How to Design Cohort-Based Courses and Experiences

Designing an effective cohort experience is the key to transforming students’ learning experiences. With a strong emphasis on collaboration well-designed cohort courses will allow you to engage with the students more efficiently and deliver promised results. 

For today’s article, we interviewed a professional learning experience designer, Jan Keck, who provided us with expert insights and tips for creating the best cohort experiences for learners that we will share with you. 

Cohort-based courses v.s. Self-paced courses 

In order to understand what cohort-based courses are in more depth, it is important to comprehend the full scope of differences between cohort and self-paced courses. The number one difference is the fact that cohort courses are LIVE, thus happening in real-time. 

Another difference between the two is the structured approach to learning. In cohort-based learning courses, students progress through the material together following a set schedule. On the other hand, with self-paced courses, students have more flexibility and autonomy in deciding when and how much of the course to complete. If learners lack discipline, then it can be quite hard and unstructured for them to choose self-paced courses. 

Community engagement is another aspect of the major difference between cohort and self-paced courses. In cohort learning, students are integrated with a group, which builds a sense of community and accountability. In self-paced courses, students can engage in learning forums when the sense of community is not consistent, and there is no sense of accountability for their peers. 

Benefits of cohort-based courses 

Cohort-based courses provide instructors and students with a myriad of benefits. So, let’s overview the primary benefits in more detail. 

Structured learning 

“You want to have your structure; you like different modules and lessons thought out before.” 

-  Jan Keck, Learning Experience Designer. 

A cohort course has a fixed schedule and well-defined structure, allowing all the participants to manage their time efficiently and not procrastinate. For instance, when the course is self-paced, students can procrastinate when taking a class or even miss it and leave it for the next day. However, this will not work with cohort courses as they are hosted live. 

Enhanced accountability 

Another benefit of cohort courses is the increased accountability levels among students. When you are responsible only for yourself, you may not care enough to show up on time or complete a course in a specific timeline. Many students often dread the completion of self-paced courses, and what could have been completed in 2 months becomes 6. 

However, cohort courses contribute to increased accountability among students as they are part of a group. For instance, if one student wants to miss a class they can have a feeling of “missing out” on an important session/discussion which will motivate them to participate. 

Sense of community 

Cohort courses help to build a sense of community, which helps students network and increases their motivation levels. Participants can connect with their peers and build a good network for their future. Besides, participants of the cohort course can help each other if they are having difficulties and can study better. 

Diverse perspectives 

Another benefit of cohort-based courses is the diverse perspectives the learners gain throughout each session. Every student is unique, with different values and belief systems. Thus, each of the students offers a unique perspective that deepens other students understanding of the topic. 

In fact, Jan also emphasizes this benefit throughout the interview, mentioning:

 “The conversations that they have with each other sometimes deepen the learning in a way... or talk about examples I could not have come up with.”

Motivation and engagement 

One of the main benefits of cohort courses is increased motivation and engagement. Participants of the same cohort often face similar challenges, and instead of being demotivated to learn, they tend to motivate and help each other with the assignments. Also, being part of a group generally increases motivation to show up for classes as humans are social creatures, and basic psychological principles apply to learning as well. 

Key takeaways when designing a cohort course

It is time to review how to create cohort-based courses that not only sell but drive value. 

Understand Your Audience 

The number one thing you should do to design excellent cohort experiences for your students is to understand your audience. Knowing your audience allows you to identify their needs and pain points and deliver courses that provide value, thus selling more efficiently. 

“Talk to your customers, talk to your students, figure out what their pain points are, listen to the language, how they describe those pain points because that exactly will be what's selling the course.” 

- Jan Keck, 

Learning Experience Designer.

Here are some tips on how to identify and understand your audience: 

• Conduct market research and identify your target audience by gathering information about their demographics, interests, and behaviors. You can use multiple methods, such as surveys, interviews, or competitor reports, to do so. 
• Create buyer personas. When you are clear on your target market, segment it into main categories, and for each category, build detailed buyer personas visualizing their needs, preferences, and pain points. 
• Monitor social media platforms and online communities to track trends and potential challenges your target market faces. For instance, you can find relevant Reddit audiences and understand your target's challenges. 
• Use analytics tools such as a website or social media analytics to learn about your audience’s behavior in more detail. 

Create a structured curriculum with a touch of flexibility 

Another important strategy when it comes to developing cohort courses is to create a structured curriculum but not forget about flexibility. 

“I fell in love with this flexibility. Yes, I have this structure, and I know my content. But then what happens is usually I spend the day before a session redesigning what I had planned and making sure that it kind of touches where we left off the week before.” 

- Jan Keck, Learning Experience Designer. 

Make sure to establish clear learning objectives and set a timeline. But, also do not forget to leave a space for improvement. For instance, what you thought you should speak about during the next week’s session might not be very relevant as discussions during the previous session might have led your course in a slightly different direction. 

The goal is to deliver the learning objectives as promised but not stick to a structured and one-way approach. 

Engage students early on 

If you want to create courses that students truly enjoy, then place increased importance on student engagement. The main recommendation from an expert creator, Jan Keck, is to engage students early on to set the right tone for the whole course. 

