159: Future-Proofing Your Online Courses: What's Next in 2024
Is your online course ready for what's next, or is it stuck in the past? The online learning world has been spinning fast, and keeping up hasn't been easy for everyone. Let's face it, in the business of digital education, if you're not moving forward, you're falling behind.
In this episode, I dive into the big shifts and must-knows for online courses in 2024 and beyond. Wondering if your digital courses need a refresh to stay in the game?
Tune in to find out how to keep your content fresh, engaging, and ahead of the curve. Let's make sure your digital products aren't just surviving, but thriving.
Mentioned In This Episode:
Course in a Box: Launch Your Money-Making Digital Course in Just One Week
The Future of Online Courses: Trends and Changes in 2024
In this episode of the Creator’s MBA Podcast, Dr. Destini Copp delves into the evolving landscape of online course creation and the significant changes that have unfolded in the past year. This conversation explores the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) in streamlining course development, the emergence of microlearning, creating accessible content, and the rise of asynchronous business models.
Here's a detailed look at the key insights from the podcast and the forecasted trends for 2024:
AI Revolutionizing Course Creation
Dr. Copp discusses the role of AI as a valuable tool in generating course ideas, outlining content, creating lesson plans, designing supplementary materials, and crafting bonuses. The implementation of AI Teaching Assistant training programs equips course creators to leverage AI for accelerated course development while ensuring that it complements, rather than replaces, human ingenuity and creativity.
Microlearning: Embracing Short, Digestible Courses
With the modern audience's demand for bite-sized, easily consumable content, the trend towards microlearning has accelerated. Dr. Copp emphasizes the effectiveness of delivering information in concise, focused modules, catering to the busy lifestyles and shorter attention spans of learners. This approach enhances information retention and accessibility, defining a new standard for course structure and design.
Private Podcast Feeds: The Future of Content Delivery
The integration of private podcast feeds has emerged as a must-have feature in online courses. Dr. Copp highlights its utility in maximizing the learning experience, providing guidance on supplemental resources, and fostering motivation and mindset support. This feature capitalizes on the nature of podcasts, enabling students to engage with course content during daily commutes, workouts, or other activities.
Creating Inclusive and Accessible Courses
Acknowledging the need for inclusivity, she talks about the importance of providing accessible content for individuals with disabilities. Dr. Copp emphasizes the implementation of closed captions, alternative text for images, and keyboard navigation options, as well as compatibility with screen readers. This commitment to accessibility ensures that courses are reachable and equitable for all learners.
Mini Courses: A Path to Quick Skill Acquisition
The episode further explores the rising popularity of mini courses—an approach that offers targeted learning outcomes in a condensed format. Dr. Copp stresses the appeal of mini courses due to their affordability, quick skill acquisition, and potential as upsell opportunities for comprehensive courses or coaching programs. Moreover, mini courses provide a low-risk avenue for creators to experiment with new concepts and swiftly respond to market demands.
Asynchronous Business Models: Catering to Flexible Learning
Lastly, she talks about the paradigm shift towards asynchronous learning, where participants engage with course content at their convenience. Dr. Copp stresses the significance of providing robust support systems, such as community interaction platforms and asynchronous teaching methods, in ensuring that learners achieve their anticipated transformations.
In conclusion, we learn that while technological advancements and evolving trends reshape the landscape of online course creation, certain foundational principles remain unchanged. Dr. Destini Copp reiterates the enduring importance of passion and expertise, the articulation of a clear value proposition, customer-centricity, pragmatic monetization strategies, continuous improvement, and ethical standards in the context of online course creation.
Digital product creators are encouraged to navigate the shifts in online education and continue to innovate while upholding the essential values that underpin effective course development and impactful learning experiences.
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Transcript:
Dr. Destini Copp [00:00:00]:
Welcome back to another episode of the Creators MBA podcast. I'm your host, Dr. Destini Copp. I'm super excited that you are tuning in to listen today. And as I was thinking about the content of this episode and what I wanted to chat with you about, I realized how much things have changed in the world of digital product creation and online courses in general just in the past year. So I wanted to take a few minutes to talk about these changes and also some of my predictions for 2024. And I think we all can agree that AI has changed digital product creation and marketing for our businesses. And I know a lot of people have, you know, different opinions about this, but for me, I really look at it as a tool to streamline processes, product development, and content creation, which online courses fall into all of this. And I do think that one area where AI excels is helping you come up with online course ideas.
Dr. Destini Copp [00:01:12]:
I really look at it as being like a virtual brainstorming partner that helps you come up with course topics and outline content, all in a way that resonates with your audience. And you can even use AI in creating your course lessons that are tailored to your course outline and the learn the outline and the learning outcomes for your students. You can Even use AI to help you with creating the course content for your course lesson slides and your speaker notes. Another area that you can use AI in is helping you design your course supplemental materials. So this may be your workbooks, your worksheets, your cheat sheets, really anything that you want to put together to help your Students get to that finish line faster. You can even use AI to help you create your course bonuses. So it can help you come up with some Awesome bonuses. And then help you create the content for these bonuses.
