The missing link in course design (and what it means for your course)

Course design - the missing link

As you probably know, Online courses have become the most effective way to expand your business, grow your reach, and make an impact. Many industry experts are seeing this as an opportunity to share their unique knowledge, which means more people have access to education than ever before. But, what I’ve seen is that for many, in the jump between industry expert to online educator, there’s a missing link. And that missing link is course design. 

Lessons learned

Learning design is a field that evolved out of higher education, when universities and tertiary institutions began offering courses online in response to the need for more flexible and accessible delivery options. It began as hours of recorded lecture videos and readings uploaded to a learning platform. Boring! Obviously no-one wants to sit through hours of lecture videos and read tonnes of academic texts, so many dropped out.

So, universities began to take a different approach. This approach was to create intentionally designed experiences for online learning that would engage and retain students. Instead of courses that offered passive consumption of learning content, they shifted to courses that offered purposeful, active, and engaging learning experiences focused on the learner, instead of the content.

There are many approaches to learning design (this will need another email!), but the point here is that now that online learning has taken off in the entrepreneurial world, the secret of learning design is still held by the universities. 

Product versus experience

Though a different approach is required for the business world, there is still much to be learned from how the universities approach online learning. Many in the business world see courses as products rather than experiences. This is an important distinction to consider. Because good learning design is based on the learner experience, rather than the product. This means better engagement in your course, which means better outcomes. When students are engaged, they do the work. And when they do the work, they get the results. And them getting the results, means that your course succeeds.

Questions to consider

If you want clarity on how to create an intentional learning experience, and not just a course product, here are some important questions to consider:

• What’s the journey from where your students are now, to where they want to be?
• What do they need to know to get them to their desired destination?
• How will you get them there?
• How will they implement what they’ve learned?
• How will you structure your course content in a way that supports learning?
• How will organise the flow of your course to support the learning journey?
• What will you include (and not to include) in your course?
• What is the best way to deliver your course?
• How will you make sure your students get the deep learning they need in a way that doesn’t overwhelm them?

Considering these questions will help you create a purpose-driven, learner-centred, and outcome-oriented course, so that you can offer not only an additional revenue stream for your business, but a transformative learning experience for your students. 

If you’re ready to create your course, and need a framework, check out my Ultimate Course Curriculum Template.

Jamal Abilmona