My name is Coleen and I am the face behind CourseCoder. CourseCoder is a place where you will find some amazing resources — like checklists, templates, guides, services, and courses — to plan, design, and create online courses that actually work.

I don’t mean the type of online courses that are just overhyped and marketed to death but then disappoint the people who shell out their hard-earned money. I mean the type of courses that motivate people to do things they never thought they could, that they’ve been attempting to do for weeks, months, or even years. I’m talking about the type of courses that you want to create.

All of the tools and resources that you will find on CourseCoder have either been designed in-house with the motivated entrepreneur in mind, or have been used by me and other instructional designers to design effective courses. You will not be presented with anything but the things that have been researched  and tested.

I also help service-based entrepreneurs to research and validate their own course ideas, so that they can save time and money, have more freedom in their business and have a more profitable “Big Launch”.

 

The point is to provide you with trustworthy information so you can get on with the hard part of creating course content that stands out from the rest.

WHY SHOULD I LISTEN TO YOU?

In some ways, I feel like my entire life has led up to starting CourseCoder. I was born in Jamaica, and my family moved to Boston when I was 7 years old – talk about a culture shock! My beginnings in school were a little rough. In fact, I remember one specific story, that I’d like to tell you if you have a minute.

MY STORY

I was in 2nd grade when the teacher was going around the room (alphabetically) and testing a certain math concept she just taught. I had absolutely no idea how to answer any of the questions she was asking, and as she got closer and closer to my name, I had this feeling of dread. I kept trying to find the pattern as each student rattled off the correct answer and she moved to the next one – but I just did NOT get it. My feeling of terror was realized when she finally called on me and I got the answer wrong. Somehow, I didn’t burst out in tears as I sat there but I have never felt so frustrated and disappointed in my ability to learn as I did that day.

When I got home, I told my family and they all rallied around me. My parents, siblings, I also had an aunt and uncle who lived above us in the 2-story apartment. After sitting together for the evening and practicing over and over again, it clicked. I felt like an expert in a subject that I thought I would never even begin to understand. What clicked in me at that moment went on to shape my personality and my career path.

MY LEARNING PHILOSOPHY

Even though I didn’t realize it then, I was beginning to develop my own philosophy about how people learn. I realized that teaching strategy does, in fact, make a difference in learner success; a strong, supportive community has a tremendous impact on learning; and most of all, I realized the importance of continued practice and taking action to get where you want to be. I also came to have a deep empathy for the struggling learner and made it my life’s work to improve education on all levels.

As a result, here I am with a Bachelors degree in Computer Science and Masters degree in Educational Psychology, and over a decade of experience in curriculum and lesson planning, online teaching, and corporate consulting. This empathy for the learner, this experience and research in instructional strategies, a laser focus on results, and motivation for taking action is what I have to offer you at CourseCoder.

I’m confident that with these resources, you will be able to overcome the overwhelm and sell your unique set of skills and experience online in an effective and profitable way.

HOW IS THIS SITE DIFFERENT?

At CourseCoder, I think about how to leverage the power of technology, the art of teaching, and the science of learning to accomplish both profitability/savings and the results that your students will have. Every recommendation that I make considers learner engagement, learner results, profitability, as well as the cost to you as the course creator.

Many others who teach how to create online courses focus primarily on selling and marketing, but forget about the student experience and give you very little advice on how to teach an online course. These are the things that keep me up at night and that I research and share to help everyone create “courses that work”.

SOUNDS AWESOME, NOW WHAT?

Linkedin: Connect directly and see my interests and history in the online education industry since 2003

Instagram: Get hot-off-the-press updates including the latest adventures from my husband and I living the simple life in Atlanta, GA

Twitter: I share all the latest articles, videos, and stuff I find related to planning, creating, teaching, and launching effective and profitable online courses