Let’s admit it, creating an online course can be more difficult than it seems. You pour your heart and soul into your content and wonder why many people don’t finish your courses. Where did you go wrong?

There are many areas within an online course that you may not realize you can improve on. These are 5 great questions to ask yourself before your eLearning course goes live:

1. Are there any typos, misspellings or grammatical errors? Proofread your material. As an educator, you are expected to master your spelling and grammar. Don’t let silly typos impact your credibility, which can ultimately cause a loss in students. Always have another set of eyes proofread your material as well.
2. Is all of the content complete and consistent? Be sure all of your content is complete and matches the learning objectives. Have a table of contents, syllabus, and learning objectives as additional resources for your students. All of your course material should have a consistent message and theme within each element or module.
3. What is the benefit to your students? Your content must be relevant. Create content with examples that the students can relate to and apply outside of the classroom. Be sure it is not too easy or difficult, or your students may not complete the course.
4. Does the navigation encourage interaction? Be sure your students can navigate through the entire course easily. Have different types of elements that will encourage your students to interact within the course, including videos, PowerPoint presentations, file downloads, and links.
5. Are there any technical issues? Always check for software compatibility and functionality. If your LMS is web-based and your course has file downloads, be sure your students’ systems allows for such downloads. If you have videos, be sure the videos will open and play correctly. Always ask for feedback to address any technical issues.

These are just a few of the many questions to ask yourself before your online course goes live. Hopefully you will use them as a brief eLearning checklist when creating your own courses. Always remember, content and quality comes first – never rush through your course!