Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
Creating your first training course is exciting — and a little terrifying. Many new trainers pour time and heart into content only to find low engagement, refunds, or an exhausted inbox. If you want to create an online course the right way, avoid these common pitfalls. Below you’ll find practical fixes, UK-flavoured data showing why online learning matters, image suggestions to help your article convert, a meta description, social posts, and a portrait graphic of the 10 mistakes.
Online learning is now a mainstream route for UK learners. The Learning and Work Institute’s 2024 Adult Participation in Learning Survey found that just over half (52%) of adults had taken part in learning in the previous three years — driven in large part by self-directed and online learning.
Market analysts estimate the UK online education market reached around USD 2.9 billion in 2024 and is forecast to grow strongly over the decade — a signal that people and employers increasingly choose digital delivery.
E-learning also saves time: industry studies commonly report that online formats can require 40–60% less learner time than equivalent classroom training — a powerful efficiency for busy professionals and organisations.
Finally, the practical barriers of face-to-face training in the UK — like commuting — are real: the average one-way commute was about 29 minutes in 2023, which multiplies quickly for cohort sessions. Online courses avoid much of that time cost.
The following checklist will allow trainers to avoid common mistakes while also providing a suggested fix for the process. Goster can help walk you through the DIY process during your free discovery call.
Mistake: Turning a livestream or classroom hour into a 90-minute “everything” module.
Fix: Break the course into focused micro-modules. Learners prefer bite-sized lessons; they’re easier to produce, test and update.
Mistake: Dumping slides and talking points without clear learning outcomes or activities.
Fix: Start with 2–3 measurable outcomes per module and design one short activity per outcome (quiz, reflection, short task).
Mistake: Spending weeks recording before checking whether people will buy or join.
Fix: Run a short pilot, pre-sell a module, or test a landing page. Small-market tests save huge time.
Mistake: Believing studio polish guarantees learner results.
Fix: Prioritise clear audio, legible slides and a steady pace. Good instruction beats cinematic visuals every time.
Mistake: No captions, tiny font or inaccessible file formats.
Fix: Add captions, transcripts and use accessible fonts. Disabled Students UK found many disabled learners benefited from continued online options — make yours usable by everyone and then communicate this accessibility to potential clients.
Mistake: No checks for understanding — just content delivery.
Fix: Build short quizzes, reflection prompts, or peer feedback moments into each module. Our courses offer feedback/rating widgets
Mistake: No checks for understanding — just content delivery.
Fix: Build short quizzes, reflection prompts, or peer feedback moments into each module. Our courses offer feedback/rating widgets
Mistake: Choosing price based on gut, not value or market evidence.
Fix: Benchmark competitors, test multiple price points, and consider tiered pricing (self-study vs. cohort).
Mistake: Choosing the cheapest platform without testing payment flows, certificates or mobile playback.
Fix: Trial LMS flows, check mobile, and document a simple support FAQ before launch.
Mistake: Launch, tumbleweed, then no updates or community care.
Fix: Plan a 90-day post-launch schedule: weekly check-ins, one update, and a learner survey to feed the next version.
Validate demand with a landing page or pilot.
Define 2–3 learning outcomes per module.
Make content accessible (captions, transcripts).
Test mobile playback and purchase flow.
Draft a 90-day learner engagement plan.
With UK demand for digital learning rising, and workplace pressures to do more with less, trainers who learn to create an online course well win time and impact. Digital courses let learners avoid commute time, repeat modules, and scale your expertise — but only if you focus on design, accessibility and validation from day one. Use the ten fixes above as your practical launch roadmap.
Reach out to us for a free 15 minute discovery call as you begin to navigate the DIY course building journey.
Learning & Work Institute — Adult Participation in Learning Survey 2024 (report & PDF).
IMARC Group — UK Online Education Market (2024).
Shift Learning — “Facts and Stats That Reveal The Power Of eLearning” (cites Brandon Hall).
UK Government (DfT / Transport Statistics Great Britain 2023) — Average commute time.
Disabled Students UK— “Going Back is Not a Choice” (report on disabled students’ preferences for online options).
CIPD — Learning at Work 2023 report.
Grand View Research — UK E-learning Services Market Outlook 2024-2030.
IBM — The value of training (historic IBM training ROI references).
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