Past Event Recordings and Summaries

🌎 Course creation process & tools - December 13, 2022

Course Creation Panel (12-13-22) - Event Summary

Instructor Partners @ToddMcLeod
, @ThaMilan
, and @JasonDion
participated in a panel discussion focused on Course Creation. They shared their diverse perspectives on how to build and maintain their courses on Udemy.

How do you divide your time between course maintenance and creating new content?

Jason: Given his focus on IT Certifications, where the base content is consistently changing, Jason has a set time frame to update courses but recommends focusing on your best course (or second best course) in terms of continual updating. He creates new content when a new certification or topic opportunity presents itself.
Thalita: In general, follows the flow of creating a new course, then updates a course; however, also emphasized protecting courses that are doing well to maintain/increase ratings.
Todd: Leverages closed caption software to download and combine the captions in his courses to easily search and replace content that needs to be updated (e.g., content that has been earmarked by Trust and Safety) - this speeds up production and keeps the course in compliance.

What are your best practices for recording a course?

Jason: Consistency is key. He wears the same shirt and has the same background for every on camera shot so that when updates are necessary, it’s easier to reinsert a new video that has the same look and feel. In addition, he uses a tool called Descript that allows his team to easily replace audio content that was in error.
Thalita: Moved away from planning, filming, editing and uploading an entire course all in one go. Now she works in batches, one section at a time as this is easier to manage.
Todd: Outline don’t script, add enthusiasm and a human element to your recordings to keep learners interested; check your recordings every time, have someone else review (even if they don’t know the topic) to find the error.
Jason: Never sits down when filming on camera, stands and smiles/laughs to bring energy. He only scripts when he is filming on camera.

What tools do you use in the course creation and maintenance process?

Jason: Aside from Descript, also highlighted use of tools like Final Cut and Adobe Premiere
Thalita: Leverages Loom, a screenshare tool that is user friendly. Uses Filmora for editing but is not always happy with it.

A few other tool ideas that were heard in the chat and breakout rooms:

Project.co
Stream decks (multiple providers)

Please post any additional tools or hacks that you have found helpful in your course creation and maintenance process! The more the merrier! (Also Happy Holidays )