By doing so, you\u2019ll cash in on the engagement that your content deserves.<\/p>\n
Are you ready to seriously<\/em> transform your online course and teaching strategy into an engaging experience for both you and your students?<\/p>\n In this article, I\u2019ll tap into the structure that a curriculum creates, cover what exactly a curriculum is, and how you can use it to your advantage.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s dive in\u2026<\/p>\n In short, a curriculum offers structure and purpose<\/em> for your students\u2019 learning experience. It ties together the objectives of how, when and<\/em> what your students learn.<\/p>\n This includes:<\/p>\n A curriculum is a blueprint that outlines how you deliver your knowledge to your students. With this blueprint, you can customize the learning experience in your own way without<\/em> losing sight of the main task at hand: delivering the outcomes of your course.<\/p>\n To go into this a little more, let me ask you a question.<\/p>\n Do you think that course creation and marketing are completely separate?<\/p>\n Your immediate response was probably yes. Try again.<\/p>\n They\u2019re two sides of the same<\/em> coin. And course curricula are the main link between the two.<\/p>\n A good curriculum brings consistent<\/em> engagement into your course, which raises the bar on the perceived value of your content with your students. To achieve this, you need to create a course for your students, rather than for your own gratification<\/em>.<\/p>\n Our CEO, Shane, calls this the Ivory Tower Problem<\/strong>. Where you\u2019re the onlooker that watches over, thereby separating yourself from your product and audience, rather than getting your hands dirty and being actively<\/em> involved.<\/p>\n This all sounds pretty important to me. Let\u2019s dig a little deeper\u2026<\/p>\n Curricula really<\/em> encourage you to think outside of the box when creating a course. The curriculum types we\u2019re about to look into cover all aspects of your students’ learning to create a well-rounded experience that an online course needs to be worth a $200+ price tag.<\/p>\n Before we get into this, I suggest making yourself some tea, getting comfy, and taking out a notepad and a pen.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s go\u2026<\/p>\n How will you measure your student\u2019s success?<\/p>\n An assessed curriculum is put together to test<\/strong> your students.<\/p>\n As a course creator, this is essential for you. It provides instant feedback on how your students learn through your content, and what areas might need improvement.<\/p>\n For students, regular assessment is the gratification and motivation they need to continue on with your course.<\/p>\n An assessed curriculum, also known as a tested curriculum, ranges from quizzes and projects to multiple choice questions and concept checking games. The more variety you include in your assessed curriculum, the more you understand how your students learn and respond to these testing methods.<\/p>\n When you don\u2019t know how to make a curriculum yourself, a recommended curriculum is a go-to for guidance. It comes from the education experts in your chosen field.<\/p>\n A recommended curriculum is a predefined bank of policies, including all the skills that students should learn in a chosen subject. It\u2019s very<\/em> data driven with very little on what students are interested in. So, it\u2019s best to use this type of curriculum as a starting point only<\/em>.<\/p>\n The expertise laboriously poured into this type of curriculum comes from a range of very official sources, including policy makers, legislators and accredited researchers in your chosen field.<\/p>\n You can take whatever you want from it to create a curriculum that meets your students\u2019 needs<\/em>.<\/p>\n To generate interest in your course, you need resources to stimulate your students’ curiosity in your subject. For this, you need a supported curriculum.<\/p>\n You\u2019ll need to put on your most creative hat to pull it all together. A supported curriculum draws on resources from just about anywhere<\/em> to boost the learning experience (hence why it\u2019s called a supported curriculum).<\/p>\n This can involve ebooks, companies that specialize in your subject, industry experts, mobile applications, artists, or thought leaders.<\/p>\n You get the point. It\u2019s literally<\/em> anything that isn\u2019t your course content, but related<\/em> to your course topic.