6 Tips for How to structure an online course |
No matter if you're constructing the first or your 10th class, these five suggestions will allow your students to get the most out of it.
There's a lot of online classes available. Let's say it again... Many.
Some are good. A few are decent. Certain are horrible.
The popularity of online courses indicates that lots of students try to make money through their own online course and that's great! However, many online educators have created courses with poor quality that do not serve their students.
There's an art to building a great online course. Even with all the competition out there A well-constructed, well-thought-out course that offers the change they require can still do really well.
In this piece in this article, we'll be talking about how you can structure your online course to make sure students are getting the best of the experience. These six tips can assist you in gaining an understanding of the transformation you're taking your students through, and how you can get them there. If you adhere to these tips guidelines, you'll be on your way to being able to deliver a high-quality course as well as feedback from students who appreciate it.
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In this piece...
3. Test for knowledge retention
Beginning at the at the
We can explain the problems of too many online classes?
Many course designers begin by describing what they are familiar with and would like to impart. The things they like to discuss. They begin to plan the course.
Here's the reason this isn't a good idea.
The best courses aren't created by the brain dump of all you've learned. The key to a successful course is to make sure you are clear on what you want your students to take away out of it. Which place will they be after it's done?
Begin with the goal in the mind of your. For people building online communities We define this goal as being a Big Purpose declaration.
The Big Purpose statement looks similar to this.
The Big Purpose for a course isn't any different. You're bringing together a certain group of people who want to get a certain result. It's the reason you're in your course. designed for.
It's not:
- The sharing of everything you know
- You can impress them by demonstrating your knowledge
- Getting them to be in-depth experts in a subject (unless it's the case of a masterclass)
Your primary objective for the program is to bring participants to undergo a change in some way. They could undergo massive, life-changing transformations. Or they could be small, intimate, and enjoyable.
Here are a few examples of transformations:
- Learn to go from having no knowledge of guitar, to singing around a campfire
- You can go from being a couch potato to a slower AF running
- You can go from being a floral designer to owning a successful floral business
- Learn the basics of marketing to mastering YouTube ads
People want transformations. So, define the transformation you wish your participants to be able to complete. It is then possible to work backward from this and build into the course EXACTLY what your perfect student would need to do to complete the transformation you want them to achieve: nothing moreand no less.
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Focus on the steps
If you've established a clearly defined goal for your course, you can start drawing out an outline of what your course needs to contain. This might take some research OR, if you're teaching something you've already mastered It could just be taking a seat and thinking about the lessons you've have learned.
Get a blank piece of paper or blank document. Note down your final. Next, ask yourself "What do they ACTUALLY need for this change? ?"
One of the biggest dangers in this area is known as the "curse of knowing." It can be hard to know how to instruct a novice even if you've been able to master something and it's been a long time since you've been an absolute beginner. Remember glazing over at trigonometry as your instructor was talking about hypotenuse, but without providing a definition of what it is?
This is probably the curse of knowledge working. It's when you assume that somebody knows something that you take for granted.
So, the answer is, focus on the steps. Ask yourself "what steps will it require to learn this?" Also, include all the information you can think of, whether they might know it or not.
So, for example we'll say that you've got an introductory guitar class. You've selected a catchy name which you'll refer to it as: "Campfire Guitar Mastery: From 0 to Leading a Singalong ."
What does someone who's never played the guitar before have to know in order to move from playing 0 to a campfire?
Here are some steps that might make sense:
- What is the best way to select the right guitar even if you do not have one
- Parts of the guitar
- How do I find and read chord charts
- Strumming patterns
- The first song
- How to practice effectively
- Where to locate chords to songs
- How to sing while you play
- How do you find confidence in playing public
If you've determined what the objective is, you've got the right direction for how you can structure your online course that helps your students achieve the objective. This could be your classes or modules.
DO NOT GIVE THEM More than what they require!
We have discussed this earlier. The biggest mistake instructors make is to try and fill an entire course in the space of all they know. It's tempting to do this for various reasons but usually, it's because it gives us the impression that our students will value the course more if it has EVERYTHING in it.
