4 Best Free Online Course Makers For Beginners
The world of online learning has changed dramatically, not long ago, expensive online course makers were exclusive to large institutions with significant resources.
But now, the game has changed.
Individuals who know specific topics in niche areas can now easily create their own eLearning with free online courses maker.
Creating online courses isn’t just the playfield for the big players anymore; it’s something anyone can do to deliver knowledge to others, within their hand.
The tools and technology we have today (with a helping hand from AI, eLearning tools, LMS) have empowered everyone to start creating online courses from scratch.
Anyone Can Start Building Online Courses (For Free)
Think about it – the entire toolkit for creating and sharing your knowledge through online courses is now incredibly accessible.
From those brainstorming phrases like ChatGPT, Gemini, to recording engaging videos & creating eLearning courses like ActivePresenter. Then, publishing your course for the world to see, technology has put every step directly within your reach.
This is truly a golden opportunity for anyone to create their own online courses and deliver what you have to offer.
This blog would provide you with a complete process from start to finish on how to start an online course for free (for beginners)
In this blog post we would take an in-depth look at 4 free online course makers to build your online lessons from scratch.
1. Tool to brainstorming and structuring your online courses
2. Tool to find resources and templates
3. Tool to create eLearning interactive online class
4. Tool to upload and run your online course
#1. Brainstorm learning content: AI Chatbot
Imagine a 24/7 virtual assistant, always on hand to brainstorm potential course topics tailored to your expertise and learner interests.
Just give these AI tools broad ideas, and they’ll quickly generate related themes to help you focus.
For curriculum structure, AI helps with outlines, suggests learning outcomes, and even proposes lesson activities.
How to Apply AI Chatbot as a Free Online Course Maker?
You can create your own assistant in Gemini for free, which is a paid feature in ChatGPT. In the Gemini language, it’s called creating Gem.
From that, you are able to build your own personal professional chatbot and narrow down its expertise to the topics you are about to build teaching content. Here are several applications you can play around with Chatbot AI
1. Brainstorm Topics
Example prompt: “I want to create a beginner’s online course on Digital Payments. What are some key topics a complete beginner should learn?”
2. Structuring a module
Prompt example:
“Based on the topics above, can you help me structure a module specifically on Digital Payments for absolute beginners?”
3. Generate lesson content ideas
For Lesson 1.1: ‘The evolution of digital payments,’ can you give me some ideas for what to include in the content and potential simple analogies to explain these parts to a complete beginner?”
This significantly speeds up the initial stages of online course creation. While AI suggests, your expertise and style are key to refining and personalizing content..
#2. Resources and Templates: Canva
Creating visually appealing and engaging learning materials is essential to start a successful online course.
While you might not be a professional designer, tools like Canva offer a fantastic array of free resources and templates to help you design everything from presentation slides, quizzes, and course thumbnails.
Canva provides an intuitive drag-and-drop interface and a vast library of professionally designed templates that you can easily customize with your own content, colors with consistent look and feel.
You can select any templates you like for your presentation slides, then go to Download as PowerPoint.
From here, you can continue to design and add learning material with PowerPoint, upload to Google Slides.
If you want to proceed to create eLearning interactive quizzes, game-based lessons, then you need to move forward to use tool #3 eLearning authoring tool.
#3. Free eLearning online course maker: ActivePresenter
Now, we arrive at the heart of creating a truly dynamic and effective online course: building interactive content.
This is where ActivePresenter steps in as an indispensable free eLearning authoring tool, empowering you to go beyond static presentations and create captivating eLearning courses that actively involve your learners.
Forget the limitations of simple video recordings or slide-based presentations; ActivePresenter equips you with a comprehensive suite of features to record, edit, and infuse interactivity into your online course – all without requiring any coding knowledge.
Record Screen and Webcam Simultaneously
You can effortlessly capture any part of your screen, a specific application window along with your webcam.
