Want to upskill a team or psychoeducate your patients? Or even design a giveaway that will help you attract more coaching clients?
Online training programs are a convenient, effective way to educate and empower others digitally, from anywhere, and on any topic that’s relevant.
We’ll show you how to create a customized online training program with outlines, templates, and a step-by-step plan that you can implement with Quenza’s $1, 30-day trial. To make the best use of these resources, sign up for the trial and continue reading.
How To Create An Online Training Program
It’s very tempting to dive straight into course creation, especially if you’re an expert in your field.
An informative, goal-oriented program always starts with planning, however, and that means following a few basic steps before you start to build anything.
An informative, goal-oriented program always starts with planning. Clarify your goals, organize your resources, and think carefully about your training program design before you start to build.
Specifically, here’s what you’ll need to do:
- Clarify your goal(s). Ask yourself why you’re creating a program to establish its purpose and objectives. Who is your intended audience? Why should they take it? The answers to these questions should help you start to put together a program framework. If this is for your employees, read our guide on developing a Training Program for Employees.
- Organize your resources. Course design and development are much, much easier when all your building blocks are ready in one place. Identify the resources you’ll need for the project and gather them all in one place (e.g. worksheets, diagrams, audio and/or transcripts, video, images, or assessments.) This will also help you identify a logical flow for your training program as well as any missing pieces you may need to create.
- Design your training program. What logical flow will it follow? How long will it run for, what will each of your training program steps involve, and how will it all be paced? Some potential formats include weekly, daily, or self-paced courses; think about what works for you and your clients based on when you interact, their lifestyle, and any deadlines you need to consider.
- Build your course. Pull everything together into one connected program using a specialized training program app. With online learning software like Quenza, you can easily design the look, feel, and flow of your program, as well as any missing steps you might have identified.
- Measure and learn. Share your program with colleagues, friends, or a test pool of your target audience and collect any potential feedback that you can use to improve it. Then you’re ready to launch!
2 Examples and Samples of Successful Programs
It can be hard to visualize your finished product if it’s your first time designing a training program.
Each course will, of course, have a different objective and audience, but some of these examples might be useful to consider.
John Hopkins University: Psychological First Aid
John Hopkins offers a free Coursera.com course for employees, first responders, and anyone with an interest in providing psychological first aid to those in emergency contexts.
Based on the RAPID model (Reflective listening, Assessment of needs, Prioritization, Intervention, and Disposition,) this syllabus trains in the skills required to help others in the aftermath of crises, trauma, natural disasters, and more.
The 5-week syllabus includes video lectures, case study vignettes, simulation videos, quizzes, and a module on self-care for the audience in training. Course participants can also earn a certificate of completion—a powerful motivational incentive!
7 Day Journaling Challenge
Udemy.com’s 7 Day Journaling Challenge is a self-paced program introducing the habit of journaling as a mindfulness practice. Starting with an on-demand introductory video, this course integrates downloadable articles and journal prompts with breathwork exercises to help learners build a lifelong habit.
Each exercise is condensed into a 5-10 minute microlearning and sent automatically on a daily basis, with flexible options for learners to receive prompts every other day.
Developing Your Program: Step-by-Step Plan
With these examples in mind, how can you turn a bundle of resources into a cohesive, engaging program?
This third step in your course creation journey is all about designing a logical action plan that caters to your audience’s learning style(s).
2 Examples of Program Design
Your participants need to be able to know and do certain things in order for your program to be a success.
These learning objectives are precisely what should help you shape your content into a series of logical steps, essentially getting them from “A” to “B.”
UC San Diego Instructional Design Format
The experts at UC San Diego offer this Instructional Format for designing training programs, which includes:[1]
- A greeting/introduction (to you and your course)
- Participant introductions (typically conducted via instant messaging for group programs)
- Housekeeping/guidelines for learning
- Introductory mini-lecture
- Activity to demonstrate understanding of/further engage with material (explanation, debriefing, summary of learnings)
- Repeating the last two steps as appropriate, which will depend on how many learning modules your course includes
- Wrap-up (reviewing objectives, supporting resources, sharing and collecting evaluation forms).
Quenza Creating a Positive Body Image
A ready-made online training program example is Quenza’s Creating a Positive Body Image, pictured below.
This 6-step program can be self-paced or delivered at customizable intervals to guide clients through a series of exercises.
- Introduction to Training (Video instruction)
- What Can Your Body Do? (Video and Exercise)
- What Can Your Body Do in Terms of the Senses and Movement? (Video and Exercise)
- What Can Your Body Do in Terms of Health and Creative Endeavors? (Video and Exercise)
- What Can Your Body Do in Terms of Self-Care and Interpersonal Relations? (Video and Exercise)
- A Thank You Letter To Your Body (Exercise)
Brainstorming Names For Your Program
If you’re lost for words when it’s time to name your program, here are some tips that can help:
- Keep it short, memorable, and catchy – Describe what participants will be able to achieve in as few words as possible, e.g. 8 Skills For New Entrepreneurs: Scale Your Business In A Week.
- Specify your audience – Of course, using language that they can relate to
- Focus on the core benefits of your course – You can elaborate a little more later
- Set clear expectations with an accurate program name – Be truthful!
