Description
Course Overview
Creating an online course involves much more than recording a few videos and uploading them to a learning platform. Successful course creators need to choose the right topic, design useful lessons, record quality content, edit videos, create effective presentations, publish the course, market it, and build an audience.
Udemy Masters 2016: Online Course Creation – Unofficial is a comprehensive course designed for people who want to learn how to create, publish, promote, and monetize online courses. The course is taught by Phil Ebiner and Video School and covers the process from developing an initial course idea through building a broader online teaching business.
What Will You Learn?
By completing the course, learners can develop skills in:
- Choosing an online course topic
- Validating course ideas
- Planning a course
- Creating course outlines
- Structuring lessons
- Selecting course formats
- Choosing recording equipment
- Recording video
- Recording audio
- Creating screen recordings
- Designing presentation slides
- Using PowerPoint
- Improving presentation design
- Editing course videos
- Using Adobe Premiere Pro
- Adding titles and graphics
- Improving audio
- Performing basic color correction
- Exporting videos
- Publishing online courses
- Writing course titles
- Writing course descriptions
- Developing pricing strategies
- Promoting online courses
- Building an audience
- Using YouTube
- Creating a website
- Developing a personal brand
- Using email marketing
- Exploring self-hosted courses
- Increasing course revenue
Who Is This Course For?
This course is primarily designed for people who want to become online instructors or build an online education business.
It can be particularly useful for:
- Aspiring course creators
- Teachers
- Coaches
- Consultants
- Entrepreneurs
- Subject-matter experts
- YouTubers
- Trainers
- Existing online instructors
- Professionals who want to monetize their expertise
You don’t need previous experience creating online courses to begin.
Getting Started With Online Course Creation
The course begins by introducing the online teaching business and explaining what it takes to create successful digital courses.
Instead of immediately jumping into video recording, the course encourages learners to think about:
- What they can teach
- Who they want to teach
- Whether there is demand
- How the course should be structured
- How it can eventually be marketed
This is an important approach because a technically impressive course can still fail if the underlying topic doesn’t solve a meaningful problem.
Choosing Your First Course Topic
Selecting the right topic is one of the most important decisions an instructor makes.
The course explores different approaches to choosing a subject and encourages learners to consider the intersection between:
Knowledge + Passion + Student Demand
A good course topic should ideally be something you understand well while also addressing a problem that learners are willing to spend time and money solving.
Validating an Online Course Idea
One of the valuable concepts covered is course idea validation.
Before spending weeks recording a course, creators should determine whether people actually want to learn the subject.
Validation can involve researching:
- Existing courses
- Search demand
- Competitors
- Student questions
- Online communities
- Audience feedback
- Related products
This can help reduce the risk of spending significant time creating a course that has little demand.
Flagship vs Niche Courses
The course discusses different approaches to course positioning.
One approach is to create a broad, comprehensive course that covers an entire subject.
Another approach is to create a narrowly focused course addressing one specific problem.
For example:
Broad: Complete Digital Marketing Course
Niche: Instagram Ads for Local Restaurants
Both strategies have advantages.
Broad courses can attract learners interested in an entire subject, while niche courses can target a specific audience with a specific problem.
Planning Your First Course
Once the topic is selected, planning becomes important.
The course teaches learners how to move from a collection of ideas to an organized course structure.
This includes:
- Brainstorming
- Creating an outline
- Organizing lessons
- Grouping related concepts
- Creating a logical learning sequence
A well-designed outline makes recording and editing significantly easier.
Creating a Course Outline
A course outline acts as the blueprint for the entire project.
A useful structure might look like:
Section → Lecture → Learning Objective → Demonstration → Exercise
The course explains how to organize ideas into a practical teaching structure rather than simply producing disconnected videos.
Types of Online Courses
Not every course needs to be created in the same format.
Depending on the subject, an instructor may use:
- Talking-head videos
- Screen recordings
- Presentation slides
- Demonstrations
- Voice-over lessons
- Interviews
- Practical projects
- Combination formats
The course discusses different formats and how they can be used effectively.
Course Creation Equipment
Producing an online course requires some basic equipment.
