🗣️ Transcript
Hello again! I’m always excited to start a new module and this one opens with a lesson called: A Big Design Step Most “Noobs” Miss.
And by “noobs” I mean newbies, novices or beginners. But you knew that, right?
So here’s what you’ll learn:
- Why jumping straight into curriculum design is a bad idea
- The #1 reason people don’t get results
- The design step many beginners are skipping
So let’s jump right in and see what often happens with those less experienced folks.
Having done the hard work of working out who their course is for and what result it delivers, they jump straight into designing their course curriculum.
And who can blame them? It’s a fun part of the process. Sketching out all the topics. Organising everything into modules. Rearranging the lessons and assignments to find the perfect order. Personally, I love that stuff.
If you’ve created a lot of courses you can rely on your instincts. Like how an experienced chef doesn’t need a recipe to make a delicious meal – they can just take whatever ingredients they have and come up with something amazing.
But for most people, jumping straight into curriculum design is a bad idea.
That’s because they’re skipping a big design step that will help them decide what to put in the curriculum. Let’s discover what it is.
I’ve already talked about how a course is really just a means to an end result. And in reality it’s not the only means to that end.
Instead, your target market could buy a “how to” book and follow all the advice. They could hire a coach or mentor. They could even discover their own path using information pulled from lots of different places.
But there’s one thing that’s needed regardless of the approach. Any idea what it is?
Well, let’s flip it on its head by asking. What’s the number one reason people don’t get the desired result, whether they’re being guided by a book, mentor or course?
It’s because they don’t do the work. It’s as simple as that. They don’t do the work.
Now, I’m not being judgmental. Maybe something crops up in their lives. Maybe their priorities change. Maybe the work is much harder than they expected.
The point is that work is the fuel for almost any result worth getting. That’s the essential element.
And if you’re in the business of helping someone get a result, it’s your job to tell them the right work to do.
By extension, you can’t create an effective curriculum without knowing how the work required to get that result breaks down.
So that’s the missing step. Getting clear on the work you want students to do while they’re in your course.
Because your course curriculum, which we’ll tackle in the next module, is just a framework to guide them through that work.
Now, exactly how this module plays out depends on where you’re at.
If you already have a clear process that you follow with people, or a specific method you use, then you definitely have a head start.
If your process is more informal, this module will help you distil it into a clearer, more repeatable set of steps.
And if your approach is honestly a work-in-progress, you can use these techniques to map out a “best-guess” process you can test and refine with your beta students.
Okay, that’s everything for this opening lesson. I’m excited to get deeper into this with you and help you map out the journey your course will lead your students on.
See you soon!