Thinking about creating an ecourse? Here’s how to design an ecourse that delivers results…
How many ecourses have you bought that you still haven’t finished?
Come on, admit it… more than one, right? I’m guilty, too.
How To Design An Ecourse That Delivers Results
You don’t want any of the courses that you’re creating to fall into that category… So how do you design an ecourse that delivers results for your participants?
1. Make it easy for people to access your course, with a simple process for them to login and navigate through your course content.
This is a given, but if people can’t find their login information or remember how to access what they’ve signed up for, it’s a non-starter!
2. Make your first module a comprehensive overview of the course that you’re teaching.
In the book “Making Learning Whole: How Seven Principles of Teaching Can Transform Education” by David Perkins, the idea that teaching just pieces of something instead of the whole big picture first is debunked.
Think about it: you don’t learn how to play a sport or a card game by learning each of the individual rules. Instead, you start playing with broad strokes and you learn the finer details as you go along.
So design your introductory course material with that in mind, and not only will your participants be able to hit the ground running with what you’re teaching, but they’ll feel like they’ve made a lot of headway quickly! This helps motivate them to keep going.
3. Make your course material interactive, multi-media, and fun!
Infuse your personality and style into your online courses, and leave the classroom feel behind. Recognize that different people have different learning styles, and that some people will want to watch, listen, or read your content.
Consider having your lessons transcribed, and create exercises that help people implement after they’re done absorbing information.
4. Allow people to go through your course at their own pace, and give them incentives to keep going…
Online learning is an amazing advancement, but not all online education platforms are created equal.
Look for a way to give participants ownership of their learning experience, through video bookmarks and progress checklists that remind them of how far they’ve come, and other surprises for them to discover.
5. Build social interaction into your online courses.
Today, most people expect to be able to connect with others around a topic that they’re passionate about… and what better way to let them do that than through an ecourse that’s tailored to them.
Think about ways to nurture a community and build accountability into your curriculum through forums and Facebook groups. This takes the learning experience into someone’s daily routine, and encourages them to ask questions and get feedback as they learn and practice.
And if you’re wondering what online learning platform we use here, you’ll definitely want to check out AccessAlly – the WordPress plugin for coaches who do so much more than coaching, that my husband and I developed just for this purpose.
Check it out if you’re ready to kick your online teaching into high gear.
Now I’d love to know what online courses you’ve taken that have done a great job in ensuring you login, learn, and implement… what tricks did these courses use to keep you going? Leave a comment below and let me know!