A course project is a cumulative, multi-part assignment that spans the full course and builds progressively, often toward a final deliverable in Module 8. Each discrete deliverable submitted along the way is a milestone; the culminating submission is the final project. The project should support one or more course-level outcomes.
Note that not all course projects follow the same structure. Some build toward a heavily weighted final deliverable in Module 8—a presentation, a comprehensive document, or a capstone product that synthesizes the full arc of the project. Others are structured as a series of equally weighted milestones with no single culminating submission; in these cases, the final milestone is simply the last in the sequence rather than a distinct, more heavily weighted deliverable. Both are valid structures. The design should reflect what the project is actually asking students to produce. If the work builds toward something that only makes sense as a complete whole, a weighted final submission reinforces that. If each milestone is a discrete, standalone deliverable that contributes equally to the project, equal weighting is the more honest design.
Most courses include a course-wide project, though some programs (Nursing, for example) are exceptions. Course projects are among the strongest assessment types for adult learners preparing for real-world careers: they require sustained application of knowledge, mirror professional workflows, and give students the opportunity to develop and refine a substantive deliverable over time with instructor feedback.
Because milestones build on one another, design decisions made early in the project affect every subsequent deliverable. This covers guidance for designing both the individual milestone assignments and the final submission, as well as the project infrastructure that must be in place from Module 1.
When to Use
Supports Cumulative Demonstration of Learning
When the course has a course-level outcome that requires sustained, cumulative application of learning across multiple modules.
Requires a Substantial Authentic Deliverable
When the most authentic evidence of learning is a substantial, real-world deliverable that cannot be meaningfully produced in a single assignment.
Reflects Iterative Professional Practice
When the discipline calls for work products that professionals in the field build iteratively—plans, analyses, proposals, case studies, presentations, and similar deliverables.
Benefits from Progressive Feedback Integration
When there is meaningful instructional value in students incorporating instructor feedback from one milestone into the next.
Project Overview
Every course with a project must include a Project Overview Page and a Course Project Document in Module 1, even if students are not submitting their first milestone until a later module. Students need to see the full scope of the project from the start so they can plan and pace their work.
Project Overview Page
The overview page is a course content page in Module 1. It should:
Project Purpose & Career Relevance
Introduce the project’s purpose and real-world relevance—why this project exists and what it prepares students to do.
Milestone Progression & Feedback Integration
Outline the overall structure: how many milestones there are, which modules they are due in, and what the final submission looks like.
Milestone Progression & Feedback Integration
Set expectations for how milestones build on one another and how instructor feedback should be incorporated into subsequent deliverables.
Project Documents & Templates
Link to the full Course Project Document and any milestone templates students will use.
Course Project Document/Playbook
The Course Project Document is a persistent reference that students can access from every milestone without navigating back to the overview page. It is only necessary when there is meaningful project-level information that students need to carry with them throughout the course — a scenario, a case, a client brief, a defined context, or detailed parameters that inform every milestone.
If the project is built around a self-selected topic or has only a high-level overview of each milestone with no shared context to reference, a standalone project document is not needed.
When a project document is warranted, it should include:
Project Context
The scenario, case, or context that frames the project. This is established clearly here and referenced consistently across milestones.
Project Arc
An overview of the project arc (what the project is building toward and how the milestones fit together) without duplicating the detailed instructions that live in each milestone assignment
Final Deliverable Requirements
Deliverable details for the final, cumulative submission, if applicable (format, scope, and any requirements specific to the final product as a whole).
Note: Detailed instructions for each milestone should not be included in the Project Overview or Project Document. Each milestone is a separate assignment added to the module where it is due; students submit each milestone in context.
Structure & Components
Course projects follow the same foundational structure as assignments—Overview, Prepare (if applicable), Complete, and Rubric—with additional considerations that apply differently to milestones and the final submission.
Milestones
Each milestone is a separate assignment in the module where it is due. It should include:
Assignment Title
The assignment title should clearly indicate the deliverable is part of the course project (e.g., “Course Project Milestone 2: Market Analysis”).
Project Document Link
A direct link to the Course Project Document so students can always reference the full scope and expectations (Overview tab, if appropriate).