“I usually start every cohort with a kickoff session that doesn't really have a lot of content, like I'm not teaching a lot. The main focus, the main purpose is to help people connect with each other and start to build this sense of community, a sense of belonging.” 

- Jan Keck, 

Learning Experience Designer.  

As an instructor, you are responsible for using icebreakers and encouraging participation. In cohort courses, if you fail to set the right mood from the beginning, then it will be harder throughout the next sessions. 

So, make sure to have a few icebreakers prepared and overall focus on how you can encourage engagement from the first session. Many craters place emphasis on creating a welcoming introduction where they highlight course goals and expertise. Afterward, you can encourage students to introduce themselves and get acquainted with one another. 

To engage students early on, you can also incorporate an easy game such as brainstorming or something else that requires participants to engage with one another. 

For instance, if your course is about marketing, you can ask students to brainstorm for 3 minutes and come up with one single answer to the question, “What is the most popular trend today?” The activity is fun and easy, and most importantly, it engages students and encourages communication from the start. 

Incorporate micro-engagements 

Short, interactive activities that do not require a lot of thinking are powerful ways to boost student engagement. So, make sure to incorporate multiple micro engagements throughout the sessions. It can be as simple as doing a quick poll or giving a thumbs up. 

“I made it a habit to constantly keep checking in with my group in those really small asks for engagement. For example, give me a thumbs up if you're ready to go to the next section... I switch this up whenever. I've used something for a while. I don't want it to get boring.”

 - Jan Keck,

 Learning Experience Designer.  

Foster a sense of community

If you want your students to complete the course with a sense of fulfillment, then you must incorporate a variety of tactics to foster a sense of community. Here are a few tips that will help you out: 

• Provide communication channels in the form of dedicated spaces such as group chats or discussion forums. 
• Encourage collaboration by designing and incorporating group assignments into the course. 
• Host Q&A sessions at the end of each Live session to foster real-time engagement. 
• Celebrate students' milestones and achievements, acknowledging their progress. For instance, you can share the new achievements of a student in a group chat. 
• Regularly gather student feedback for improvement. This will help students understand their role in contributing to the course and feel valuable. 

Provide feedback for continuous improvement 

Students take your course to learn and improve their skills in certain areas. Thus, make sure to dedicate attention to each of the participants to foster productive learning. You can write down notes after each session in regard to how the session went and how students felt. 

“I sit down after every session, and I have a little kind of template that I fill out that starts with, what was my energy level today, and what was the energy level of the group?... Then I write down what went well that I want to keep, what should be improved next time, and what some new ideas I want to try out next time.” 

- Jan Keck, 

Learning Experience Designer. 

You can take this a step further and write down individual notes regarding the performance of each of the students, e.g., who was present, who prepared, who did not prepare, who participated actively and who did not, etc. 

Based on the notes you take, you can provide students with individualized feedback, making sure that everyone displays high levels of interest in the course and is able to learn the material efficiently. 

Cohort learning communities vs. traditional cohorts

Traditional cohorts and cohort learning communities both have groups. However, they differ significantly in structure, interaction, and focus. 

• For instance, cohort learning communities, as the name suggests, emphasize continuous interaction, collaboration, and peer support. Most of the learning, in fact, comes from other members by active engagement. Traditional cohorts are primarily instructor-led and tend to be more formal and structured when it comes to course delivery. 
• Cohort learning communities encourage long-term participation, allowing members to stay in touch even after the course ends. In traditional cohorts, there is a set timeline where participants move through the course together, and typically, interaction ends by the end of the course. 

In today’s day and age, most instructors blend these two approaches and make cohort courses that not only are focused on interaction but also have great structure and set timelines for increased productivity. 

Cohort-based course example 

Finally, let’s review an example of a cohort-based course to give you a final understanding of what it is. 

Jan Keck | Ask Deep Questions 

An expert learning experience designer and course creator, Jan Keck offers a cohort-based course on modern facilitation techniques. The course is mainly focused on the methodology he developed, “Ask Deep Questions.” Throughout his course, he taught participants everything regarding methodology, fostering a collaborative learning environment and encouraging participants to interact with one another.  

Write of Passage by David Perell

An expert cohort-based course creator David Perell offers a great course “Write of Passage” promoting it as a course able to transform one’s writing abilities in just 5 weeks. It is a cohort course displaying a clear structure and offering one-on-one tutoring, group sessions, and daily feedback to the students. One of the outstanding features of the course that David successfully uses as a selling point is alumni support. 

Start your cohort-based courses today 

If you are looking for a perfect tool to start cohort-based courses, then you are in the right place. 

Uteach is an all-in-one software solution that comes in handy with all the necessary features to create unforgettable cohort learning experiences for your studies. 

Uteach offers features ranging from course and website builder to communication and marketing tools, allowing you to host collaborative learning courses and increase student engagement. Schedule a free demo with us and we will walk you through every feature Uteach offers to provide quality cohort experiences to your students. 

Lead magnet |  Provide the Best Cohort Experience in Your Courses. Here's How