Use Brain Science to Improve Your Online Courses

I’ve seen more entrepreneurs jumping on the online course bandwagon lately. And, time and time again, most of them make the same mistake. They figure creating an extraordinary course comes down to a mix of business savvy and subject matter expertise. As they have plenty of both, they jump right into course creation without even considering the impact that neuroscience and human psychology have on client retention. Because of this, they often have nothing to show for their hard work but unhappy clients, low completion rates, and reduced profit margins.

Luckily, you don’t need to be a doctor in neuroscience to set your students (and business) up for success. You just need to take advantage of the following learning science principles.

Brain Science Principles You Can Use to Improve Learning Outcomes

1- The Primacy and Recency Effects

When given a sequence of information, people’s memory tends to get fuzzy in the middle. Things heard first and last in a lesson or speech often have the most staying power. This phenomenon is often referred to as the primacy and recency effect. And, it’s something you need to keep in mind during the course creation process. To take advantage of this tendency, experts recommend:

• Putting key information at the beginning or end of each lesson or module
• Breaking long onscreen lists into two or more columns. This gives your students more top and bottom items to remember.
• Recap all-important points at the end of your video—especially if it was originally said in the middle.

2- Take Advantage of the Power of Goal Setting to Propel Your Students Forward

Your learners’ goals and how closely they align with your course content is a big part of what separates someone who completes your course from somebody who calls it quits. If you do not incorporate their desired outcomes into your curriculum, you’re going to have a hard time motivating them to finish your course. So, be sure to organize your course material and milestones in a way that supports your students’ goals.

The following points summarize the core strategies mentioned in the curriculum development process:

• Primacy and Recency: Put key information at the beginning or end of each module because things heard first and last have the most staying power.
• Goal Alignment: Organize your course material and milestones in a way that supports your students’ goals to ensure they do not call it quits.