GET ON COURSE
Do you have expertise you could share with others by writing online courses? Simon Whaley talks to two writers who’ve entered this writing market.
Simon Whaley
One reason we write is to share our knowledge. We start writing short articles for local magazines, grow into producing pieces for national magazines and newspapers, and then consider producing a book on the subject. But these aren’t the only markets where we can share our knowledge. Some people prefer to follow a structured course when learning a new lifeskill. So why not be the writer who creates and writes that course material?
Distance learning (correspondence) courses have been popular for years. Each module is like a chapter in a non-fiction book, taking the learner through a specific topic in a step-bystep manner. The difference comes with the course, where learners will find an exercise or assignment to tackle at the end of each module. When the student is ready, they submit their assignment for tutorassessment, either by post or email.
The internet has become a portal for learning, offering students all over the world the opportunity to explore new subjects. It also means that writers with a desire to share their expert knowledge of a subject can create and sell their courses to budding students. Teaching others can become a useful income stream for writers, but there’s a lot to consider. Do you offer a traditional course, where the student tackles a module and then completes an assignment that they’ll submit to you for marking? Or do you want to offer a self-study course, where students buy your course materials, learn at their own pace, and undertake any exercises on their own, without the need for tutor feedback?