Case Studies and Interviews | Courses That Matter

Shine a light on your students and take them on a Hero’s Journey

Written by Ainslie on August 21, 2011 | Filed Under: Case Studies and Interviews

Let’s go back to January this year. A time I describe as “online purgatory.”

I was in that grey haze between blogging and online business. You know the one – where you spend all your time blogging, rather than working out and executing a business model that will get you what you want.

I had plenty of friends keeping me company, but no life line to get out. No map to follow.

And then I received a tweet. And then another.

Soon I had secret access to an unmarked path.

A path that led me right here:

I’m Ainslie Hunter, founder of award-winning site CoursesThatMatter.com, and creator of engaging online experiences for students and teachers. My speciality is building dynamic and interactive web-based courses that are both passionate and profit.

So how did I get there?

Well I went on a journey, inside a course, with a Damn Fine Writer (more on this later).

The Hero’s Journey

Within each and every online course or membership site there are two key players – the teacher and the student. The role of the teacher is to take each student from a place of “Oh crap, how did I get here?” to “Look at me! I can do it!”

It doesn’t matter if the course is on weight loss, finance or writing. The goal for the teacher is the same: To create heroes of each and every student and help them on their journey, through all of their ‘aha’ moments and speed bumps.

To successfully create a hero’s journey in your course you need the following:

An understanding of where your students have come from – find their “Oh Crap” moment
An opportunity, right from the beginning, that shows the pinnacle point – their “Aha” moment
Lessons that prepare the hero for the bumps in the road
A community that supports and guides the hero in times of trouble
Opportunities for guidance from you, the teacher
Support for when the hero wants to give up; or not listen to your advice
Points throughout the course for celebration and rest
A final task, to achieve that “Aha” Moment, and be willing to continue the journey alone

Ideas summarised from Nancy Duarte’s book Resonate

My Damn Fine Journey

For the past six months I have been a student of James Chartrand, in the course that became known as Damn Fine Words. And in that time I truly went on the hero’s journey. Every time I opened a lesson, it felt specifically designed for me. Each and every activity stirred strong emotions – some made me excited, some made me cringe.

There were times I missed a couple of tasks, thinking James wouldn’t be able to tell. And every time I would get a little note – try doing Task XYZ again.

And there were times I rushed ahead, only to trip over my own writing mistakes.

But there were so many good times.

First, a post of mine was tweeted by an A-Lister. And then this site won an International Award. But the best times were when my sales increased due to my web copy and emails.

And James was with me all the way.

Damn Fine Words is Open to the Public

Damn Fine Words is now open, with lessons starting on the 12^thSeptember. If you want to learn to write well, and improve your business skills at the same time then this is the course for you. As an added bonus you will also see what an exemplary online course looks like (I can say that – I was the online consultant for the course).

Now the price isn’t cheap. The cost is $1599 (aff link) with a discount of $200 until September 1^st.

But that’s the price you pay for world-class lessons, activities that will test and improve your writing, and a community of fellow
students who will support you on your journey.

And James. James will be there all the way with you, working inside the course, giving each and every student time and attention.

So if you are in online purgatory, not knowing how to improve your writing or business skills, then I highly recommend signing up to Damn Fine Words.

And if you make the commitment, then you will see me on the inside as well: learning alongside you, and supporting you every step of the way.

Do you have any questions about Damn Fine Words? If so, ask them below

Blog On: A New Course by Ali Luke

Written by Ainslie on May 31, 2011 | Filed Under: Case Studies and Interviews

The wonderful Ali Luke from Aliventures has just launched a new online course. It is called Blog On and it is an eight week course that takes students step by step through the process of writing four different types of blog posts. And Ali knows her stuff, she is a prolific guest poster, writing coach and her site Aliventures gives plenty of advice to us novice writers.

I featured Ali on my site earlier in the year with an interview that gave us some great advice on creating an email ecourse. I asked Ali if she could come back and give us some tips and tricks on how to use private site to create an online course.

So take it away Ali

Tell me a bit about Blog On

Blog On is an eight-week ecourse that takes students through the process of writing four different types of post. The idea is that, by the end of the course, they’ll not only have four great new posts on their blog, they’ll also have the skills and confidence to write more posts using the same basic structures in the future.

