Fortunately, this does not have to be the case. By following these five simple steps, you can not only design custom courses that are effective, but you can do so in a fraction of the time and cost.

If you walked up to a group of instructors and asked them to write a text book, publish and print it, many would think you have lost your marbles. When you think about it, asking an instructor to design and create an online course is not much different.

Most organizations have skilled people who know the various course management systems extremely well. These folks can do in one hour what takes most of us many hours. Whatever time and resources it may take to have a "Course Uploader"’ get your course online, it is well worth the investment, as you will not only have the course done quickly, you will have a course that works within its environment. The end result is higher quality.

I know what you’re thinking - why go to the trouble of using an HTML editor when most course management systems have built-in editors. The short answer is that you will have better looking courses with a better user interface. This is why it is important to have a Course Uploader involved in the process. Even though the lessons are in HTML, minor changes can be made without any programming knowledge.

An added benefit of courses designed within an HTML editor is that it makes the transporting of courses from one course management system to another much quicker and easier. Hopefully you never have to change course management systems, however taking this small step in the beginning could save you time and money later.

Would you build a house without hiring an architect to draft the blue prints? Of course not. This begs the question of why so many organizations place courses online without involving an instructional designer. An instructional designer can help adapt an existing on-ground course into the online environment, as well as ensure that the outcomes of a course are met online through the right amount of activities, interaction and online tools. An instructional designer provides the blue print for the online course.

Your learners will fall into three types of learning methods: learning through reading detailed information, learning through hearing the information or learning through graphical displays and objects.

Learning online is no different. A truly effective course will have up to a page and a half of detailed content that is supported by multimedia objects to support the outcomes, as well as a narrator to read what is on the page.

Contrary to popular belief, you do not have to spend a small fortune on multimedia. Strategically placed multimedia objects, such as a Flash animation, are extremely effective.

Considering that all that is standing between you and your learners is the quality of your course, you can start to appreciate the importance of having independent reviewers with the last word. At one time or another we have all become to close to a project and, as a result, lost our objectivity. Independent reviewers ensure the intended outcomes for the course are in fact met and that the course works as expected.

As my Grandfather always says, "You don’t get a second chance to make a first impression." Your online courses and the quality they represent are a direct reflection of you. You may be asking if all of this effort is worth the time and resources. My personal experience has been that effective courses can and do lead to higher retention rates and more satisfied learners.