I Got The Most Out Of My Online Course – This is How
I completed my Graphic Design Course in Udemy last week on Wednesday. Confession- I feel like I gained more than I paid for! This was my second time doing an online course, after an Online writing course I did two years ago.
On the same Online course, I still felt like I gained more than what I paid for lol. I actually got my first job a month after joining the course. I had dropped out of the classes two weeks earlier because the course was too detailed and I didn’t see the need to consult my trainers hahahahaha. Please don’t be like me.
This has given me the impression that I might be having a few tips on how I study online to gain the most from the courses.
Apart from owning a very detailed and precise Online Article Writing Course, I also conduct face to face training, but at a higher fee. That comes the cost of time, presence, and the many apparent advantages that come with this setup.
Most of my students prefer the online course because they either live in a different city, or they cannot raise the face to face training fee.
Now back to business;
I have noticed that some students really struggle to gain from an online course. I know this for sure because I’ve trained students who are currently doing so well in the field. I was even shocked that some students didn’t believe they could earn online, and now they’re so excited about their new flexible jobs as they call it.
This is among my most extended intro ever – I did that intentionally to make you understand why I’m the right person to be advising you on these.
Now here are my top tricks and tips;
Contact your trainer frequently
Look here, when you don’t contact your trainer, they assume that everything is okay with you even if all is not well. I’m the naughty student that will reach out to my trainer even when my training is going on well lol. I will look for as little excuse as;
Hi Robbert, I just want to say a big thank you for taking the time to create this course. I’m on chapter 3 of the curriculum, and I am honestly enjoying the transparency. Thanks a lot. ( Oh well I just copy-pasted this from what I wrote to my trainer).
You see, I’m being honest, and at the same time, want to keep in touch with my trainer, and assure of his excellent work. Now the whole secret behind this is to be noted for a good reason.
Let’s be realistic; we are human, and we get motivated by such small things. The next time I get stuck with something in the course, the trainer will reply with a different picture of me at the back of his mind.
If being nice to people is not your thing, I still have what could suit you; how about actively participating? Such as asking questions, asking for clarification, starting a discussion about a particular topic, etc..
Just make sure you check in often. Personally, I provide my email and a WhatsApp number to all my students, so they can feel free to chat me. Always speak out immediately whenever you fall behind.
NB; I treat all my students equally.
Self-discipline
This one is the critical determiner of the course output. From experience, only enrol to a course you feel like you really need it. Please do not put your hard-earned money to waste, by registering to a system, only to lazy through it. Have the zeal, and the urge to gain from it, and that’s the only time you’ll find the course helpful.
If you sign up for a course with a different mentality than that, it’s going to be so useless to you. Ensure that you stick to the limits and integrate some personal time with your typical schedule.
The littlest points matter
When I was taking my online writing course – if only I hadn’t taken in the minimal instructions, I wouldn’t be having this blog. I trusted my trainer so much, such that I wanted to follow into his exact footsteps.
I never went into the next chapter before doing away with everything he recommended in the previous chapter. I took the course with an extremely positive mind and knew that the outcome would depend on my attitude.
Every single time I remember studying that course, I feel so proud of my mentor Walter Akolo.
I discovered that Writing is so comprehensive, and during the training, you need to know more than putting a well-written article on a paper. The deeper side of it goes to learning how to get clients, how to avoid being scammed in the industry, how to write winning proposals, where you’ll find genuine clients, how to set your prices, etc..
To know all of these, you must have the attitude of taking everything written in the course seriously . otherwise you’ll put all your effort on learning how to write an article, then after that, you’ll be wondering what next lol.
In all these struggles, you left every information in the course. Do you know what will be next? Yes. Calling your trainer all sought of names.
Act.
Regular Revisions
I just finished revising my course one month later, and this is something I’ve really considered a lot. By the way, most online courses, especially writing-related ones, lack this. The highest number of revision changes I’ve experienced is 2.
I somehow understand, because it takes so much to edit an article, now talk of 4 of them lol. Because I want to stand out, I’ve done excellently well to give my students five revisions, so I can get to know their exact weaknesses.
More than three revisions should help you identify the areas you’re doing good in, and those you’re poor at. By the time you submit your fifth revision, you should be a pro! On that note, make maximum use of the google, and follow every instruction on your course, so that in case you get a correction, it’ll be a very new one.
To wrap it up,
your success during your online learning is dependant on how engaged you are. Be open to the subject material, be consistent, and have the urge to gain from it. You paid for that, so ensure to reap the benefits, and create your own course too, years later! That’s what I did, and that’s what I want from all my students….even more.