The course discusses equipment such as:
- Cameras
- Lenses
- Microphones
- Lighting
- Backdrops
- Screen-recording software
- Video-editing software
One useful lesson from this section is that course creators don’t necessarily need an expensive studio to begin.
The right equipment depends on the type of course being created.
Choosing a Camera
For talking-head courses, camera quality can influence the overall production value.
The course introduces different camera setups and discusses approaches for creating professional-looking instructor videos.
However, modern course creators should remember that good lighting, composition, and audio quality can often matter as much as camera specifications.
Microphones and Audio Recording
Audio quality is one of the most important aspects of online education.
Poor audio can make even excellent educational content difficult to watch.
The course discusses microphone and recording equipment and provides guidance on producing clearer audio.
This is particularly valuable for beginners who may focus heavily on camera quality while overlooking sound.
Lighting for Online Courses
Lighting can dramatically improve the appearance of talking-head videos.
The course explains basic lighting principles and how to position lights effectively.
Good lighting can help:
- Improve facial visibility
- Reduce harsh shadows
- Create consistent video quality
- Give recordings a more professional appearance
Choosing a Background
The background of a talking-head video can influence the overall visual presentation.
The course discusses considerations when selecting a backdrop.
The objective isn’t necessarily to create an elaborate studio but to ensure that the background doesn’t distract from the instructor.
Screen Recording
Screen recording is essential for courses involving software, programming, design, productivity tools, or demonstrations.
The course covers important screen-recording concepts and introduces tools used for creating these lessons.
A good screen-recording workflow should make it easy for learners to follow exactly what the instructor is doing.
Reducing Background Noise
Background noise can significantly reduce perceived production quality.
The course discusses ways to minimize unwanted sounds during recording.
This can involve:
- Choosing a quieter recording environment
- Improving microphone positioning
- Using appropriate recording settings
- Applying audio-processing techniques during editing
Essential Video Skills
The course introduces fundamental video-production techniques for online instructors.
Topics include:
- Camera positioning
- Framing
- Recording
- Basic video quality
- Talking-head production
- Screen recording
These skills are useful for creators who have never produced educational videos before.
Essential Audio Skills
Audio production receives considerable attention.
The course covers concepts related to:
- Microphone placement
- Recording quality
- Audio levels
- Background noise
- Voice recording
Good audio is particularly important because online learners may watch lessons for long periods.
Essential Design Skills
Course creators also need basic visual-design knowledge.
The course discusses fundamental design principles that can be applied to:
- Slides
- Videos
- Course thumbnails
- Presentations
- Educational graphics
Good design can make information easier to understand and reduce cognitive overload.
Designing Course Slides
Many online courses rely heavily on presentation slides.
The course provides guidance on creating better presentations and avoiding slides that simply contain large blocks of text.
Effective educational slides should support the instructor rather than compete with the instructor.
PowerPoint Basics
PowerPoint is introduced as a tool for creating course presentations.
The course covers aspects of:
- Slide design
- Layout
- Text
- Images
- Branding
- Presenting information
These concepts can also be applied to other presentation tools.
Formatting Text
Typography can have a significant impact on how easily learners understand course material.
The course discusses:
- Font selection
- Text size
- Spacing
- Formatting
- Slide readability
A clean presentation can make lessons considerably easier to follow.
Using Images in Presentations
Images can help explain concepts and make presentations more visually engaging.
The course discusses ways to incorporate images into course slides while maintaining a professional appearance.
The key is to use images to support the learning objective rather than adding visuals simply for decoration.
Using Web Examples
Online examples can make educational content more practical.
The course explains how web-based examples can be incorporated into lessons.
For example, an instructor might demonstrate:
- A website
- An online application
- A search result
- A digital tool
- A real-world example
These demonstrations can make abstract concepts more concrete.
Recording Your Online Course
After planning and designing the course, the next step is recording.
The course covers different recording approaches, including:
- Talking-head videos
- Screen recordings
- Voice-over lessons
- Presentation-based lessons
It also discusses preparation before pressing the record button.
Talking-Head Videos
Talking-head videos are useful when the instructor’s personality and presence are important.
They can help create a stronger connection between instructor and learner.
The course provides tips for:
- Camera placement
- Framing
- Presentation
- Recording
- Preparation
Should You Use a Script?
The course discusses the advantages and disadvantages of scripting lessons.
