We all know that online courses are the new wave of education. But how do you create one that stands out? Here are some tips for creating an online course that will make you stand out from the crowd:
Make it fun.
You don’t have to be a comedian or musician to create an online course that people will love, but you do need to be able to make your content engaging and interesting. Find ways to make your content fun, whether it’s through humour or by adding in some interactive elements.
It’s easy for people to get bored with a passive activity like watching videos or reading text, so try to make your course interactive wherever possible. For example, you could offer quizzes or exercises throughout the course (and have students submit their answers). The more hands-on you can make your course, the more likely people will stay engaged throughout it.
Don’t just tell them what they should do — show them! People learn better when they can actually see what they’re supposed to do step-by-step rather than just reading instructions for how they should do something. A great way of doing this is by including screen recordings of yourself actually performing tasks in your course (rather than just showing screenshots). This way students can see exactly how and they can follow along, or even better save the video for later.
Make it relevant.
People sign up for online courses because they want something specific—whether it’s knowledge or skills they can use in their jobs, or just general knowledge about something they’re interested in. Make sure that your course is relevant to what your students want, and that you’re offering them something different than what everyone else is offering. Research your topic thoroughly before getting started on your course material. Look at what other instructors are teaching about the same subject matter and see if there are any gaps that need filling. Also check out other websites that cover similar topics—you’ll find a lot of useful information here that may not have been published yet in books or magazines (but could be). Decide on your target audience, which may include people with different levels of experience.
Choose the right topic for yourself:
You’ll want to choose a topic that’s relevant for both potential students and yourself. If you don’t really care about the subject matter of your course, then neither will your students! The first step in creating an online course is to choose your topic.
This may seem obvious, but it’s actually a critical step. If you’re not passionate about your topic, it will show in your work — and the quality of your course will suffer.
~Business Game Changer Special Promotion~
If you’re not sure what you want to teach, here are some ideas:
What are your skills? What are you good at? What do you enjoy doing? You can create a course on any subject that relates to these topics. For example, if you’re good at making cupcakes and enjoy baking, then perhaps it’s time to start a cupcake business! If you have experience as a doctor or nurse, then maybe you can teach medical professionals how to perform certain procedures more effectively or efficiently. This could be an effective supplement to their traditional training.
What do people ask you about? If people regularly ask questions about the same subject, there might be an opportunity for an online course on this topic (e.g., “How do I create my own website?”).
What do people pay for? If people are willing to pay for specific information or instruction, then this makes a good candidate for an online course (e.g., “How do I invest in stocks?”).
So now that you have an idea how to create a winning online course, what will be your course topic?
Yvette Salvaris
