7 Proven Strategies to Improve Your Course Completion Rates

One of the most common challenges course creators face is ensuring that learners complete their courses. Despite initial enthusiasm, the motivation tends to fade quickly, and students fail to complete the course, leading to low completion rates.

In this article, we will explore everything in regard to course completion rates. We asked course creators and industry experts on their turn how to boost your online course completion rates. Let’s see what worked for them and how you can incorporate those strategies too. 

What is a good online course completion rate?

First, let’s start with understanding what is a good online course compilation rate. 

While, on average, course completion rates between 13 and 40% are considered good, individual course creators tend to achieve better results. 

Well, you need to aim first to reach numbers anywhere between 15% to 40%. After reaching this goal, continue improving to reach an excellent result, which is around 70% (industry average). Here are a few great ways that can help you achieve this goal and increase your online course completion rates. 

Common reasons for low course completion rates

"Very often, with a self-guided course, you sign up with the best intentions, and then you never actually finish it. Like maybe you're really motivated in the beginning, but because there's no real accountability to, like, watch a video every day or continue to go through lessons. I feel like the drop off is much higher, and with a cohort-based course, I know for myself, I'm putting the dates in my calendar, I'm going to show up."​ 

Jan Keck, facilitator, trainer, and experience designer. 

During one of our interviews, a famous course curator and experienced designer, Jen Keck, shared his experience with failed courses. His experience eventually led him to refer to a cohort-based facilitation model for increased engagement and completion. However, even if you do not proceed with this specific model, his ideas regarding course failure and success are quite useful and applicable to different scenarios. 

When it comes to reasons why many students fail to complete the course, it’s not necessarily a disadvantage your course possesses. It also plays a role, especially when it comes to failure to engage learners and deliver on-point information in a precise manner. 

Questions to ask yourself to understand the causes behind low completion rates include: 

1. Are your learners struggling to balance the course with their work or family responsibilities?
2. Do learners have enough time in their schedules to commit to completing the course?
3. Are distractions or competing priorities, like social obligations or other commitments, hindering their progress?
4. Are learners facing technological challenges, such as poor internet access or inadequate devices?
5. Could external stressors, like financial issues or job uncertainty, be affecting their ability to focus on the course?
6. Are health issues or personal emergencies preventing learners from dedicating time to their studies?
7. Is there a lack of employer or professional support motivating learners to complete the course for career advancement?
8. Are learners enrolled in too many other educational programs or online courses simultaneously?
9. Could seasonal timing, such as holidays or industry deadlines, be causing learners to deprioritize the course?

When you answer these questions, you will have a clearer picture of the reasons for the low completion rate. Based on this information, you can use our suggestions to improve your course and achieve higher completion rates. 

Seven strategies to increase online course completion rates

Finally, it is time to dive into the practical section of this guide. In this section, we’ll explore top strategies for improving course completion rates. 

1. Make course outcomes clear to the students 

To be more specific here, you need to clarify the outcomes of your course. Your students are less likely to leave the course if they are well aware of what results they can achieve. 

“Ideally, they will know what they're going to be able to do or learn at the end because that's the best way you get them to take action and sign up,"​

Jan Keck, facilitator, trainer, and experience designer. 

Here is how you can communicate your online course learning outcomes and make your students stick to the end. 

In the introduction of the course, make sure to outline key learning outcomes and objectives. 

• Clarify the outcomes of the course in the course description and syllabus. 
• Use clear language, avoiding jargon. This will help to effectively explain to students what they are going to achieve by the end of the course. 
• Clearly state the main skills or knowledge learners will gain. Make sure these are specific and actionable. 
• Use diagrams or bullet points to emphasize course outcomes. 
• Show students how the skills or knowledge they acquire can be applied in practical scenarios. 

2. Keep lessons short and focused

If you plan to increase completion rates, then avoid one of the most common mistakes creators make. What is it? It offers long and dreadful sessions. In a world of short attention spans, we should not complain about it but rather keep adapting. 

"When I first launched my online course, I did it the same way, one-hour blocks. And that was a huge mistake. I had big drop-offs. So that's one of the biggest things I learned in the very beginning for creating online courses is you got to structure it into little bite-sized nuggets that people can take, you know, five minutes, ten minutes, maybe 12 at the max, but really no further than that."​ 

 

 Angel Rodriguez, Course Creator 

So, how do you keep your content short? Simply keep your content bite-sized, like you would do for mini-courses. 

First, make sure to break content into modules. Divide the course into short, digestible lessons. Let’s say each module has up to 8 lessons. Each lesson lasts anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes. 