<\/p>\n You\u2019re not supposed<\/em> to do anything with a hidden curriculum. Just be aware of it\u2026<\/p>\n A hidden curriculum is the unwritten rules of your chosen field of expertise, and teaching style. It asks you to think about what you do automatically<\/em> and don\u2019t intend to include in your course content.<\/p>\n It\u2019s like Fight Club \u2014 you don\u2019t talk about it, but you do it and you\u2019re expected to<\/em>. To make this more tangible, a hidden curriculum in an online course environment is measured by societal expectations, unique perspectives and business culture.<\/p>\n But only being aware of it is a huge<\/em> missed opportunity.<\/p>\n Perspective, society and business culture are all a part of your personal branding. This is essentially how you\u2019re teaching and your business is received<\/em> by your students. And it shines through in the language and tone of your content, and how you reach out to your students.<\/p>\n We\u2019re still in Fight Club.<\/p>\n An excluded curriculum very much does what it says on the tin\u2026 in an abstract way. It\u2019s what\u2019s deliberately not<\/strong> included in your course.<\/p>\n Educators have some genius sales techniques up their sleeves, and this is one of them. An excluded curriculum is not only a tactic for narrowing down your audience but also helps you zone in on what\u2019s important.<\/p>\n This is a golden ticket for boosting the perceived value of your course.<\/p>\n An excluded curriculum allows you to unapologetically state what your course is, by clearly defining what it is NOT. It gives you space to become super niche in your field of expertise and cut out any of the fluff that would be there otherwise.<\/p>\n PLUS, what you don\u2019t include, you can always create another course with.<\/p>\n Okay, we\u2019re back on comfortable ground.<\/p>\n What will your students get out of<\/em> your course? This is a learned curriculum.<\/p>\n It covers what your students will learn in your course and be able to do by the end of it. This is the most common type of curriculum, and forms the backbone for your online course. Most importantly, this is what your content will be focused around.<\/p>\n Important note:<\/strong> While these are the defined types, to create a curriculum that works well, it\u2019s best to mix and match.<\/p>\n Curriculum types layer on top of each other to make a well-rounded learning experience that best suits your students needs and wants.<\/p>\n With this in mind, it\u2019s time we move on\u2026<\/p>\n Nurture your ideas and research to create a curriculum that engages your students in your course.<\/p>\n When thinking about how to make a curriculum, you have to combine your course intent with your teaching style and what your students ultimately want to learn.By combining selected curriculum types you\u2019ll get the perfect balance. And to do this, we\u2019re going to work backwards.<\/p>\n Before we begin, one of the best writing and planning tools out there is the Gingko Writer app<\/a> (formerly Gingko app). It allows you to move all your ideas around and get super clear on your thinking process by visualizing the whole experience.<\/p>\n Okay, now we can start!<\/p>\n Your intentions, and your students\u2019 reasons for taking the course will determine every<\/em> factor involved in creating a curriculum.<\/p>\n Consider why<\/em> you are teaching your course. What questions do your students want answered? And most importantly, what\u2019s going on in your students\u2019 minds when they initially look for your course?<\/p>\n I\u2019ll say it again, course creation and marketing are two sides of the same coin.<\/p>\n You need to roll up your sleeves and do some customer development work to see WHY your students need and want<\/em> this course to find your intent and make sure that you\u2019re all on the same page.<\/p>\n Online learners are active and eager to learn. So ask them what they need and they will answer.<\/p>\n And if you don\u2019t have students just yet, browse forums and dig into the comments sections to see what students are talking about, what questions they are asking, what they wish they had. And most importantly, where they are currently<\/em> going for answers. Then, you can work out how you can deliver something more.<\/p>\n It\u2019s essential that you spend time nailing this to prevent that digital tumbleweed moment.<\/p>\n As our CEO Shane says: \u201cAsk people what they want, and then build it for them\u2026 but better.