Dr. Destini Copp [00:02:19]:
So you have to have these bonuses because that will help you increase the value proposition of your offer and really make your course irresistible to your students so that when they're at on your sales page, they're looking at it, they're reading through it, they're like, yes. I gotta have this when they get down to those bonuses. So knowing all of this, we recently updated our flagship course in a box program with what we're calling AI Teaching assistant trainings to help you use AI in all of these areas to really fast track your course creation. Now you're not going to use it to completely create your course. Right? You're gonna use it as a tool. So as an example, we put in a Course idea generator. We put in a outline optimizer training, so helping you create your course outline. We put in a digital lesson planner training, a resource designer training, and also a bonus builder training.
Dr. Destini Copp [00:03:24]:
And all of these are designed, like I said, to help you fast track all areas of your course development with AI. Now another trend in online courses, and I think this has been, you know, kind of coming for the past few years, but it really, really came to ahead in 2023, and that is microlearning. So this is making sure that your course has very Short, bite sized lessons. So here's the thing, people are busy, and they have extremely short attention spans. And when you have what I call these microlearning modules that are delivered in really small, Easily digestible chunks. This allows your students to consume information easier and retain it better. So I recently bought a course from a very well known entrepreneur. And if I Said his name, you would absolutely recognize him.
Dr. Destini Copp [00:04:27]:
But when I got into the course, I noticed a couple of things. Number 1, that he had these long master class type videos. And number 2, when I contacted his customer Support. And I was like, you know what? I don't have time to sit down and watch these, you know, hour, hour and a half long master class type videos. But if you have a private podcast, I'll definitely listen to them. And they they're you know? And they were like, nope. We don't have anything like this. I was like, Seriously, it's 2023, you know, going into 2024.
Dr. Destini Copp [00:05:02]:
I was like, there's no way I'm gonna sit at my computer and watch these hour long plus videos. I just don't have the time for that, which brings me to the next must have trend or must have option for your course in 2024, and that is a private podcast feed. I include a private podcast feed with everything that we do, whether we're selling just a a workshop or online courses or one of our virtual So much anything that has video, I include a private podcast fee for that. So I've already said that your students are busy. Right? They're commuting to work. They're taking kids to school. They're working out, and they want to turn all of these activities into valuable learning opportunities. So they wanna maximize their time.
Dr. Destini Copp [00:05:55]:
So you can even use your private podcast feed to walk your students through any supplemental resources. You can give them tips on how to complete it, or you can even just use it as a motivation Or mindset resource. There's a ton of opportunities there, which brings me to the next trend, and that is Accessibility. And this is really just making sure that your course is inclusive and accessible to people with disabilities. So this may include providing closed captioning for videos, alternative text for images. It may have, like, Keyboard keyboard navigation options or really any compatibility with screen readers or even having that private podcast feed for people who need that and, you know, that is the the better way, I should say, for them to learn. Now the next trend, and I'm moving through these very quickly. Now the next trend that I wanna talk about Really falls in line with what we've been discussing already today, and that is micro courses, also known as mini courses or Short courses.
Dr. Destini Copp [00:07:10]:
Now these type of courses typically consist of very brief, Short, focused lessons that cover specific topics or skills in a condensed format, and here is why they have become so popular. With a mini course or a short course or whatever you wanna call it, You get what we call a quick skill acquisition. So these micro courses, they're really designed to deliver targeted learning outcomes in a short amount of time. When I'm saying short amount of time, I'm generally talking, You know, 30 minutes or an hour at most. Now you're gonna have that broken out into many videos as we've talked about, but short amount of time, They're coming into this course to learn a quick skill. So this appeals to busy people, which we know we have a lot of them out there who are looking to acquire a new skill or knowledge very quickly without committing to long term courses for long term pros programs. And another reason why these many courses Have become so popular is affordability. So they're often priced at a lower cost compared to what you would be like your traditional Signature type offer, which really makes them more accessible to a wider audience.
Dr. Destini Copp [00:08:37]:
So this affordability factor really removes, Any financial barriers for people who may be hesitant to invest in these longer, more expensive type courses for programs. Now from a business owner perspective, so if you're looking at it from your perspective, they've also become popular as like upsell opportunities, trip wires, or upsells, or, you know, downsells or whatever. And they can also serve as an entry port Or even a lead magnet for some of your larger, more comprehensive courses or coaching programs. So what you're doing, You're giving your audience really just a taste of your learning style through that particular mini course, And that allows you to attract those potential customers, and you can upsell them to your higher priced offers, at a later date. The other reason that a lot of people like these, and I know I do, and this is a little bit, Kinda out of the box unique thing is that it really does allow you to experiment with new ideas, new Topics, new formats without investing a significant amount of time and resources in creating this full blown program. So you can kinda test the market with this mini course if you would. So it allows you to kinda stay ahead and respond upon very quickly to market demands. It allows you to kinda, you know, modify or iterate on your offers and really just Stay ahead of the competition.
