Teaching Mastery Academy for Digital Course Creators

Want To Boost Student Motivation for Your Digital Course?

• Francesca Hudson: Teaching Mastery Academy • Season 1 • Episode 2

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What if low completion rates in your online courses could be a thing of the past? We promise you'll walk away with actionable strategies to keep your students engaged and motivated from the first lesson to the final exam. Our latest episode is packed with insights on boosting student engagement, exploring everything from the art of storytelling and personal anecdotes to the use of case studies and fictional scenarios that make your content relatable and memorable.

Tune in to discover how gamification and accountability can transform the learning experience. Imagine turning lessons into an exciting game with badges, certificates, and leaderboards, all designed to keep students hooked. Learn the secrets of building a supportive community, using personalized weekly check-ins, progress trackers, and live Q&A sessions to foster a sense of belonging. These small, strategic changes can make a massive difference in your students' success and your course completion rates. Don't miss out on these powerful techniques to make your online courses more engaging than ever.

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Think of your course (or your course idea,) like a luxury car. People won’t pay top dollar unless it’s high quality, delivers an incredible experience, and meets their needs perfectly. Teaching Mastery Academy teaches course creators like you how to ‘build’ that luxury-level course—one that students trust, complete, and rave about, justifying premium pricing every time. Ready to take your expertise and ensure your digital course stands out from the crowd? Premium courses (and premium returns) start with the core teaching fundamentals that all the best course creators instinctively do, but now I'm showing you how! Join the VIP waitlist for Teaching Mastery Academy now! Click here to learn more.

Speaker 1:

Have you ever signed up for an online course, all excited to learn something new, only to lose steam halfway through and never finish it? Well, you're not alone. Did you know that the average completion rate for most online courses is less than 15%? That's right. Less than 15% of students actually finish the course as they start. That's a big problem for both the students and the course creators. Finish the course as they start that's a big problem for both the students and the course creators. Imagine putting in all that effort into creating a course only to have most of your students drop out before the halfway point. But here's the thing it doesn't have to be that way. The courses that succeed are the ones that keep their students hooked, engaged and motivated all the way through. And today, my friend, we're going to talk about exactly how you can do that. In this episode, we're going to dive into some of the most effective strategies you can use to keep your students engaged from the moment they start your course until the very end. Whether you're creating your first course or you've got one already running, I'm going to share some simple but powerful techniques that you can implement right away to improve your course completion rates. We'll cover everything from using storytelling to making your lessons more relatable, adding interactive elements to get your students involved and incorporating hands-on activities that keep them engaged. These are the strategies that work in any course, no matter what topic you're teaching. Engaged these are the strategies that work in any course, no matter what topic you're teaching. So stick around, because by the end of this episode, you'll have a toolkit of engagement strategies that will make a huge difference in your students' experience.

Speaker 1:

Today, we are looking at why engagement matters so much. Well, it's not just about making your course more fun, although that's important too. When students are engaged, they are more likely to absorb the material, stay motivated and ultimately succeed. And when they succeed, you succeed. My friend, engaged students finish courses, get real results and become ambassadors for your course. They share their positive experiences with others, leave great reviews and even refer new students your way. On the flip side, if students lose interest or if they get bored or if they feel overwhelmed, they're more likely to drop out, and that's where your course starts to suffer. You might see lower completion rates, fewer success stories, and that, in turn, leads to fewer referrals. But the good news is, with the right strategies, you can turn that around. Engagement isn't just a bonus. It's the key to creating courses that make an impact.

Speaker 1:

So let's look at storytelling and how powerful it can be in teaching your students new content. I want you to think about the last time you watched a great movie or read a really good book. Chances are you still remember the story or the characters and the emotions you felt. Right, that's because stories connect with us on a deep emotional level. We've been telling stories for thousands of years, long before we started writing them down. Stories are how we've passed down knowledge, lessons and history, and the reason they've lasted so long is simple they make information stick. When you frame your lessons around a story, whether it's a personal anecdote, a case study or even a fictional example, students become emotionally invested in the outcome, and this emotional connection makes the material easier to understand and so much more memorable. In fact, studies show that people are up to 22 times more likely to remember facts when they're wrapped in a story. So if you're teaching a topic that might feel a little bit dry or complex, storytelling is a great game changer. It takes the abstract and it makes it relatable.

