How to create an online course that sells?

A bachelor’s degree has always been the gold standard in qualifying for jobs. But college tuition has only been getting more expensive and has more than doubled since the 1980s. So how can the average person keep up? Enter, online courses. In 2020, online education and teachers are more in demand than ever. Online courses have been gaining popularity. People can take niche courses specific to the job they want. This makes it an affordable and flexible option not just for people who can’t afford a college education, but even for people in the workforce who want to acquire and brush up on skills.

If you’ve considered creating an online course but aren’t sure where to start, then keep reading. When thinking of your course, it’s important to understand why there are courses that don’t work.

Why aren’t all online courses successful?

You have probably come across many online courses and chances are, you might’ve even taken some yourself. Why don’t all online teachers succeed? And why are there online courses that fail? Here are the mistakes people make when creating a course:

• Ignoring pedagogical principles and not taking into account how different types of people learn.
• Banking on your expertise in a field but not applying the basics of educational theory when developing your course
• Creating an online course with the sole purpose of making money.
• Taking lectures and readings as is without developing it to make the course engaging.
• Not doing your research before choosing which online teaching resources to use

Now that you have those points to consider, let’s go over some steps you can take to create and sell an online course.

Step #1: Define objectives and goals for your e-course

One of the best practices for creating an online course is to set clear expectations of what a person will achieve by taking it. What will your student be able to do after completing the course? -The answer to this question will help you set your course goals and objectives. Having this outline will also give you an idea of what tools you’ll need to set it up. Electronic courses aren’t just a set of slides, but can also make use of interactive multimedia, tests and videos.

Step #2: Consult someone with experience in the field

Consult with someone who’s already created an online course. Getting firsthand advice from someone who’s already been through the process will give you a deeper understanding of what it takes to prepare materials necessary for online courses. You can also find good information by joining online communities that discuss online courses. Interact and build relationships with people who are in the process of making a course and also those who already have the experience.

Step #3: Plan your online course outline

Start by jotting down your main subject, list subtopics you want to discuss, and details you want to break down into different sections. Gather all the content you have: ideas, slides, lecture notes, videos, audio, etc. Then start to build and organize your outline with all your existing content plus new materials you’ve gathered. This will be the foundation for your course that you can continue to develop.

Once you get a better picture, you can decide what online tools can help enhance your course to make it dynamic and engaging for students.  

Step #4: Choose which tools to use to create your online course

It isn’t necessary to spend on expensive platforms to create and promote your course. What is more important is the practical value your course promises to deliver. Here are several platforms you can use:

1. Facebook – you can create private Facebook groups to host videos, share information, and create a space for your course participants and speakers. You can also make use of their Ad Manager to promote your course, with targeting options to find people who are looking specifically for your topic.
2. Youtube: If you lean towards videos, this is a good place to post your lectures, recordings of webinars, and any other modules you have. You can even have these videos available through private access, so only specific people can access your content.
3. Google drive is a free resource to easily store and share your syllabus and course materials
4. Wordpress, Wix, Tilda are good options if you want to create your own website. They offer many plugins that allow you to customize your site and integrate different services you might need.
5. LiveCarta-. If you don’t want to spend time starting from scratch, LiveCarta is a free, easy-to-use platform for content and course creation. You can setup books with interactive multimedia, create course outlines, adapt content from the catalog, and package them into courses you create.

Step #5: Develop your content for your chosen platform

Once you have a chosen platform and have your course outlined, it's time to start developing your content for the course.

Start creating videos as well as supporting materials such as PDFs, workbooks, etc. This is the point where you’ll see if you need to revise the course outline and determine which sections need additional materials.

Also, you need to consider that students learn best with a variety of learning aids so make sure you have a good combination of videos, illustrations, text, and quizzes.

The better your students understand your material, the better their results. And ultimately, the better your feedback will be.

Step #6: Use a Beta Group

A pilot launch will allow you to find weaknesses and inaccuracies before releasing it to the rest of the world.

The participants of your pilot launch will be able to offer you feedback and insight on how to improve your course. And this will also give you an idea if your course is successful in achieving the goals and objectives you outlined.

Step #7: Time to launch and sell your online course

Now that you’ve tested your course, it's time to publicly launch it.

If you’ve made it this far, you have the basics down on how to create an online course, so what are you waiting for? Sign up on LiveCarta.com and create your first online course!