Dr. Destini Copp [00:10:15]:
So there's a ton a ton of benefits there. And I will tell you, our course in a box program, it focuses on helping you create These mini courses or these micro courses, and that's another reason why I absolutely love that program. It's our flagship program. We have a lot of students who have gone through that program successfully. Now the next thing that I want to talk about is More, it's it's been around for a while, but it's definitely becoming more of a trend. I see people moving more towards this in 2024, and that is an asynchronous business model. So with everybody's schedules becoming so busy, whether that is yours or your students', These type of models are becoming more popular. But what exactly does this mean? You're like, Destini, I've never heard that term before.
Dr. Destini Copp [00:11:10]:
And it simply means that people participate in your course content or your course or your program at a time that is convenient for them. This doesn't mean that they don't want your support or need your support or support of the community. It simply means that they don't wanna be required to attend a live session at a specific time to get support. And quite frankly, for a lot of you, it can be almost impossible to coordinate, especially if you have students, from all over the world. So what does this mean, and how can you support your students to make sure They are achieving your promised transformation. Now this may mean that you have a community, like on heartbeat or mighty networks or school, where they can interact with each other and get their questions answered. You may have a place in that community where they can have, quote, unquote, conversations about a lesson or a podcast episode. You might have a place where they can submit questions and you answer them in a weekly video or, a pod a q and a podcast episode.
Dr. Destini Copp [00:12:22]:
Even though they aren't coming to a live master class or training that you're hosting, Doesn't mean that you still can't support them and help them get to that promised transformation. In fact, I have moved almost all of my online businesses to, I'm a say almost. I'm, like, very, very closely. They are a 100% asynchronous business model. And keep in mind, I host Virtual summits. I do challenges. I have a membership, and I rarely, rarely do live sessions. So it can definitely be done, and students love this model.
Dr. Destini Copp [00:13:00]:
I even have 1 on 1 coaching, and we don't do Live Zoom calls. We do coaching in other ways. So we've talked a lot about what has changed. Now let's talk about what Hasn't changed because at the core, we are still there to support our students. Right? We're They're there to support our customers. We're there to make sure that they get the promised transformation that we are selling them. So one thing that hasn't changed is the importance of passion and expertise. So You as an entrepreneur, you as the creator, you still have to have a very, very deep understanding and enthusiasm, right, for the topics that you're teaching.
Dr. Destini Copp [00:13:50]:
Because if you don't, that's gonna make it very difficult to engage with your audience and deliver valuable content. So that has not changed. The other thing that hasn't changed is your Value proposition or what you're selling. Right? You still must articulate a very clear value proposition for your online course. And talk about what unique skills or knowledge or experiences do you offer? How will your course benefit your students and address their needs. What is your promise transformation? How are you gonna get them from point a to point b? So that hasn't changed. The other thing, and I'm probably most passionate about this, is the other thing that hasn't changed is having a Customer centric approach. So you have to have that customer kinda at the core, at the middle of Everything you're doing, whether it's course development, develop you know, developing the course, delivering the course, you know, understanding the needs of your audience, Your their preferences, their pain points, all of that is critical for creating course content that resonates and delivers Real value to them.
Dr. Destini Copp [00:15:05]:
So you're still building those relationships. You're still soliciting feedback from your audience, And you're still, you know, taking that and making improvements because that's gonna be the key to your success. The other thing that hasn't changed are your monetization strategies. Right? These may evolve. Things may change in that, but, really, the fundamental principles of marketing and business revenue generation hasn't changed. So you might look at different things like whether are you gonna do, like, a onetime Purchase, if you're gonna have a subscription model, are you gonna do upsells, premium offers? And there's a lot of different ways that you can pull together your digital product Portfolio. But you still need a way to monetize your expertise. And, again, The other thing that hasn't changed is the need for continuous improvement, and this is the case for, frankly, every single business out there.
Dr. Destini Copp [00:16:03]:
I don't care if you're an Apple Or Amazon or Microsoft or what have you, you still have to continue continuously improve. So you have to be willing to adapt, iterate, and evolve your courses, your course content based on market feedback, changing trends, Any emerging technologies, you have to do that to stay competitive and meet the needs of your audience. And quite frankly, that's One of the main reasons why we went in and did a complete overhaul of Course in a Box because a lot of things have changed, right, just in the past year related to AI. So we went it when we went through that complete course and updated it. Another thing that hasn't changed are maintaining ethical standards. So you have to have Ethics and integrity in course creation, in your delivery, that is absolutely paramount. You have to be transparent, honest. You have to Expect the learner's time and their investment.
Dr. Destini Copp [00:17:04]:
All of those are critical for long term success. So there you go. I've talked about some of the Trends that we've seen in the online course creation industry, some of my predictions as we move forward in 2024, and some of the must Tabs out there. If you have any questions whatsoever or just wanna touch base, I'd love for you to DM me on Instagram. Let me know that you Listen to this episode. Let me know what was your biggest takeaway. I'd love to know what kind of resonated with you and what hit home. And I will be here next week.
Dr. Destini Copp [00:17:43]:
And bye for now.