People are flocking to distance learning as a way to grow personally and professionally. It’s already widely used in the corporate, academic, and coaching worlds.

Setting up distance learning courses can be a way for you to help people, establish your expertise, gain a reputation in your field, grow your practice, establish your own business, and generate passive revenue.

SOME THINGS TO KNOW

Check out the copyright laws at http://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ1.html . Attach the copyright (c) to your materials the minute they have perceptible form, and respect the copyrights of others.

Offer options – synchronous (real time, such as streaming audio or video, chat room or teleconference) or asynchronous (packaged for self-pacing), or both.

My own DL courses are available with or without email interaction, with or without teleconference and individualized instruction, with or without group participation, and all are available for licensing (another passive revenue stream).

Include as many modes of learning as you can, including written homework, sound and visual activities, interaction, action points, metaphor, and journaling. Plan for about one hour a week for lesson and homework, as today’s adult learners are very busy.

For a free international bridge line, go to www.konferex.com or www.mrconference.com . You can also rent bridge lines through coaching schools for a nominal fee.

ADVANTAGES

You can see (or may have experienced), the tremendous advantages to DL-
Flexibility for the student
Access to the instructor
Affordable and convenient
You can focus in the privacy and convenience of your own home or office
. Multiple options
Self-paced learning
As the course designer and teacher, you can focus on ideas and enrichment
You can reach diverse individuals and accommodate different learning styles . Global reach
Once established, the courses run themselves.
It’s a win-win situation.

Disadvantages are mainly for those students who learn better in a real-time group situation.

WHAT & WHERE TO TEACH?

Check out sources like www.blackboard.com , www.teleclasses.com , and www.ideamarketers.com to see what topics and titles you have knowledge of are popular. To set up your course, use a dedicated website or a site like www.blackboard.com .

As soon as you’re getting enough students to afford a Virtual Assistant, turn the logistics over to them for registration and mailouts, with the students still responding to your email address. This will free you for higher level work.

Create a COMPLETION CERTIFICATE for your students. Be sure and include your name, website, and phone number on the certificate so others can find you when your proud student has framed it and hung it on the wall!

To jumpstart the process, hire a distance learning coach who can show you the ropes. Writing for the Internet, and teaching through the Internet require a new set of skills.

Teaching has been called “the highest form of learning,” so it’s a win-win-situation. You’ll take a quantum leap in your own understanding of your field while teaching others things they’re eager to learn.

Susan Dunn, MA, Marketing Coach,
http://www.webstrategies.cc. Marketing consultation,
implementation, website review, SEO optimization, article
writing and submission, help with ebooks and other
strategies. Susan is the author or How to Write an eBook
and Market It on the Internet. Mailto:sdunn@susandunn.cc
for information and free ezine. Specify Checklist.