#228: The Future of Online Learning: It isn’t AI Generated Content

Introduction

Do you ever feel like you can shut down, go work out for 30 minutes and you come back to some new innovation or quick selling feature of course creation? You literally stepped away for 30 minutes and came back to a brand new approach that is lighting the world on fire? 

Look at Instagram. One day everyone’s feeds were perfect and beautiful and one afternoon they pushed an update to change the shape of the feed.

Online learning is changing so fast, which is a good thing for the most part. New technologies are popping up, student expectations are shifting, and there is more competition than ever. In other words, the online space is dynamic, especially for courses. 

Today we are going to dig into the future of online education. We’ll talk about some trends and how to adapt so that you not only stay relevant but you are ahead or right on the curve. 

Because here is the truth, the online space and online learning is like a pendulum. As things shift to one direction, they eventually swing back, just like the economy.

Why Understanding the Future of Online Learning Matters

Do you remember the pirate ship carnival ride where you swing high in one direction, then come back to center and swing the other direction? That is kind of what being an entrepreneur in the online space with digital courses can feel like. Riding that pirate ship ride at the carnival. And sometimes, like when I was just tall enough to ride but too skinny to be held on the seat by the lap bar, you can get flung around and feel like you are hanging on for dear life. I’m so thankful my uncle held on tight to me!

Today I want to help you feel secure on this pirate ship ride of digital courses despite all of the changes that come our way. There are so many changes and swings happening from AI to student expectations, to platform enhancements that I don’t want you to be stuck on the floor of the pirate ship hanging on. 

I probably don’t have to tell you that when we don’t stay informed of the trends and technologies, we can end up behind in our business, we can find it difficult to attract and retain students, and we won’t stand out in an ever increasing market of digital courses. Heck, I get ads all the time for ChatGPT prompts that will help me write a course in just a few minutes or hours.

How do we keep up, stand out, and stand up to the pressures of course creation? Let’s go through three elements that might surprise you.

Three Key Trends Shaping the Future of Online Learning

Element 1: The Rise and Fall of AI and “Robot Speak”

There is no doubt that AI has been a game changer in the course creation industry, but as we talked about in Episode 227, it has some serious limitations when it comes to course creation and implementation. I’m not going to cover that content here today, but I do want to touch on something that might surprise you.

There is a big shift starting to happen back toward human connection and human course creation. When AI first popped onto the scene everyone jumped on board, but as I hung back I noticed a few things.

First up, everyone’s content and courses started looking alike. I get multiple email newsletters a week and can tell who uses what platforms to create their newsletter because they have the same look, feel, and even some of the same word choices. Most of us don’t use the word “delve” on a daily basis.

From the start I predicted that there would be a swing back to being real and authentic in our communications and that is starting to happen. Thank goodness! I’d much rather see, read, and hear an imperfect email, podcast, video lesson than get the robotic delivery of an AI generated script. 

Sure, AI can generate content much faster than we ever will, but there isn’t personality. There aren’t the quirks that we come to associate with a person. There isn’t the human touch. Now I mentioned that there is starting to be a shift back to the human touch and let me give you an example. Ryan Levesque, who wrote The Ask Method and Choose. Who owned quiz company Bucket.io, and had a successful course called Quiz Funnel Masterclass has been sending a weekly newsletter that is distinctively human. He sold Bucket.io, has moved his family to the northeast to live more off the land, and is focusing more on human connection in his business.

He, like many of us, got tired of the disconnection of what business was becoming.

If you are looking for permission to return to being you, here it is. The world is looking for smaller courses, more personal connections, and less AI generated content right now. You can stand out by taking a stand to always show up as you. Tell your stories, share your experiences, create a course that has examples that are goofy, quirky, and apply to your students so clearly that they sit up straighter and shake their heads in agreement.

Element 2: The Return of Human Connection

Take this a step further and think of the changes happening in the course space and the online space as a whole to be a riff on Return to Office. Return to Human.

AI is a big part of life these days, especially in online learning, but it isn’t the key component like it has been for the past few years. In fact, I see more and more students looking specifically for courses that are focusing on including the human connection. That is more important than beautifully created slides or masterfully delivered video lessons.

We want to build strong relationships. We want to connect on a more personal level that doesn’t happen when AI is first and foremost.

