How to Create an Online Course For Free

If you are concerned about the steps required to create an effective online course, this article from e-student.org may be of interest. It walks you through the non-technical steps that lead to good teaching and should be followed regardless of the eLearning platform you choose. 

In this step-by-step guide, Sander Tamm explains steps and pitfalls to avoid when setting up your course: How to Create An Online Course For Free

Once you have your course materials built, uploading them to our MobiFirst Academy platform and setting up your payment integration with Stripe or PayPal is easy. Using the MobiFirst Academy Free plan to test your wings is truly free (except for the optional SSL for a custom domain).

Sander introduces her guide in a folksy way that is easy to follow. She starts by saying, "Today, I’m going to teach you how to make online classes that attract students like a magnet. Contrary to popular belief, the process of creating online courses doesn’t require a large chunk of money. If you know what you are doing, you can develop profitable online courses at no cost whatsoever. While money can be used to speed up certain steps of online course creation, it’s not even close to a major determining factor for success. The truly crucial factors for success in designing courses are the ten steps listed in this article. As you will come to find out soon, 'take out your credit card' is not listed as one of those steps."

Sander continues, "Creating a best-selling online course requires time and effort, but not necessarily money. Above all else, researching your target audience and crafting a strong course outline will be your keys to success in the e-learning industry."

When she gets to step 5, Choose your Online Course Software or Platform, Sanders begins by stating, "There is fantastic software available that can help you get up and running with your online course business quicker than ever. But, contrary to a popular saying – the best things in life aren’t always free. You will have to spend some money to get your hands on the top software in this field."  We agree, and hope you will try some of the MobiFirst Academy's more advanced features to save you time for your money or otherwise enhance your training offering.

Here is a list of steps included in Sander's guide as copied from her table of contents.

1. Choose Your Course Topic
2. Identify the Target Audience
3. Gather and Structure Your Knowledge
4. Create an Online Course Outline
5. Choose Your Online Course Software or Platform
6. Create the Course Content
7. Make Sure Your Content is Engaging
8. Create a Community for Your Online Course
9. Gather Feedback for Your Online Course
10. Adapt, Improve and Update

Sanders elaborates on each of these 10 steps in a way you can understand and create your own first course for free.  She also shares additional helpful resources for course creators on her website at e-student.org.