How to Structure an Online Course for Raving Student Success

Success Unscrambled Podcast

While Nisha sat wondering how to structure an online course the doorbell rang. It must be the delivery from Amazon she thought. Because Nisha was planning to shoot videos for her online course over the next 2-3 weeks she ordered studio lights and a good-quality microphone. Did you know that the e-learning market is currently worth $215 billion? As a course creator, you and Nisha are facing stiff competition. So, you must have a well-planned course structure to remain relevant. One essential step in creating a profitable online course is to structure the online course content. It creates clarity and allows you to focus on the most vital content and elements of your course. In this post, you'll learn about the kind of content to choose, how to organise ideas, tips to structure an online course, and what makes a good online course. This expert guide will walk you through the journey and process of structuring an effective online course that will attract and keep your online students engaged. What Is The Purpose of Structuring Your Online Course? You structure your online course to ensure the topics are well-organised. A clear online course structure helps learners understand the course expectations, outcomes and what you expect from them each week. A well-structured online course provides learners with a clear path to progress. What Topics Do You Want To Cover? Before creating a well-structured online course, you must consider the topics to cover. You should have ideas about what you would like to teach before you begin creating a course outline. Then you must be knowledgeable about the approach to use and how to tailor your online course to align with your target student’s needs. An effective way to help online learners to get their desired results is to offer a step-by-step course. What Kind of Content? There are a variety of different content types to consider during online course creation. The most commonly used content types are written (e-books and PDFs), voice-only, voice-over slides, and talking head videos. To increase student engagement with your online course you can use more than a single kind of content. When presenting the information you're teaching, always consider what is best for your students. Consider their needs and also the type of material you are presenting. For example, a course that references graphs would not be suited to audio-only. In this case, you could support the audio with PDFs or consider voice-over slides. If possible, you can include step-by-step written instructions, an audio format, or a video for visual learners and those who find reading PDFs and other content cumbersome. The online training you're offering should be considered thoroughly when selecting the content type. Always remember that the types of content directly influence the style and structure of your online course material. Organising Your Ideas After brainstorming your ideas and determining the content type(s) and course scope, your next step is to organise your ideas into groups. All the brainstormed ideas should be rearranged into a logical structure to ensure that your course outline is consistent and professional. Here are step-by-step guidelines that you should follow when making a course plan. Create a timeline for your course. For example, the course can take seven days, two or even four weeks, depending on the content. Determine the learning and instructional styles that best help students understand the content. Group and divide your course content into sections or modules. Ensure all similar ideas in a module expressing the same thoughts are grouped into subtopics Consider the type of content when creating your course curriculum. For example, video content should be short and supported with catchy graphic designs. Keep your writing style and content as direct, simple,