The unique online course is a combination of the expert’s knowledge, market research, best-practice educational methodology, pricing, quality control, and the platforms where you will host it. 

• How will an online course be made and delivered?
• What are the available options in traditional and new learning processes?
• What is its ultimate function?
• How will the course be structured for maximum effect? 
• Do you need to put all your knowledge and expertise in one place or create smaller courses?

There are a few stages of online course creation.

1. Pre-Production stage

This is the most important stage of the process that most course creators don’t think about.

In this stage, you should create the full project blueprint – the plan – and later just follow it.

First, you need to decide who course customers are. Who will you help? Usually, it’s done Vice-versa: first product, then looking at how to help the customer. If you are not solving the problem your customers have, no one will care about your course.

Name your course so your customers can identify what problem it solves or what dream it helps to achieve.

Next, prepare the structure for your course. How many modules will you have to prepare? How many lessons will each module contain? What is the overall duration of the course? The goal here is not to have 40 hours of “amazing content.” It’s better to have 2-3 hours of really consumable content that delivers results to your ideal client.

The next thing you need to decide on is branding and preparing all the possible templates you will need for your project. I can’t stress how important this step is in the whole process… If it is done wrong, you can spend up to six additional months in your post-production process. I’m talking about these templates: presentation files, downloadable document files, video graphic templates, transitions, lower-thirds, logo animations, lesson intros and outros, and music options.

Prepare all downloadable files (at least the list of the files you want to prepare).

Do a course lesson video shooting test – as many times as possible before going into the real production stage. The first videos will not be the best ones, but you need to see it yourself and experience it. Better to do it with someone who understands what the end result should look like and who can help you to go through this process.

If you plan to shoot not only the video course but also the marketing material for an online course, you should prepare all of it in advance, too.

Next, prepare every minute of the shooting day schedule. That's where your video shooting tests will be used in practice. You will know how much time you need for each lesson, plus have in mind that you need to take at least 2.5x more time than your lesson, just in case you need to do a few takes of that scene.

Location scouting is also an important part of the process. Before going to shoot your videos, go to the location and check it. All ambient sound can cause big issues in post-production. The premises should be totally soundproof. Check the depth of the room and the background. Even take the cameras with you and shoot a few angles to decide in advance what angle you will use for the production date. What natural light sources are there? What additional things do you need to bring on the production day for your scene setup?.

Prepare your video project structure: folders and files in advance. You should lack only the raw material of the content.

Prepare all video, audio, and lighting equipment lists in advance. Make a list of the video shooting day team.

Think about your image on the camera: clothes and style.

Now you will be ready for your production day(s).

2. Production stage

At this stage, you basically prepare the raw material of the end product. The most important thing here is to get a good quality image, sound, lighting, and content.

Don’t forget to have simple make-up so your face isn’t shiny.

If you plan to include your presentation screen in your end product, you need to record your screen, too. Shoot the course with at least two cameras from different angles.

Smile during the shoot! Try to control your intonation, how you speak. Step into the shoes of your listener. Be more entertaining. Nobody wants to listen to a boring speech. Explain, give examples and tell stories that involve people more in your content and make your content unique.

Do short introductions before every shot you take. Use the film clapper and mark each scene before shooting the take. Have notes during the shoot, as this will save tons of time for editors later. If some takes were not useful, note them.

Pause every 1.5-2 hours of shooting.

3. Post-Production stage

This part of the process is a bit technical. Video and audio editing. Content reviews. Color grading. Caption preparation. Putting all parts together for the end product. If all homeworks was done right in the first part, and all raw materials were prepared without glitches (and if video and audio were captured correctly), there should be no problems assembling everything quickly and delivering it to your online course-hosting system.

4. The testing stage

The final stage of product development is careful beta testing and feedback from real-world audiences.

• Does the product produce the results it promises?
• How can it be improved?
• How might marketing be adjusted to more closely suit the audience?

If you plan to create an online course or
want to update your current one or
already have one and want to start selling it