Course Creation Roadmap
Step 5 - Course Review
So you’ve built your course and it’s ready to go – CONGRATULATIONS!
Now is the perfect time to consider a course review – so you can focus on making the course the best it can be.
There are 3 essential times that we’ll look at Course Review, “before”, “during”, and “after”.
A great course isn't static - it's a living, breathing learning experience that gets better over time.
What is a Course Review?
A course review is the process of evaluating your course for functionality, effectiveness, and learning experience.
This process can be formal or informal, which you can manage yourself or hire someone else to do for you.
Do it yourself:
This is the cheapest and fastest way to review your course.
Keep in mind, it can be difficult to see your own mistakes. It’s also hard to step back and see the content through the eyes of a student, because you are so familiar with the content and the subject matter.
Hire someone to review it for you:
Hiring someone to review your program for you is a great way to get structured feedback and input on your course. A good course reviewer will consider the student experience, the types of content you’ve provided, and how you can make your program more interactive.
This is a more expensive way to get your program reviewed, and you may have to book in advance.
You’re ready for a course review if…
There are lots of different trigger points for a course review.
- Before your course launches
- During the running of a course (you might start to notice friction points or students getting stuck)
- After a live course has finished
- Because it’s been a while and it’s time to check in.
Your course is a reflection of you, your expertise, your care, and your commitment to the people learning from you.
Scheduling regular reviews is one of the most underrated things you can do to protect that.
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Before you launch:
Think of your pre-launch review as your final quality check. You want to make sure you work through it methodically rather than in a rush. Think about:
- The student experience
Move through your course exactly as a student would. Click every button. Download every file. Watch or listen to every piece of content — at least in part. You’re looking for anything that would interrupt, confuse, or frustrate someone who doesn’t know what you know. - Accessibility and clarity
Consider whether your course works for a range of learners. Are captions available for video content? Is navigation intuitive? Is the language clear and free of jargon? - The technical stuff
Do all links work? Do downloads deliver the right files? Are any integrations (quizzes, certificates, payment pages) functioning as expected? These details matter more than most course creators expect. - An outside perspective
If possible, get someone else to review it before it goes live. Fresh eyes catch things that you might have glossed over. A colleague, a beta student, or even a trusted friend can find things you’ve stopped seeing.
During your course:
While you don’t want to be conducting a full review half way through a live course, there are factors you can be keeping an eye on. Look for:
- Sign in rate
Keep an eye on the number of students who sign in to the program. A large number never signing in could imply instructions are unclear, while a sudden drop-off part way through may mean the content got too difficult or overwhelming. - Engagement rate
Look for where students are engaging with content. This could include things like watching videos, answering questions, submitting assessments. A decreased rate in certain activities could show you where more support or explanation is needed. - Participation in live activities
If your course has live components – think live calls, Q&A or face to face classes – look for the students who stay engaged, and those who don’t attend. - Completion rate
While you can’t expect all of your students to finish the course, a low completion rate could highlight a number of areas for improvement. Or, better still, look for implementation instead of completion.
After your course:
If you’re running a live program with an end date, then after the course has finished is the perfect time to review and reflect.
You can use the data gathered during the program along with student feedback to get a feeling for how the course went.
This gives you an opportunity to make any changes or improvements before your next launch.
Questions to ask at this stage...
- How can you improve the student experience?
- Are instructions and navigation easy to follow?
- Do you need to update any materials, add captions, or improve accessibility?
- Do you need to provide tech support, tutorials, or onboarding guidance?
- Do all of the buttons, links and downloads work?
- What’s your plan for regular reviews?
- How often will you revisit your course to refresh or update it?
- Who else could help you review it objectively?
- What feedback or data can you use to measure success?
Book a chat…
Need pointing in the right direction for reviewing your own course, or want to hire us to do it for you?
Book in for a course chat and the team can get you started or provide with a quote for a specific project.
The review stage is where we make a good course, great.
While you should always review your course before it goes live, it’s also important to schedule regular reviews for the future.
Strategy = The who, what, where and why of your course
There are some key points you really want to cover off when thinking about the strategy of your course.
Business Strategy
Where does the course fit in your business plan?
Is it for internal use, or external clients?
Does it fit with your other products or services?
Is it positioned to attract new clients, or as an extension for existing clients?
Does it fit with your current business goals (or has someone or something convinced you that you “should”)?
At this step, make sure you have a business plan. It’s also helpful to create a one page business strategy specifically for the course you are looking to create.
Pricing Strategy
Where does the course sit in comparison to the prices of your other products and services?
Is it an entry level price point, or one of your higher level offerings?
There isn’t a right and wrong when it comes to your pricing structure but you should take into account how the price and perceived value of the course fit with the rest of your offerings and business strategy.
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Target audience
Who are you designing your course for?
This isn’t so much about their age, gender or physical location – but more about who they are as a learner.
What do they know about the content already?
What do they think they need to learn?
What do they want the outcome to be? What are they expecting to gain from this course?
What are their support needs to get to this outcome?
Course Scope/Objectives
When you are passionate and knowledgeable about a subject, it’s oh so easy for the amount of content you create to blow out. While you want to share as much as you can, the key to a great course is not just what is included, but what is left out.
The course scope outlines boundaries and depth of your course.
And the course objective clearly defines the outcomes of the course.
With these in mind, you can ensure you are creating content that efficiently leads the student to the desire outcome… not sure adding more and more for the sake of it.
Success metrics
How will you know your course has been a success?
While numbers of sales or numbers of students are definitely helpful metrics, they are not the only measure of success.
How many students reach the end of the program?
How many implement what they have learnt?
How many return to do further studies or programs in the future?
How did the course change their life/work/behaviours etc?
Define your success metrics as part of your initial strategy to keep yourself on track throughout the process.
Questions to ask at this stage...
- Who is this course for?
- What specific audience do you want to help?
- What challenges or goals does this audience have?
- What transformation will this course provide?
- Where will they be after taking your course?
- What specific outcomes or results can they expect?
- How will this course fit into your business?
- Is it a signature offer, a lead-in product, or a bonus?
- How does it align with your other services or products?
Book a chat…
Want support with your own course strategy?
Book in for a course chat and the team can point you in the right direction for getting started or provide with a quote for a specific project.