You have high expectations for students in the course. What support are you providing to help your students achieve success with the course and their own writing?

I’ve split the four main modules of Blog On into short, simple lessons, with a quick assignment at the end of each lesson. Every lesson also has a “comments” section at the bottom where students can ask for help, try out an idea, or ask a question.

As a bit of added motivation, I’m running a prize draw at the end of the course with various goodies on offer – the more assignments students complete on time, the more entries they’ll get!

In your last interview you mentioned that it is important for a course to have a “group feel”. How are you encouraging this with your new course?

I’m actively encouraging students to interact with one another in the comments as they go through each lesson. I’m also doing “group updates” every other week: in these, I’ll be critiquing two students’ posts and answering any questions that have cropped up during the previous week. The group updates are also a place for students to celebrate and share successes – there’s a comments section after each one.

This course is on a private site. Why the change from email, and was the jump to a new platform easy?

Great question! Blog On was split into so many parts that (with your help, thanks Ainslie! ) I realised it was going to be overwhelming as a set of big pdfs with assignments scattered throughout. The website format makes it really easy for students to navigate through each module – and to interact with one another and with me.

I also wanted to offer different membership levels – Gold members get three extra modules to help them with their blog’s pages – and that was going to be a bit fiddly by email! I’d have needed two lists.

I’m using Digital Access Pass to deliver the course, and I’ve spent the last couple of hours getting to grips with it … the learning curve hasn’t been too bad. I used to work in tech support, so I’m pretty confident with picking up new systems.

Any last words of advice for people looking to use a private site for their email course?

Ask around for different recommendations: I was originally thinking of going with Amember or Wishlist Member, and I’d not really heard much about Digital Access Pass – but it’s got some great features that I’m going to be using in the future, not just for this course.

I highly recommend Ali’s course to anyone who wants the best advice and guidance in how to write outstanding blog posts. Check out the Sales Page where you will find the number one reason why I think Ali’s course is the best one on the market.

The Art of Silliness 4

Written by Ainslie on April 22, 2011 | Filed Under: Case Studies and Interviews

I wasn’t planning on buying a new online course. I really wasn’t. But it started with a brain burst that led me to a site. And there I saw a cute little creature encouraging me to be silly.

So I said why not.

And then I asked Carla Sonheim, the teacher of The Art of Silliness if I could interview her. Please take some time to read her answers, and then look at her sales page. You can see the love Carla has for her students and her course – it is oozing out of her pitch. And I really love how Carla and her students will be using Flickr as a way to connect with each other.

But enough about me, let’s have a look at how Carla created her gorgeous course

Could you start by telling us a bit about The Art of Silliness 4?

Yes. Silly 4 is the fourth session of my online class, “The Art of Silliness: Drawing Worksheets for Adults”. Each session is basically the same – 30 days / 30 worksheets – but with different “ingredients”. It is a drawing class both for those who feel they “can’t draw”, and those who can draw but want to start approaching it in a way that is more light hearted and fun.

It is set up so that each day the participant downloads and prints a worksheet, third-grade style. My idea is to kind of bring you back to that time in your life when drawing was easy, no big deal, before the judgment kicked in. And didn’t you just love filling out worksheets?

I did. So I thought it would be a fun way to teach drawing.

Some people go through one workshop and feel “done.” Others have signed up for all four sessions, as they enjoy the daily prompts and the month-long community that is formed each time. (And what’s not to love about a bunch of people brave enough to take a “silly” class?!!)

How did you decide to structure the course the way you did?

I am a workshop instructor for adults, having first taught children in my sons’ elementary school classrooms. I try to make drawing fun for everyone. I had been thinking about an online class for about a year before I did the first one. But I was stuck; I didn’t have the video equipment/skills necessary to do it the way others were doing it.

When I thought of the daily worksheet/PDF idea, I was so excited that it was something I DID know how to do (upload PDFs to a website and send a daily email), that I quickly wrote a blog post about it and jumped in with both feet.

Can you tell us a bit about the planning involved in the course? > How long have you been thinking about the idea? How long from idea to launch?