The smart capture technology ensures crystal-clear video quality and smooth mouse movements, crucial for effective tutorials or demonstrations.
Furthermore, the ability to record your webcam concurrently allows you to add a personal touch, making your learners connect with you as the instructor.
For instance, you could record yourself introducing a new concept while simultaneously showing relevant slides or performing a live demonstration on your screen.
This dual recording capability enhances clarity and keeps learners actively involved.
Edit Videos with Professional Precision: Polish Your Message
Raw recordings often need refinement to maximize their impact. ActivePresenter boasts a powerful yet user-friendly free screen recorder & video editor that puts you in complete control of your recordings.
This includes, but not limited to
- Trim unwanted sections, cut out mistakes, and merge different clips seamlessly.
- Enhance your videos with annotations, callouts, shapes, and images to highlight key information and guide your learners’ attention.
- Break long teaching videos into bite-sized learning chunks (my favorite).
I usually break down into 5-10 minutes per video slide so that I could organize learning material while maintaining course structure.
Imagine creating a software tutorial where you not only record your actions but also add text annotations pointing out specific buttons, and zoom in on key elements.
Free Interactive eLearning Online Course Maker: Engage and Assess Your Learners
Moving beyond passive video consumption, ActivePresenter empowers you to build truly interactive eLearning experiences.
Incorporate a wide range of interactive elements such as quizzes (multiple-choice, true/false, fill-in-the-blank), drag-and-drop exercises, and simulations.
You can utilize these interactive elements to create gamification & randomize questions to dynamize your online course.
These interactive elements actively involve learners, allowing them to test their understanding, apply their knowledge, and receive immediate feedback.
Furthermore, ActivePresenter allows you to track learner progress and assess their understanding through built-in reporting features.
By incorporating these interactive elements, you transform your online class from a passive information dump into an engaging and effective learning journey, leading to better learning outcomes and increased learner satisfaction.
Ready to unlock the full potential of interactive eLearning creation for free with no sign-in required? Your next interactive learning course is just a few clicks away 👇
#4. Upload and run your online course: SCORM Cloud
You’ve meticulously planned your content, crafted engaging visuals, and built interactive learning experiences with ActivePresenter.
Now comes the crucial step of delivering your masterpiece to your audience. While numerous Learning Management Systems (LMS) exist, SCORM Cloud offers a fantastic free tier, perfectly suited for individuals and small-scale course creators to host and manage their online classes.
Think of SCORM Cloud as your launchpad into the world of online education. It provides a robust platform to upload, organize, and track learner progress for courses built using industry-standard formats like SCORM and xAPI.
The beauty of integrating ActivePresenter with SCORM Cloud lies in their seamless compatibility. ActivePresenter allows you to effortlessly export your interactive projects as SCORM or xAPI compliant packages. These packages contain all the necessary content and tracking information, ensuring that when you upload them to SCORM Cloud, the platform can accurately track learner engagement, completion rates, and quiz scores.
ActivePresenter quizzes/simulations on SCORM Cloud track learner responses & providing performance insights.
You can start easily and affordably with SCORM Cloud’s free tier. Specifically, it offers ample storage and user capacity for getting started. Therefore, it’s an ideal and cost-effective solution for launching your online class and reaching your learners effectively.
Last Words
Embarking on the creation of your first online course might seem daunting, but with the power of these four online course makers (free versions available), you already have a good strong foundation to launch your first online course.
AI can help you brainstorm initial ideas and structure your course content. Then, you can design visuals with ease using Canva’s intuitive interface.
To create engaging and eLearning experiences, ActivePresenter offers a comprehensive suite of interactive features. Finally, you can host your course and track your learners’ progress at no initial cost with SCORM Cloud’s free tier.
This complete ecosystem provides all the essential tools for launching your online class without big investments on money.
Take that first step, experiment with these tools, and witness your expertise transform into a valuable online learning experience. We encourage you to download ActivePresenter for a firsthand experience in designing your online eLearning course (free & no sign-in required)