"Another" 40 Tips on Making a Great Online Course

Create a consistent, creative course theme on Udemy by treating content as edutainment, aligning with the five academy branches, teaching with heart, and drawing on personal, artistic inspiration.

Capture timely course ideas on the go by jotting them in email drafts, tagging with a clear subject like 'add 40,' and later organizing them into a structured outline.

Offer students multiple file formats for downloads, such as PDFs alongside Word documents, and provide simplified Excel versions to improve compatibility and speed on older computers.

Anticipate questions to improve the student experience and use lower third graphics to signal upcoming topics, including practical notes on creating lower thirds with video editing tools or PowerPoint/Word.

Using props and tangible exhibits, this lecture demonstrates clear, hands-on explanations of bonds, interest rates, and game theory with real-world examples from Disney, Zimbabwe, and everyday finance.

Make your course international by avoiding country-specific humor and examples, and tailor content to students worldwide to ensure every country feels included.

Create innovative downloadable exercises beyond quizzes to boost engagement, such as Excel dashboards with image buttons linking to tabs or websites, and Word workbooks saved as pdf.

Calculate lesson length before recording with Microsoft Word word count, then convert to minutes with SpeechInMinutes.com. The example shows 67 words and about 45 minutes so far, plus off-script content.

Script your course in Microsoft Word across devices, format with heading levels and a hyperlink table of contents, and adopt the AFT S L naming system for subtitles and translations.

Inspiration arrives unpredictably; walking and other movement boost endorphins and mood, sharpening thinking. Isolate yourself in your genius zone, write until it feels effortless, then pause and repeat later.

Learn to write confidently from the heart by crafting unique, edutaining content that teaches and resonates with students, using music, videos, and your own voice.

Offer a traffic light navigation system (green for full course, yellow for skip ahead, red for a la carte) with a downloadable pdf outline and hyperlinks to Udemy lessons.

Reorder your scripted course content using header one and header two, an outline view, drag and drop sections and lessons, reshaping the structure before recording.

Include an early, high-impact exercise to deliver immediate value and help students apply concepts quickly. Remove or prune early lessons to get to the core material faster.

Design for mobile by optimizing lessons for smartphones with larger visuals and readable text. Use screen casting with green screening and a well-lit sheet to add graphics while avoiding shadows.

Master screen casting on Mac using QuickTime Player’s new screen recording to capture all or part of your screen, select a microphone, stop the recording, and upload to Udemy.

Learn to create screen casts on Windows using PowerPoint by recording your entire screen, choosing area, enabling audio and pointer, and exporting the video for editing in your Udemy videos.

Learn to provide internet resources the right way by avoiding YouTube, Dropbox, and link-shorteners, and hosting key videos and documents on your own website to prevent broken links.

Learn to set up camera, lighting, and audio for recording and edit from scratch in a three-part video series, with a navigable menu and a downloadable equipment PDF.

Learn to set up a home studio for online courses by configuring camera, lights, microphone, and computer, plus screencasting, video editing, and publishing to Udemy.

Record, edit, and upload Udemy videos using a simple home studio with backdrops and green screen, mastering iMovie or Adobe Premier, picture-in-picture, transitions, and 1080p delivery.

Upload a sample video to Udemy's fresh test video service for feedback on audio and video, and follow best practices like re-recording, plus join Studio U for gear tips.

Set up a teleprompter from scratch, including selecting the 669GL Lilliput HDMI unit, powering it, and mirroring PowerPoint text with a slide master 180-degree rotation for on-camera prompting.

Set up an attic recording space by hanging blankets around the computer, adding furniture to eliminate echoes, talk directly into the microphone, and use an air conditioner for cooling.

Adopt a healthier desk setup with a sit-stand option, a desk cycle footstand, and eye-level posture to improve typing comfort and longevity while creating courses.

Discover how to use makeup to reduce shine from bright lights, match skin tone with powder, and conceal blemishes for a polished, camera-ready look during filming.

Apply a caffeine eye roller from L'Oreal Hydra Energetic Men Expert to reduce under-eye bags and look less tired, especially for a job interview.

Twist the Colgate teeth whitener, a non-toothpaste gel, twice and rub it on your teeth; use at night for about a week before teaching to achieve whiter teeth.

Imagine teaching your future kids to stay personable and friendly, turning lessons into a one-on-one, heart-led experience, and sharing practical lessons from mistakes.

Learn practical strategies to stay upbeat while teaching, including pausing to draw a happy face, using a smiley reminder by the camera to enhance delivery.

Write in plain language to reach a global audience and keep content understandable. Use comparisons like the iPod or Intel brain to prevent translation loss and widen your addressable market.

Position on-screen images and text away from the bottom middle, and keep lower thirds off to the side to reserve space for closed captions and future auto captions.

Master adding and customizing images in PowerPoint and Keynote, from removing backgrounds and cropping to layering, transparency, color tweaks, and exporting as pictures for easy emailing.

Enhance your online course lessons with mood-driven background music from PremiumBeat and AudioBlocks, then export as MP3 and import into PowerPoint or iMovie.

Learn to create a complete video from scratch for a presentation, adding pictures and music with PowerPoint, Word, QuickTime, Google Earth, and Final Cut Pro.

Learn how I made and edited the previous lecture with Final Cut Pro, mixing background sounds, music, pictures, and videos, plus color, age-film effects, and reverse-clip techniques.

Share topics you want covered in next year's course in the Q&A, and we'll incorporate them; teach online is fun and easier with technologies, from the heart to help people.