Oh my goodness, this is slightly embarrassing. As I said earlier, I had been trying to figure out the online class thing for awhile — at least a year. But when I got the idea (early one Sunday morning in

March 2010), I wrote the blog post about it and the class started less than two weeks later. I even laughed at myself about it in the post (I am somewhat impulsive.)

Anyway, one of the main IDEAS of the course was that it would be created AS THE CLASS WAS GOING ALONG. In that way, I could keep it fresh, react to the students a bit more, AND eliminate that laborious pre-planning stage… I really thought I would do a better job it I could remain spontaneous about it, and I do think it works. I priced it accordingly I think, too!

What do you think are the most important features of an online course and why?

I think a good mixture of fun (silliness), content and community. At least it works for the Silly Series!!

How are you going to communicate high expectations in your course?

Actually, I don’t really worry about it…. I have high expectations for myself, and I think that is evident in my communications, both in the worksheet instructions and my emails…. and perhaps that rubs off. But I think that life can be hard, and we need to be gentle with ourselves, too. Sometimes people sign up for the Silly class and life gets in the way, and they can’t get to the worksheets for awhile. That’s okay. The worksheets will always be there, and when the time is right, they’ll get to them. (If not, well, it was only $25!)

Will you emphasise the importance of completing tasks in the course?

No, not overtly. Again, I want people to LIKE drawing, and putting a gun to their heads is not effective in my experience!

In this class uploading the drawings and/or completed worksheets to the flickr site is completely optional. Students also have the option of emailing me assignments (if they’re shy about posting publicly), but it is not required.

In what ways will you respect the diverse talents and ways of learning of your students?

Because there are 30 different worksheets, and often each worksheet has one, two or even three different things to do (write, scribble, draw carefully, etc.), I think I’m able to speak to everyone. (Plus, it’s good for really “neat” people to get messy once in a while, and really messy people to slow down and work more carefully… we do it all.)

How will you encourage active learning throughout the course?

Well, the online Silly class is basically a tangible example of how I seem to live my life, which is to constantly learn, try, adjust, correct, delight, mourn and start all over again. I will ask people to look up giraffe photos online, for example, or ask their spouses to make a drawing (learning that, my goodness, Bill is GREAT at it! And it was so easy for him! Maybe it’s not that big of a deal after all!)

Are students able to receive feedback from you during the course?

Yes. I comment to almost every photo uploaded on the flickr site, and am also available by email throughout the month. I try to answer general questions that I think would be of interest to everyone in the next day’s group email.

Is engagement encouraged between the members?

Well, I’m not sure how it happens, but each session the participants just ENGAGE each other… on the blog but mostly on the flickr site. Everyone comments on everything; it is a lively, positive, and very supportive group.

Do you see yourself as a teacher in this process? Why? Why not?

Only in that I truly love to see people drawing, and am enthusiastic in my comments!

I believe that teaching can transform lives and create a ripple effect (either in the teacher or students.) What transformation have you seen because of the Art of Silliness?

Yes. I have seen it happen so many times, where a silly assignment will create these awesome family moments that just make me cry almost! One example: an assignment for a “Silly Saturday” was to

straighten their shoes (as extra credit they could draw them). One student created the following video with her daughters.

Beautiful.

Any last words of advice?

I have kept the price low and have a very liberal policy when it comes to the classes; each household needs only to pay once and everyone (including the kids) can participate. Also, teachers are allowed to copy worksheets for use in their classrooms. I do this for several reasons:

First, I TOTALLY UNDERSTAND how it feels to be broke and not have money. $25 is about all I could ever pay (especially before I moved to Seattle in 2010), and I would want to be able to share it with my family guilt-free if I were taking the class. I figure, if enough people sign up each session, then I am “okay”. Two, my website is on each worksheet, so if a teacher uses them in her classroom, then I might potentially pick up a future student or two. Finally, I want as many people as possible to “catch the drawing fever,” so, the more the merrier!!

Also…I really wanted my online class to be a reflection of who I was, as a person and a teacher, and not just something that I THOUGHT people would pay for. It took a long time to come up with the Silliness idea, but when I did, I didn’t hesitate, even though I had no idea that it would become as popular as it did.

I was lucky in the fact that at the time my (freelance photographer) husband was fairly busy, so that freed me up that month to make a little less money if it turned out to be a complete bust.