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One of the simplest ways to incorporate storytelling is by sharing a personal anecdote. This could be a story from your own life that relates to the topic you're teaching. For example, when I teach about course creation, I like to tell the story of my first course the struggles I faced, the mistakes I made and boy did I make a lot and what I learned along the way. It helps students see that I've been where they are and that they can overcome similar challenges. Your personal story doesn't have to be long or complicated. You don't have to overshare, it just needs to be authentic.

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Case studies are another powerful way to bring abstract concepts to life. By showing a real world example of a problem and its solution, you're helping students see the practical application of what they're learning. Let's say you're teaching a marketing course, for example. Instead of just explaining a concept, you could walk your students through a case study of a real company that uses that strategy and saw results. It takes the theory and it makes it tangible, showing your students how it works in the real world. Case studies are especially useful when you're teaching something technical or data-driven, as they help break down quite complex ideas.

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Now, if you don't have a real world example or a personal story to share, that's okay. You can create fictional characters or scenarios to illustrate key points. Fictional stories can be just as engaging as real ones and can be tailored to fit the lesson, as long as you are letting your students know that this is a fictional example. For example, if you're teaching a leadership course, you could introduce a fictional character let's call her Sarah who's struggling to lead her team through a big project. Throughout the course, you can check in on Sarah's progress, using her story to highlight the challenges and strategies that apply to your lessons. It's a great way to create a narrative arc that runs through your course and keeps students engaged. So my actionable tip here's an easy way to get started Try introducing a short story at the beginning of each lesson that connects with your topic. It could be a personal story, a case study or even a fictional scenario. Don't worry about making it perfect. The key is to create that emotional connection with your students. Once you start adding stories into your course, you'll find that students are more engaged, more likely to remember the material and more invested in the outcome.

Speaker 1:

Let's look at personalization how important it is to personalize your lessons, even if they are on evergreen. So how do we tailor learning to individual students? Well, let me give you a scenario. Have you ever been in a class where it felt like the material didn't really speak to you? Maybe it moved too fast, or maybe it was too basic. The same thing can happen in online courses. When students feel like the content isn't quite for them, they're more likely to lose interest, and that's a big problem. So that's why personalization is such a powerful tool. When you make your students feel like the course is built just for them, they're motivated. They're more motivated to engage and stick with it, and you're going to get some great reviews.

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But how do you personalize a course for a group of students that you've never even met? Well, the good news is, with online tools, it's easier than you think. You can create more customized experience by understanding your students' needs, giving them choices in how they learn and adapting your content to different learning styles. Two personalisation strategies for you, and the first one is pre-course surveys and learning paths, so you can use surveys at the beginning of a course to understand your students' skill levels, goals and interests. You can then suggest different learning paths based on their responses, helping them focus on the most relevant material for their needs. One simple way to personalise the experience is by starting with a pre-course survey. Ask your students questions about their background, what they're hoping to learn and their skill level. You can then use their answers to suggest learning paths or modules that fit their needs. For example, if you're teaching a digital marketing course, some students might be brand new to the field, while others might already have some experience. Based on their survey responses, you can guide beginners to foundational modules and more experienced students to advanced content. You can also do this as a video if you don't have the technology to be able to create a survey. At the start of your course, you can do a short video intro outlining how your course works, the structure, and then maybe suggest some different modules for different learning styles.

Speaker 1:

To start with, my second strategy for personalization is adaptive learning content. So introduce the concept of adaptive learning, where the course adjusts based on student performance. If a student struggles with a quiz or a concept, for example, the course can offer additional resources or alternative explanations. Another powerful tool is adaptive learning. With this approach, the course adjusts itself based on how well the student is doing. For example, if a student doesn't do well on a quiz, you could automatically direct them to additional resources or a simplified explanation or, if they breeze through, you can suggest more advanced material, and what I love to do in the essay clinic, for example, one of my digital courses for teenagers is if a student has struggled with the content in one lesson, I will have a link to another resource that they can use. Is if a student has struggled with the content in one lesson, I will have a link to another resource that they can use that will stop and go back through that content that they've just learned in a more detailed manner. And likewise, if students are breezing through the content, then I will have extensional bonus lessons that they can tap into. That's built just for them.

