7 things you need to know about online courses
What to look out for when searching for courses online
It may have struck you that online courses are becoming increasingly popular. On the one hand, more and more people are turning to this alternative form of learning, and on the other, the supply of such courses itself seems to be getting bigger.
In fact, this trend is far from recent, although the quarantine surrounding the coronavirus pandemic has accelerated it considerably. Precisely because this sector of the economy is booming at the moment, I wanted to talk about what we need to pay attention to when choosing an online course.
Before we go any further, let's be clear that these tips are universal and it doesn't matter what field you want to pursue. That is to say, whatever examples you come across in the text, their conclusions apply everywhere.
1. Who offers the courses?
At first glance this question may seem trivial, but before you sign up for a course (especially if it is paid) it is important to stop for a moment and think about who is offering it and why.
We are not talking about the lecturers and their expertise at all. We'll cover that in a moment. Typically online courses are offered by 3 main groups of people:
individual speakers
companies (such as Google, CISCO, Adobe, etc.)
educational agencies (e.g. language schools)
In some cases it is possible to compare the merits of a course depending on whether it is offered by an agency, a company or an individual lecturer. This is because these three sources of information focus on different levels and aspects of training.
Your needs, expectations and desired outcomes should play a major role in your choice of which course to take. Let's say you want to become an expert in Photoshop. Maybe it seems tempting to buy the whole set of courses offered by Adobe, at the end of which you will also receive a certificate.
Before you pay a hefty sum for this set, ask yourself if it's worth it and if you actually need this certificate. Wouldn't it be more practical to first take a Photoshop for Beginners course that some individual lecturer on the internet offers? This way you will find out if you actually enjoy working with photoshop and if you want to deepen your knowledge in this field without paying huge fees.
Before we move on to the next point, I want to tell you one more thing - everybody sells online courses to make money from them, but this shouldn't bother you because it's not in the interest of the trainer (whoever they are) to offer you a poor quality course. In the online space, it is very quickly apparent who is really an expert and who is only pretending to be one.
2. Pay attention to the lecturers
As mentioned in point 1, it is very important who will teach the course you are considering. You don't want to give your money to someone who has copied someone else's course and passes it off as their own do you? Unfortunately the internet is full of all sorts of fictional specialists who are just looking to take your money without offering anything of value in return. The good news is that you can tell the real experts from the charlatans.
Before you sign up for a course, research the speaker or speakers carefully. Search the internet for information about him or her. See where he has worked, what he has achieved so far and what he is doing now. In general, the easier it is to find out information about a lecturer, the more likely it is that he or she really deserves your trust.
I once came across a great ad for an online course that promised amazing things, but the moment I started looking for information about the speaker, I found almost nothing. All the reviews about him were only on his website. This made me think that maybe he wasn't quite the guru he was making himself out to be.
I encourage you to look for references from previous students on various forums and Facebook groups. Usually people who have been on a course with a particular lecturer will give you their honest impressions. I know this will take time, but in the end you don't want to waste your time and money looking at a course that isn't worth it right?
Have you watched the movie Catch me if you can? Remember the scene where they asked the main character Frank Abignale (for those who haven't seen the movie - he's a consummate con man who keeps getting cast in different roles) how he managed to con everyone and become a sociology professor at Brigham Young University without having any in-depth knowledge of the subject?
And do you remember what he said to them? The answer was, "All I had to do was stay one lesson ahead of the rest of them."
I remind you of this scene because the internet is full of professors like Frank Abignale.
3. Always look at the syllabus in advance
Now that you know why it's important to research the speaker ahead of time, it's time to move on to the program.
Always, absolutely always, review the program before signing up for a course. Study it thoroughly to determine if the topics covered in the course are actually what you need. Sometimes it's hard to judge whether a course is for you and suits your level of competence, so I advise you to look carefully at the topics and even make a list of things that are familiar and completely unfamiliar.
Then mine through that list and research more about each individual topic on the internet. This will give you a more realistic idea of what you can learn from this course.
If you're an absolute beginner, I encourage you to find a cheap course on Udemy or Teachable that will get you into the subject. It won't make you an expert, but it will help you pick the right courses for you in the future.
One more thing. When you're looking at a course syllabus, pay attention to whether it has exercises embedded in it. Theory is important, but ultimately you want to learn how to do things, not just know on paper how they happen. That's why I advise you to go for courses that will give you at least a few practical case studies to solve. They will help you learn and remember the theoretical part faster.