Beware of the urge. Let them have what they want instead. The satisfaction of students doesn't result from an extended course. It's a direct result of an efficient course.
So, for our guitar campfire course, you'll notice that it doesn't have:
- An in-depth background of the history of the guitar
- Guitar lessons all over the world
- A step-by-step guide for listening to music
- Extensive explanations on why you should learn to play (from the course description, they know exactly why)
- How to make a campfire
Focus on the steps that they'll need to take. And pitch everything else.
A tip: When you've got your course laid out, go through each step and determine how you can take any off. If you are able to get rid of some modules and feel confident that your students can get what they need take it!
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Test for knowledge retention
If you're having exams or assessments in your class Make sure that the exams adhere to the information they'll need to remember going forward. Many courses view exams as a chance to test whether students are paying attention, or ask silly questions such as "In module 2 who was the Queen of England that we discussed? ?"
If you're planning to test, make sure it's evaluating and reinforcing knowledge they have to carry forward, instead of ensuring they retained irrelevant details of the class.
Here are some instances of both good and bad queries:
Facebook advertising course:
- What color is the color of Facebook logo? (bad)
- What does "audience" refers to for your ad? (good)
The Business Course:
- What color pants were Jake wear in the 2nd lesson? (bad)
- How can I improve retention of members? (good)
Make sure all the questions are linked to the information and abilities they'll require to achieve the objectives of the program.
Build projects
A different method to organize online course materials is for students to create projects. You can even do this in lieu of tests or quizzes.
If your students get to the finish line of your lesson and they've already got some tangible results this is a fantastic thing! They'll also have better retention rates by actually doing the work anyway.
If you're teaching a class that has a practical or creative output, walking students through building an assignment or portfolio may be the option.
Here are some instances of the kinds of projects you could get from an online course:
The course focuses on Web Design for Beginners
Project: A site
CourseDescription: Ruby on Rails
The Project: Your very first app
Course: Learn Watercolor Painting
Project: Your first painting
Course: Intro to Lettering
Project: Portfolio of lettering pieces
Course: Pitching Magazines
Project: A completed pitch sent out
There are a lot of courses that instruct students on how to accomplish tasks and let them use the information independently. If you SHOW them how to do it, walk them through the process as well as provide them with something they can take away, they'll have gained the most value from your class.
Mix mediums
Another aspect that can really help with the structure of online courses is mixing different delivery methods. People learn differently. Thus, adding a variety of resources to your class assists students with different learning styles, PLUS makes the class accessible.
So, for example it is possible to create an online course using pre-recorded asynchronous videos. This gives the students the ability to watch or listen and to stop and resume as required. The video could also be accompanied by an explanation of the text or a transcription of the film for those who prefer reading or those with a disability that makes audio or video inaccessible. There is the possibility of adding live chats where course members come together to chat about their course materials or ask you questions as well as do some activities together.
This type of mixed delivery gives lots of benefits for students and allows them to be taught in the manner that they learn best.
Select the appropriate platform
Last, but not least it is important to select the right course platform. There are a lot of choices available, however only a few will allow you to do those things mentioned above: mixing up synchronous and asynchronous teaching as well as leading live discussion and questions, conducting evaluations as well as allowing students to share the work of their classes.
This is why selecting the best platform is an essential step. If you're searching for the right platform to develop your course, come try ! It has an easy-to-use and elegant engine for courses that lets you deliver contents in every way you can imagine, and provides all the necessary tools to market your course. Each course has its own community, can be custom branded, and you can mix live and pre-recorded content.
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Conclusion
At the end of the day, the best way to design an online class boils down to focusing on the changes students require and how to get them there. If you can do this, you'll be far ahead of other courses out there.
So if you:
- Define the transform you're looking to grant these,
- Determine the steps needed to achieve their goal,
- Take them through it,
- And check to make sure that the operation was successful...
The course you teach will be one which students cherish and love telling their classmates about, as well as a community of eager followers waiting for the next class!
And if you want to try building your course , you are able to check it out for free - without credit card needed.
Do you have the right tools to begin an online class?