As I have been studying up on creating my own online course, I have taken a few courses myself. I am always interested in seeing how fellow eBayers sell, and many of them also teach, so I have signed up for a few that were free.
What did I discover? It’s all in the presentation. One of the things that I like is an instructor that knows their stuff and is engaging. Is it easy to follow? Do I think that I can do what they are showing in the lesson?
So takeaway #1, keep it simple and interesting. Some of the courses are slide shows ONLY, with voice-over audio. I find that style a little dull as a student, so my course will have a mixture of “talking heads” (meaning I will be on screen) and a slide show with pics and demonstration examples. A picture is worth a thousand words, so a good video may be more like a million!
As I reviewed the courses I watched, it was clear that each instructor has a main focus. Mine will be helping people who have never sold before or have limited experience selling online. That is the exact student who has come to my in person lessons/classes in the past and they are eager to start! I know how to gear my material to must that student!
One difficulty with a beginner is that there is a LOT of material to cover, so I am going to break it down into easy steps. As I write, I try to keep the newbie in mind and cover all the angles and questions they may have as I go. Luckily, with my experience teaching this topic over the years, I have seen it all, or at least most of it! People come with varying degrees of knowledge on computer use, or photography or shipping. Shipping seems to be the biggest stumbling block, so I’ve included a section called “Shipping 101”. It will cover choosing the right box, using a scale, labels, packing instructions and of course the confusing cost of postage rates.
So takeaway #2 is think of what type of student is viewing the course and not try to rush through material. With an online course, it can be replayed as needed and so people can relax on the first viewing and pick and choose what parts of the course they need extra help with!
Another helpful thing I did was to go to Udemy.com and Thinkific.com and take some of their prep courses for creating an online course. Both sites had very helpful and informative videos. They cover sound, how to film, how to light, use of background or back drops and what topics make good courses. I feel that I’ve watched enough to jump in and see where it leads.
Takeway #3, Jump in the water’s fine. After all the planning and studying, there is no substitute for just doing it. If things aren’t working, then I can fix it. Learning from little failures or mistakes only leads to what does work and more. I love the challenge of creating something new. And so keep tuned to this blog for an update on the status of my upcoming course. What would you teach if you were to make an online course? Please comment below and let me know!
No comments:
Post a Comment