4. Courses with recorded lectures or courses with live lectures?
Another thing to think about before enrolling in a particular course is to find out whether the lectures you'll be watching are pre-recorded or live.
Both approaches have their pros and cons. Here are a few of them:
Pre-recorded courses - the main advantage of this format is that it is much more convenient. It's entirely up to you when you watch the lectures - 6am, 3pm, on the way to work... You choose when you study and at what pace you study. You are in no way obliged to be at the computer at a specific day and time.
Of course, this takes away the possibility of a live connection with the teacher and the other students. In this case, the only option for communication with the lecturer and others is via email or Facebook groups created specifically for the course (the most common practice). This often leads to a delay in responses because it is very likely that the lecturer receives dozens or hundreds of emails per day, which he or she fails to respond to in time.
Real-time online courses - quite naturally, the main plus here is that since the lectures are live in front of you, you can always virtually raise your hand and ask the lecturer a question. This way you don't have to waste time writing emails explaining in detail what your case is. Plus, since there are probably other students whose questions are different from yours, you often get interesting group discussions from which you can learn a lot and which will broaden your perspective and knowledge.
And you guessed it yourself, with real-time online courses you will be more limited and will have to be online at a specific day and time.
5. Where are online courses offered?
You can actually find online courses anywhere on the internet. Even YouTube has plenty of free online courses. It's true that most of them are for beginners, but that doesn't mean they are necessarily of poor quality or won't teach you anything. I'd even say that I've come across outrageously useful courses on YouTube and felt slightly embarrassed for getting so much knowledge for no money.
However, if you want to learn the basics, I recommend you go for paid courses. A lot here really depends on what level you're at and why you want to take a course. If you want to improve your professional qualifications and get a training certificate that is really valued by employers, I advise you to look for courses offered by reputable companies. For example, Google, CISCO, Adobe and other technology companies offer very specific courses that cover a topic but in depth. Also, many universities are creating their own online courses that are accessible to the general public and anyone can sign up for them, even if they are not a student or have no college degree at all.
On the other hand, if you're just a beginner who's just getting into a field, it might make more sense to take a look at what's available on popular platforms like Udemy, Teachable, and Coursera. When choosing a course on one of these platforms, be sure to take enough time to research the speakers. You already know why this is important.
6. Does price determine quality?
At least from my experience, I would say that the correlation between price and quality is not always right. However, here again the leading factor is your current knowledge and expectations.
However, there is not always logic on the internet and I have learned extremely valuable and practical things for free in the form of videos and blog articles. Of course, I've also been in a position where I've watched paid courses that didn't quite deliver the value I expected.
When it comes to paid courses, it's even more important to research the speakers and the curriculum, otherwise you might end up in a situation where you've given a lot of money for something that won't actually be useful to you.
That's my strategy when choosing a course. If I'm a complete beginner and I just want to familiarize myself with the topic and gain some basic knowledge, I usually search for information on Google and YouTube first. Only after I learn the basics do I start looking around for courses. Ideally, I have already found authorities on the subject on the internet and I am willing to pay for their course, as long as they offer one of course.
In the more complicated version, I have to go the other way around - I find courses and then look for opinions and information about the lecturers.
Don't get me wrong. I'm not trying to save money because I'm a cheapskate. However, I'm not willing to give it blindly to people who are self-proclaimed experts. Plus there's no guarantee that reputable experts won't let you down either. This has happened to me as well.
7. Online courses won't make you a pro
Just like a college degree doesn't guarantee you're an expert in a field, online courses alone won't make you the expert you want to be.
If you haven't figured it out by now, the only way to get really good in your chosen field is to work. No course can replace practice, because no course can anticipate and address all the problems you will encounter in a real-world environment.
However, the more you work, the more problems you encounter and then you are obliged to find solutions for them. In fact, this is when the real learning happens and your creativity is unleashed. When you look for solutions, you consider many alternatives and different points of view and at some point your brain connects everything you have learned before and now and arrives at a real and workable solution.
Well, now you know what to look out for when you're searching for an online course. Remember that although very useful and convenient, courses are not enough. Always aim to test what you learn in a real-world environment as quickly as possible. This way you gain experience and learn more effectively.