On your journey to creating an online course, one of the biggest challenges is finding a perfect online course platform.
Believe me, choosing the right course platform can be a pain in the ass.
You know why?
See, I have a profile on almost every social media channel, whether it’s FB, FTwitter, Instagram, Pinterest, etc.
And I’m very active on them.
I regularly share immensely valuable content on these platforms.
On some platforms it will be shared instantly while others will take time.
Why is it like this?
That’s because different platforms have their own personalities and behave differently.
For example, FB needs people to engage with the platform, while Twitter counts the number of retweets and likes a post receives.
Likewise, each online course platform is completely different from the other and it is your responsibility to choose the right one.
Your wrong choice of platform can get you in big trouble.
After all, you don’t want to upload your marketing course to a platform where customer support leaves you hanging for hours, do you?
According to a survey by American Express, 78% of customers have decided to cancel their purchase due to poor customer service.
So always keep that in mind
Precision in decision-making is your path to progress.
But to find the perfect online course platform, you need to know exactly what to look for.
So let’s take a quick look at different types of online course platforms that you should know about.
Different types of online course platforms:
1. Learning objectives:
LDS platforms provide a simple front-end store to sell your online courses. It allows you to create, store, and sell your online courses much like you would in a regular ecommerce store.
Udacity & Coursera became popular with such platforms so this could be one great idea for your course.
2. Traditional LMS
Traditional LMS are purpose-built eLearning platforms that offer truly professional features.
Aside from creating and selling your course, you can also use it to mark your students’ progress, give them grades, leaderboards, and more.
Because of their high-end functionality, these traditional LMS platforms are highly preferred by top companies.
3. Open Source LMS
Open source LMS is a reflection of the traditional LMS but with a twist.
These platforms are free to use.
Additionally, these platforms are highly customizable, allowing you to design your e-course based on your needs.
open edx is a great example of open source LMS.
4. Modern LMS:
Modern LMS systems have a strong focus on creating a user-friendly environment.
These platforms are specifically designed to adapt to user behavior and make it easy for their students.
For example, it reduces the number of clicks required to complete a simple task.
5. Learning Management Ecosystem
The LM ecosystem is a combination of everything.
These platforms take the best features of other platforms, mix them together, add a bit of their own flavor, and then come up with something of their own.
The LM ecosystem allows you to create content, provide a solid front-end store for selling, has an adaptive learning engine, eCommerce capabilities, as well as other LMS integrations.
6. Custom LMS
As the name suggests, custom LMS is highly customized Online course platform.
It is specially designed to meet a specific need.
Such platforms are mainly used by high-end organizations or universities like the HBX platform used at Harvard Business School.
So the next time you’re looking for an online course platform, don’t forget to take a quick look at this list.
As a marketer, you constantly need to familiarize yourself with new concepts.
I have also attended many online courses.
In my early days, I literally took a class on the best tools for creating an online course.
So when I need a new course, I look for a few things.
What are you?
Yes, features and benefits are important, but they’re all secondary things. The very first thing I look for in a course is “what’s trending”.
According to the Rich Kid Report, the demand for big data has increased by 912%.
Thanks to Mohd Khan
