Is manual course creation slowing you down?
Building a course lesson-by-lesson is the old way; bulk importing is the future.
One of the biggest friction points in launching a digital product is the tedious process of creating chapters, naming lessons, and writing descriptions one by one.
Course Sprout has just released a game-changing update: The CSV Lesson Import. Instead of manually typing out every detail inside the software, you can now upload a single spreadsheet containing your entire curriculum, and the system will build the structure for you in seconds.
How do you use AI to create the curriculum?
You use ChatGPT to generate a perfectly formatted CSV file.
You don't even need to write the spreadsheet yourself. By giving ChatGPT a specific prompt, it will generate a table with the exact headers Course Sprout needs: Lesson Title, Short Description, Long Description, Video Title, and Tags.
Here is the workflow Chad Nicely demonstrated on the update call:
- Ask for Chapters: Ask ChatGPT to outline a course (e.g., "Give me 5 chapters for a photography course").
- Ask for Lessons: Ask it to break those chapters down into specific lessons.
- Format for Import: Ask ChatGPT to "Create a CSV table with these headers" and populate the data.
What happens during the import process?
The software instantly populates your member's area with the entire structure.
Once you save your AI-generated table as a CSV file, you simply go to your Chapter in Course Sprout and click "Import Lessons".
Within moments, the system populates every lesson title, description, and tag. You are no longer staring at a blank canvas. You have a full, sellable course structure that just needs your video content added to it.
Why is this critical for the "MVP" approach?
It allows you to sell the course before you have recorded a single video.
This feature aligns perfectly with the "Minimum Viable Process" (MVP). By building the skeleton of the course instantly, you can show potential buyers exactly what they will learn .
You can set up the course, create the sales page, and begin selling immediately. You only need to stay one week ahead of your students, recording the actual lesson content as the drip feed unlocks it.
Does this mean AI is creating the course for you?
AI creates the structure, but you must deliver the value. It is important to distinguish between using AI for structure versus using it for delivery.
While AI builds the outline and the descriptions, you should still appear on camera (or via voiceover) for the lessons. Use a webcam, screen share, or PowerPoint to deliver the content personally. This ensures the course retains your unique "System, Process, Method, or Strategy," which is what justifies a high-ticket price tag.
