Let’s get creative and start designing your course. We’ll cover everything from organizing your course into modules to adding interactive quizzes.
If you want a super quick jump-start to exploring how Sensei works for online courses, you can choose to install a demo course as provided in the Quick Links section of Sensei’s Home page.
This demo course will give you an opportunity to see how a basic course with 12 lessons works both in your admin pages and on the front end of your site.
This demo course also doubles as a mini-course for how to set up your own course. That said, the information from this demo course is also openly available directly in Sensei’s website which may offer more current updates on new features.
As we’ve mentioned in various places throughout our learning hub, technology can sometimes change very quickly. For that reason, we’re not going to duplicate existing information that could become outdated, directly in this lesson. Instead, we’ll walk you through how to utilize the guides provided by Sensei for specific guidance on how to complete the steps for each component of your course.
- Creating the main course↗︎
- Working with modules↗︎
- Creating lessons↗︎
- Incorporating quizzes↗︎
- Two approaches to questions↗︎
- Reports for students, courses, and lessons↗︎
- Grading options↗︎
- Student management↗︎
Delving deeper with Sensei’s documentation:
While we’re giving you a solid foundation in this lesson, we can’t overstate the value of venturing into Sensei’s own guides. They are a treasure trove of detailed insights that will ensure you truly master the ins and outs of the LMS. Think of our lesson as your launchpad, and Sensei’s documentation as your in-depth navigation chart. By combining our foundational understanding with Sensei’s comprehensive guides, you’re equipping yourself with a powerful toolkit to create standout courses effectively.
These documents cover the most common aspects of creating and managing your course, but there are many more features to explore. Another lovely thing about Sensei is their extensive documentation. So while we’ve collected the top level guides for you to start with above, we encourage you to further explore their documentation↗︎. You can also search their docs for keywords relevant to the information you need, in order to help you dive even deeper.
How to Create a Valuable eCourse: A Step-by-Step Guide by Sensei↗︎:
After you’ve begun your journey with Sensei, it’s always good to explore further. This guide from Sensei itself provides a different perspective on creating valuable eCourses, ensuring you leave no stone unturned. Expand your horizons in the world of online course creation. Read the Guide Here↗︎
Setting up your course within Sensei isn’t all that different from the methods we outlined for using pages and posts. You need a main course landing page, possibly modules, and lessons. The beauty of working with an LMS like Sensei is that the relationships between these pieces are pre-established by the plugin and can be easier to plan out.
The first step is always to create the main course landing page, and in Sensei that’s the step of “Creating the main course↗︎”. This main course page also often acts as your sales page since it’s like the front cover of your course where you include all the compelling information that will entice a student to start taking the course.
Once this main course page is created, you’re then able to create and attach modules and lessons to the course.
Slideshow of screenshots when adding a new course:
If you have a more in-depth course that will include a larger number of lessons, then splitting them up into modules↗︎ is often a good idea. This will make it easier for students to understand where they are in the course materials, as well as where they’ve been and what they have left to cover.
This organization of materials leans into the information we covered in the Blueprint lesson, where you hopefully spent time mapping out your course content ideas.
Not all courses need to be broken down into modules, but it’s an important point of consideration when looking at the overall digestibility and flow of your course.
The other benefit of an LMS is the ability to categorize courses. This allows you to create a robust network of courses that you can group together by topics, which makes it easier for students to find the courses within your site that are most relevant to them.
Lessons↗︎ are the backbone of your course. They contain the instructional content that guides learners through the topic at hand. When designing lessons, it’s essential to keep your audience’s needs and preferences in mind. Here are some points to consider:
- Content clarity: Ensure that your lesson content is clear, concise, and free from jargon unless it’s essential. It’s good practice to introduce and explain terms before delving deep into them.
- Multimedia integration: Incorporate various forms of media like images, videos, and infographics to explain complex topics. This not only makes the content engaging but also helps cater to different learning styles.
- Engaging quizzes: Within Sensei, quizzes can be attached to each lesson. These quizzes are an excellent tool for reinforcing knowledge and providing feedback. Craft questions that test understanding, application, and analysis, rather than just rote memory.
- Feedback mechanism: Ensure that once students complete quizzes, they receive immediate feedback on their performance. This can be in the form of correct answers, explanations, or additional resources.
- Progress tracking: With Sensei, you can track learners’ progress. Displaying their progress can motivate learners, giving them a sense of accomplishment as they move through the course.
- Lesson objectives and outcomes: At the beginning of each lesson, outline what the learners will achieve by the end. This sets a clear expectation and gives them a roadmap.
When integrating quizzes↗︎ within lessons, consider using various question types offered by Sensei:
- Multiple Choice: Ideal for testing knowledge on specific facts or concepts.
- True/False: Good for reinforcing foundational knowledge.
- Gap Fill: Helps in understanding the recall ability of students.
- Single Line: Allows students to express in their own words to an open-ended question, and it’s great for topics that need reflection or personal insights.
- Ordering: Perfect for assessing understanding of sequences, processes, or hierarchies within a topic.
The structure of your lesson, combined with the effective use of quizzes, will define the learning experience for your students. Always keep the end goal in mind: to provide value, facilitate understanding, and foster a love for learning.
Honestly, this is one of our favorite parts. Sensei offers various customization options to make your course visually appealing. You can choose from different layouts and color schemes to match your brand. And if you opt to work with Sensei Pro, you can also choose from a nice selection of interactive blocks↗︎ that can really bring each of your lessons to life.
In fact, you’ve been experiencing some of these blocks through this course. For example, all of our included Quiz questions are using Sensei’s Interactive Questions↗︎ block. Those little clickable dots on some of the screenshots we’ve included? Those are created using Sensei’s Image Hotspot block.
When you’re working in the editor to create your lesson layouts, you’ll find all of Sensei’s blocks grouped together at the top of the block inserter panel making them convenient to grab when needed.
When you consider our course, how have these interactive blocks and styling options impacted your experience with our course? And how might features like this improve the experience of your own students?
Remember, a well-structured and engaging course not only facilitates learning but can significantly boost student retention and satisfaction.
Imagine you’re designing a lesson on the history of chocolate. Which combination of Sensei’s features would BEST enhance your students’ experience?
Well done! Incorporating multimedia and interactive quizzes like the ‘ordering’ type enhances the learning experience, making it engaging and informative.
Not quite. Take a moment to reflect on the components that make a lesson truly engaging and informative. Think about the balance of multimedia, content clarity, and interactive elements. Review the lesson, focusing on the best practices for crafting an impactful lesson, and try again. Every reflection brings clarity!
Design a mock lesson outline:
Even if you haven’t finalized your course material, use what you’ve learned in this lesson to create a mock lesson within Sensei. Incorporate a brief introduction, main content, and a quiz at the end. Think about how you can integrate multimedia, and choose from the variety of question types available in Sensei for your quiz. This hands-on activity will not only give you a feel of the Sensei interface but will also help solidify the concepts covered in this lesson.
By now, your course should be taking shape. Before you move on, challenge yourself with our end-of-lesson quiz and take a moment to try out the activity. These exercises will reinforce your understanding and give you practical experience in using Sensei’s features.
Next up, we’ll dive into managing students and tracking their progress. Until then, happy course designing!
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