Organizing a course can be a challenging task, but with proper planning and attention to detail, you can create an educational and engaging experience for your participants.
To help you create a course your participants will enjoy, we have compiled nine important things you should remember when organizing a course:
Before you begin planning, it is essential to be clear about what you want to achieve with your course.
Who is your target audience?
It's important to have know who you're creating the course for. In other words, think about who’s going to benefit most from the knowledge you have to impart.
What skills or knowledge should participants walk away with?
You can also call this the learning outcome and learning objectives. Clear goals help you structure the content and choose appropriate teaching methods.
Content is the core of your course. Make sure it is relevant, well-organized, and covers the topics participants expect to learn about.
Find your unique selling proposition. What makes your course special. Why should people choose your course over others?
Additionally, consider using different teaching methods, such as lectures, discussions, group work, and practical exercises, to keep participants engaged.
Download our free e-book "How to create a successful course" here.
The venue can have a significant impact on the course experience. Choose a location that is easily accessible, has sufficient space, and is equipped with necessary equipment such as projectors, sound systems, and a good internet connection.
Also, remember to consider comfort factors like lighting, temperature, and seating arrangements.
Actively involve participants in the course through discussions, Q&A sessions, group assignments, or case studies. Interactivity makes the course more engaging and helps participants apply what they learn in practice. There are many digital tools you can utilise, such as Mentimeter or Kahoot.
Visual aids, such as presentations, videos, and flipchart boards, will help participants to understand and remember information. Remember to keep presentations simple and to the point, so they reinforce your message without being distracting.
A registration system will free up a lot of time from course administration, allowing you to focus on what's most important to you - the participants' experience and the course content.
With a registration solution, such as Checkin, you can collect payments, send out tickets, course certificates, and communicate with your participants using both email and SMS. A registration solution will also provide you will all the financial settlements and reports you need for your accounting. Which can save you a lot of time and/or money.
Read more about how you can use Checkin for your next course!
Clear communication is important to ensuring that participants know what to expect and how to get the most out of the course. Send out all necessary information well in advance of the course date, such as the agenda, materials, and practical details.
Here you can use email a few days before the course and an SMS the day before or the same morning with a friendly welcome message and reminder about the course location.
After the course, we recommend you follow up with your participants with an evaluation form, additional resources, and answers to any questions. And perhaps a one time offer for a follow-up course.
After the course, many participants greatly appreciate receiving a diploma or certificate that confirms they completed the course. The course certificate also helps increase the quality of your course and serves as a quality stamp.
And there are even more benefits to sending out the course certificate. Read our article "5 good reasons why you should send out course certificates after your course" to learn more.
After the course is over, take time to evaluate how it went. Use the feedback you have collected from participants and assess your own experience as an organizer.
Get the team together and ask questions such as:
Feel free to write down these reflections so that you can use them to improve the next course.
Perhaps you discovered some minor adjustments that could have a big impact, such as changing the order of the modules, adding more breaks or using more interactive tools. This is valuable learning that will allow you to develop as a course instructor.
Remember that it's not just the academic content that matters, but also the overall experience participants have. Creating a pleasant atmosphere, being available for questions, and making sure everyone feels included will help elevate the quality of your course.
This will increase the likelihood that participants want to return to future courses.
Once you have done all this, challenge yourself.
To use hotel terminology: What does it take to make a 5-star course? You may feel you’re there already – but in that case, set the bar even higher.
What would an 11-star course be like? This exercise will make you think bigger and more creatively, and could lead to changes that truly impress your participants the next time you bring them together.
Organizing a course requires careful planning and attention to detail. When you have control over the most important elements that we described above, you can create an educational and memorable experience for your participants.
Remember to be flexible and prepared for the unexpected, so you can handle challenges that may arise along the way. With these nine tips in mind, you are well-equipped to organize a successful course!
We wish you good luck!