Decide how you want to host your classes

First of all, you need to consider if your courses will be pre-recorded or not. Typically, you would have to hold a live class where you go through the course slides and explain the material while the students listen. Even if you choose to pre-record your classes, you still need to host live classes to receive feedback from your students and steer them in the right direction. You can also decide to share the course materials before the classes, so they can go through it and answer any questions that they might have. Listen to your students and prioritise the delivery methods that work, while incorporating personal and community interaction through group projects, knowledge tests and individual tasks.

Create a course outline

When starting an online class, you should assess which topics you need to cover in your course, and in what order the curriculum will run. Make sure you also plan your individual classes in a comprehensive order so the students know what to expect and participate actively. You can use a calendar to schedule video classes, group discussions, project deadlines etc. The students should also have access to this timeline so they can prepare ahead of each class. Encourage students to engage with one another— to share questions and task results in the chat rooms so they can remain motivated to complete the projects as and when due.

Choose an effective method of assessment

Depending on the kind of cohort-based course you are teaching, some methods of assessment may be more effective than others. In order to ensure that your students are making the most of the class, you should choose an assessment method that suits your course. It could be a task, assignment, project or other forms of assessment. Try to avoid teaching your course without assessing the knowledge of your students in some way.

Determine the cost of your course

You can determine your enrollment fee depending on the value your students are set to receive from your course— the sense of community, content quality and value received audience level and effectiveness. Without the right information and proper research, you may be tempted to set your price only according to what the students are willing to pay. You should, however, set your course at a comfortable price point for you, considering how much you’re putting in to create that course— your time, efforts, experience, hosting and marketing costs, etc. Consider your goals and let these factors inform your price decision in a way that’s still profitable to you.

Determine how impactful you want your course to be

If you are presenting yourself as an authority in your chosen field, your courses must reflect that. Find out who your students are, what matters to them and what method of delivery will yield better results. Find the sweet spot in your teaching course and offer as much knowledge as possible— extra downloadable materials, interactive conversations and in-depth coaching to guide them towards their career goals. Offer as many rich benefits as possible so your students are convinced your price is worth it. At the same time, give a clear description of the outcomes so your students can know what to expect.

Create a marketing plan

Your course might be great, but if no one hears about it, then you might not get any students. Create a plan that will help you reach out to people who might be interested in your course and ensure that you get in touch with them. You could make use of social media to run ads, or find platforms that have the kind of people who would be interested in your course. When you find them, ensure you sell your course to them in a way that communicates the value that you’re offering.