Overview
Briefly restate what the student is doing in this milestone, why it matters in the context of the full project, and how it connects to real-world practice.
Prepare (if applicable)
Any significant preparation specific to this milestone—reviewing a resource, reading a scenario update, or referencing a prior deliverable—listed separately from the completion steps.
Feedback Reference
Where applicable, explicitly direct students to review and apply instructor feedback from the previous milestone before beginning (Prepare or Complete tab, depending on exact instruction).
Complete
Step-by-step numbered instructions for the milestone deliverable. Where the project is cumulative (i.e., students submit one growing document), instructions should specify what to add, revise, or build on from the previous submission.
Submit
Where the project produces a single cumulative document, students typically submit the full document at each milestone—not just the new section. Confirm the submission expectation (full document vs. new sections only) and state it explicitly in every milestone’s instructions.
Grading Rubric
Each milestone has its own rubric aligned to the specific deliverable requirements for that milestone. Milestone rubrics should reflect what is being assessed at this stage—not the full project.
Final Submission
The final submission is the culminating deliverable, typically due in Module 8. It should include:
Overview
Connect the final deliverable explicitly to its real-world purpose and to the course-level outcome(s) it supports.
Complete
Clear instructions on what constitutes the final deliverable—whether it is the cumulative project document, a presentation, or another format—and any specific requirements for the final submission (e.g., length, format, polish expectations).
Feedback Integration Requirement
The final submission instructions should explicitly direct students to incorporate feedback received on all prior milestones (Prepare or Complete tab).
Final Project Rubric
The final submission has its own rubric aligned to course-level outcomes. It should assess the quality and cohesion of the complete project, not just the final milestone additions.
Instructor Resources
In the module-specific instructor notes, include relevant notes to the instructor for facilitating the project (required).
Course projects place specific demands on instructors that standard assignments do not. The instructor resources section of a course project should prepare instructors to manage the feedback loop that makes the project structure work. At minimum, it should address the following:
Feedback Timing
Instructors should understand that milestone feedback must be returned before the next milestone is due so that students have the opportunity to integrate the feedback into the next deliverable. The instructor resources section should state this expectation explicitly and, where a new milestone falls in the following module, make clear that project milestone grading takes priority.
Quality of Feedback
The instructor resources section should set expectations for what useful milestone feedback looks like: specific, actionable, and forward-looking. Feedback that does not tell a student what to carry forward into the next milestone fails the purpose of the project. Include guidance on what to address.
Early Course Correction
The instructor resources section should prompt instructors to act quickly if a student’s first milestone reveals a fundamental misunderstanding of the project scope or direction. A misalignment left unaddressed in Milestone 1 compounds across every subsequent submission.
Content Guidelines
Best Practices
Authentic Professional Application
Design the project scenario and deliverable to reflect something students would realistically produce in their intended field or professional role. The project’s real-world relevance should be evident from Module 1 and reinforced at each milestone.
Outcome Alignment
Map the final submission to one or more course-level outcomes. Map each milestone to the module outcome(s) it supports. These mappings should not overlap arbitrarily—each milestone should advance the project in a meaningful, distinct way.
Cumulative Milestone Design
Design milestones so they build on each other logically. A student who completes and receives feedback on Milestone 1 should be better positioned to succeed on Milestone 2—not just because they submitted something, but because the work itself is cumulative.
Revision Expectations
Where the project is cumulative (one growing document), be explicit in each milestone’s instructions about what students are adding or revising. Do not leave this implicit.
Feedback Integration Requirements
Make the feedback loop explicit. Do not assume students will apply prior feedback without being directed to do so. Include it as a named step in each milestone after the first.
Scenario Realism & Consistency
If the project uses a scenario or situational context, ensure it is realistic for students’ actual level of experience and career stage. Consistency is critical—the scenario established in the project document should carry through every milestone unchanged unless there is an intentional narrative progression.
Sequential Instruction Design
Write each milestone’s Complete instructions as numbered sequential steps. Instructions should be unambiguous—in asynchronous online courses, students cannot quickly get clarification from an instructor.
Avoid
Disconnected Milestones
Milestones that feel disconnected from one another or from the final submission—each milestone should have a clear relationship to what came before and what comes next.
