Due to the increase in remote work and demand for self-directed learning, e-learning courses have never been more in demand. Whether you need to create training content for your employees or you want to sell e-learning courses as a digital product, the guide below will help you every step of the way.
Read on to find out everything you need to do to create high-quality e-learning courses that are easy to use, simple to understand, and provide fantastic engagement for your target audience.
Step 1: Understand your audience
Before you even start to plan your first e-learning course, you first need to take the time to understand your target audience. What are their pain points? What do they need help with? How do they like to consume content? All these questions need to be answered if you want to create engaging content that people want to consume.
Step 2: Create clear objectives
You need to make sure that people understand the “why” behind your courses, as this will enable them to get the most out of it. Make sure that you focus on the goals of the users rather than your own goals, as this will help to ensure that your content is relevant and useful.
It can be beneficial to focus your efforts on SMART learning goals, which can help to ensure that your courses cover all the elements that they need to.
Step 3: Write about what you know
If you are creating e-learning courses for your own business or for a company that you’ve worked with for many years, then this will easily be done. However, if you’re looking to create e-learning courses as a side hustle or you’re just starting off in an industry, then this can be a little trickier.
As a general rule, it’s always easier to create content on something that you already have experience and expertise in. It can also be beneficial to write about a topic that you’re passionate about as this will shine through in your content. If you don’t, you risk alienating your audience and facing a very unhappy client.
Step 4: Develop an outline
Although you may be tempted to dive right in and start creating content for your course, it’s always a good idea to develop an outline first. This should include as much detail as possible, with all the key elements that you intend to address. You may also want to note down any assessments or assignments that you plan to include with a brief description of each one.
This can be a lengthy process, but it will save you a lot of time in the long run when you actually start to create the content for your first e-learning course.
When developing your outline, you may find that you have too many objectives to cover in just one course, which may lead you to the decision to create multiple courses.
Step 5: Incorporate bite-sized learning
If you want your first e-learning course to be attractive to a wide audience, then you should try and incorporate bite-sized learning into your model. Although some people will want to consume your entire course, many will prefer to simply use the parts that are directly relevant to them.
Bite-sized learning modules are also great for people who are trying to learn a new skill around family and work commitments, as this enables them to check in at their own pace and when they have the time. Furthermore, it can help to make your e-learning course easier to consume and less overwhelming.
Step 6: Focus on engagement
To make sure your e-learning course is a success and that you’re able to go on to make many more, you need to ensure that it actively engages with your target audience.
It’s worth noting that you may be targeting people with a wide range of different learning styles, so make sure that you’re mindful of these when creating your content. For example, some people are visual learners, and others prefer written content.
Try to include a variety of learning activities such as videos, infographics, images, and tables, all of which can help to facilitate the learning process and make your courses more engaging.
Step 7: Always include assessments
Each section of your e-learning course should have some form of assessment included in it. These help to keep users on track and enable them to monitor their progress. When it comes to creating assessments, try to make these as interactive as possible. For example, you could incorporate quizzes to make the learning process more fun.
Make sure that the assessments include all the most important parts of each module so people can clearly see whether they’re ready to proceed or if they need to revisit a section again.
You may also want to use software for eLearning to make your content more interactive and to provide real-time feedback to those taking your course. This is an effortless way to make it more engaging and interactive.
Step 8: Make your e-learning course look good
Although the content is the most important part of any e-learning course, looks really do matter, especially if you’re trying to sell your course online.
As mentioned earlier, it’s important to include visual elements in your course material, as many people prefer this style of learning. Video content is one of the most popular forms of content at the moment, with an estimated 66% of people using this as their main source of information.
There are lots of tools that you can use to make your courses more visually appealing, such as audio production, video editing software, and graphic design software.
Takeaway
Creating your first-ever e-learning course can be a daunting task, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t do it. By following the above steps and making sure you stay focused on what you want to achieve, you can create a high-quality e-learning course that will be invaluable to your industry.
Remember, creating an e-learning course is a learning journey in itself, so don’t worry if you make a few mistakes along the way.
