Creating eCourses For Dummies

Design and build online courses that you will deploy with joy

Need to create a course for your learners and don't know where to begin? Creating eCourses For Dummies will guide you through the process of creating engaging content around objectives and a solid instructional plan. In this book, you’ll find a feasible plan for designing and creating a course in a short time period, while leveraging technology, community building (if desired), accessibility, and engagement. Creating eCourses For Dummies encourages you to follow along chapter by chapter, creating a course as you go.

• Make the transition to online teaching and create a course quickly, step by step
• Choose the technology platforms that work best for you, or make the most of the ones you’re required to use
• Leverage existing content and content from other resources to build your course
• Tailor your content to your audience and cater to different learning preferences and styles

This is an excellent Dummies guide for new and veteran teachers, corporate trainers, entrepreneurs, small business owners, those with side hustles, and anyone else who needs a crash course on developing eCourses. This book will support you from beginning to end.

Introduction 1

Part 1: Getting Started with eCourses 5

Chapter 1: Examining the Concept of eCourses 7

Chapter 2: Identifying the Why for Your eCourse 19

Part 2: Planning for the Best Outcomes 29

Chapter 3: Identifying Your User and Their Needs 31

Chapter 4: Focusing on Accessibility 45

Chapter 5: Choosing the Right Resources for Your eCourse 61

Chapter 6: Your Presence Is a Present 77

Part 3: Putting All the Pieces Together 91

Chapter 7: Deciding What to Put in Your Course 93

Chapter 8: Designing an Interesting, Informative Course 111

Chapter 9: Factors Influencing Curriculum Analysis 141

Chapter 10: Upping Engagement with a Rolodex of Material 153

Part 4: Measuring Success 171

Chapter 11: Assessing Learner Outcomes 173

Chapter 12: Evaluating your eCourse 199

Part 5: Sharing Your eCourse with the World 223

Chapter 13: Marketing your eCourse to the Masses 225

Chapter 14: Making Money from Your eCourse 239

Part 6: The Part of Tens 249

Chapter 15: Ten Freeware (or Low Cost) Tools to Spice Up the Course 251

Chapter 16: Ten Checklists for a Great Start 263

Index 271

Amanda Rosenzweig, PhD, is the Assistant Dean of STEM at Delgado Community College, Canvas administrator, a meritorious professor of biology, and the director of Science Teacher Technology Training. She also created Teach and Learn/eProfessor, a multi-course series that focuses on online course development.

Your starting point for online instruction

Online courses, or eCourses, become more popular—and more necessary—every year. Creating eCourses For Dummies is a beginner-friendly guide for anyone who needs to quickly design and build an effective eCourse. You’ll identify learning objectives and create content that meets accessibility requirements. You’ll even get hands-on practice putting your own course together. Expert tips help you streamline the course creation process and keep tabs on learners. Prepare for launch, with this intro to eCourses.

Inside…

• Use your existing materials as content in a new eCourse
• Work with different platforms
• Create solid learning paths
• Locate useful resources
• Build effective assessments
• Storyboard your course
• Cater to diverse learners