So what do I mean here? Do you have to skip AI in your course creation? Not at all! In fact, one thing that I do when I plan out my podcast episodes or a new workshop is to take time with pen and paper, or marker and whiteboard and brainstorm the ideas that I want to share. Put them into a reasonable order. Start drawing in the connections, outlining stories that I want to tell or examples that I want to provide, like the one about Ryan’s shift toward human-ness, and then I go to AI with all of that information. I ask AI to take my entire outline and help me create a cleaned up version of what I’ve already created. And then I take that cleaned up version that now has headings, bolded content, and even some summary statements based on my content and start writing. I don’t use what AI gives me as what I’m saying. Instead, I use it as a better outline that pulled everything together prettier than I could have created so that my creativity can take the front seat.

AI does not and never has created my content for me and I think this is a powerful statement that we can make as course creators. Our students are relying on our experiences, expertise, education, and history when they say yes to our course. If they wanted an AI generated course, they could simply head to ChatGPT and ask it to create a learning plan with content and be content.

So the second element that I really want to highlight today as a shift in the online course space is that we are craving more human connection with the course content and with the course creator. That is what makes our course stand out, it is what makes it unique, and it is what makes our students followers and buyers each time we put out an offer.

Element 3: Prioritizing Quality over Quantity

The last shift that is happening in the online space that I want to pull into the spotlight today is that there is once again a focus on quality rather than quantity.

For a while there, with AI in play and so easy to access, there was a focus on creating as much content as possible to get visibility and to gain recognition as an expert in the space. 

Now we are seeing a shift from daily emails, posting 3 times a day, to weekly newsletters that are more thoughtful, we are seeing a single piece of longer content a week or every other week as a way to prioritize quality. 

One of the YouTubers that my son watches used to create a video every single week. Now, it is once every 3 – 4 weeks and he puts a lot more thought into the entire Lego project or experiment that he is sharing. You can tell that there is more planning behind each video, there is more depth in the content, and as a result we get even more excited when a new video is released. This is what I’m talking about. Quality over quantity.

In our courses, we don’t need to have 15 hours of course content if 5 hours will be sufficient for our students to experience success. We simply need to stay focused on what will truly help our students to succeed. 

Action Item

This is the moment of the pirate ship ride where things are starting to shift to the other direction. We are in that pendulum shift where Return to Human is at the forefront.

The question is how will you navigate this shift?

And the answer is to take action. Lean into being imperfect and human. I much prefer an email that has a typo or has a funny story, quirky example, or beautiful picture of the snow you had last week with a meaningful message than a form newsletter that looks like you simply filled in the blanks like a MadLib.

Consider how you can connect more deeply with your followers, your students, and your email list. And to do this, you might have to get a little uncomfortable. You don’t have to share your personal life, but you do have to be personal in these communications. Be human.

Sixty-Second Solution

One common challenge that we can feel as course creators is the fear of being “left behind” by the rapid advancements in technology. Take the last few years, first AI was this new and scary thing, then everyone jumped on board, and now there is a shift to going back to human ways.

How do we navigate the pirate ship pendulum shift without falling on the floor and hoping that our uncle will hold on? Focus on your strengths as a course creator and as an expert in your space. Only you can provide your solution, you experiences, your unique spin on a situation. 

Remember that none of the AI solutions out there, regardless of how robust they are, have the power of YOU. Show up for your students, show up when you get critical feedback and make adjustments, listen and always be open to learning, but keep who you are at the core of your business.

Where to Go Next?

Online courses will always have trends that seem like if you don’t jump on them right at the start and in the same way that everyone else is, you will be left behind. I can tell you after 15+ years in digital course creation that the thing that wins out every single time is our students knowing that we have their back. That we are invested in them, and that we want them to succeed. I mean, really want them to succeed. 

When we lead with our heart AND our brain that is where we find success with our business. So, stay informed of the emerging trends, but remember that you don’t have to jump before you understand the trend and know that the pirate ship pendulum will shift back to middle and even the other way with some degree of regularity. Stay steady and Return to Human.

Now if you are really thinking about this return to quality and human-ness and want to dive a little deeper, check out Episode 204: Does weekly content really build demand for your course?

And if you are still feeling worried about attracting enough attention in this noisy online world full of AI-generated courses, check out Episode 193: If you build the digital course, will they come? Where we talk about creating magnetic messaging that does attract your ideal students.

As always, thank you so much for listening in. If you found this episode helpful, please share with your entrepreneur friends and colleagues who are building a digital course in their business and be sure to subscribe to the Digital Course Creator Podcast.

Until next time, happy creating!