How to Create an Online Education Course

These days, more people are trying to find novel sorts of quality content to explore online, especially when it involves learning new skills. a method to cater to the present rising demand, while also generating revenue, is to make and sell a web course.

How to Create an Online Education Course | Website Design AgencyImparting knowledge and expertise via a web course will allow you to position yourself as an authority in your field, foster a community of like-minded individuals around your business, and expand your reach – all from within your home.

This guide will walk you thru the various steps of the way to create a web course. From choosing the proper topic to making an internet site for your course and earning an income – here’s everything you would like to know:

How to create a web course

  • Choose the proper material
  • Test your idea
  • Research the subject extensively
  • Write a course outline
  • Create the course content
  • Bring your course online
  • Sell your online course
  • Cultivate a learning community

01. Choose the proper material

The topic you select is entirely in your hands, and may be just about anything – from baking tips to website design. While the chances are almost endless, the proper material may be a determining think about a web course’s success.

The main criteria in evaluating your online course’s topic is whether or not it appeals to both you and your audience:

  • Choose something you would like to teach: the subject for your online course should be either a topic that you’re intimate , or something that you’re interested by and are willing to take a position in learning thoroughly. Either way, you would like to be hooked in to the topic .

Try and believe what it’s that you simply do best, and what people come to you for advice on. Those topics usually bring the foremost successful online courses. Alternatively, ask yourself what you’d wish to know more about, and thru learning it yourself you’ll be ready to become an excellent teacher on the topic .

  • Choose something others want to learn: Before going to work, ask a gaggle of friends, also as your existing audience, what they consider the topic you had in mind. Test it out by sharing polls or online forms for your audience to fill out. you’ll make a brief tutorial first, and monitor its performance. Follow abreast of the tutorial on social media or via email marketing, asking your audience if this sort of fabric are some things they’re curious about seeing more of.

In addition, conduct some online research into your topic. If you discover other online courses about an equivalent material , that’s an excellent sign. Having competition means people find the subject relevant and helpful for them. It’s also an honest idea to make content which will comfortably fit into an existing, tried-and-tested space.

How to Create an Online Education Course | Website Design Agency

02. Test your idea

Creating a web course requires tons of diligence and energy on your part, so running a test before you start will allow you to validate the investment together which will pay itself off down the road.

In order to check your idea, create a landing page for your upcoming online course. Although you haven’t created the course just yet, you already know what it’s getting to be about. Include a concise description of the course, explaining what people can expect to find out . Incorporate eye-catching imagery to further reflect the concept. inspect these fully customizable landing page templates to use as a start line .

Utilize call-to-action buttons (CTAs) to ask visitors to check in for free of charge for your upcoming online course, or pre-purchase it to save lots of a spot in your class. After promoting your website on various channels, like social media, newsletters, and more, you’ll be ready to look over the info you collected and see if you’ve got enough attendees and inspiring feedback. choose metrics before time, in order that you’ll know what results to seem for at the top of the test period .

03. Research the subject extensively

Whether you’re already an expert in your field, or are looking forward to learning it from start to end , now’s the time to deep dive until you recognize everything there’s to understand about the subject .

As a part of your thorough learning process, transcend what course attendees will easily find on search results. Go the additional mile and find a spread of various sources on the subject , from literature to competitor classes and webinars. Perform keyword research so as to ascertain what sort of queries people are looking abreast of the subject . From this, you’ll get a far better pity the sorts of questions that your audience could be curious about .

Keep your eyes open for any subcategories within your niche. for instance , if you propose on instructing a course about the way to lookout of indoor plants, you’ll definitely want to hide the fundamentals like water and natural light. But so as to supply added value, search for unique angles to widen the scope of your course, just like the sorts of air purifying plants, for instance .

How to Create an Online Education Course | Website Design Agency

04. Write a course outline

Now is the time to develop the curriculum for your online course. On a bit of paper, write down an inventory of the various lessons you propose on teaching online. Within each lesson, break it right down to the most topics you would like to hide . enter a logical order and check out to form your ideas evolve naturally from one to the opposite , to make sure a smooth and frictionless learning process.

Remember that teaching is about guiding your audience through a thought , step by step. to form this clear in your course outline, define an objective for every of your lessons.

Continuing with the indoor plant care example from the previous section, you would possibly want your students to be ready to classify the plants they need reception in one lesson, and to be ready to recognize signs of pests or disease within the next.

Here’s an example of a web course outline for an inside plant care class. you’ll use this instance as a template for creating your own:

Lesson #1: the way to water plants

Lesson objective: Students will find out how much, and the way often, to water their plants.

Topics covered:

  • The importance of watering;
  • The dangers of overwatering;
  • Different types of plants and therefore the watering they require;
  • Soil as a signifier of dehydration or overhydration.

Lesson #2: Plants and natural light

Lesson objective: Students will understand the importance of natural light, and can be ready to pick the optimal lighting for his or her plants.