Unrealistic Scenarios
Scenario or role assignments that are not plausible given students’ level of experience.
Missing Project Context
Milestone instructions that do not reference the broader project context—every milestone assignment should link back to the Course Project Document.
Incomplete Final Assessment
A final submission rubric that only assesses the last milestone’s content rather than the quality and cohesion of the complete project.
Examples
We’ve selected several example projects that we consider exemplary models. Please review these and the accompanying annotations, which highlight the key elements that make them effective and demonstrate best practices in project design.
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Roles and Responsibilities
| Task | SME | ID |
|---|---|---|
| Define the overarching project concept, scenario, and real-world connection | Lead | Consult |
| Map final submission to course-level outcomes; map milestones to module outcomes | Lead | Consult |
| Draft the Course Project Document (instructions, scenario, timelines) | Collaborate | Collaborate |
| Draft milestone and final submission instructions | Collaborate | Colloborate |
| Write or approve rubrics for each milestone and the final submission | Consult | Lead |
| Review for alignment, clarity, and logical progression across milestones | Consult | Lead |
| Confirm Project Overview Page and Project Document are in place in Module 1 | Consult | Lead |
Technical Specifications
Assignment Group
Indicate the grade weight bucket for each deliverable. We recommend using separate assignment groups for project milestones and the final project submission, as the final deliverable is typically weighted more heavily than individual milestones.
TurnItIn
Enable TurnItIn for written milestones over 1 page in length. Accepted file types are .doc, .docx, or PDF — image-based files and slide presentations are not compatible.
Submission Type
If TurnItIn is not used, indicate how students will submit each milestone and the final submission. Options include Text Entry, Website URL, Media Recording, and File Upload. If File Upload is selected, specify any file type restrictions.
Student Time-on-Task Estimate
Estimate time-on-task for each milestone and the final submission separately. This is used for course load planning and is not student-facing content in the course.
AI Use Policy
Course Development (SME/ID)
Acceptable Use
- Generating initial drafts of project scenarios, milestone prompts, and instructions for SME review and refinement
- Checking milestone instructions for clarity, completeness, and logical sequencing
- Drafting the Project Overview Page and Course Project Document as a starting point for SME review
- Checking rubric criteria for alignment across milestones
Student
- Default Policy – AI-assisted work is not permitted on course project milestones or the final submission unless it is explicitly stated in the assignment. Any decision to permit AI use must be intentional and align with the program’s stance on AI fluency.
- When AI Use Is Permitted – If AI use is permitted, the assignment must specify both what AI may be used for and what it may not be used for. Given the longitudinal and cumulative nature of course projects, particular care should be taken to ensure AI use does not undermine the student’s development across the full project arc.
Review Checklist
Project Infrastructure
Is a Project Overview Page present in Module 1, even if the first milestone is not due until a later module?
Does the overview page introduce the project’s purpose, outline the full structure, and link to the Course Project Document?
Does the Course Project Document include complete instructions, scenario details, and rubric references for every milestone and the final submission?
Alignment
Does the final submission support one or more course-level outcomes?
Is each milestone mapped to the module outcome(s) it supports, at the appropriate Bloom’s level?
Progression and Coherence
Do milestones build on each other in a logical sequence—does each one advance the project in a meaningful, distinct way?
Is the feedback loop explicit—does each milestone (after the first) direct students to review and apply instructor feedback from the previous deliverable?
Does the final submission explicitly require students to incorporate feedback from all prior milestones?
If the project is cumulative (one growing document), are instructions clear about what students submit at each milestone?
Clarity of Instructions
Does each milestone assignment title and overview clearly identify it as part of the course project?
Are the Complete tab instructions written as numbered, sequential steps that a student could follow without instructor clarification?
Does each milestone assignment link to the Course Project Document?
Authenticity and Realism
Does the project reflect a type of work students would realistically produce in their intended field or professional role?
If a scenario is used, is it realistic and appropriate for students’ actual level of experience? Is it applied consistently across all milestones?
Rubric
Does each milestone have its own rubric aligned to that milestone’s specific deliverable requirements?
Does the final submission have a separate rubric aligned to course-level outcomes that assesses the quality and cohesion of the complete project?
Do all rubrics follow Excelsior rubric standards?