To achieve this, focus on one concept at a time. Make sure that each lesson covers a single topic to avoid overwhelming learners with information. 

Also, you can test students for retention. Simply incorporate a quick recap quiz at the end of each lesson with up to 3 questions. 

3. Improve engagement through interactive content

In order to reach a higher completion rate, you need to engage students. For that, various interactive elements should be incorporated into the course. For instance, quizzes should be offered to address student knowledge regularly. 

Also, multimedia elements should be used to cater to different learning styles. Do not forget about encouraging hands-on activities. For instance, you can provide them with assignments that allow students to apply their knowledge to practice. 

Related: 9 eLearning Content Types for Better Engagement +Examples

4. Offer milestone rewards and certificates

If you want to improve your course completion rate, then focus on consistent motivation. The key is consistency. Motivating students in the beginning is not enough. It has to be regular. How can you do it? Here are a few expert tips for you: 

• Award certificates for completing modules or key milestones.
• Highlight how certificates can be added to resumes or LinkedIn profiles.
• Unlock new content or bonus lessons to reach milestones.
• Reward progress with coupons for other courses or products.

5. Build a strong learning community

Building a community will help you enhance both engagement and completion rates. This only makes sense as both are interconnected. By building a community of learners, you encourage participation and create a stronger sense of responsibility. 

“​​I usually start every cohort with a kickoff session that doesn't really have a lot of content. The main purpose is to help people connect with each other and start to build a sense of community, a sense of belonging. I want them to feel that it's a safe space where they can ask questions, experiment, and get to know each other." 

 

Jan Keck, facilitator, trainer, and experience designer. 

Following Jan’s advice and a few other expert tips, here is what you can do: 

• Start with a kickoff session. Host an introductory event to help learners connect with one another.
• Include group discussions, forums, or study pods for collaborative learning.
• Create informal online spaces (like Slack channels or WhatsApp groups) for casual interaction.
• Use icebreakers or activities to ensure even quieter students feel welcome.

6. Provide consistent feedback and support 

Students need consistent feedback and support from instructors to grow. So, make sure you stay in tune with their progress. First, start by offering 1:1 or group feedback sessions. You can also provide constructive and personalized feedback on assignments and quizzes. 

Leverage the power of automation, too. Set up automated emails that congratulate students when they achieve a certain milestone. This way, students will feel supported, and you will be able to save time. 

Besides providing feedback, you also want to be open to receiving feedback. So, collect feedback from your students to see your areas of improvement. 

Also, overall, make sure you are available. It’s essential to address students' queries and questions promptly. Regularly check your email and help students move forward to keep them motivated. 

7. Send regular progress reminders

One more expert tip for increasing completion rates is sending reminders. You can use email automation to save your time. 

“Your students will sign up for your course, and they will have all the intentions of learning, but they get sidetracked because life happens. One of the ways you can encourage them to get to the finish line is through mobile applications. Ensure to utilize mobile notifications and gamification to help them progress and finally get to the finish line”. 

Eli Natoli

Course Creator, Coach, and a Marketing Strategist

The idea is for you to send regular progress reminders. For instance, the message can contain a progress bar. Also, you can send students reminders regarding upcoming deadlines or milestones. 

Finally, make sure to use encouraging language to inspire learners to keep going. 

How to track and analyze your course completion rates

Tracking and analyzing your course completion rates is essential to understanding how learners engage with your content and identifying areas for improvement. 

For instance, you can use learning management systems such as Uteach. 

It is an all-in-one platform for course creators. Uteach offers everything from website and course builder to analytics. With this LMS, you can access a summary of student activities, detailed reports on progress, and engagement metrics. 

It is a perfect tool to offer robust eLearning tracking student progress. With Uteach, you will gain the necessary light for your course performance and be able to effectively enhance completion rates. 

To take necessary actions, make sure to track key metrics. These include drop-off points (when students disengage). Others are time spent on course material and quiz completion rates. 

First, pinpoint problem areas. Then, adjust and optimize content to meet students' expectations. Finally, make sure to offer a balanced mix of engagement and challenge to improve completion rates. 

All of this is possible with Uteach. You can take advantage of a 14-day free trial run to see how the platform can help you boost engagement and completion rates. 

Key takeaways on improving online course completion rates

At the end of the day, to improve course completion rates, you must think about user experience. User experience and a user-centric approach will allow you to deliver courses that your audience enjoys. 

Make sure to incorporate the tips and strategies we listed. Our strategies range from improving engagement to providing regular feedback. All of these are tested by experts in the industry and proven to be effective.