RATE MY COURSE

I am a new instructor with Udemy.

Granted, I may not have the perfect equipment, but I did what I could.

Please see the preview and tell me what you think. Would you buy it if you were a student? Why or why not?

https://www.udemy.com/course/your-complete-guide-to-fractions-i/?referralCode=F42F177AE73624F94899

Comments

  • RonErez
    RonErez Posts: 292 specialist rank

    You seem very pleasant and the pace is nice. I like that you tell us to relax. Note that there is a very long delay between seeing you and seeing the math in the lecture "Types of Fractions". There were only two preview videos so I can't say much beyond that. It might be good if you get a better camera at some point. The audio is very clear. It's also nice that there are quizzes.

    Note that the slide on types of fractions is a little small. Especially the examples which are important. I've never heard of these different types of fractions so it's cool I could learn something new. I always thought of a fraction as a fraction. I guess you could stress that the fractions contain the whole numbers (for example 2025 = 2025 / 1 is both a whole number and a fraction), but maybe I'm wrong and it's just a minor point.

    Very nice!

  • Thank you. I will definitely edit the videos one after the other to get rid of the long pauses, and I will also get a better camera.

    The follow-up course will also be better than this.

    I spent almost 20 hours working on this, and I just wanted to upload it as soon as I felt I was done. I hope students start buying shortly.

    Also, where can I market it? I'm thinking of uploading one of the videos on YouTube and other social media along with a link to the course for those who want the whole package.@RonErez

  • Hello @Immistic521 - I took a look at your preview and it seemed fine. You were easy to understand. Would I purchase the course? No, I would not. At least not at this time. The reason is as follows. When I purchase any course I first search for all courses on the topic rated 4.5 or higher. I would then normally sort this list by the highest number of ratings. And then I will always select a course from an instructor who speaks native English.

    I did a Udemy search on fractions rated 4.5 or higher and received about 250 courses. This means you are competing against at least 250 highly rated courses dealing with fractions. You have to ask yourself why someone would purchase your course, with no ratings and an unknown author, instead of one of the other 250 that are already rated very high. This is the brutal world of Udemy.

  • Immistic521
    Immistic521 Posts: 7 observer rank
    edited February 16

    I'm glad to know the course was alright.

    As a new instructor on Udemy, I also understand that I have no reviews and am relatively unknown to Udemy’s customers. That's why I'm determined to exert myself this year to publish more courses of at least above-average quality.

    I did some research on Udemy’s instructors and it seems that it is primarily those with 10+ courses that earn very much.

    Thanks for your review. It's encouraging to know that it isn't so bad. Haha. @RandyMinder

  • @Immistic521 - Certainly the more courses you create the more money you can potentially make. But before you start creating your next nine courses (😁) you should keep something in mind. The Udemy of 2025 isn't the same Udemy that existed in 2016-2019, roughly. Udemy is really struggling. They still are not profitable and will keep cutting instructor revenue until they are. They are also de-emphasizing the marketplace. The competition is brutal. Everyone with a microphone and a laptop is creating courses. Virtually every conceivable topic of interest is saturated with courses (like math and fractions).

    Unless you can find a niche that isn't already covered, it's EXTREMELY difficult to make any money as a new instructor. I got rather lucky about 14 months ago when I created a few courses on a new technology released by Microsoft. For 3-4 months in a row I was making $10K+ per month. It's tapered off since then and given the fact that, IMO, Udemy has too much competition to really succeed and because of instructor payout reduction, I've stopped making courses (I have abut 35 courses on Udemy). Of course, that doesn't mean you shouldn't create courses. Just have realistic expectations.

  • Hi

    I have had a look at the Preview video only. These are my initial reactions:

    1. I see that the course image has words on it. Maybe Udemy has changed their policy but a few years ago one of my course images had me holding a camera and - with difficulty - one could make out the make of camera. My course was rejected as it had 'a word' in the image. Of course a prospective student wouldn't notice this so (as a student) i liked the words in the course image as they immediately told me what the course was about.
    2. Your pace of speech was fine and easy to understand.
    3. I disliked the curtain behind - it made the whole image look somewhat dark
    4. I disliked you looking down the lens instead of having the camera at eye level.
    5. I disliked how you've edited to move from one sentence to another with the curtain scrolling across.
    6. I was put off by the constant movement of hands.
    7. These distracted me so by the end I had forgotten - except for 'fractions' - what the course was about.
    8. I'm not sure whether a jacket and tie would have been better. (Maybe I am too old school.)
    9. Sound from 59 seconds onwards becomes echoing.

    So - given that I know nothing about the Udemy niche you're aiming at…I observe:

    There are 368 courses in the topic of 'Math' and 87% of enrolments go to the highest rated courses. 36% of courses are rated above 4.5.

    Your course has to be truly unique and top quality. I have met Instructors who spend hours making a course, giving away coupons etc etc and then 6 months later their sales are less than $20 - and the marketplace is even more competitive now.

    As an example look at this course:

    https://www.udemy.com/course/fractions-for-all-the-beginners-guide-to-master-fraction/?couponCode=KEEPLEARNINGGB

    It's been on the market 5.5 years, is longer than yours, has 25 articles and the Instructor has 11 courses and 32,000+ students. Also this includes Beginner level.

    And yet….

    5 ratings

    934 students

    Also the Preview video seems to have so much more 'life' than the one you offer - but one of the 2 star ratings gave 'accent' as the reason for the rating.

    Note: this course was just picked at random from the 000s that offer courses in Math.

  • Immistic521
    Immistic521 Posts: 7 observer rank
    edited February 17

    Thanks for the review. I will definitely look into what can be done better. @ChrisBankes120

    I believe that I can make myself stand out of the competition if I try my best. I'm going to look for a way to make my courses unique. I can also give lectures on public speaking and on English too, since I am also an ESL teacher. So, I might look into that if this doesn't work out well. Haha. @RandyMinder

  • I wish you luck and good fortune!