Cohort course template
A cohort course template is a week-by-week plan for a course a group starts and finishes together. This one has a Week 0 for pre-work and a baseline, four teaching weeks that each go Learn, Apply, Connect, and a final week for a showcase and a reflection that mirrors the baseline. Each week ends in a 90-minute live session, with the agenda below.
- 0:00Welcome & check-in10 min
- 0:10Teaching review & deep dive25 min
- 0:35Q&A15 min
- 0:50Peer feedback or breakout30 min
- 1:20Wrap-up & preview10 min
The cohort course: prepare, build, ship
Week 0 opens on enrollment. Each teaching week has three modules in order: Learn (your lesson), Apply (an assignment worksheet and three action items) and Connect (session prep, then the live session). Each module unlocks when the one before it is done. Guides marked "for you" are notes for the facilitator: read them, then remove them before you publish.
- 1
Prepare
A baseline, goals and a first introduction before the first live session.
- Week 0
Before We Begin
- Welcome & how this program works (guide for you)
- Pre-Course Self-Assessment
- Your Goals for This Program worksheet (private)
Open from enrollment day, with no release date. Ask participants to post an introduction in the cohort discussion channel too.
- Week 0
- 2
Build
The core teaching: learn the concept, apply it, then bring it to the live session.
- Week 1
Foundations
- Learn: Map Your Starting Point (your Week 1 lesson)
- Apply: Week 1 Assignment and Week 1 Action Items
- Connect: Session Prep, then the live session
- Week 2
Core Framework
- Learn: Learn the Method (your Week 2 lesson)
- Apply: Week 2 Assignment and Week 2 Action Items
- Connect: Session Prep, then the live session
- Week 3
Go Deeper
- Learn: Build on the Basics (your Week 3 lesson)
- Apply: Mid-Course Pulse (private), Week 3 Assignment and Action Items
- Connect: Session Prep, then the live session
Read the Pulse answers before this week's session. Say what you're changing for the second half, and reach out to anyone drifting.
- Week 4
Refine & Iterate
- Learn: Sharpen Your Work (your Week 4 lesson)
- Apply: Week 4 Assignment and Week 4 Action Items
- Connect: Session Prep, then the live session
- Week 1
- 3
Ship
Integration and celebration, not new content.
- Week 5
Launch & Celebrate
- Where You Started vs Where You Are (guide for you)
- Final Reflection & Outcomes
- Your Next Steps task list
- Showcase Prep task list, then the final live session
Run the last session as a showcase: each participant shares what they built or achieved in 3 to 5 minutes, then a peer feedback round, reflections and next steps.
- Week 5
Cohort live session structure: one 90-minute session
Every teaching week ends with this session. Participants arrive having done the lesson and the assignment, so don't re-teach: go deeper. Copy it into your calendar invite.
| Time | Block | What the facilitator does |
|---|---|---|
| 0:00–0:10 | Welcome & check-in10 min | A quick round: each participant says where they are with this week's material. It builds connection and surfaces common questions early. |
| 0:10–0:35 | Teaching review & deep dive25 min | Clarify the concepts that raised the most questions, share examples, do a live demonstration. A deeper layer on the lesson, not a repeat of it. |
| 0:35–0:50 | Q&A15 min | Questions on this week's topic. Ask participants to post them in the discussion channel beforehand so you can take the most common first. |
| 0:50–1:20 | Peer feedback or breakout30 min | The peer layer: assignment reviews in pairs one week, small breakout groups the next, a hot seat the week after. Rotate the format to keep energy up. |
| 1:20–1:30 | Wrap-up & preview10 min | Sum up the key takeaways, preview next week's topic and remind everyone to finish Learn, Apply and Connect before the next session. Close with one action item per person. |
Three checkpoints: Week 0, Week 3, Week 5
The final reflection repeats the skill rating from Week 0, so you can put each participant's before and after side by side. Replace [topic] with what your course teaches.
Pre-Course Self-Assessment
- 1What are your top 3 goals for this program?
- 2How would you rate your current skill level in [topic]? (1 to 10)
- 3What does success look like for you at the end of this program?
- 4What have you already tried or learned about this topic?
- 5How many hours per week can you commit to this program? (2–3, 4–5, 6–8, 8+)
Mid-Course Pulse
- 1On a scale of 1–10, how valuable has the program been so far?
- 2What has been the most valuable element so far?
- 3What should we do more of? Less of?
- 4How would you rate your progress toward your goals? (1 to 10)
- 5Is there anything you need that you're not getting?
Final Reflection & Outcomes
- 1How would you now rate your skill level in [topic]? (1 to 10)
- 2Did you achieve your goals? Fully, partially, or not yet
- 3What was the most useful skill or concept you learned?
- 4How would you rate this program overall? (1 to 10)
- 5Would you recommend this program to a colleague or friend? (0 to 10)
- 6What would you improve about this program?
- 7Anything else you'd like to share?
Three tasks before every live session
The Connect module of each teaching week opens with this task list, so participants come with questions and know what the others did.
Fill in the Apply module for your topic
- Assignment: a customer interview script
- Action item: interview 2 potential users before the session
- Assignment: a personal stress audit
- Action item: track your stress triggers for 3 days
- 1Review your assignment: note questions or areas where you got stuck
- 2Post one question or takeaway in the cohort discussion channel
- 3Browse what others shared this week
Four rules for the facilitator
What makes a cohort move together.
Use Week 0 to filter for commitment
Pre-work before the first session sets expectations and shows you early who may need support. Someone who can't do a short self-assessment before session 1 is telling you something.
Keep the order
Learn, then Apply, then Connect. When everyone arrives having done the lesson and the assignment, the live session is coaching on real work instead of explaining concepts.
Rotate the peer block
Assignment reviews, breakouts and hot seats on different weeks. The same format five weeks running goes stale.
End with a showcase, not content
Week 5 is for showing what changed. Plan the final session with as much care as the first, and let the energy peak at the end.
What keeps the cohort together between sessions
Most of the work happens on participants' own time. These keep them connected and on the same week.
Cohort discussion channel
One channel for questions before the session and peer conversation after it.
Classmates directory
Visible to everyone in the cohort, so participants can find and connect with each other.
Weekly release
Each week's section opens on schedule from your first live session date. Week 0 is open from enrollment.
Action items
Three action items in each Apply module, so the week's practice is written down and checked off.
Cohort course template · upcoach.com/templates/cohort-course-template