A script can help ensure that:
- Important points aren’t forgotten
- The lesson stays focused
- Explanations are organized
However, reading a script word-for-word can sometimes make delivery sound unnatural.
Another approach is to use bullet points or a lesson outline.
Screen Recording Tips
Screen recordings are especially useful for technical courses.
The course provides guidance on creating screen-based lessons using screen-recording applications.
Important considerations include:
- Resolution
- Cursor movement
- Recording area
- Audio
- Demonstration speed
- Learner visibility
Recording Perfect Audio
The course includes dedicated lessons about audio recording.
The objective is to help instructors produce clean and understandable narration.
This is particularly important for voice-over courses where the instructor may not appear on screen.
Video Lighting
Lighting techniques are also discussed in the recording section.
Proper lighting can help create consistency between lessons and reduce distracting shadows or exposure problems.
Dress Rehearsal
One practical recommendation is to perform a rehearsal before recording the actual lesson.
A rehearsal can reveal:
- Missing equipment
- Poor framing
- Audio problems
- Lighting issues
- Presentation problems
- Missing content
Fixing these issues before a full recording session can save significant editing time.
Editing Your Online Course
Recording is only the first half of video production.
Editing is where raw footage is transformed into a polished lesson.
The course includes a dedicated section on Adobe Premiere Pro as well as general course-editing techniques.
Adobe Premiere Pro
The course introduces Adobe Premiere Pro and demonstrates a basic editing workflow.
Topics include:
- Importing footage
- Organizing media
- Editing clips
- Working with audio
- Adding titles
- Color correction
- Watermarks
- Exporting videos
This provides beginners with an introduction to professional video-editing software.
Editing Workflow for Online Courses
Course editing differs somewhat from traditional entertainment video editing.
The goal is primarily to improve:
- Clarity
- Pacing
- Audio
- Visual quality
- Learning experience
Unnecessary pauses, mistakes, repetitive explanations, and technical problems can be removed during editing.
Improving Audio
The course demonstrates techniques for improving recorded audio.
This includes:
- Adjusting audio levels
- Using equalization
- Adding effects
- Managing background noise
- Adding background music when appropriate
Audio should remain clear and easy to understand throughout the lesson.
Adding Titles
Titles can help introduce:
- Topics
- Sections
- Key concepts
- Instructor names
- Important information
The course demonstrates how titles can be added and customized in Premiere Pro.
Motion in Titles
The course also introduces simple motion effects for titles.
Used appropriately, animated titles can make videos more polished.
However, educational videos generally benefit from restrained animation rather than excessive visual effects.
Color Correction
Color correction helps create a consistent appearance across video clips.
This can be particularly useful when different recordings have slightly different exposure or color characteristics.
Watermarking Videos
The course demonstrates how to add a watermark to course videos.
Watermarks can be useful for branding and identifying course content.
However, they should be subtle enough that they don’t interfere with the learning experience.
Exporting Course Videos
Once editing is complete, videos need to be exported in a suitable format.
The course discusses exporting lessons in high-definition quality.
The goal is to balance:
Video Quality + File Size + Compatibility
Large video files can create unnecessary upload and streaming challenges.
Editing Course Lessons
The broader editing section covers practical editing decisions.
This includes deciding:
- What to remove
- Where to cut
- How to improve transitions
- When to add text
- How to maintain pacing
Good editing should make a lesson easier to learn, not simply make it look more impressive.
Adding Text to Videos
Text overlays can reinforce important information.
They can be used for:
- Definitions
- Key points
- Instructions
- Labels
- Keyboard shortcuts
However, text should be concise and readable.
Using Keystrokes
For software and technical courses, showing keyboard shortcuts can make lessons more useful.
The course demonstrates how keystrokes can be incorporated into instructional videos.
This can help learners understand exactly what the instructor is doing.
Picture-in-Picture Videos
Picture-in-picture can be useful when combining:
Screen Recording + Instructor Camera
For example, the software interface can occupy most of the screen while the instructor appears in a smaller window.
This format can create a more personal learning experience while maintaining focus on the demonstration.
Publishing Your Course
After creating and editing the lessons, the next step is publishing.
The course covers the process of preparing course material for an online learning platform.