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Curricula are like jigsaw puzzles, you know how they\u2019re supposed to look and you have the pieces \u2014 you just need to put them together.<\/p>\n Similar to jigsaw puzzles, it\u2019s not always as easy as it first seems.<\/p>\n To make creating a curriculum easier, outline your course to visualize it from the top-down. Don\u2019t get into the nitty gritty of what or how you\u2019re teaching just yet. We want to generalize as much as possible.<\/p>\n How can your course guide your students to the intention that you have just set, intuitively<\/em>?<\/p>\n What are the obvious things that you would need?<\/p>\n Let\u2019s look at an example. One of the free courses at Thrive University is How to Build an Online Business Website in a Weekend<\/a> (you just need to create a login to access it).<\/p>\n Before I show you what the outline is, think about the ingredients you\u2019d need to set up a business<\/em> website.<\/p>\n \u2026Some kind of tech stack?<\/p>\n \u2026A way to make money?<\/p>\n \u2026The right guide to learn how to do it?<\/p>\n Bingo!<\/em><\/p>\n The three core elements of ‘How to Build a Business in a Weekend’.<\/p>\n Three is the magic number when it comes to getting started building your course outline<\/a>. <\/p>\n It highlights the beginning, middle and end stages of your course. From there, you can flesh out more ideas for your course outline<\/a> to make a curriculum that guides your students to their desired outcome.<\/p>\n But remember, you\u2019re looking at this from the top-down! So keep it simple.<\/p>\n Now that we\u2019ve nailed down the structure, it\u2019s time to get into the fine details of your course. <\/p>\n What methods and concepts will you introduce to get your students to achieve what\u2019s stated in your outline? This is your starting point. From there, develop a framework of topics and ideas that are interesting, clear, and concise. <\/p>\n I want to introduce the Tour Guide Method<\/strong> here. It\u2019s a great concept that Shane goes into in our premium course, Course Craft<\/a>. <\/p>\n At no point, should you feel that ALL of your knowledge has been laid on the table. <\/p>\n Your course flow should interest your students by being directly relevant<\/em> to them, while only exposing a snippet of what you actually<\/em> know. Most importantly, you should make it obvious that you do<\/em> know more. This is a hook to motivate your students to not only finish your course, but<\/em> come back for more. <\/p>\n At this stage, you\u2019ll be eager to start creating content for your epic course.<\/p>\n But before<\/em> that, I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to work out how you are going to measure your students\u2019 success<\/strong>.<\/p>\n An assessment plan is a reward tool. It\u2019s a system that you set in place to check that your students have learned what you intended, and to make them feel good<\/em> about themselves for doing so.<\/p>\n Assessments can include:<\/p>\n The point of an assessment is to get your students to do things that prove to themselves<\/strong><\/em> they learned something. <\/p>\n To look further into how to write a curriculum for a course, Build Online Courses Your Customers Will LOVE with Thrive Apprentice<\/a>.<\/p>\n Engaging your students online offers a chance to establish a deeper understanding of your audience.<\/p>\n An online course is THE tool to measure and understand your students\u2019 experience of your business. There is literally<\/em> no other product out there that offers such a deep connection.<\/p>\n This comes from the engagement that you generate when you create a curriculum.<\/p>\n So, how do you do it?<\/p>\n Active engagement comes from clearly defined timelines. This is not just how long your course will be, but what your students will achieve in this time. You want to really set this in stone.<\/p>\n Your timeline will correlate with your course outline<\/a>, so that your students know exactly what they are doing and when<\/em>. But, to make a curriculum that is engaging, it must fit in with your students\u2019 lifestyles too.<\/p>\n Are they full time moms? Make sure your videos are short and easy to revisit.<\/p>\n Is it for full-time workers looking to start a side hustle? Make it actionable over a weekend.<\/p>\n You get where I\u2019m going with this\u2026<\/p>\n Two sides of the same coin.<\/p>\n Completing tasks successfully is so satisfying<\/em>. Use this to your advantage.