Research course descriptions help students decide, “Should I take this course?”
by L. Couch, A1 Resource Editor
Udemy courses provide plenty of information to help students decide if a course will be of value to them. For example, on August 2, 2017, Andrew Williams’ Udemy course,“Learn how to Build High Quality Affiliate Websites “, showed the following description.
Carefully read through course information. Let’s take a look at the elements in the WordPress course reviewed in this portfolio:
Learn how to Build High Quality Affiliate Websites
Learn affiliate marketing. Watch over my shoulder as I build a real, high quality affiliate site from scratch.
BESTSELLING 4.6 (372 ratings) 2,581 students enrolled
Created by Andrew Williams Last updated 12/2016
Title
Does the title and subtitle entice you into taking the course? Are there spelling or grammatical errors? Keep in mind that not all errors indicate an uneducated or careless instructor. Teachers from all over the world publish courses. English may not be their first language but they may be top professionals in their field.
Note: Instructors change course titles however Udemy links rarely (if ever) change. A course may be several years old when an instructor decides to revive it with a new, more relevant title that is a better fit for today’s students.
Rating
Rating speaks for itself. On a scale of one to five (the highest being five), how did students rate the course? Andrew’s course is rated one of the highest at 4.6. Given the number of reviews (372) and that the course is described as BESTSELLING , students should have overall confidence in taking this course.
Number of Students Enrolled
Andrew’s course shows 2,581 students enrolled. Apparently, many students have chosen this course since first published. Does this confirm that Andrew knows affiliate marketing? He enticed thousands to enroll in his Udemy course.
Language
With the global nature of Udemy, although most courses are in English, some may be in the instructor’s native language. The language used in course description generally indicates the course language. To verify, check the language listed in the top course description. Language is of primary consideration prior to enrolling in a course.
Last updated
Of primary consideration is the course date. For example, WordPress continually provides security updates to the basic WordPress structure. Third party plug-ins and widgets change to keep up with the latest WordPress version. Plug-in and widget originators add features and correct errors. SEO (Search Engine Optimization), the way Google analyzes sites, constantly changes. What was good SEO a few months ago may no longer work.
If an amazing, content-loaded course appears to cover everything, check the last date updated. Courses remain at Udemy even if published years ago. In addition, content could be older than the Udemy publication date. Instructors may use old, previously published, YouTube videos to fill in their curriculum. Preview the course video to get a better look.
Andrew’s course was last updated 12/2016. I purchased the course July 15, 2016 but still find the content relevant. Not all changes are apparent by looking only at the last updated date. The instructor may post comments and answers to questions on a continual basis inside of the course. However, the last date updated is a good indicator. It shows if the instructor is still interested in keeping his course of value to students.
Course Hours
One of my favorite indicators of worth is the number of course hours. Although, some topics may be covered quickly, if an instructor steps through creating a full, comprehensive WordPress site, it can take hours. Courses take time when they include SEO guidelines, social media, various plugins and widgets, plus laborious but crucial step-by-step videos demonstrating how to sign up and gather content from related websites. Such techniques (including instructor insights and guidance) provide top-notch course value. Generally, I prefer long courses. Hours adds value.
However, some instructors quickly cover what they set out to present. An excellent short course example is the 39-minute “Create beautiful landing pages with WordPress“ (my review). The course is Free and has 3,933 students with a 3.8 rating. Last updated 12/2015. You can find the course at Udemy ( https://www.udemy.com/create-beautiful-landing-pages-with-wordpress/ )
NEW! Links to Udemy FREE Courses!
As a Udemy affiliate, I hope to share Udemy course deals. To find links for free Udemy courses, on the top main menu, select, “Free Udemy Courses“. Scroll down to the individual posts to find the tables of free courses.
The course tables are not just for their looks. The tables are functional. Sort to your taste. To sort columns, click the title at the top. How many 5 star ratings? Sort by rating. Interested in the number of hours in a course? Sort the list by hours. Sort to find out how many courses a particular course creator released today.
Periodically, check recent posts for Free Udemy Course Table!s The tables demonstrate. in a nutshell, what to look for in course descriptions.
Course Description, Requirements, Curriculum, Video Preview
Continue to read though the course description page. Look for requirements. Expand the “Curriculum For This Course” to view what will be covered. If still undecided, Udemy instructors provide free video course previews. Listen to the instructor to find out what he proposes to teach in his course. Watch the videos to get a good idea of the value of the course.
Buy Now and Course Summary
At the top you will find a BUY NOW button. Below it is the summary of the course, including the number of hours, articles, resources, and “Lifetime Access”. For example, Andrew Williams’ course shows:
5 hours left at this price!
Buy Now
Add to Cart
30-Day Money-Back Guarantee
Includes:
- 7 hours on-demand video
- 3 Articles
- 1 Supplemental Resource
- Full lifetime access
- Access on mobile and TV
- Certificate of Completion
Summary
Hopefully, these basic tips will help students decide if a course will be useful and worth their time. Comments are most welcome! For questions or suggestions, please do not hesitate to send a web email: Contact !
Tip 1: Check for Udemy course coupons, by entering in a Google Search Udemy (course name) coupon for example, “Udemy coupon Learn how to Build High Quality Affiliate Websites”.
Google Udemy Course Coupon Search (results depicted are not necessarily recommended sites.)
Tip 2: If already enrolled in a course, to view current information (number of students, title (yes titles can change), course ratings, reviews and last date updated, open the link in a new incognito window (Ctrl+ Shift + N in Chrome). For example, open the incognito window (Ctrl+ Shift + N) and paste the course link: Learn How To Build High Quality Affiliate Websites .