This includes considerations around:
- Course structure
- Titles
- Descriptions
- Course images
- Pricing
- Publishing
Creating an Effective Course Title
The title is one of the first things potential students see.
A strong course title should communicate:
- What the course teaches
- Who it’s for
- What outcome learners can expect
It should also be easy to understand and discover through search.
Writing a Course Description
The course discusses writing descriptions designed to explain the course’s value.
A good description should answer:
- What will students learn?
- Who should take the course?
- What problem does it solve?
- What skills will students gain?
- Why should someone choose this course?
The description should focus on learner outcomes rather than simply listing features.
Course Pricing Strategy
Pricing is another important component of online course creation.
The course explores pricing considerations for courses sold through marketplaces and independently hosted platforms.
A good pricing strategy should consider:
- Course depth
- Target audience
- Competition
- Perceived value
- Platform pricing
- Promotional strategy
Promoting Your Online Course
Creating a good course doesn’t automatically guarantee students.
Marketing is therefore an important part of the course.
The course explores different promotional channels, including:
- YouTube
- Websites
- Social media
- Webinars
- Online communities
Promoting Courses Through YouTube
YouTube can be an effective audience-building channel for course creators.
An instructor can create free educational content that demonstrates expertise and then introduce viewers to paid courses.
A useful strategy is:
Free Valuable Content → Audience Trust → Course Offer
This approach can be particularly effective when the free content solves smaller problems while the paid course provides a comprehensive solution.
Building an Email List
An email list gives course creators a direct communication channel with their audience.
Instead of depending entirely on an external marketplace, instructors can develop their own audience.
Email can be used for:
- Course launches
- Announcements
- Educational content
- Promotions
- New products
- Community engagement
Building a Website
The course also introduces the process of creating a website to promote online courses.
A personal website can serve as a central hub for:
- Courses
- Instructor information
- Blog content
- Email signup
- Free resources
- Products
- Contact information
Building an owned web presence can reduce dependence on a single course marketplace.
Personal Branding
Brand building is another important part of the course.
A recognizable personal brand can help instructors establish:
- Credibility
- Authority
- Trust
- Audience recognition
Branding can include:
- Logo
- Website
- Course design
- YouTube channel
- Social profiles
- Teaching style
Using YouTube as a Business Channel
The course goes beyond simply uploading videos to YouTube.
It presents YouTube as a potential source of:
- Audience growth
- Brand awareness
- Course leads
- Educational content
- Long-term traffic
For course creators, YouTube can complement rather than compete with paid courses.
Increasing Course Earnings
The course also discusses ways instructors can increase revenue.
Possible approaches include:
- Creating additional courses
- Building an audience
- Self-hosting
- Cross-selling
- Developing a brand
- Using external marketing channels
The broader idea is to create an ecosystem rather than relying on a single course.
Self-Hosting Online Courses
One of the more important business topics is self-hosting.
Instead of selling exclusively through a marketplace, instructors can use dedicated course platforms or their own websites.
Potential advantages include:
- Greater control
- Direct customer relationships
- More control over branding
- Additional pricing flexibility
- Ownership of audience data
The trade-off is that the instructor becomes responsible for more of the technology and marketing.
Building a Long-Term Online Education Business
The course encourages learners to think beyond creating a single course.
A sustainable online education business can potentially combine:
Courses + Website + YouTube + Email List + Brand + Community
This approach can create multiple ways to attract and monetize an audience.
Bonus Content
The course contains additional material covering topics such as:
- Online teaching experiences
- Income reports
- Interviews
- Guides
- Teaching tips
- Online teaching videos
- Webinars
- Bonus course-building resources
These materials provide additional perspectives on the online course business.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Comprehensive course-creation coverage
- More than 200 lectures
- Covers the entire course-production process
- Suitable for beginners
- Covers course idea validation
- Includes equipment guidance
- Covers video recording
- Covers audio recording
- Covers screen recording
- Includes presentation design
- Covers Adobe Premiere Pro
- Includes editing techniques
- Covers course publishing
- Covers pricing
- Covers course promotion
- Includes YouTube marketing
- Covers website creation
- Discusses branding
- Covers email marketing
- Discusses self-hosting
- Useful for aspiring course entrepreneurs
Cons
- The course is based heavily on older online-course and marketplace practices
- Some software demonstrations may be outdated
- Platform-specific strategies may no longer reflect current marketplace policies
- The course is very long and may feel repetitive in places
- Learners may need additional training on modern marketing tools
- Advanced instructional-design theory is not the primary focus
- Modern AI-assisted course creation is not a central topic
- Some equipment recommendations may no longer be the most relevant choices
Is Udemy Masters 2016: Online Course Creation Worth It?