I really appreciate all of the wonderful people who have taken the class, and helped me fill the classes by spreading the word, etc.

Thank you!!

On Track: an Email Course that Matters

Written by Ainslie on April 5, 2011 | Filed Under: Case Studies and Interviews

Ali Luke, from Aliventures, has a seriously good email ecourse. It is seven week email course that will get you started on your next writing project. I actually wrote me email course using all her ideas. Ali knows her stuff as a writer and an online teacher.

I interviewed Ali after she finished teaching her first students of On Track and here were her answers:

Could you start by telling us a bit about On Track

Sure! It’s a course aimed at writers who’ve got a big project which they want to get started (or restarted) on. So – bloggers, novelists, ebook writers, and so on. It’s for folks who are competent writers but who want to take things further.

Why did you choose email as your course platform?

I wanted to make the course as easy as possible for students to access, and email is a very familiar technology for most people. I also wanted to do something simple and straightforward, so that I could keep the cost down.

What products do you use to make the course work for you?

I used Aweber for the mailing list of students, and PayPal to take the money. I didn’t realise at the time that I could sync the two (at least, I think I can… haven’t actually tried it yet!) so it was a little bit fiddlier than necessary during the sign-up process.

What do you love about using email?

It’s simple and straightforward, you can easily deliver the material in multiple formats (I put the text of each lesson in the email, and attached it as a PDF too), and it’s very easy for people to hit “reply” and let you know how they’re doing.

What are some shortcomings with using email for a course?

It’s hard to generate much of a group feel. Students read the emails on their own, and they don’t necessarily interact at all. It’s hard to deliver multimedia content – the most I could do was PDFs with images in, and I had to keep those to a minimum in order to be under Aweber’s file size limits.

On Track was a time specific course. What was your reasoning for this and what are some pros and cons for this type of ecourse?

I wanted all the students to go through On Track at the same time: on Thursdays, I was sending out group updates based on the questions I’d received, and any success stories or tips which students had sent in. From a marketing standpoint, I thought people would be more inclined to sign up if there was a time limit – rather than being able to buy and start the course at any point.

The drawback to doing the course like this was that some students inevitably fell behind. I made sure that I reassured people throughout that they didn’t need to worry about skipping a lesson – I told them they’d get all the lessons in a single pack at the end, so they could easily go back.

You first students have just finished the course. Have you had any initial feedback from the course and are there any changes you would now make.

Yes, I have had some great feedback from current students – and I’ve sent out a survey so I’m hoping to get some more feedback over the next week or so.

One of the main changes I want to make is to split one of the lessons into two. It felt a bit packed in when I wrote it, and a couple of people have mentioned that they found it hard to follow, or that they’d have liked more detail. I’d also like to get non-Twittering students in touch with one another sooner, maybe by asking people to tick a box when they sign up to say whether or not they’d like their email address to be circulated to the group.

How long did it take to write each lesson? The course?

I spent quite a while planning the course – deciding what would go where – and so I was pretty confident on the rough outline for each lesson before I started writing it. The drafting took maybe one to two hours per lesson, plus about an hour of redrafting for each. I write fast! The ebook, 7 Pillars of Great Writing, took quite a few hours to write – mainly because I started on it then ended up scrapping three and a half chapters, because they just weren’t working as well as I’d have liked. That was a bit stressful (I wanted to get the ebook out at the start of the course, and this was the weekend before) but I think it’s a much better ebook as a result!

What do you think are the most important features of an email ecourse and why?

I’d say:

· Clear, focused lessons – unlike a live class, you can’t judge by people’s reactions/questions as you’re going along.

· Something which helps the students feel like a group. I did this with a Twitter list (and #ontrack hashtag), plus the Thursday Group Updates.

· Consistency. I know it sounds a bit obvious, but if lessons come out on Mondays and group updates on Thursdays, you need to stick to that! I also tried to stay consistent in the format of the lessons and the group updates – so, for instance, the assignment always came towards the end of the lesson, followed by “Coming up on Thursday” and “Coming up on Monday”.

How do you communicate high expectations in your course?

