Success in the field of e-learning can be tricky but far from impossible. If you make it right and publish it properly, that online course is going to earn you a lot of money and even establish yourself as an authority in the market.

But that does beg the question: What exactly does a profitable online course look like? After all, you would rather know if you are in the right track as a course creator. There are many ways to answer this question but, for the sake of simplicity, you only need to look at 4 characteristics as shared by the best out there.

1. Clearly Defined Goals

Even if your course is not a credited academic course, students there will expect that your online program’s level of teaching and concept is similar to those that they can enroll at a physical campus. Your online course should be designed with a clear objective and an equally clear and simple pathway to that goal.

You should outline your course also in such a way that students can clearly understand what to expect as they go through the course from the type of subjects it offers to the skills that they will learn while in it. Establish this first and the effectiveness of your course will be secured.

2. Results-Oriented Design

Just what exactly do you want your students to learn in your courses? What information, perspectives, and skills will you impart to them? Aside from those, how do you go about teaching them such? A good and profitable online course makes it a point to shift its focus on giving students clear and tangible results, not just mere gimmicks.

When planning your course, you should design it in such a way that completing each module can be considered an accomplishment in itself. Whether it is a new skill or knowledge in using a certain tool, your modules should give students an impression that they are growing while under the program.

3. Simplicity

One mistake that course creators often make with their courses is making it too intimidating. You have to remember that you are in the business of providing solutions to your students which only means that you should give it to them in a format that is easy to understand and retain in the brain.

This has most to do with your approach to instruction than any inherent design feature of the course. Make it a habit to express your thoughts in a way that your students can easily understand. As for designing the course, make it a point to do so while giving the impression that this is the fastest and easiest route that your students can take in reaching that end goal.

4. Ease of Access

Aside from the features in your course, you should also make sure that your course is actually easy to access in the first place. To do this, you must look for a good online host whose support features are compatible with the needs of your program. Sites like www.udemy.com and www.teachable.com will provide you with all the tools to create, enhance, publish, and market your courses to a lot of people.

It also goes without saying that your course should be functional at its core. This means that you have to regularly edit and check for glitches in the course or even simple typographical errors in your content.

5. Engagement

The way your students are engaged to the course will be the key to it success. For starters, the way you present your ideas should be compelling and coherent while you yourself should instruct your students like you are an expert on the field.

However, engagement is more than just the quality of your content and instruction. There should also be a sense of community in each of your courses. Basically, your students should not hesitate to share their thoughts or even ask questions pertaining to the subject. You should also use the latest tools and technology available to you to interact with your students and monitor their progress in your course. With this, you can go around the many limitations found in many e-learning formats and allow your students to learn as intently as possible the details of your course.