Start Teaching Online With These 10 Steps
In 2020 and 2021, education moved to the digital sphere. Many tutors, schools, institutions, and companies needed to learn how to create an online course, if they didn't already know.
This shift to the digital world is not surprising since approximately 42% of businesses claim they notice an increase in revenue with the transformation toward online education. Besides, online training shortens the time spent on learning by 60% compared to formal training [1]. So we can say that what the global situation required opened up an advantageous door for the eLearning industry.
All things considered, the benefits of online education are countless. Therefore, learning how to create an online course becomes necessary for the various actors in the education industry.
Who Needs To Set Up An Online Course?
Corporations and educational institutions increasingly prefer online education over other options. Therefore, many professionals consider learning how to set up an online course.
1. Tutors And Instructors
Private classes may vary in subject, from school lessons to dance or yoga classes. With the change in people's expectations and habits, all these classes moved to the digital sphere. That's why tutors and instructors in various fields have started creating online courses. Independent tutors and instructors, along with personal and professional coaches, can reach out to their audience with an online session. The latest education industry experiences showed us that even teachers in mainstream schools may need to create an online course.
2. Marketing And Sales Teams
Online courses can serve many purposes, such as introducing your brand to prospective customers and partners. In addition, an online course about your products and services can showcase your capabilities, solutions, and value. This way, you can generate more leads and boost sales. Therefore, marketing and sales teams may need to learn how to create an online course as a marketing and sales strategy. For example, Hubspot Academy's instructive online courses offer valuable information about their services and provide customers with guidance.
3. Communication And PR Teams
Online courses allow corporations to maintain strong communication. They enable companies to create training and inform their employees of the latest changes and developments. Communication and PR teams step in here as they are responsible for building bonds. For example, they create online onboarding training that helps the new hires understand the business operations quickly. Therefore, these teams increasingly learn how to create an online course.
4. Everyone Else
More than 60% of all internet users have participated in an online course [1]. The global interest in online courses stems from the convenience they offer. They allow both users and instructors to learn and teach anywhere and at anytime.
If you have a good command of any subject, enjoy talking about it, and have practice in it, making an online course will be easy for you. Besides, you may require payment for enrollment in your online courses. Platforms for online payment such as Wise, PayPal, and iyzico can help you with this, or you can launch your course in an all-in-one platform like Vedubox that allows you to manage your content, manage the users, and get paid within a single system. This way, you can easily convert your knowledge into money. Win-win.
10 Steps To Create An Online Course
Ever wonder what the best way to create an online course is? Then follow these 10 steps we present to you. With our detailed suggestions, you will have no further questions about creating an online course.
1. Find Your Course Topic And Subtopics
The first step to setting up an online course is choosing the course topic. For a fun and engaging online course, decide on a topic you love discussing and consider what your audience needs to know. You should also have detailed knowledge and a good amount of experience.
In some cases, you may already know what you will teach. This step will be more straightforward for you, especially if you have already been teaching offline. However, online courses offer you various tools, and you can reconsider your topics to elaborate on them using these tools. You can create more specific courses by dividing your main topic into subtopics.
Examples
Be creative with online course ideas. A few examples of topics for an online course follow:
- Yoga
- Javascript
- Creative writing
- Photoshop
- Microsoft Excel
These are examples of the main topics. Say you teach yoga. If you prefer being specific, instead of naming your topic "yoga", you can teach breathing exercises, meditation, asana (physical practice), etc.
2. Research The Topic Extensively
Your topic and subtopics are done. What's next? First, gather your educational materials and see if they are up to date. Then, to catch up with the latest updates, look for your course topic on the internet. Are there any changes? Is there a shift in the way people view this topic?
Examples
Let's say that you are planning to teach MS Office programs to your employees. Make sure that you know the latest updates in these tools. Be aware of which details are significant for your employees.
3. Analyze Your Audience
Understanding what your audience thinks, wishes or needs is essential. Each audience will have its own focus, even when you teach the same topic. Therefore, it helps to create learning groups wisely, by finding common interests. Observe what people frequently ask about the topic, how they struggle while learning, and what part of the topic they find the most interesting.
Examples
You can interview some of your prospective learners, conduct surveys, or give small assignments to see their level and expectations. You may also use your social media platforms to see what people think.
4. Write A Course Outline
When you feel like you have a good sense of what your audience expects from you, start writing an outline. Note some major subtopics and categorize similar subjects into study units. The flow of your course will appear soon. In this way, you can also see how many hours of teaching you'll need. If you're missing something on the learning path, it will be easier to discover that with the outline.
Helpful tip
Brainstorming is acceptable and even desirable!
5. Develop The Course Content
Thanks to ever-growing technological advancements, we have many tools to develop digital content for online courses. Videos appear as the primary medium of instruction, but you may also create PDF documents, SCORM, question banks, live lessons, webinars, etc.
Helpful tip
If you wonder how to make an online course more interactive and fun, consider utilizing high-tech methods such as AR, VR, or gamification.
6. Find An Online Platform
When you finish creating your course content, it is time to put everything together on a platform. You can use Google Drive or another cloud-based option. However, if your course material is an excellent resource for learning, it's better to present it in an organized way.
Helpful tip
For that, you can use an LMS with a resources library that supports various formats. These platforms can also help you create a learning path and enrich your course with many other features. These platforms enable you to organize online exams, give assignments, and report student success and progress.
7. Reach Out To Your Audience
You also need to improve your marketing skills. The next step is to announce your online course through the proper channels. This can be by emailing employees, through social media posts, by advertising, or through an online sales portal.
Helpful tip
For a better User Experience, the best option is to find a platform that users can enroll on easily.
8. Market Your Content
You may utilize various social channels such as Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, or LinkedIn to reach different audiences. Other examples of marketing strategies could be as follows:
- Blogging/guest blogging
- Influencer marketing
- Paid advertisement
- YouTube ads
- Podcasts or webinars
Helpful tip
You may also build a free mini-course, including certain portions from your original course. Asking for contact info for enrollment will broaden your database for email marketing.
9. Evaluate Feedback
If you constantly enhance your course and make changes according to the needs of participants, they will be more likely to suggest your online course to others or to join upcoming seminars and training. Therefore, it is essential to gather reviews regularly. Prepare surveys or conduct interviews with participants to ask what they think about the course or how you can improve it.
The main benefit
This way you may learn from your weaknesses and strengthen your syllabus and methods in the long run.
10. Give A Certificate
Rewards are a fundamental component of the educational process for all ages. Everyone appreciates it when people see their hard work and acknowledge their new skills. A certificate for attendance or success in your online course fosters motivation in participants. Provide a digital certificate to share on their social media accounts such as LinkedIn, or attach it to their email to show their dedication to the topic. Make them feel validated and seen.
Online learning is a growing trend, and it embraces various instructors and various topics. Follow these 10 steps above to build the best online course and join the ecosystem.
References:
[1] 100+ Must Know Online Learning Statistics in 2022