Speaker 1:

By having these options, it keeps students from feeling frustrated or bored and it helps them stay engaged by giving them exactly what they need at any given moment. Now I've actually got three. I forgot one. I've actually got three personalization strategies for you. I forgot one, but it's come to my mind now. The third one is offering learning choices. So people learn in different ways, and one of the easiest ways to personalize your course is by offering multiple options for engaging with the content. I love this one because it really taps into the creative side for me, I get to deliver information to students in several different ways, so you can give students the choice to watch a video, read a transcript or complete a hands-on exercise, whichever fits their learning style best. By giving choices, you're empowering them to take control of their learning experience, which keeps them engaged and motivated. So here's an easy way to start personalising your course Add a short pre-course survey or a welcome video to learn more about your students.

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I use Kajabi. You can use the survey function on Kajabi at the start of the course. That's a really easy way. So if you're using a piece of course software like Teachable or Kajabi, they will have that option and you can ask your students about their experience, their learning preferences and goals and then maybe make some suggestions to tailor your course recommendations based on their responses. It's a small step, but it can make a huge difference in how engaged your students feel right from the beginning.

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We've all heard the saying practice makes perfect, and when it comes to learning, there's a lot of truth in that we learn best by doing. When students have the chance to apply what they've learned, they're not just memorizing information, they're seeing how it works in the real world. It makes learning more concrete and gives them a sense of accomplishment as they work through the material. This is especially important for complex or abstract topics, for example. When you give your students hands-on, you're helping them reinforce what they've learned and giving them a way to see the impact of their knowledge.

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One of the best ways to bring hands-on learning into your course is through assignments and projects. This can be as simple as having students complete a small task at the end of each lesson or module. For example, if you're teaching, we'll use the marketing course example again, you might have your students create a sample marketing plan that they can use in real life. They're called small wins, so they're things that students can use straight away and that will make a real difference in their day-to-day life. These kinds of projects help students take what they've learned and put it into practice right away. Plus, by the end of your course, they'll have something that they've created themselves, something that they can look back on and feel really proud of.

Speaker 1:

Another great way to incorporate hands-on learning is through live demonstrations or workshops. These sessions let your students see how the material works in action. For example, if you're teaching a cooking class, you could do a live cooking demo where you walk your students through a recipe step by step, or, if it's a design course, you could demonstrate a specific technique in real time, allowing students to follow along and ask questions as they go. These live experiences not only help solidify the learning, but it also gives your students the chance to interact with you directly. Now, if live sessions aren't an option, you can still add hands-on learning through worksheets, checklists or templates and everybody loves a good checklist I know I do. These are simple tools that guide your students through the process step by step. For example, if you're teaching a course on time management, you could provide a downloadable time blocking template that students can fill in as they learn about scheduling their day. If it's a fitness course, another example maybe a workout log where they can track their progress. These materials give students something tangible to work with, helping them stay on track and actively engage with the content. Here's a quick tip to get started with hands-on learning Try adding a small project at the end of each module that lets your students apply what they've learned.

Speaker 1:

It doesn't have to be complicated, just something that ties the lesson to a real-world task. For example, if you're teaching a business course, have them create a business plan outline based on what they've learned so far, and then by the time they finish your course, they'll have something valuable that they've created themselves. So maybe, lesson by lesson, you're building on that business plan and each lesson they've added something new to it, and so by the time the course is finished, they'll feel a really strong sense of accomplishment. To use my course the Essay Clinic again as another example, this is what we do is that we start at the beginning of module one and we talk about I teach them how to brainstorm and they are choosing a text they want to use, and then they're brainstorming around that, and then module two is all about actually writing your essay and then module three is editing. They are writing their own essay along the way. So each lesson we're building on what we've talked about the prior lesson and they're applying it to their own essays. So by the time they've finished the essay clinic, they have their own beautifully polished and edited essay that they can hand in for their assignment or they can hand in to their teacher. They walk away from the course with something tangible that they can use straight away. But back to our teaching strategies.

