Curious why online courses still matter? How have they remained significant in a world with new ways to teach online? Here’s six reasons why.

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Why Online Courses Still Matter (In a World with New Ways to Teach Online)

Accessibility

Something the internet isn’t always great at is accessibility. Think making content available across formats so that’s it’s suitably accessible for as many people as possible.

Consider how audio (and audio description if necessary) makes content accessible for Blind and Visually Impaired people.

How subtitles and transcripts can help Deaf and Hard of Hearing people, and and people whose first language isn’t English.

It’s also worth noting that online courses make learning accessible for people for whom attending real life classes isn’t possible for an array of reasons.

With online courses, you have the opportunity to include subtitles and transcripts for your video lessons. You can also include audio and text as well as video versions.

It’s worth investigating how useable your platform of choice is for people who use additional tech to operate a computer, such as screen readers. Simply contact your platform and ask about their accessibility.

Time zones

Online courses also provide a great alternative way to learn with you for people who live across time zones.

Well, I say time zones, but also anyone in your own time zone who works or has other commitments at the times you’re available for live lessons.

It can be frustrating for someone to discover you online, think you’d be a great fit to work with, only to find that you can only offer live lessons at 1am their time!

However, if someone wants to learn from you and spots you have an online course, this is a great way to keep people engaged and learning with you despite time zones.

Independent Learners

You know this already. Not all learners learn in the same way. Shock horror. Call the papers.

However, the reason this means online courses still matter is that they particularly suit a certain type of learner.

And I say this because I think it’s me!

I’m an independent self-driven learner, and I often learn better with an online course that I get to choose when I study.

That’s not to say I don’t enjoy group lessons or 1:1 classes, but there’s something I find empowering about online courses.

So I’m telling you this about myself because I know I’m not the only one!

There are other learners out there in your audience who want to learn from you, but not necessarily in the ways you currently offer. What they want is an online course.

Evergreen Passive Asset

So far, all the benefits of online courses have been for your students.

Well this one is a big benefit for you.

An online course can play whatever role you want it to play in your business.

If you want to do big live launches with your online course, you can.

If you’d prefer a once a year open and closed enrollment, you can.

Or, if you’re after an evergreen asset than can become part of the more passive side of your income, then you can make it that too.

Now, I don’t want to be too negative here, but I know the word ‘passive’ gets banded around a lot. And, I want to be clear about how I’m using it.

It will not be passive, completely hands off, never ever needs work. Nope.

There will be times when you want to regularly go in and tweak your evergreen email sequence, to edit where and how you mention it in your content and across your website, and to update the course itself.

That’s all totally fine though!

Because it will be something that pops up with sale notifications when you were least expecting it. That’s the joy of an evergreen passive asset.

Sample of Working Together

And finally, an online course acts as a great sample of working together.

Some people may not be ready to instantly dive in and work with you 1:1 or in your group program right away. That’s good!

Your online course might be what they need right now to get a particular answer to their question, and to also give them a taste of what it’s like to work with you.

In this instance, think of your online course as promotion you got paid for!

If you’re ever invited (or put yourself forward) to contribute to a bundle or bonus offer, an online course (or sample of it) also becomes a great asset that you can share freely or at a lower price in these instances.

Ideal Addition to Your Product Suite

Some online teaching businesses will focus purely on one thing. It could be 1:1 lessons, a group program, or any other method of teaching languages online.

However, for many online language teachers, you’ll have a product suite of different ways to work with you.

Online courses are a great addition to your product suite.

It’s likely that you have ‘bigger’ and ‘more intense’ ways of working with you. Think direct human support from you, whether that’s 1:1 or group work.

And perhaps you also have smaller ‘quick wins’ products available. Think books, workshop recordings and more.

Online courses fit nicely in between.

And the great thing is they can be as big or as small as you like.

For example, I have a small number of mini courses as well as a larger online course for language learners.

The mini courses (Vibrant Vocab and Music Maestro, for example) serve well to answer specific questions or solve specific problems for people.

And the larger online course, Successful Self-Study, is much more in depth.

Consider how and where online courses fit alongside your other products and services.

Make Your Next Online Course With Me!

Next week, exclusively for members of the Online Teaching Starter Kit, I’ll be teaching a live and updated edition of On Course.

On Course is my online course about online courses. So meta.

You’ll learn how to start, launch and promote your next online course, so you can get started right away without wasting time dilly-dallying on all the wrong stuff.

Join the Online Teaching Starter Kit now to join me live on Wednesday 27th September 2023 for On Course.