Mastering course automation in 4 simple steps

Before the first ATM, people had to wait in line to get cash from the bank, and not many years ago, you had to gather learners in one place for a face-to-face lesson. What’s the connection between ATMs and online courses? They both run on automation!

Think of it like a machine: it does the tedious work for you, so you get to concentrate on creating courses. As long as you set up an automated course flow beforehand, there’s no need for you to be always available. Here’s how advanced instructors automate courses, from the moment learners sign in to completion:

1. Build the course automation flow

   Decide which actions to automate from the start with the course automation flow. For example, when learners enroll in a course, create a custom notification to welcome them. When they’re inactive for 30 days, you can automatically unenroll them. Plan your flow with the help of a spreadsheet, or add rules directly to your platform.

2. Adding rules

   Rules are the commands you give to the system to trigger certain events once an action happens. They usually follow the “If the learner does this, then X happens” formula. For example, if learners pass a quiz, they automatically receive 10 points. Rules are part of your platform, so usually, all you have to do is select them from a list.

3. Mapping out your rules

   Some of the best practices for adding rules are giving badges for progress (don’t make it too easy to gain one) and adding rules to the entire course as well as subsections such as lessons and quizzes. Besides, you can send custom notifications to encourage learners to make progress. Most of all: don’t add too many rules per item as less is more!

4. Testing the final result

   Experiencing your course as a learner is about seeing the navigation process through their eyes. Maybe you’ve added rules that are too strict, such as locking a module when learners finish it, or made the course game to be too easy. That’s why creating a learner account and taking it for a “test drive” during or after adding rules ensures that everything works smoothly.

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