how to plan an online course

Step by step to plan your online course.

• Set a topic for the course. You probably already have a pretty solid idea of ​​what you want to teach, but before proceeding, you need to refine that ...
• Decide who your course is for.
• Organize the content.
• Choose content types.
• Decide what to use.

Full Answer

How do I make a good online course?

We highly recommend including a Course Survey in your final module so that you can collect valuable data and insights from the student perspective on the design, content and delivery of your course. Give yourself permission to be a student too – to learn over time. This guide will help you create a very good online course to start with.

Do I need to plan my course content?

Or at least an idea of what your course is going to cover, should you choose to presell. With that said, you need to plan your course content.

How to design an online course?

How to Design an Online Course. 2. Start with an outline of the material. With online courses, it will be more difficult to control the flow of information as students can chose how ... 3. Determine learning objectives. Decide what you want students to get out of the course as a whole and out of ...

How to test your online course?

How to Test your Online Course 1 Creating an online course requires a lot of hard work and effort on your part, so running a test before you begin will allow you to validate this... 2 In order to test your idea, create a landing page for your upcoming online course. See More....

How do you plan a course plan?

Determine course content.Select the main topics to be covered. To obtain an initial list of course topics, look in current textbooks or the current literature (for a special-topics course). ... Pare down and refine your initial list of topics. ... Determine the structure of the course; arrange the topics in a logical order.

How do I create a simple online course?

Here's how to create an online course for free in 10 steps:Choose Your Course Topic.Identify the Target Audience.Gather and Structure Your Knowledge.Create an Online Course Outline.Choose Your Online Course Software or Platform.Create the Course Content.Make Sure Your Content is Engaging.More items...•

How do you conduct an online course?

Tips for conducting an online class for the first timePrepare a suitable technology.Plan your online classes.Engage the passive students.Keep a consistent line of communication with your students.Feedback from students.

How long does it take to plan an online course?

It can take anywhere between 3 days to 2 months to create an online course, assuming that you are working on it full time. A mini-course covering a very narrow topic can be produced in only 3 days or less, while a complete in-depth 20h masterclass covering all levels can take several months to produce.

How much does it cost to create an online course?

It can cost anywhere from $200 to $10,000 to create an online course. The main source of expenses is the labor involved, followed by the equipment and software. If you are creating the online course yourself and not paying someone else to do it, this means that other than your time there are very few expenses involved.

What are the key factors for making an online course effective?

Previous PPIC research has identified five key factors to help ensure student success in online programs:Use a systems approach to course design. ... Provide professional development. ... Set student expectations. ... Create community. ... Take advantage of the online environment.

How many modules should an online course have?

For a shorter course, you probably only want 3 to 5 main steps or modules that will comprise the bulk of your course. Every module contains several lessons that teach the actual course.

How long does it take to create an eLearning course?

The research gives a mid-point for medium interactivity courses of approximately 180 hours development for every 1 hour of eLearning. Therefore, by their estimates, a 20 minute course would take 60 hours of development. If you work a 40 hour week, that's about a solid week and a half of your hard labor.

How much time it takes to create a course?

Depending on the length and detail of the course, it can take anywhere between 25 – 500 hours to create an online course. For a mini course with just 4 or 5 videos you could create it in a couple of days. An in-depth flagship course with multiple modules and lessons could take 8 weeks or more to complete.

How long does it take to create a teachable course?

Creating an online course is a rewarding process, but not one that doesn't come with a bit of commitment. But if you go in with a plan, creating your online course doesn't have to be an overwhelming process and with a bit of planning your can easily create and launch your online course in just 60 days.

What is the purpose of planning an online course?

PDFs, spreadsheets and other documents. To plan your online course means to think about everything that can make your student’s learning easier. In addition to video lessons or slides, it is nice to prepare documents to support the study.

Why do you give your online course a face?

This feature is very effective because it allows you to explain the content at the same time as you demonstrates.

How to teach someone I have never taught?

– 5 steps to keep your goal and start to create courses. You do not need to have experience in teaching, what you need is to master the subject you want to teach and be at least one step ahead of your audience.

Can you have more than one online course?

Your online course can be produced in more than one format. Classes can be on video, but you can also have handouts, documents, slideshows, and so on. Videos are usually the preference, but take into account that the diversity of forms of teaching available makes the course more interesting and dynamic.

Can you charge hundreds of dollars for a mini course?

Minicourses. If your initial idea is to only create a mini-course, remember, first of all, that you can not charge hundreds of dollars for it, so do not worry too much about creating various types of content. In our experience, the combination of text, images and audio is powerful for mini-courses.

What should the topic of an online course be?

The topic for your online course should be either a subject that you’re already knowledgeable about or are willing to invest in learning thoroughly. Either way, you need to be passionate about the subject.

Why is online education important?

Therefore, fostering a community of learners around your course will greatly improve their experience, contributing to the overall success of your course. An active online community can help users share their learning process with a group of peers.

What does competition mean in a course?

Having competition means that people find the topic relevant and helpful for them. It’s also a good idea to create content that can comfortably fit into an existing, tried-and-tested space. Once you have a clear target audience in mind, you are best equipped for later creating and marketing the course.

What is a paid plan?

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. One-on-one real-time lessons: In addition to the course, you may teach live lessons to students in a personalized 1:1 setting.

How to teach a lesson?

Go in a logical order and try to make your ideas evolve naturally from one to the other , to ensure a smooth and frictionless learning process. Remember that teaching is about guiding your audience through an idea, step by step. To make this clear in your course outline, define an objective for each of your lessons.

Do you need to run a test before starting an online course?

Creating an online course requires a lot of hard work and effort on your part, so running a test before you begin will allow you to validate this online business idea as one that will pay itself off down the line.

Can you rent a lesson on a video by video basis?

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, so that they can go back and rewatch the content at all times.

How much does an intermediate course cost?

Intermediate courses are a bit more advanced and thorough, covering a more expansive topic. With that in mind, you can charge from $100-$500 for your intermediate course. Knowing that you’ll be earning more from your intermediate course, you can spend more time creating more advanced content types.

Can you charge hundreds of dollars for a mini course?

When you’re creating your mini course, keep in mind that this is a lower tier offer that you won’t be able to charge hundreds of dollars for, so don’t worry too much about creating every single type of content for your mini course.

How to make a course interactive?

Plan for interaction! Make sure your course is rich in opportunities for students to engage with the content, with you and with each other. This means creating diverse activities like discussions, group work, case studies and collaborative problem-solving. Also, be sure to select resources that are relevant and present a variety of viewpoints and meet different learning styles. Consider multimedia, periodicals, web resources, etc.

How many students have taken online courses?

According to a 10 year study conducted by the Online Learning Consortium, 6.7 million students have taken at least one online course and roughly thirty-two percent of all higher-education students now take at least one online course during their educational career. And these numbers continue to rise.

What is the purpose of learning objectives?

Creating Learning Objectives. It is essential to build measurable and clear objectives that outline what is expected of the learner. These objectives will make it easy to align the rest of your course and will serve to communicate learning expectations to students.

Is online learning an alternative to traditional learning?

Online education is not an “alternative” to traditional classroom learning.

Can you teach an online course the first time?

Relax! You won’t be creating the perfect online course, at least not the first time you teach it. It takes teaching an online course a few semesters to improve and enhance it. Continue to experiment with new approaches, refining your teaching according to your learning objectives and the feedback of your students.