Creating a Course that Impacts
Creating a course that leaves a lasting impact requires three things. However, implementing those three things is not difficult...as long as you can see the big picture.
Often, people create courses or programs without the true end goal in mind. We sit in class to memorize facts for standardized tests. We take training programs to learn the operational steps. Or, we study all the facts hard and take the tests to get the certificate.
When we're in charge of creating a course, we typically fall back on what we're used to without knowing why it was structured that way. Worse yet, we misunderstand the true final value that we should be aiming for when developing that necessary program. So we build programs with memorization when what we need is emotional development. Or we design curricula that train us with facts and procedures when what we really need is passionate buy-in to the efforts.
For instance, many programs in the church world use knowledge as the metric of a successful discipleship program. When doing a book study or bible study, the most often used question style amounts to basic knowledge or rote memorization.
When heading the Revive School of Ministry, I often told people I didn't care whether my students knew where the Sea of Galilee was. I was concerned about transformation.
While minute revelations of context might be helped by understanding the location, the average layman will do nothing with that information. It may help round some things out, but at the end of the day: what is it truly worth to their daily lives?
People taking religious courses may benefit from rote memorization, but the REAL transformation comes when they are guided to apply very personal concepts to their own lives.
The right questions can do exactly that. However, you first have to know why you're asking the question in the first place.
1) Course Impact Matters
When creating a course, I focus on the transformational impact. This means determining what values are most important to impart to the people taking your course.
Creating a course for anything should have the value of transforming a person's life. Whether it's to see the world differently, themselves differently, or relationships in a new way, that transformation means a life-long improvement brought about by a thoughtful and well-written course or program.
How do you create a course that impacts?
Be careful of easy objective standards. Again: do I care whether they know simple facts and locations, or have a real and impactful interaction with the same material? Christ's movements are less important than the challenges He set before the people He interacted with.
Knowledge is indeed extremely important when creating a course for anybody looking to gain expertise in a field. However, the big picture matters more. This means determining the traits of a capable individual in the field. Most people can learn things, but can they apply them?
Creating a course that provides that type of impact requires breaking down the idea, philosophy, or mechanics behind an idea and helping guide the learner in applying those same fundamental patterns to new situations. This means training not just patterns and effects, but creativity in how connections are made between aspects of the field.
For example: imagine you are creating a course for a specialized field in medication. Knowing the interactions of various medications or the chemical makeup of those medications is indeed extremely important. More so than the location of the Sea of Galilee. However, knowing the foundational principles of what makes something toxic to the body provides more impact than memorizing toxic compounds. Once an expert in the field of medication understands toxicity and its effects on the body, they can pinpoint issues or dangerous interactions before they happen.
In other words: the value we're seeking for a specialist in the field of medication is understanding the extremely complex structure of chemical interactions and their influences on the body.
As another example of finding the value: training somebody how to balance a bank account can be important. However, knowing why you spend 20 dollars extra on pizza every Friday night while drinking two cases of beer will have more of an impact on your wallet in the long run (as long as you can see the emotional/personal issue at play!)
Finances are a technical process, but in reality: the end value is understanding the psychology behind how and why we spend. Knowing our own habits and patterns and what causes them can unlock more potential than merely training a person to carry a 0 properly.
Value 1: Determine the traits of a capable or ideal person. Creating a course requires having an idea of where you want to lead the person and what traits they should have.
2) Break Down the Impacts
Your course must not only teach the facts and information but must do its best to help the learner build context along the way.
You can do this by providing small steps and placing them within the big picture as you go. This is like teaching about worn tires and how to diagnose them, while also helping the learner grow in recognizing larger mechanical failures that might cause a worn-out tire. In complex systems, the parts play a role in bigger patterns. When creating a course, ensure that your learners are reminded of the big picture.
They need to know that each thing they're learning will help them navigate the field by understanding how the parts play a role in the big picture.
Your students will do better if they can see not just the facts, but understand how those facts play into the major values you determined are necessary to find in your ideal endpoint.
Value 2: When creating a course, build two threads of instruction. One builds from the simplest detail and ends at the most complex final detail. The other thread retains the big picture and reiterates the values of the ideal graduate of the course.
3) You May Need to Get Emotional
I specialize in self-development or discipleship courses, so creating a course in these areas may require something different from courses that are building specialty capabilities. Think of the difference between a mechanic and a pastor.
While the personal life of the mechanic matters, he has a much easier time getting the job done and doing it well despite the personal issues. The pastor on the other hand, directly reflects his inner self in everything he does. His job is completely relational and therefore must understand how he relates.
Emotional intelligence remains a major indicator of long-term success, and helping those who take your course understand why they do what they do may go a long way in helping them succeed.
My programs are known for asking those questions that people do not want to be asked. Why? Because we so often build walls as defense mechanisms around the things that hurt. The problem is, we attempt to limp our way through life precisely because that area hurts.
Imagine you broke a leg but never properly set it. You may walk with a limp and compensate for that improperly healed bone. Now imagine someone rebreaking that bone. It may be painful for a little bit, but if the bone heals properly, you'll be able to walk without a limp.
Working on those levels of self can be done through a properly designed self-evaluation and can be extremely influential, but well-written questions are vital.
When I create my questions, I work to build a progression that
This can be a very intense process and can require more than one session within the course. However, creating a course that recognizes and respects our personal inner make-up can go a long way in helping the learner come away transformed and more invested in the material.
Value 3: Creating a course that succeeds in transforming its learners may require an element of self-reflection and development.
Creating a Course that Succeeds
Creating a course or building a program is not an easy process. Thankfully, it can pay massive dividends for the learners who take the course and the people who require those learner's results. And if you need to create a program for your organization but just aren't quite sure how to get it done, then don't be afraid to consult with some outside help.
Your course takers may thank you later.