Some people who create courses assume their product will be the video, the slides, and the workbooks. The truth, however, is that the thing that keeps people interested in the course has everything to do with the sense that they’re not alone in the process. That gets provided in the form of the community.
When you build a community around your course, you’re creating much more than an educational product. The environment you create helps your students stay motivated, complete the lessons, and apply those lessons in their world. What you’re doing here is making your course much more memorable and valuable than just a “content library.”
A strong community can:
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Boost completion rates
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Fewer refunds and frustrations
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Convert satisfied students into fans who would recommend you
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Provide ongoing feedback on your course.
There need not be a big audience when you begin. All you need is a purpose, an organizing framework, and consistency.
Step 1: Define the Purpose of Your Community
Before you invite members, you need to define the purpose your community serves. A community without purpose becomes a quiet space where members don’t know what to post or do. Members join communities because they need guidance, connection, or support. Your job, therefore, is to provide them with the reason they should be there.
Begin with a single, straightforward question. What, I ask, is the primary function of this community in my students’ educational process?
Your response could fit into the following categories:
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Accountability: A location where the learners remain on schedule, on pace, and do not procrastinate.
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Support: A safe environment in which they can ask questions and get help when they feel stuck.
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Networking: Networking provides an opportunity to connect with others and meet partners.
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Skill practice: There would be opportunities to work, receive feedback, and develop proficiency through repetition.
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Inspiration: Students gather here to exchange ideas, insights, and success stories.
Pick one major reason and one, possibly two, secondary reasons, and avoid the temptation to do everything. There can be too much confusion in a neighborhood with too many purposes.
One exercise you can do is come up with a one-sentence mission statement for your community. Here's an example:
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“This community helps students stay accountable and complete the course together.”
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“This space exists so members can practice new skills and receive.”
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“This group links people who want to learn and help others through experiences.”
By making your sentence clear, your students will realize the importance of joining. Also, when you are clear on the purpose, all your choices regarding the platform, terms and conditions, activities, and content become simpler.
Step 2: Choose the Right Platform
The choice of platform determines the mood in your community and the participation rate. The platform you use does not necessarily have to be complex. The important thing here is accessibility. Your students will visit the space the moment they can access it.
“A straightforward approach would be to ask, 'Where does my audience spend their time now?' Your audience likely spends time on a platform, so the best platform is the one they use every day. That would make joining your platform seem like the natural thing to do in their world.
Here's a brief rundown of some typical choices available.
Facebook Groups
They are good for general audiences. Lots of people have an account, and the notification system works well. The downside is distractions, ads, and algorithm changes.
Discord
It is ideal for young people, interest groups, and skill-share communities. 'Channels' serve to organize conversations. However, some people might find it confusing when they first use it.
Slack
This tool is suitable for professional and business-oriented communities with its clean UI and powerful search functionality. Still, the mood may seem formal, and the freemium plans have limited messaging history.
Built-in LMS Communities
It’s great if you want everything in one location, which means fewer tool changes. These pages are normally straightforward, except when dependent on the functionality available on your platform.
One thing people commonly do wrong is making too many channels and features up front. Trust me, you don’t need that much. Just start with the basic things you need, such as general chat, questions, wins, and updates.
Step 3: Set Clear Rules and Expectations
Your community will flourish when the members understand the way things work there. Rules make people safe and clarify expectations. Your rules don't have to be harsh and complicated–just make your members feel comfortable.
Begin with some basic rules, like the following:
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Be respectful and kind
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All posts should remain on topic.
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No spamming and/or promoting myself
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Use proper titling when posing questions
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Provide honest and supportive feedback
These should be posted at the top where all can see.
Now, describe the ways you’ll engage. “Just how involved and responsive is the teacher?” Members wonder. “I reply on Monday through Friday” and “I’ll hold a weekly Q&A on Thursdays” are ways to set these expectations.
Describe ways in which members can participate. Some members remain silent because they don’t have any ideas for what to post. When the social rules are clear, members are more likely to speak up.
