Anyone creating content for an online course often relies on existing material. Rightly so! However, you should avoid the following mistake: Do not copy slides from presentations 1:1 into your online course! We will show you with an example in which cases you can use presentations for your online course – and how to transform them step by step!
Time and again, our e-learning experts experience in support and customer success that trainers copy existing content 1:1 into their new online course. As a result, the course quickly appears unprofessional and does not achieve the desired outcome. The reason: Participants click through slides of presentations that were originally created for a live presentation without enthusiasm. At the same time, it is naturally wise to reuse existing material from in-person events for online use!
Therefore, ask yourself the following question before uploading your presentation slides to the online course:
What is your goal in e-learning?
At the beginning of every learning method, the question of goal arises: What do you want to achieve with your online course? Only when the goal is clear should you engage with the content. And finally, the format follows, which you can then adjust to the goal and content:
A presentation is initially just a format. It is suitable for live lectures, where you can orally explain what each slide is about. This is precisely what is missing in the online course. If you copy presentation slides in succession into your course, your participants lack the context.
This brings us to the next question:
When should you use presentations in online courses?
One thing in advance: A pure copy & paste of presentation slides into online courses is rarely a good idea. Especially if you want to achieve a behavioral change with your e-learning. After all, a presentation is also minimally interactive in an online course and therefore has a low learning effect.
Instead, use individual slides from the presentation for your online course! And choose each slide carefully: Content where you want to show an image or present a quote is wonderfully suitable. Then complement these slides with additional online content to provide context. Let's simply go through this step by step with an example.
Example: Transform your presentation into an online course!
For our example, I will use a presentation by my colleague Dennis Tröger, who recently gave a presentation on the topic of learning culture in companies as part of a webinar. Here is what the presentation for the webinar looked like:
View while editing a typical presentation in a corporate context. Example from the presentation "Learning Culture in Companies" by Dennis Tröger in autumn 2020.
From this presentation, we now want to build an online course. To the left in the image, you see the individual slides that Dennis integrated into his presentation. The typical introductory slide, opened on the right, shows what his presentation is about. This slide is the ideal starting point to transform the presentation into an online course!
Step 1: Choose appropriate formats for the content
In every good presentation, you will find a kind of table of contents at the beginning, as illustrated above: What is the presentation about, what are the various topics? Note down the individual points and think about what format would be suitable for each. Remember: First comes the content, then the format! You thought about the goal of the entire course at the very beginning and should always keep it in mind.
In our example, the following formats are suitable for the content:
What is a learning culture?
The text definition can be reused as a slideWhy a learning culture?
Personal classification, ideally as a video6 Tips
Use slide images as preview images, then explain via videoUse Case
As a link to the use case and then include a quiz
Step 2: Make a plan
Once you have considered a suitable format for each content, you should create a rough timeline: What can you start with most easily? Do you need someone else for some contents? Or a special tool, such as a microphone and tripod for a video? Plan what you will do when and schedule appointments with external persons if necessary.
In our example, the point "Why is a learning culture important?" is suitable as a video from the supervisor: This demonstrably increases commitment and motivation among participants. If you want to use an external image for the use case, you should request that in advance. Make an appointment for both requests on your calendar before continuing with the remaining content in the online course.
Step 3: Transform the contents of the presentation into course contents
Once everything is planned, you can start with the implementation in the online course. Now transform the presentation step by step into course contents (we call them "Blinks")! In our example, this could look like this – each blue tile is a Blink:
Example: The presentation shown above was step by step transformed into an online course with blink.it.
You can already see in the screenshot shown that some contents go beyond just the presentation: For example, chapters are suitable for logically structuring the course into sections. This brings us to the last step to make an online course out of a presentation!
Step 4: Optimize the course towards the goal
As explained at the beginning, a presentation is a format for oral live events. An online course, on the other hand, is time-independent and offers numerous additional possibilities for using media. Therefore, keep your goal in mind at the end and optimize your course accordingly. Where can you increase interaction? How do you ensure that your participants retain and apply what they have learned?
In addition to the standard content of text, image, and video, there are numerous other possibilities in the online course to motivate your participants to learn! The quiz, survey, and exam formats are particularly great: With blink.it, you can easily insert a quiz or a survey into your online course and thus increase interaction by 100%. If you also stipulate that the quiz must be passed, you will have created an exam in no time.
Info: Learn more about the use of media in your online course: Find the media mix for your e-learning!
In our example, a survey at the end of the chapter, where we ask how many of the tips the participant would like to implement in the future, is suitable. Additionally, we supplement the online course with another chapter that fits wonderfully in e-learning format: "Now it's your turn!" In this chapter, we include a quiz to ensure participants have internalized the learning content. We also provide concrete action prompts on how participants can apply what they have learned in their everyday life.
In addition to presentation slides, a variety of formats are suitable for online courses. Think "out of the box" and consider: What formats fit your goal and your content?
User generated content
Sketchnotes
Podcast
For your online course to be a real highlight, it also has to be appealing to you. Only if you are convinced of your e-learning will your participants be enthusiastic and successfully complete the course!
Are you looking for inspiration to make your content really exciting? Then learn more here: In 4 steps from boring online courses to successful highlights
True to our example in the online course, I say at the end: Now it's your turn! Think about which presentation you want to use for your online course. Then note down the four steps mentioned above and schedule an appointment in your calendar for when you will begin with the first step. We wish you much success!
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