What Is a Modular Course?

What is a “module” course? Why is it the future of education? And how should we start designing one?

Today I’d like to summarize the idea of modules, from the training that the Office of Lifelong Learning (NRLL) is running at the moment.

In the past, teaching for two or three hours straight was normal. These days, some people don’t even have time to sit through 3 hours in a row. Statements like these tell us that learners today are not the same as before.

Today, someone who wants to learn doesn’t necessarily have a whole semester. It doesn’t mean they are ready to attend every class. It doesn’t mean they want only a degree. They may just want to start understanding something, or to “pick up a small new skill” that takes them further in real life.

And that is where “module” courses come from.

A Modular Curriculum does not mean “slicing a subject into short episodes.” It means designing units of learning that are “complete in themselves.” Each module has a clear purpose, can be learned in a few hours or a few days, and can then be “put to use right away” or “stacked up toward a credential” in the future.

Picture this. We may have met students who want to learn English to apply for jobs, but don’t want to study 30 hours of grammar before they get to interviews. Or an office worker who wants to know how to use AI to write emails, but doesn’t want to take a whole semester of Introduction to AI.

Many people may wonder how a module differs from a regular curriculum. To put it simply: a regular curriculum is designed for a “credential,” while a module is designed for an “opportunity to learn.” A regular curriculum must be completed before you graduate, while a module finishes one piece at a time, one step at a time. A curriculum emphasizes a long process, while a module emphasizes clear short-term results.

And the most important thing is that a module gives learners the feeling that “we can start right now,” even with only the weekend, even with no background, even if they haven’t sat in a classroom for many years.

If you are a lecturer or a learning designer thinking about creating a modular course, I have a small suggestion for getting started.

Begin by asking yourself: “Of the things I know best, what could I teach an ordinary person to understand within 2 hours?”

Then break it into three parts:

Content/Concept: what is the most necessary thing to teach? Take only the core, or the main understanding of that field.
Process/Context: how will you let them learn so they understand, through contexts and case studies they can really connect with?
Product/Skill: once they finish, what will they actually be able to do? What skill do they have?

For example:

If I teach physics, I might start with “Science in the kitchen: why does an egg change color when boiled?”
A friend who teaches accounting might start with “Understand a profit and loss statement in 1 hour.”
A friend of a friend who teaches Chinese might start with “10 simple Chinese sentences restaurant staff should know.”

There’s no need to teach everything in the subject. No need to start from credits. Just start from a “small understanding” that can really change someone’s life.

We don’t need to change the whole system in one day. But we can start by changing “our own subject” into a first step on the staircase for someone who once believed they “couldn’t keep up with learning anymore,” or for a hard subject like physics that students think they will never understand.

A modular course may not help people finish faster, but it helps people dare to start more easily. And sometimes, starting is exactly what many people need most.

If you agree, if you want to see Thai education become more accessible, if you think learning shouldn’t be confined to the class timetable, come and help think about how we can turn our own subjects into modules. Please pass this post on to teacher friends we’d like to start with together.

Finally, I’d like to thank all the wonderful speakers who came to share their knowledge and open up the world of education for the office and the staff of Nakhon Ratchasima Rajabhat University:

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nattaya Pilanthananon
Asst. Prof. Dr. Sirinat Chongkonklang
Asst. Prof. Chanphen Saeng-arun
Asst. Prof. Dr. Waradee Chanwirat