Whether you’re a big university, or just an individual wanting to pass on your knowledge, creating online education courses is an excellent step to take. However, putting together successful courses isn’t easy, and there are a number of things you need to remember.
There Has to be an Entertainment Factor
Your main goal with these courses might be to educate, but you’ve got to ensure there is some level of entertainment as well. You’re expecting people to log in and sit in front of a computer screen on a regular basis, so you’ve got to try and find ways of making this an enjoyable experience.
We all know learning can be fun, and this is often shown in the classroom, but sometimes, when it comes to putting together an online course, people can forget the entertainment aspect.
You need people to sign up for your course, complete it, and hopefully leave good reviews, and this is going to be much easier if it’s enjoyable.
Make it Interactive
Courses that have some level of back and forth between students and the instructors not only adds an extra layer of entertainment but also help students to learn better.
It’s easy to become disengaged if you’re simply sat watching someone lecture, and this can be particularly true when you’re sat in the comfort of your own home with plenty of distractions. However, regular periods of interaction can quickly bring people to the lesson and keep them engaged with the content for longer.
Interactive content is a great way to break up a course and make it feel that little bit lighter.
Bring People Together
One of the major reasons people go to university is to build connections. The relationships you create in university can last you a lifetime, and help you immensely on a personal and professional level.
If you’re running an online course where people are coming from around the world it can be a little bit more difficult to help students create these connections. However, we live in a world where online connections do count for a lot.
There’s nothing stopping you from bringing people together, to form strong, beneficial relationships, so make sure you’re encouraging community.
Virtual Field Trips
Field trips are an important part of the educational armory, but you might think that because you’re creating an online course, they’re not possible. However, that’s not the case and with the help of an FPU Virtual Field Trips course, you can bring this exciting aspect to your online educational platform.
A field trip is always going to look slightly different from behind a computer, but it still offers endless learning opportunities and is a great way to bring some variety to your course.
Keep it on Point
It can be easy to wander off topic when teaching. In many cases, it adds to the educational experience, but in others, it can be seen as time-wasting. When people are studying online, they have a lot of things competing for their attention and they’re very attuned to spotting content that doesn’t fit their purposes.
If you can keep people focused by keeping things concise, then you’re going to find you get better engagement.