Topics covered:

  • Light and its role in plant photosynthesis;
  • Different types of plants and therefore the amount of sunlight they need;
  • How and when to use fluorescent lighting for indoor plants.
  • Remember to also include an introduction and a conclusion to your entire course, also as in each individual lesson. Reiteration may be a good aid in learning processes.
  • Consider adding assignments and activities as a part of your course curriculum, to assist the newly gained knowledge sink in. It’s recommended to start out with a theoretical discussion, then to offer some examples, and to follow up with an assignment at the very end.

05. Create the course content

If you have already got professional experience together with your course topic, it’s likely that you’ve put together content about it within the past. have you ever ever written a blog post or created a webinar about the subject? Maybe you host a podcast or run a YouTube channel for your business during which you’ve discussed similar themes? If so, return to those materials. Repurposing existing content into your online course will help get you started and save much valuable time.

Based on the materials you’ve gathered and your outline and research from the previous steps, you’ll now create the particular content for your online course. Most courses use video as their main sort of communication, which is what we’ll be discussing here. However, you’ll also use written content, audio recordings, slides – or a mixture of a couple of differing types of media.

  • Filming: As a home-based business idea, creating a web course are often through with relatively simple equipment, and you don’t need to be a video production pro so as to make a top quality course. After all, the extent of education you provide is what matters most, and you’ll create quality content albeit you’re performing from home.

You can film yourself chatting with the camera, record your screen while you talk within the background, or both. While your videos don’t need to be pixel perfect, we do recommend reading abreast of video tips for creating professional-looking content, also as choosing the proper sort of camera and microphone for your needs.

  • Editing: After you’ve filmed your content, invest a while editing your raw footage. There are many free video editing software available, from iMovie, to Lightworks, and therefore the website build and design Video Maker. attempt to craft a pleasant rhythm to your video by breaking it up into digestible bites. skip unnecessary pauses and cut longer takes up into a series of shorter, dynamic clips.

Add titles, just like the name of the course and lesson, and video captions to form the course accessible and easier to follow. you’ll also include background music to your video, and relevant slides if applicable.

  • Class assignments: Create assignments for every of your lessons. These are often within the sort of downloadable PDF files, which students can print or view on their computers. Other options include online quizzes or learning games, made using tools like Kahoot.

How to Create an Online Education Course | Website Design Agency

06. Bring your course online

Once you’ve got your course content ready, it’s time to make the platform to bring it all at once . If you have already got knowledgeable website, you’ll add your online course as a neighborhood there. If not, create a replacement website only for this purpose.

If you’re making an internet site with website build and design, inspect these designer-made online education website templates to assist you start . make certain to feature website build and design Video to your site, allowing you to showcase videos, engage with visitors and monetize your content. Upload your lessons either as standalone videos, or organized into channels within a library.

07. Sell your online course

There are three different options for selling your online course, counting on your needs and business plan:

  • Offer individual lessons for rent or purchase: Allow users to rent or purchase your online course on a video-by-video basis. When purchasing a video, users will enjoy unlimited streaming of the lesson they’ve purchased, in order that they will return and rewatch the content in the least times. Choose if you would like to permit viewers to download the video, or watch it directly on your site.
  • Offer a channel subscription: By paying a monthly fee, users are going to be ready to access all of the paid videos within a channel. Channel subscriptions create a pay-wall, separating the content of your website into public and premium.
  • Offer paid plans: found out different payment options, offering your students to pay all directly or with a recurring payment plan. you’ll control everything from the sort of plan, to what’s included, how long it’ll last, and more. Display plan options on your site for clients to settle on from and buy . Paid Plans act as a pay-wall, allowing users to access the content only after they pay and log into the members area within your site.

Alongside your paid lessons, make certain to also offer alittle preview of your course entirely for free of charge . Getting a sneak peek of what they will expect to ascertain will encourage students to check in for the paid classes. Your free content are often either within the sort of a brief trailer for every lesson, otherwise you offers the entire first lesson for free of charge , while the remainder are paid.

Another idea for a freebee is to make a live Q&A session at the start of the course, inviting users to participate freed from charge while generating interest. to try to to this, found out a live stream video, helping you connect with fans in real time.

Whichever giveaway option you select , the free version of your course will are available handy in promoting your online course. For more ideas on the way to promote your class, ask this list of effective marketing tools.

How to Create an Online Education Course | Website Design Agency

08. Cultivate a learning community

Online education is usually a solitary activity. Therefore, fostering a community of learners around your course will greatly improve their experience, contributing to the general success of your course.

An active online community can help users share their learning process with a gaggle of peers. Together, they will celebrate their successes and lift any questions they’ll have. additionally , students can bounce ideas off each other , generating a vibrant conversation and enhancing the interest and excitement around your class.

Your online community is additionally an honest place to share news about upcoming courses or other opportunities which may be of interest to the present already engaged audience.

Some options for fostering a lively learning community are:

  • A Members Area: Creating a Members Area on your site allows registered or paying users to access a spread of premium content – from chat, to forums, blogs and more.
  • An online forum: Create a forum as a part of your website, allowing users to support one another’s growth and learning. For more information, read abreast of a number of the simplest practices for creating a forum.
  • Social media groups: Consider creating private social media groups, like a Facebook group or a Twitter list, for learners to interact in.
  • Online communication platforms: Utilize online communication platforms like Slack or Discord for your learning community.