If you’re looking to improve your online course you are in the right place. Designing an online course is a big process. We spend a lot of time mapping out our content, recording lessons, and marketing the course. But, if you feel like your online course could be improved there are some super simple things you can do.
Why the Solution Isn’t Adding More Content
Most of the time when we ask ourselves, ‘How could the course be improved?’, we always immediately go to: add more content! Create more lessons!
But that is usually the wrong way to go.
Your students don’t want more content to wade through. They want shortcuts and things that will make implementing the course easier.
Who wants to watch hours and hours of content? Not me! Just give me the goods so I can take quick action.
Your students are looking for efficiency and effectiveness in their learning journey, not just more material to sift through. They crave shortcuts, practical tips, and strategies that facilitate easy implementation of what they learn.
Simple Ways to Improve Your Online Course
There are a lot of super simple ways to improve your online course. Today we will be digging into the top 4 ways to add more value to your course without creating a ton of new content or lessons.
1) Improve Your Onboarding Process
The first way to improve your online course isn’t even the course itself – it’s your onboarding process for new buyers and students. If you want to make it easier for students to have a great experience, they need to actually go through the course.
The way to get more people to go through the course? A solid onboarding process that gives new students all the info they need. This can be as simple as where to log in and where to find extra resources or support, like in your online community. Simple.
And if it’s a self-study course, don’t forget about the follow-up! Adding a few extra emails to your post-purchase email sequence is a simple way to create a better impression.
You can also use this opportunity to:
- Remind your new students about the course and how to get started
- Invite them to join your affiliate program
- Ask for course feedback or testimonials
A MINI SOAPBOX ABOUT COURSE LOGINS
No one is going to remember how/where to log into your course platform, so how easy are you making it for folks to find the link to login?
Here are my top suggestions strong recommendations for places to add a link to your course dashboard login:
- At the bottom of every single email you send – just add it to your email footer, right before the unsubscribe button
- On the header bar / main menu of your website
- In the footer of every page on your website (its ok to exclude sales pages, but every other page should have it!)
2) Improve Your Course Accessibility
Instead of adding new content, maybe you need to add different ways for your students to consume your course content. We all learn differently and having options for all types of learners allows you to help more students get the results you promised.
Here are some simple ways to improve your online course accessibility:
- Create transcripts for video lessons using Otter
- Use Descript to chop up a long video into smaller chunks
- Add closed captioning to all videos (I also use Otter for this!)
- Have a private podcast feed for your online course so folks can listen to the content on the go
- Allow students to download a PDF copy of slide deck presentations
3) Improve Your Course Design
When we talk about improving your online course we can’t forget about the design! There are so many ways to make your design more user-friendly.
Yes, you want to use design to keep things on-brand, but design is also important for the user experience.
Here are a few examples:
- Talk about specific lessons, tools, or resources in a video? Add a resources section under the video with links so they are easily accessible to students.
- Add timestamps to longer videos so they can skip to the specific part they need
- Add important info, links, and outline what to expect in the welcome lesson or course dashboard
- Create a community for your students (I personally love Heartbeat for off-Facebook private community options! Slack is a decent free alternative, but heads up: content disappears after 90 days when on the free plan)
4) Add Valuable Course Assets
Instead of adding even more modules and lessons, why not make the most of what you’ve already created? You can do this by adding valuable course assets that will help your students take action.
Example 1: A lesson about mapping out your content pillars could have a fillable workbook to help them work through the lesson and end up with an action-inspiring plan at the end.
Example 2: A lesson about mapping out your expenses could include an Airtable base template or a spreadsheet to help them do this.
Ready to ramp up your workbooks or create actionable spreadsheets for your course students? I’ve got you covered for both with On-Brand Fillable Workbooks and Spot-On Spreadsheets!
Final Thoughts
Remember that the key is not in quantity but in quality. It’s about refining and enriching the learning journey for your students, not overwhelming them with more content.
Think of your course as a finely crafted story where every element has its purpose and adds to the overall experience. By focusing on aspects like onboarding, accessibility, design, and valuable assets, you’re not just adding to the course; you’re deepening its impact and making it more meaningful for your students.
In the end, the most powerful improvements are often the simplest.
As you implement these changes, keep your ears open to feedback from your students. Their insights can guide you in continually refining your course.
Remember, a great online course is an evolving journey, both for you and your students. Here’s to creating educational experiences that are as rewarding as they are enlightening!