One thing I was very keen on from the start was to encourage students to see themselves as writers. A lot of people are reluctant to call themselves a “writer” – even when they’ve been blogging or journaling or working on a novel for years. I expected students to be working on a project, and to want to complete it to a high standard. I emphasised things like planning, rewriting and editing.

Did you emphasise the importance of completing tasks?

Err… maybe not as much as I could have! I didn’t want people to feel that they had to do the assignments, though I did make sure that I included a reminder in each Thursday’s email. I tried to lead by example – sharing some of my own milestones and progress.

In what ways do you respect the diverse talents and ways of learning of your students?

Right from the start, I made it clear that there is no one true way. I gave tips and advice, but I emphasised that it’s up to each writer to find out what works for him/her.

I tried not to focus on one “type” of writer: I knew that I had some bloggers, some novelists, some ebook writers, some memoir writers, and so on. In some lessons, I wrote separate sections for different types of project. I was aware that some students might have preferred to learn via audio rather than via text, but if I’d produced audio files of each lesson, I’d have had to bump the price up. I’m considering doing audio lessons for the next time I run On Track, though.

How do you encourage active learning throughout the course?

I gave assignments each Monday and I also encouraged students to ask me questions. I think one of the best ways to learn is to ask when you’re unsure about something! I also emphasised the importance of getting feedback on your work, and encouraged students to contact other On Track members so they could share their writing with one another.

Were students able to receive feedback from you during the course?

I offered a discount on my coaching, but apart from that, I didn’t really give any one-to-one feedback. It was something I considered, but it would have meant charging more for the course.

15. Is engagement encouraged between you and the members? How / Why / Why not

Absolutely! I’m pretty active on Twitter, and kept an eye on the members there. I also encouraged members to email me – making sure that they knew they could just hit “reply” on any lesson to get in touch.

Do you see yourself as a teacher in this process? Why? Why not?

I suppose I do, though I probably wouldn’t use the word “teacher” to describe myself. I felt like I was sharing my knowledge, and trying to enable others to learn and grow as writers.

I believe that teaching can transform lives and create a ripple effect (either in the teacher or students.) What transformation have you seen because of On Track?

I’ve definitely seen students become encouraged and reinvigorated in their writing, which is fantastic! Several have been in touch about significant progress, and I’ve been thrilled to be able to celebrate with them. I really enjoyed running On Track – it’s been great fun for me, because I’ve been able to help a whole group of people. I love doing one-to-one coaching, but I know it’s out of the price range of some people – so this was a great way to do something similar for a larger number. It’s also pushed me to take my own advice and knuckle down and get on with some of my big writing projects

Any last words of advice?

If you’re thinking about running an ecourse, email is a great way to start out. You don’t have to do anything really technical and complicated, like some huge membership site with tons of bells and whistles – you can just send simple messages using a technology that’s familiar and comfortable for both you and the students.

Registration for On Track closes this Friday 9th April. If you want any more information on the product Click here to visit On Track. (aff. link)

The Art of Action by Tara Gentile

Written by Ainslie on February 26, 2011 | Filed Under: Case Studies and Interviews

I would like to welcome Tara from Scoutie Girl to Courses that Matter. Tara has a new online course called “The Art of Action” and she was gracious enough to answer my question.

I hope you enjoy the following interview and learn about the decisions and thought processes that go into creating an online teaching program.

For me, this is where we can learn the most.

Tara, could you start by telling us a bit about The Art of Action?

Sure! The Art of Action came from a deep need in the creative community and a personal strength of mine.

I get emails, almost daily, asking “how do you do it all?” I’ve never really known how to answer these except to say, “I just do it.” Doing is a strength of mine. I love gaining knowledge, I love having a plan, I love knowing what to expect – but in the end, I do.

I realized most people don’t do.

They wait for the perfect time, the perfect set of instructions, the perfect set of materials. Doing is not high on the priority list.

So I wanted to help people do more with what they had – the ideas, resources, and knowledge they already possessed.

The Art of Action is designed to be a professional kick in the pants, a constant reminder that what you have is enough, and an affirmation of your ability to do what needs to be done.

How did you come up with the structure for your course?

Every time I create a product I look for inspiration in the marketplace (I’ve got to sell it, right?) and then carefully consider what methods of teaching are going to be most beneficial to my potential students.