<\/p>\n The key is to have the tasks you set for your students align with the desired outcomes they want from completing your course. This is very similar to what we established with intent, but now we can get super specific. Outcomes are exactly<\/em> what your students will achieve when completing your lessons.<\/p>\n To deliver on desired outcomes, you need to specify what they are at the start, and then tell your students how they were achieved at the end.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s look at How to Start an Online Business<\/a> again as an example\u2026<\/p>\n In the video \u2018Connecting Your Email Provider and Opt-in Form\u2019, Christine, your teacher, walks you through how to connect your email and opt-in form using Thrive Architect<\/a>.<\/p>\n You pause the video, you complete part of the task, then play again. Rinse and repeat, and you\u2019re done in about 15 minutes.<\/p>\n Not only have you completed the learning outcome<\/strong> for the lesson (which is clearly stated in the title), you\u2019ve also set up your first email automation for your business website. Sweet<\/em>.<\/p>\n To finish off on engagement, we\u2019re going to touch back on the perceived value<\/em> of your course.<\/p>\n Good quality teaching materials and resources are a chance to show off your knowledge and the extent of it without<\/em> putting all your cards on the table. It\u2019s like saying \u201cThere\u2019s more where that came from\u201d<\/em> but you\u2019re backing up your statements with authoritative resources that are super<\/em> useful.<\/p>\n To do this, you can make the most of the content that you do want to share by mixing it up on the delivery.<\/p>\n I\u2019m talking about curating downloadable PDFs, checklists, and unapologetically \u2014 not always affiliated \u2014 links to thought leaders in your field. These can also be presented as bonus materials for students to further their learning.<\/p>\n But, don\u2019t just link to any old thing that you find at the top of your Google search results. Link to resources and materials that you\u2019ve personally<\/em> found helpful.<\/p>\n Become part of your students\u2019 learning process by sharing part of yours.<\/p>\n This taps into the final and most important teaching material that you have, and something that is crucial to make a curriculum that works, your personality<\/em>.<\/p>\n By showing off a little of who you are<\/strong> with personal touches in the content you create, you\u2019ll hook your students in to learn more with you.<\/p>\n For more on adding a little personal touch to your course, check out 8 Hacks to Become Better at Teaching Online Courses!<\/a><\/p>\n Your curriculum will grow with your online business as a fundamental marketing tool to ensure that you continue to deliver what your students want and<\/em> benefit from. It\u2019s an abstract concept that\u2019s incredibly<\/em> tangible when you think about it in the right way.<\/p>\nWhat Is a Curriculum and Why Is It Important to Make One? <\/h2>\n
\n
Types of Curriculum<\/h2>\n
1. Assessed Curriculum<\/h3>\n
2. Recommended Curriculum<\/h3>\n
3. Supported Curriculum<\/h3>\n
4. Hidden Curriculum<\/h3>\n
5. Excluded Curriculum<\/h3>\n
6. Learned Curriculum<\/h3>\n
![\"how](\"https:\/\/mlpxhq8ztvyc.i.optimole.com\/cb:p0Z2.44bbf\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/thrivethemes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Create-a-Curriculum_Content_01.jpg\" "\\"Create-a-Curriculum_Content_01\\"")
<\/span><\/p>\nHow to Create a Curriculum For A Course<\/h2>\n
Identify Your Intent<\/h3>\n
Outline Your Course<\/h3>\n
![\"make](\"https:\/\/mlpxhq8ztvyc.i.optimole.com\/cb:p0Z2.44bbf\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/thrivethemes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/How-to-Create-a-Business-Website-in-a-Weekend.png\" "\\"How")
<\/span><\/p>\nDefine What Will Be in Your Course<\/h3>\n
Create an Assessment Plan<\/h3>\n
\n
![\"creating](\"https:\/\/mlpxhq8ztvyc.i.optimole.com\/cb:p0Z2.44bbf\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/thrivethemes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Create-a-Curriculum_Content_02.jpg\" "\\"Create-a-Curriculum_Content_02\\"")
<\/span><\/p>\nEngaging Your Students<\/h2>\n
Set Goals and a Timeline<\/h3>\n
Get Clear on Desired Outcomes<\/h3>\n
Outstanding Teaching Materials and Resources<\/h3>\n
Best Example of a Curriculum<\/h2>\n
![\"how](\"https:\/\/mlpxhq8ztvyc.i.optimole.com\/cb:p0Z2.44bbf\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/thrivethemes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/What-You_ll-Learn.png\" "\\"What")
<\/span><\/p>\n