What to Consider When Choosing an Online Course Platform
Some creators have difficulty choosing the right online course platforms for their online courses because they have been spoilt of choice or are simply not aware of the criteria to follow. The tools you chose to help you in online education have a lot to do with the earnings you get from your online course and the value of the information you feed to your learners. If you are an online course creator and have no knowledge about what an ideal online course platform should look like, you are likely to settle on the wrong choices.
Let’s dig in and find out more about the considerations you should make before settling on an online course platform and what an essential platform should look like.
1. Easy to Use Interface
This should be a no-brainer. An online course platform that is practical and has an easy-to-use interface helps you maximize your efforts as the creator while at the same time focusing on creating quality content for your online students. The platform you settle on should have an integrated creator interface and be straightforward so that learners are not misled or taken through a hard time trying to follow up on the course.
An online course platform with an easy-to-use interface should make it easy for you to build lessons, collect payment from your students and upload content for your students. The best online course platforms are fitted with a reliable support team who responds immediately when you encounter difficulty using the platform and need solutions. Most online course platforms provide an option for a free trial, which is a great opportunity to explore how the platform works and if it is right for your online course.
2. Clear Pricing Plans
The perfect hosting solution has clearly spelled out pricing plans suitable for your needs. Different platforms have different pricing plans, with others making charges per class taken or per hour taught, with others having no charges at all. When choosing the ideal platform, go for one that is transparent and has clear payment statements instead of one with hidden fee features that will show up after you have invested a reasonable amount.
Depending on the creator’s needs, different course platforms offer multiple payment options. A platform with a fixed annual or monthly payment plan with no additional commissions from your earnings is the best solution to settle on. Either way, the goal is to choose a platform that gives you no stress regarding the payment part. Stay away from hosting platforms that have low prices initially but double them up when you start reaping benefits.
3. Does It Allow for Content Customization?
Ease of customization is a top-tier consideration when choosing an online course platform. The content that you provide to your students should be tailored as needed using your professional judgments, and the right platform should make this process super-fast and easy. Students are attracted to lively online courses and are fitted with all kinds of illustrations from demonstrative videos, real-life connections, and case studies.
These illustrations help to stand in where face-to-face interactions are not available so that the student is not left out on any crucial information. This is the 21st century, and any online course creator ought to consider this not only for the sake of their students but also to improve the value of your online course.
4. It Should have the Right Features Required in your Online Course
Nothing sounds better for a creator than a platform with features that helps in the effective organization of the teaching process. Once you identify the right teaching style, narrow it down to the solutions favorable for your online students and choose the right features. These are:
• Automated live training and live calls
For live calls and training, you require a feature to create the timetable, create lessons, present topics and introduce precise lesson descriptions.
• Video courses
Online course creators should make use of this feature to publish content and make it available to users on the platform.
• Certifications
Certifications are proof of attained knowledge and skills. Having a feature to automatically generate their certificates with their makes and other details makes your course more professional.
• Tests and Quizzes
The goal behind an online course is to get results. The test and quiz feature helps check the progress made by your trainees and where corrections are necessary.
Importance of Online Course Platforms
Ever asked yourself what benefits an online course platform gives? A platform is more than a tool to be utilized and offers unique training and development to your online crowd. Some of the supposed benefits of an online course platform include:
• It Puts You in Control of the Curriculum
As the creator, you get to utilize the platform in any way you like. These platforms also have a user-friendly back-end experience to monitor the progress of students and the payment scheme.
• Is Flexible Compared to In-person Coursework
Every online creator craves flexibility, and online platforms make this possible by allowing the trainer to be available when they can. This means that the trainee can go about their normal duties with ease and still be able to attend the online course and do all that is required of them.
• Employees Can Work at their Own Pace
Through online course platforms, your employees can work without pressure by simply prioritizing what is needed of them at the moment and what is not needed. A reputable online course platform is a forum that helps pay attention to important aspects while leaving out the unimportant ones.
Final Thoughts
Easier said than done; your online course value is not only measured by the type of platform you choose to use but rather by the content you incorporate in your online course and the relationship you develop with your students. As much as switching platforms along the way is a possibility, you can never guess the feature. This is why it is important to conduct a background check on the different types of available platforms and settle on the most appropriate.
There is a chance that you may want to revamp the course after a while and make it more advanced. This would be the perfect opportunity to reflect if a different platform would be ideal. Meanwhile, settle on something that is ideal for your needs and that of your online learners.