Yes, but with an important qualification.
The course is valuable as a comprehensive resource for understanding the fundamentals of online course creation.
Its strongest areas are the fundamentals that remain relevant regardless of the platform:
- Choosing a topic
- Validating an idea
- Structuring lessons
- Recording quality content
- Improving audio
- Designing presentations
- Editing videos
- Creating useful course descriptions
- Building an audience
- Developing a personal brand
However, the course is explicitly based on an older generation of online course creation.
Modern creators should therefore treat platform-specific information, software instructions, pricing tactics, and marketing recommendations as historical guidance rather than automatically applying them today.
Is This Course Good for Beginners?
Yes.
One of the biggest advantages is that learners don’t need previous experience creating online courses.
The course starts with fundamental questions such as:
What should I teach?
Who should I teach?
How do I structure my course?
What equipment do I need?
How do I record the lessons?
How do I edit them?
How do I publish and market them?
This makes the course approachable for first-time instructors.
Is It Good for Existing Course Creators?
It can also be useful for existing instructors.
Someone who already has courses may find value in sections about:
- Improving production quality
- Better presentation design
- Video editing
- Marketing
- Branding
- YouTube
- Websites
- Email marketing
- Self-hosting
The course can therefore function as a reference library rather than something that needs to be watched from beginning to end.
Important Consideration: The Course Is Old
This is the biggest issue prospective students should understand.
The course title references 2016, although the current listing indicates later updates. The underlying course is still heavily influenced by the online-course environment of that period.
Online education has changed substantially since then.
Modern creators need to account for developments such as:
- AI-assisted content creation
- Modern video-editing software
- New social platforms
- Short-form video
- Modern SEO
- Creator newsletters
- Community platforms
- Changes in online-course marketplaces
- Modern payment systems
- Modern LMS platforms
Therefore, the course is best used for timeless course-creation fundamentals, while current platform tactics should be supplemented with up-to-date information.
How to Get the Most From This Course
Because the course is extensive, don’t try to consume all of it passively.
Instead, create a real course alongside it.
Step 1: Choose a Topic
Pick a subject you understand well.
Step 2: Validate the Idea
Research whether people are actively interested in learning it.
Step 3: Define the Audience
Determine exactly who your course is designed for.
Step 4: Create the Outline
Organize your course into sections and lessons.
Step 5: Prepare Your Equipment
Start with the equipment you actually need rather than buying everything immediately.
Step 6: Record a Pilot Lesson
Create one complete lesson before recording the entire course.
Step 7: Edit It
Improve the audio, video, pacing, and presentation.
Step 8: Get Feedback
Ask a few potential learners to review the lesson.
Step 9: Produce the Full Course
Use what you learned from the pilot lesson.
Step 10: Build Your Audience
Use channels such as YouTube, a website, email, or social media.
This approach turns the course from passive education into a practical business-building project.
Career and Business Benefits
Learning online course creation can be useful for several types of professionals.
Teachers
Teachers can transform classroom knowledge into digital courses.
Consultants
Consultants can package their expertise into scalable educational products.
Coaches
Coaches can create structured learning programs around their coaching expertise.
Entrepreneurs
Entrepreneurs can develop educational products as an additional revenue stream.
Content Creators
YouTubers and bloggers can turn existing knowledge into structured courses.
Subject-Matter Experts
Professionals with specialized expertise can potentially reach a global audience through online education.
Summary
Udemy Masters 2016: Online Course Creation – Unofficial is a comprehensive course covering almost every major stage of creating an online course.
From choosing a profitable topic and planning lessons to recording videos, designing presentations, editing content, publishing courses, building a website, using YouTube, developing an email list, promoting courses, and creating a broader education business, the course provides a remarkably broad curriculum.
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