For this course, I wanted to concentrate on “creating action” and so a big emphasis on workbooks was important. I also wanted to incorporate live coaching & a student forum so that students had no excuses for getting stuck! There needed to be introspection, support, and then action.

I added interviews because my voice gets tiresome after a while. It’s easy to think that my predisposition to making things happen is a freak of nature or nurture. By including interviews, I emphasized that you can “do” even when you’re a single mom or a busy provider. The interviews are available in a variety of formats – audio, video, and transcripts – because I wanted to honor a diverse array of learning styles.

In many ways, I probably went over the top with features for this program. But this course isn’t about learning – you don’t have to taken in every part of the course to get 10x the value – it’s about getting what you need. It’s more like a motivation buffet!

What products did you use to make the course work for you?

Well, I’m a hardcore WordPress user. So everything I do begins there. A blank WordPress canvas, ready for digital program goodness.

I’m still using e-Junkie as my check out. Getting tempted by some of the heftier platforms though…

I use Mail Chimp to create a list of students. Emailing reminders, encouragement, and news about new lessons keeps people engaged. It’s all too easy for students to give up but, when they see a new message from me in their inbox, it’s a new opportunity to start over and get some encouragement.

Finally, forums are part of every digital program I create. It’s a way for me to interact like a “real” teacher would – raise your hand if you have a question, please! And it’s also a great way for students to get to know each other. For forums, I either integrate BuddyPress or bbpress into my WordPress installation.

Can you tell us a bit about the planning involved in the course.

The Art of Action started as a free email minicourse in August 2010 and, at the time I created that minicourse, I had no real intention of creating a for-sale version.

But, within a week of launching that program, I was blown away by how engaged, appreciative, and genuinly enthusiastic people were about the content. In December, I created a survey to gauge what people were struggling with, get ideas for blog posts, and determine if there was a real market for this course.

There was, of course, and I set about formulating ideas. When I plan, I outline & outline & outline until something coalesces. Finally, I decided on involving the outside interviewees and their interviews have really shaped how I’m approaching the curriculum.

So since January, I’ve been creating public content specifically designed to get people ready for the course (and just delight them, in general!). I’ve been interviewing since early February. The course will officially begin on March 7.

This is actually one of my slower turn arounds but I’m very pleased with the growth of interest and readiness for the full version.

What do you think are the most important features of an online course and why?

I think the single most important feature of an online course is having an idea, method, or technique that can be applied to life or work immediately.

You don’t have to have immediate results – don’t put that kind of pressure on yourself! – but you should strive to have something that people can apply every lesson.

The difficult of digital programs is that they are easily abandoned. You have to give people a reason to keep coming back for more. OR you have to give them something so good that they forget about the rest of the program because they’re too busying getting 10x the value of the course out of one tiny idea. Seems silly, but I think it’s true!

How are you going to communicate high expectations in your course?

Is it completely corny to say that I live the high expectations that I have for people in my programs?

My high expectations include:
- never striving for perfect, instead striving for profound satisfaction
- allowing yourself to speak your big ideas and big dreams with confidence
- signing your own permission slip to act on the things you need to do to succeed
- finding abundance in what you already have while identifying the “more” you’re really after

People know I do my best to live out those expectations for myself and they work to not let me down. I’m very transparent about my goals & achievements and the people that like my work respect that and want that for themselves. I would never be disappointed in someone who doesn’t meet my expectations but I want for them what I have.

Will you emphasise the importance of completing tasks in the course?

Funny question in the context of this course! What I will emphasize is that students completely their the tasks they took the course to act on. I would prefer they didn’t actually complete all my assignments as long as it’s because they’ve found something that works for them & their own motivation!

In what ways will you respect the diverse talents and ways of learning of your students?

Two main ways. First, as I mentioned before, there are a number of ways to engage with each lesson. Listen or watch an interview, listen or watch my teaching, read the transcripts, fill out the workbook, etc….

Second, I’m a big fan of turning students into teachers. That’s what happens in the forums. Some students ask questions, others answers and then roles reverse. It helps everyone see a bigger picture and a clearer view.

Are students able to receive feedback from you during the course?

Yes! I love playing teacher so I always make sure there is a ways to engage me and get feedback. That will happen in the forums and via 6 live open coaching calls.