Speaker 1:

So one of the biggest challenges for online learners is staying motivated. We all love games, right? There's something about leveling up, earning points and unlocking achievements just pulls us in. Well, that's the power of gamification it turns learning into a game and motivates students by adding elements of challenge, progress and reward. I love it, big child at heart here, and so I'm trying to all. I'm always trying to find ways to add gamification to my courses, and when students feel like they're working towards a goal or competing in a friendly way, they're much more likely to stay engaged. Gamification isn't just about fun. It's about giving your students clear goals and rewarding them for their progress. Whether it's through earning badges, unlocking new content or completing in challenges, gamification makes the learning experience more dynamic and motivating.

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One of the easiest ways to add gamification to your course is by using badges or certificates. You can award badges for completing lessons, quizzes or even reaching milestones in the course. For example, you might give out a quiz master badge when a student aces all the quizzes in a module, or a certificate when they finish the entire course. It's a simple but effective way to give your students a sense of achievement. Most course platforms allow you to automate this, so once you set it up, it runs itself If you really want to take gamification to the next level, consider adding a leaderboard to your course.

Speaker 1:

This creates a friendly sense of competition where students can see how they stack up against their peers in terms of quiz scores or completion rates. Even if the competition is light, it motivates students to push themselves a little harder. You could even offer a small prize or recognition for students who hit the top of the leaderboard at the end of the course. And finally, you can also add unlockable content or challenges to keep students engaged. For example, after completing a set of lessons, you might unlock an advanced bonus lesson or a fun challenge that lets them apply what they've learned in a new way. And I love to do this with my courses because I'm teaching teenagers and when they have completed a particularly tricky module, then I've got a little surprise at the end, which is a bit of a gift for them, but I don't advertise it and they don't know about it until they reach the end. It's a total surprise. So unlockable content gives students an incentive to keep moving forward because they know there's something exciting waiting for them at the next milestone, and this keeps the learning experience fresh and dynamic.

Speaker 1:

So here's my quick tip to get started with gamification, try adding a simple badge system into your course platform award badges when students complete a module or pass quiz and let them track their achievements. It's an easy way to motivate your students and give them that extra push to keep progressing through the course and, as I mentioned before, most course platforms will have an automated system that you can tap into to really automate this. Okay, so we briefly touched on making sure that we can tap into to really automate this. Okay, so we briefly touched on making sure that we can keep our students staying motivated and without a physical classroom or a teacher reminding them to keep up with their work, it is easy to fall behind, and that's where accountability comes in. When students feel like someone is cheering them on or even keeping them gently accountable, they're much more likely to finish the course. Accountability adds that personal touch, whether it's through a teacher's guidance, community support or regular progress checks.

Speaker 1:

Let me give you an example of a friend of mine, jane, who's a fitness coach that runs an online weight loss program. Now she noticed that many of her students would drop out after the first few weeks, especially when they weren't seeing immediate results. Students would drop out after the first few weeks, especially when they weren't seeing immediate results. To combat this, she added personal weekly check-ins where students could log their progress, share any challenges and receive a personalized motivational message from her, and the results were incredible. Students who received weekly check-ins completed the course at a much higher rate than those who didn't, and the check-ins didn't take Jane much time either, but they made the students feel seen and supported. Even something as simple as you're doing great, keep going message had a massive impact, and this sense of personal accountability helped students stay on track and Jane's completion rates jumped to 40%. So this example illustrates how personal interactions can significantly increase engagement and course completion.

Speaker 1:

Now why is it important that people complete the course? It helps you because if they are getting results, then they will be telling their friends, they will be giving you reviews, you will have great testimonials and then you'll be able to help more people and it really cements you as the go-to person in your niche. If you have got a course running on Evergreen and you don't have time or you have got too many students to be able to give everybody one-on-one feedback, that's okay, because progress trackers are a fantastic way to build accountability without much effort on your part. When students see how much they've completed, they feel a sense of accomplishment right and it motivates them to keep going. So think about it like a video game where you can see how close you are to levelling up. So think about progress bars, checklists or even downloadable progress logs that give students that visual motivation to push forward. So maybe, like at the end of each module, you can have a downloadable progress log that shows them how far they've come and what they've got left to go.

