Those who still have little experience with creating online courses often make typical beginner mistakes. These quickly become fatal: participants lose interest after a short time and the entire course loses its purpose. We will show you examples of online courses that contain exactly these 5 mistakes.
These are 5 typical beginner mistakes
We at blink.it have been seeing numerous online courses daily for years and also experience which courses become successful quickly – and which are not well received by participants. Benefit now from this experiential knowledge and avoid the following typical mistakes:
Jumping directly into the content
100% copy & paste of existing documents
Giving unclear or no instructions at all
Using content that is too text-heavy
Neglecting the benefit for the participants
Why these mistakes can be particularly fatal and what good online courses look like instead, I will now present to you in more detail using an example.
1. Typical online course mistake: Jumping directly into the content
Clearly: A good start to the online course is particularly important. Because if your participants drop out at the very beginning, the rest of the course can be as well-made as it wants. If your online course starts directly with the content, the participants are quickly overwhelmed.
Therefore: Even if you have communicated the framework conditions in advance (e.g., via email or verbally), you should never start an online course directly with the content.
Not like this: Jumping directly into the content without an introduction. Source: blink.it learning platform
How to do it instead:
Welcome the participants, preferably in a short, personal video
Introduce yourself as the course instructor: Who are you? Why are you the expert on the topic?
Briefly present the framework conditions of the course: overview of the topics, duration of the course, benefits for the participants (see mistake no. 5)
2. Typical online course mistake: 100% Copy & Paste
Do you want to save time and use existing documents for your online course? In principle, there is nothing wrong with that – nevertheless, you should not rely on 100% copy & paste. Good content is always adapted to the current format. You should invest this extra time to offer your participants suitable content.
Not like this: Uploading one document after another without comment. Source: blink.it learning platform
This means: You can, of course, integrate the existing PDF with the overview of fire safety regulations in the company into your online course. However, make sure it is placed in an appropriate spot and write a few sentences about why the participant should look at the PDF. Also, choose a suitable heading instead of just the document name.
3. Typical online course mistake: Giving unclear or no instructions at all
The be-all and end-all of further education, whether in person or online, are clear instructions. What should the participant do with the information? Time and again at blink.it, we see content that has been posted without a call to action.
Not like this: Leaving out the instruction (call-to-action) for the participants. Source: blink.it learning platform
A call to action should be formulated clearly and concisely. Do not write too long and too complex! Your participant should understand the prompt immediately upon first reading. This point leads us to another typical mistake…
4. Typical online course mistake: Too much text
We humans are visual creatures. To keep your participants on track in online courses, you should therefore not use too much pure text content.
Not like this: Using one text content after another. Source: blink.it learning platform
Video content in online courses is particularly popular with participants. The videos do not need to be of outstanding technical quality – good sound and a length of less than 3 minutes are already worth their weight in gold! You can easily create short introduction and explanation videos with your smartphone and easily enhance your course with them!
Of course, text content is also allowed in the online course! However, try to use it sparingly and support it with videos and images.
5. Typical online course mistake: Neglecting the benefit for the participants
We all have a busy schedule and prioritize our daily routine. What brings us no obvious benefit is not a priority in our minds. Therefore, never forget to mention the benefit for your participants!
This means: A good online course guides the participant through the content in such a way that they always know why they should engage with this or that content. Particularly important is the overall benefit of the online course, which you should mention at the beginning (see mistake 1). This could be a certification, for example, or a personal benefit like improving a soft skill.
Overview: How to do it right!
If you avoid the five mentioned typical beginner mistakes, your online course has very good chances of success from the start. This is how you do it right:
Clarify framework conditions right at the beginning
Offer suitable content
Give clear instructions
Use varied formats
Communicate benefits
By the way: As a customer of blink.it, you can get feedback from online course professionals! blink.it offers all new customers the opportunity to have their first course (draft) reviewed and to get personally tailored feedback. To ensure that every blink.it course truly becomes a success.