Participating with me keeps engagement up, interest high, and cuts down on the number of students who feel left behind. Plus, I’m learning too! I learn so much about myself and what I do just from answering questions and creating solutions for problems. It’s one of the best parts of my job.

Do you see yourself as a teacher in this process?

Yes. I’ve always wanted to be a teacher and this allows me to create an environment where I can be the best teacher I can be and offer students a classroom that they themselves help to create.

I believe that teaching can transform lives and create a ripple effect (either in the teacher or students.) What transformation have you seen because of The Art of Action?

In creating The Art of Action, I’ve had to combat some of my own personal demons. While I may not have difficulty moving from idea to action, I have a great difficulty with asking for help.

I knew I couldn’t do this program on my own and so I had to get used to asking for help, corralling others brilliance, and paying to have stuff done instead of doing it myself. It was a wise investment in my own self growth and a small personal shift that will have big rewards down the line!

The key takeaway for me from this interview was when Tara said digital programs can be easily abandoned. This is a biggie and we all need to continually think of ways to keep our readers coming back for me.

Tara has plenty of action ideas for us all to take away from this interview. What is an area you need to work on?

Bloggers to Watch – Ecourse Edition

Written by Ainslie on January 15, 2011 | Filed Under: Case Studies and Interviews

Earlier this week Jade Craven published her 40 Bloggers to Watch in 2011. A great list with some really cool people.

Here is my response to her call for action, with a twist. Ecourses of course.

This list involves people who already have ecourses on the market as well as my wish list of people who I think would create a wonderful ecourse. It includes membership sites that I joined as well as a few I am about to begin.

Want to know what I want to learn? Then look below

We look for ecourses to solve a problem. A problem that we are itching to fix. As you can see from my list I have problem areas with writing, fitness, business and home productivity. I also want to scope out membership programs in my own area – ecourses.

Eerily this list also seemed to match the vision board I created last month.

Forever A Student

Whilst being a teacher is rewarding it can’t beat the feeling or thrill that only comes when you are a student. Here are the courses I have enjoyed over the past 12 months:

12 Week Body Transformation Program

The 12 Week Body Transformation changed my life. Nope, not my body but that I wanted to create the feeling of belonging. That feeling that I was part of a team. It truly is the most well designed ecourse I have ever seen. And the way she integrates social media and personal connections is amazing.

@michellebridges or @12wbt

Reverb 10

Joy. Hope. Wonder. Three words to describe how much I loved this process. The content was amazing, the support and community spirit blew my mind. And what I learnt was intense, but personal. I have already written about why this is the Ultimate Online Classroom.

Reverb10 or @reverb10

On Track: Reach Your Writing Goals

OK. I am cheating a little. This course is yet to start. But I got a sneak peak and can’t wait. I have been a fan girl of Ali’s for a long time and she is my writing coach. I can also thank her for giving me the courage to call myself a writer and helping to find my online voice.

Aliventures or @aliventures

Ecourse Wish List

Engaging Ecourses

Kelly Kingman and Pace Smith have created a wonderful resource of highly respected online leaders with their thoughts about membership sites. I can’t wait to sink my teeth into all the information. I know it is not strictly an ecourse but hey, it is my list and I can break the rules.

Everyone must check out the sales page for this program. The index idea is excellent and I love Pace’s 10 Takeaways from Engaging Ecourses. I hope she creates another audio of how successful she was at using these 10 points into her own courses.

Engaging Ecourses

My Action Studio

The pairing of Ashley Sinclair and Natalie Peluso seems like a match made in heaven, or the stage. Together they have designed a six weeks course to get creative entrepreneurs to complete their own product. Last year I watched from the sidelines and was in awe. From their first video to their personal tweets I knew they were focussed on their students. I loved their ideas of offering a scholarship and from the tweets it seemed they also gave out certificates. Can’t wait to get inside in March.

My Action Studio

The Shed Project

I missed this short ecourse last year so I really hope Bindi brings it back again next year. I love the way she describes the process of letting go of stuff as an adventure. Also, her sales page really shows the love she has for her members.