Speaker 1:

Look at how Duolingo uses progress tracking to keep learners engaged. Each time you finish a language lesson, you're rewarded with points badges and a progress bar showing how close you are to achieving your next goal. Duolingo also uses streaks to track how many days in a row you've practiced, which encourages users to come back day after day. This simple tracking mechanism has made Duolingo one of the most popular language learning apps in the world, and the reason it works so well is that it gives learners an immediate sense of progress and reward small wins. Now you might not have all the fancy technology that Duolingo does to have all of this information to hand, but the same principles can be applied to your course, even a simple visual progress bar or a completion checklist can have a huge impact on keeping your students motivated.

Speaker 1:

Don't underestimate the power of drip content. So drip content is another great tool for accountability. Instead of giving students access to the entire course at once, you release lessons gradually, whether it's weekly or after certain milestones, or they have to have completed a quiz first and then that unlocks the next module, and this helps prevent overwhelm and gives students time to fully absorb each lesson before moving on to the next. Plus, it also creates a sense of anticipation, so when students know there's more content coming, they're more likely to return and stay engaged throughout the course. Also, have you thought about community groups? Building a community around your course is one of the most effective ways to foster accountability. When students join a Facebook group or a Slack channel, they feel like they're part of something bigger. They can ask questions, they can celebrate wins and even share struggles, and this not only provides them with a support network, but it also creates peer accountability, where students feel motivated to keep up because their peers are doing the same. And let's not forget the good old Q&A sessions. Live Q&A sessions are another excellent accountability tool, because when students know they have an opportunity to ask questions directly and get real-time feedback, they're more likely to stay engaged and motivated. Hosting a live Q&A once every few weeks can make students feel like they're part of a more dynamic learning experience. It also encourages them to keep up with the materials so they can make the most of these live opportunities. So here is an easy way to start building accountability into your course Set up a simple progress tracker or drip feed your content. By breaking your course into small, manageable chunks and tracking the progress, you'll give your students the motivation they need to stay engaged and finish what they've started.

Speaker 1:

Before we wrap up, let's quickly recap the key engagement strategies we covered today. First, we talked about the power of storytelling how weaving stories into your lessons can make even the most complex topics relatable and memorable. Then we explored the value of interactive elements like quizzes and peer discussions to keep students involved and thinking actively. Remember we wanted that active learning, not that passive learning. Next, we shifted gears and drove into gamification. We talked about using rewards, badges and leaderboards to make learning fun and motivate students to stay engaged. And finally, we looked at how accountability and motivation can make all the difference, whether it's through progress trackers, community groups or live Q&A sessions.

Speaker 1:

All of these strategies are designed to keep your students on track and motivated to complete your course. I want to remind you that you don't have to be a master teacher or a tech expert to implement these strategies. Expert to implement these strategies. Each of these tools storytelling, interactive elements, gamification and accountability are all simple to use and they are incredibly effective. You don't need to overhaul your entire course to make a difference. Even small changes can dramatically boost engagement and help your students achieve real results. Remember, your course doesn't have to be perfect from the start. The most important thing is to focus on connection, whether it's through stories, interactive content or motivating your students with rewards and accountability. These strategies will help you create the course that students enjoy and, more importantly, finish, and that's what we want.

Speaker 1:

If you're ready to take these strategies even further and build a course that truly makes an impact, I've got something special for you. Make sure to sign my VIP list in the show notes because by joining, you'll be the first to hear when my free training Master, the Art of Teaching your Course, goes live. In the training, I'll dive deeper into these engagement strategies and share even more tips and resources to help you become the go-to teacher in your field and you will walk away from this training with an actionable strategy that you can implement right away. And you'll also get exclusive access to bonus content and insider tips that I only share with my VIPs. So don't miss out. Click on the show notes and sign up today. Thanks for joining me. It has been an absolute pleasure to have you with me for episode two. I have got plenty more to come, so I will see you next time, my friend. Until then, keep teaching, keep thriving and I will see you soon. Bye for now.

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Francesca Hudson

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