Step 4: Create Simple Rituals That Keep People Engaged
Your communities become alive through rhythm. When the people in your communities are aware of what and when, they are able and willing to participate. Rhythm simply becomes the framework in your community without the need for planning on your part. Rhythm changes your community from “a place to visit occasionally” into “a habit.”
You do not need many rituals. Having one or two regular activities each week can make a world of difference. These include:
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Win Wednesday: Members celebrate their wins, no matter how small.
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Question Monday: Safe space where they can ask anything they’re struggling with.
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Feedback Friday, where members share their work and comment on others.
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Weekly Challenge: This could be an activity where they are encouraged to use the skill they have learned.
These questions encourage frequent engagement and minimize the burden of constantly coming up with innovative ideas.
Another powerful ritual is the welcome ritual for new members. When a new person joins, include them in the following three-step process:
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Introduce yourself
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Share what you’re working on
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State your next small goal to the group
This establishes an immediate link and sets the tone for participation. The trick is consistency. In order for the ritual to work, you have to perform it regularly. Your win on Wednesday has to be on Wednesday. Your weekly choice has to be posted on the same day each week.
Step 5: Be a Guide, Not a Celebrity
A healthy community doesn’t depend on the teacher responding to all the threads. When everything revolves in and around you, your community becomes fragile. When you are involved in other things, like illness, travel, and other events, participation in the group goes down.
Your role: guide, support, set the tone—not be the center of every conversation.
Attend in a regular manner, but with intention. Respond to frequent questions, provide insights from the latest lessons, encourage quiet members, and spot quality comments.
Refrain from reacting to everything. Engaging in all discussions means members need to wait on you rather than on each other. React in a manner that encourages mutual support, such as:
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“Great question: who wants to share their approach?”
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“Love Sarah's explanation above, see her comment.”
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“Here are two ideas to try—others, please add yours.”
You don’t have to be perfect. Let your personality shine through—your humor, your process, your thoughts. Students need to feel comfortable. A relatable leader builds the community.
Step 6: Turn Students into Community Champions
In each community, some people obviously participate the most and help others, and their positive energy affects the others. These people become your “community champions” because, when you identify and provide them with a smaller role, they manage the group without much effort on your part.
First, you need to identify who they are. Students who comment on others’ work, respond positively when others ask them questions, celebrate their successes, and encourage others tend to fit the bill. These people don’t necessarily represent the class leaders; in terms of performance, they’re just the
After you identify them, assign light responsibilities, like:
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Greeting new members
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Sharing successes or prompts each week
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Help with feedback threads
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Sending reminders related to events
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Responding to frequent questions
Formal titles are unnecessary. “I appreciate how you’re supportive of others. Can you help facilitate the welcome of new members?” would suffice. This sets up a positive feedback loop, so when beneficial action receives attention, more individuals become helpful.
Step 7: Use Your Course Content to Spark Conversations
Your class lessons offer the potential to provide your community with plenty of activity—if you make the effort. Naturally, the students, in progressing through the lessons, develop questions and insights. By using these opportunities, you create ways for students to learn better and maintain an active class effort.
Use brief prompts like the following for each module:
“What was your biggest takeaway?”
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“What was confusing or difficult?”
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“What will you apply this week?”
These make the students transition from passive learning to active reflection.
As well, you can link the assignment work directly to the community. Students can be asked to share their homework, drafts, screenshots, and video updates. When they do, others comment and learn through the process.
Milestones make excellent engagement tools as well. When an individual has completed a module, you could ask them to provide an update. When your content is fed into the community, the process of knowledge and cognitive development ignites dialogue. The community becomes an extension of the course.
Conclusion
Having a strong community takes your online course and turns it into an experience. When your students feel like they belong, they stay encouraged, complete more lessons, and perform better. Here are a few ways you can create such an environment by keeping things simple and defining the purpose of your community, picking the right platform, making some rules, and adding some rhythm.
Attend to lead, facilitating collaboration, and allowing your most engaged members to assume small leadership roles. Engage your subjects in discussions, and you must also ensure the environment in which the courses take place is protected.
A big audience isn't needed. Just write one sentence describing why your community exists, and then make all your other decisions in line with that sentence.