The Shed Project

Man Vs Debt

Baker just announced that this year he is going to design a membership site “You vs Debt” I seriously had him in my wish list below when I wrote my draft. Absolutely can’t wait to see this ecourse. I love all things that help me look after my money.

You really must take his 5 minute survey. One to help him, but to also see the very cool interactive component at the end. I know this course is going to rock because the light is immediately put on us, the learners.

Man Vs Debt

Alicia Edgar

I am really hoping that Alicia is about to re-launch her Bizfficiency Course (or a variation). I have signed up to her free seminar next week so fingers crossed. Alicia is the go to girl for all things business and productivity. I love waking up to her early morning business tweets and she always sends you in the right direction for the best business posts.

Numbers Are Life @aliciaedgar

My Wish List

If I had a magic want I would really love Simple Mom and the mad duo of Young House Love to create an ecourse. Tsh and her team have so much information and they would create a wonderous membership site of creating a productive home. And I really want Sherry and John to teach me how to renovate my house.

Always a Teacher

This year I am going to be developing three ecourses. The first is for my study skills site and will help parents and children create the best study environment at home. The second is a passion project from my dad and I for Cutting Horse Link. It is 12 months in the design process, and will take another 12 months to get off the ground. But it will be glorious.

And the final course will be on ecourses, right here.

The Year of the Ecourse

Last year was the year of coaches. This year it will be all about Ecourses. I know of a few exciting ones coming up, one of the awesome perks of my job. Here’s hoping they really revolutionise the way membership sites are done and set the bar high.

Which courses are you looking forward to this year? Or are you creating an ecourse (come on, give us the inside scoop)?

Let us know in the comments below.

Reverb 10: The ultimate online classroom

Written by Ainslie on December 4, 2010 | Filed Under: Case Studies and Interviews

Twenty years ago I, and 90 others from a small Catholic College, attended the annual Year 10 School Retreat. It was the classic school religious retreat. Nuns, nature and naysayers.

The retreat lasted 3 days. But that experience still echoes through my bones, quietly simmering, waiting to be awoken again.

Image Credit: Fergal OP

And today it came to the surface again when I found out about Reverb10. Reverb10 is a month long event that “encourages participants to reflect on this year and manifest what’s next. It’s an opportunity to retreat and consider the reverberations of your year past, and those that you’d like to create in the year ahead”

Extract from Gwen Bell

Seriously, wow! I was right back to Year 10 Camp all over again. When I immersed myself in the Reverb10 site my heart skipped a beat. Here was an opportunity to:

Be supported by beautiful and visionary leaders
Reflect individually
Be connected with others going through the same process (many of whom have shared the same online connections, and yet not connected)
Be moved by the power of the written word.

At this moment I really wish I was at my parent’s house. Because on a top shelf, in a box, under a wad of paper, lives a shoes box. You know the one. Scrap bits of papers, love letters, single photos. Teenage love, angst and memories all captured in that small time capsule.

This shoe box also holds a number of notes and letters from that Year 10 Retreat.

The power of the written word was not lost at this retreat.

Firstly the leaders set up a simple ‘paper bag post office’. During the week we could post little comments to friends and fellow students. I must admit I really struggled with this. How could people who made no attempt to take the time to know me write really nice things? I felt it was fake. Or that they were just gaining browny points with the nuns (or God)

On the final night, after a long and powerful meditation every student was given a letter from their parents. I still remember the stillness of that room, the tears that started to flow. The power of the written word.

And finally we wrote back to our parents. That night was probably the most passionate writing a group of 15 year olds had every written in one sitting.

The Reverb Classroom

Kaileen, Cali and Gwen have created the most engaging online environment I have ever seen. These three leaders created a vision and a goal: to design an online space where people could learn, reflect and connect.

If I was to breakdown what they created, it really is the perfect school. We have:

The School (reverb10 site)
Three leaders with a strong vision
The curriculum – 30 days of prompts
The teachers – 30 different leaders
The classrooms – blogs, twitter, facebook, delicious
The support crew – an entire group devoted to build community, asnwer questions, add posts to delicious
Equipment – badges to put on our blogs
And the students – us

Even the leaders and teachers are taking part in reverb as well.

There is so much that we can take away from this amazing online event. Reverb10 really shows you what can be done when you focus on the teaching, and the people.

click here

sign up