],
            order=i + 1,
            lessons=lessons,
        ))
    return modules

Stage 3: Content Drafting

With the structure defined, draft lesson content that covers the mapped objectives:

content_drafter = Agent(
    name="Lesson Content Drafter",
    instructions="""You draft educational lesson content. For each
lesson:

1. Start with a brief MOTIVATION section (why this matters)
2. Present CORE CONTENT with clear explanations
3. Include WORKED EXAMPLES that demonstrate the concept
4. Add PRACTICE EXERCISES (2-3 per lesson)
5. End with a KEY TAKEAWAYS summary

CONTENT GUIDELINES:
- Define every technical term on first use
- Use analogies to connect new concepts to familiar ones
- Include code examples, diagrams, or formulas where appropriate
- Mark prerequisite knowledge clearly
- Keep paragraphs short (3-5 sentences max)
- Use headers and bullet points for scannability

Each piece of content must demonstrably address its mapped
learning objectives. At the end, add a self-check: "After this
lesson, you should be able to: [restate objectives]" """,
)

async def draft_lesson_content(
    lesson: Lesson,
    objectives: list[LearningObjective],
    previous_lessons: list[str],
) -> str:
    mapped_objectives = [
        o for o in objectives if o.objective_id in lesson.objectives
    ]
    obj_text = "\n".join(
        f"- {o.description} (Bloom: {o.bloom_level.value})"
        for o in mapped_objectives
    )

    result = await Runner.run(
        content_drafter,
        f"Lesson: {lesson.title}\n"
        f"Key concepts: {', '.join(lesson.key_concepts)}\n"
        f"Duration: {lesson.estimated_duration_minutes} minutes\n"
        f"Learning objectives to address:\n{obj_text}\n"
        f"Prerequisites covered in previous lessons: "
        f"{', '.join(previous_lessons)}",
    )
    return result.final_output

Stage 4: Assessment Design

Generate quizzes that are aligned to specific learning objectives, ensuring every objective is assessed:

class AssessmentOutput(BaseModel):
    questions: list[dict]
    objective_coverage: dict

assessment_designer = Agent(
    name="Assessment Designer",
    instructions="""Design quiz questions aligned to learning objectives.

ALIGNMENT RULES:
1. Each question must map to exactly one learning objective
2. The question's cognitive demand must match the objective's
   Bloom's level (a "remember" objective gets recall questions,
   an "analyze" objective gets analysis questions)
3. Every objective must be assessed by at least one question

QUESTION DESIGN:
- Multiple choice: 4 options, one correct, three plausible distractors
- Short answer: clear rubric for what constitutes a correct answer
- Coding/practical: specific input/output expectations

DISTRACTOR QUALITY:
- Each distractor targets a specific misconception
- Distractors are the same length and format as the correct answer
- Avoid "all of the above" and "none of the above"

Return questions with objective mappings and an explicit coverage
check showing which objectives are assessed.""",
    output_type=AssessmentOutput,
)

async def design_module_assessment(
    module: Module,
    objectives: list[LearningObjective],
    questions_per_objective: int = 2,
) -> list[QuizItem]:
    module_obj_ids = set()
    for lesson in module.lessons:
        module_obj_ids.update(lesson.objectives)

    module_objectives = [
        o for o in objectives if o.objective_id in module_obj_ids
    ]
    obj_text = "\n".join(
        f"- [{o.objective_id}] ({o.bloom_level.value}) "
        f"{o.description} — Assess: {o.assessment_criteria}"
        for o in module_objectives
    )

    result = await Runner.run(
        assessment_designer,
        f"Module: {module.title}\n"
        f"Objectives to assess:\n{obj_text}\n"
        f"Generate {questions_per_objective} questions per objective.",
    )
    output = result.final_output_as(AssessmentOutput)

    items = []
    for q in output.questions:
        items.append(QuizItem(
            question=q["question"],
            question_type=q["type"],
            correct_answer=q["correct_answer"],
            distractors=q.get("distractors", []),
            objective_id=q["objective_id"],
            bloom_level=q.get("bloom_level", ""),
            explanation=q.get("explanation", ""),
        ))
    return items

Running the Full Pipeline

import asyncio

async def create_course(
    topic: str, audience: str, duration_hours: float
) -> CourseOutline:
    # Stage 1: Learning objectives
    objectives = await generate_objectives(topic, audience, duration_hours)
    print(f"Generated {len(objectives)} learning objectives")

    # Stage 2: Course outline
    modules = await generate_outline(topic, objectives, duration_hours)
    print(f"Created {len(modules)} modules")

    # Stage 3: Draft content for each lesson
    previous = []
    for module in modules:
        for lesson in module.lessons:
            lesson.content = await draft_lesson_content(
                lesson, objectives, previous
            )
            previous.append(lesson.title)
        print(f"Drafted content for module: {module.title}")

    # Stage 4: Design assessments per module
    for module in modules:
        module.quiz = await design_module_assessment(module, objectives)
        print(f"Designed {len(module.quiz)} quiz items for {module.title}")

    course = CourseOutline(
        title=f"Complete Guide to {topic}",
        description=f"A {duration_hours}-hour course on {topic}",
        target_audience=audience,
        prerequisites=[],
        objectives=objectives,
        modules=modules,
        total_hours=duration_hours,
    )
    return course

# Usage
course = asyncio.run(
    create_course("Python Web Development", "junior developers", 20)
)

FAQ

How does the agent ensure assessments actually test the learning objectives and not something else?

The backward design approach enforces alignment at every stage. Each quiz question is tagged with a specific objective ID, and the assessment designer is required to produce a coverage map showing which objectives are tested. A validation step checks that every objective has at least one question and that the question's Bloom level matches the objective's Bloom level. For instance, a "create" objective cannot be assessed with a multiple-choice recall question — it requires a practical or project-based assessment.

Can the agent handle updating a course when new content needs to be added?

Yes. Because objectives, modules, lessons, and quizzes are linked by IDs, adding a new topic means generating new objectives, inserting lessons into the appropriate module, and designing additional quiz items. The outline generator can be re-run in "update" mode where it receives the existing outline and adds new elements without restructuring what already works. Existing content and assessments remain stable.

How do you maintain consistency across lessons drafted by the AI?

The content drafter receives a list of previous lesson titles and their key concepts as context. This prevents re-explaining concepts that were covered in earlier lessons and ensures consistent terminology. For additional consistency, you can add a "style guide" to the content drafter's system prompt that specifies voice, formatting conventions, code style, and terminology preferences. Running a final review pass with a separate editor agent that checks for contradictions across lessons adds another layer of quality control.

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