- Write with a context – Where will your participants be applying their skills? Make reference to it in your program title where possible, e.g. Dazzle More Investors or Supercharge Your Sales.
Coming Up With Content
What about the missing pieces in your program? If you’ve gathered all your resources and come up short a few relevant steps, you’ll (of course) need to source or create some content.
You can do this two ways with Quenza:
- First, by customizing pre-made Activities and Pathways from Quenza’s Expansion Library. Simply search for coaching exercises, assessments, lessons, meditations, and more that are similar to your learning objectives, and adapt them to suit your goals using Quenza’s Activity Builder.
- Second, by designing your own! Quenza’s Activity Builder, shown below, has everything you need to create entirely bespoke digital course content from blank templates and pre-made fields. Using text breaks, answer fields, and any multimedia you have to hand, crafting your own exercises is as straightforward as drag and drop.
In both cases, there are a host of features to help you create more motivational content.
Some ideas include uploading your own custom logo to brand your content, embedding personal video footage from Vimeo or YouTube, or creating your own completion certificate—all Activities are automatically available as PDF downloads for your clients.
Structuring Your Program: 5 Outlines and Templates
Looking for a few more training program outlines and templates?
Online tutoring and Educational Course Outlines:
- University of Illinois Center for Innovation in Teaching and Learning Course Structure Planning Guide (.docx file)
- This Project Management Course Outline Template from Template.net (.zip file)
Therapy and Coaching Course Templates:
- Quenza’s Journaling Through Grief in 40 Days (pictured above) – This 40-day training aims to help clients come to terms with loss and the experience of bereavement.
- Quenza’s Creating Quiet Time – A brief, easily customizable mindfulness training for stress reduction, self-awareness, and more.
- PositivePsychology.com’s Emotional Intelligence Masterclass© – A 6-module emotional intelligence training template for helping professionals who want to deliver EQ training.
The Ultimate App For Your Training Program
With everything you need to organize, design, and deliver training programs, Quenza is a one-stop shop for online course creators.
In addition to Activity Building tools, an Expansion Library, and a Pathway Builder, Quenza also has a toolkit of useful features for engaging your learners as they progress.
Using Quenza, you can:
- Give your clients an all-in-one learning portal with the (free) Quenza client app
- Automatically collect participants’ answers, responses, and results (in real-time and securely thanks to a HIPAA-compliant platform)
- View their progress, performance, and engagement, as shown above
- Run group training programs with Quenza Groups
- Stay in touch with clients in real-time using private or group messaging
- Nudge them along where required using updates, reminders, and notifications
- Store and share files without email back-and-forths
- Develop and promote your coach branding using the White Label feature and custom colors.
3+ Ways You Can Use Quenza For Your Program
Practically, it’s also easy to integrate your training solutions seamlessly into ongoing programs.
How? The following are just a handful of examples.
Setting Objectives and Goals with Quenza
Have you developed a special training program with the potential to help more than one client?
You can easily tailor an existing program by creating an editable copy of it in your Library. Why not find out the best way to customize it by sharing a Quenza Pre-Coaching Questionnaire with your new clients?
This method also works for bespoke training programs that you’re building from scratch. You can even invite them to set their own goals within a more general program by sending a Self Contract as part of your intake!
Scheduling Your Training
Because steps in a Quenza Pathway can be sent at custom intervals, you have a whole host of ways to schedule your training in advance.
Not only can you save time by “drip-feeding” your content to clients, but you can also experiment to find the most engaging ways to train different participants.
A few examples include sharing:
- Daily diaries, e.g. gratitude journals, habit trackers, and mood trackers
- Self-paced training, where Quenza automatically delivers the next step as soon as your participant completes the first
- Homework between sessions, by scheduling your content to arrive on certain days of the week
- Group courses where content follows a fixed schedule, either defined by a specific start date or whenever new participants sign up.
Helpful Evaluation Forms and Questions To Ask
You can also measure your program’s performance simply by integrating the right forms into your Pathways. If you’re looking to deliver feedback-informed treatment or coaching, check out this list of Expansions, all available as part of Quenza:
- Coach Evaluation Form
- End Of Therapy Evaluation
- Session Notes For Clients
Final Thoughts
A truly effective training program is not unlike a work in progress—the more you learn, the more you can improve it as you go.
That applies to your ever-expanding knowledge about your clients, program design, and of course, the software that you use to build it. The best way to get started is by planning, which is exactly where this guide will be of use!
If you’re ready to get started, you can design, launch, and manage your online training program from anywhere using Quenza’s $1 software trial.
Frequently Asked Questions
The best online training program depends on your goals and interests. Some popular options include Coursera (courses from top universities and industry leaders), Udemy (wide range of courses from programming to personal development), LinkedIn Learning (courses taught by industry experts in business, technology, and creative fields), and Codeacademy (programming & web development).
Yes, Quenza offers analytics and reporting features that allow users to track the progress and performance of participants in their training programs. Users can view data such as completion rates, quiz scores, and participant feedback, and use this information to improve their training programs over time.
Quenza takes the security and privacy of user data very seriously and uses industry-standard encryption and security measures to protect user data. The platform is also GDPR compliant and adheres to strict data protection regulations.
