Working with the outline in Doc-to-Course

When you convert a document with JollyDeck’s Doc-to-Course, the AI doesn’t jump straight to a finished course. It first generates an editable outline. This is the point in the process where you have the most control over the final result.

This article explains what the outline is, why it matters, and how to best work with it.

About the outline

The course outline is the first stage of the Doc-to-Course conversion process. After analysing your document, JollyDeck generates an editable outline that defines:

• The overall course structure
• The topics that will be covered
• The sequence of learning content
• The estimated course length
• The slides that will be created during generation

Why the outline matters

The outline has the biggest impact on the final course. It defines both the structure of the course and the information it will include. Once generation starts and the content takes shape, your influence over the result becomes much more about editing than shaping.

Working on the outline reverses the usual AI workflow. Instead of receiving a finished AI-generated course and fixing it afterwards, you shape the course before the full conversion begins.

At the outline stage, you can decide:

• What content should be included
• What content can be removed
• Which topics deserve more attention
• How long the course should be
• Whether the learning flow makes sense for your audience

Making changes in the outline is usually much faster than editing a fully generated course afterwards.

Skipping the outline review

You can always skip editing the outline, but we recommend doing so only if you want the course to stay as close as possible to the original source. 

Keep in mind, though, that the first outline may not perfectly match your:

• Learning objectives
• Target audience
• Desired course length
• Preferred learning flow

Editing the outline is free

AI operations on the outline don’t use any tokens. You can generate as many outline versions as you need, so take your time and build the best possible outline before generating the course.

Understanding the outline screen 

The outline screen has four main elements: the version tabs, the slide list, the AI refinement panel, and the summary with the estimated completion time. The video below walks through each one.

Refining the outline

There are two ways to refine the outline: 

• Manual editing means adjusting the slides yourself, directly in the slide list: reordering, rewording, removing what you don’t need. It gives you complete control and works well for shorter outlines or small, targeted changes.

• AI-assisted refinement uses the options in the panel on the right. These apply changes to the outline as a whole and generate a new outline version based on your instructions. For longer outlines, this is usually the more practical route.

You can also combine both: use AI to get the structure roughly right, then fine-tune manually.

AI-assisted editing options

The AI options range from quick adjustments to precise control over length and content. None of them run on their own: each follows a guided process, and at the key moments you’re the one deciding how the AI reshapes your outline.

The video below walks through each option and the trade-offs between them.

If you’re looking for a step-by-step guidance, see Working with the outline in Doc-to-Course: AI-assisted editing options.

Controlling the outline length

There are different ways to influence course length, depending on what matters to you most: number of slides, course scope or detail depth.

Option	Pros	Cons	Best when
Set number of slides	Simplest; gives an exact length	AI decides what gets cut	Length is all that matters
Set learning objectives	Driven by content, not numbers; you choose what the course teaches	Length is indirect; objectives lock the version (redefining means returning to version 1)	You know what learners need to take away
Focus outline: balanced	Quick, no decisions needed; keeps all main topics (scope stays intact)	No exact length; AI judges what counts as detail; in-depth sources only	The course should cover everything from the source, just more concisely
Focus outline: maximum	Fastest route to a short course; keeps only the essentials	Cuts scope as well as detail; AI picks what’s key; in-depth sources only	You need a brief course and trust the core to carry it
Custom AI instructions	Most control: set length and content focus	Takes more effort to write clear instructions	Both length and content matter

Best practices for working with the outline

The outline stage is the best opportunity to influence the final course. A few small adjustments here can save significant editing time later.

1. Start clean, then read version 1

Before uploading, remove any source material that isn’t relevant to your audience: the cleaner the input, the better the first outline. 

Then read version 1 before changing anything. It’s the AI’s most faithful reading of your source, so if it already gives you everything you need, just structured, you may not need to refine at all.

2. Check the learning objectives

Make sure the outline covers the outcomes learners actually need to achieve. Review the objectives AI has defined based on the uploaded document. Uncheck anything that isn’t relevant, or switch to Expert mode to define your own, then generate a new version. This makes sure the course covers the outcomes your learners actually need.

3. Adjust the depth

Once the scope is right and all relevant topics are included, decide how much detail they need. If the topics should be covered more concisely, choose Balanced focus — it reduces detail while keeping the full scope intact.

4. Use Custom AI instructions

Custom AI instructions aren’t just for length. Use them to shift the emphasis, request more practical examples or scenarios, merge overlapping topics, reorganise the flow around a process, or strengthen a part of the outline that feels thin.

5. Compare multiple versions

AI operations on the outline don’t use tokens, and every version is kept. So generate a few variations and compare them side by side rather than settling on the first result. 

6. Fine-tune the best version manually

Once the structure is roughly right, fix wording and order by hand. If you want a safety net, duplicate the version first.

7. Treat the outline as the course blueprint

The final course is generated from the selected outline. The more accurately it reflects your goals and audience, the less editing later. Read it through as a learner would: does the flow make sense, is anything missing, does the estimated time fit? Only then continue.

After the outline

Once you confirm the outline, you move on to the conversion settings. This is where you choose how the content should be written and presented: writing style, level of learning guidance, and whether to include interactive elements.

Generation then runs automatically; you don’t need to stay on the page, and you’ll get an email when the course is ready. The finished course remains fully editable in the Content Editor.