How do you find the right balance between theory and practical application in your courses?

Hi instructors,

Teaching theory is essential for building a foundation, but practical application brings learning to life. While explaining concepts and background information is essential, real-world examples and hands-on exercises can help learners understand and apply what they’ve learned more effectively.

So, we’d love to hear from you:
How do you find the right balance between theory and practical application in your courses?

Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Comments

Sarafudheen PM

Hi MarinaT,

Thank you for your post! In my experience, the balance between theory and practical application really depends on what is being taught. Some courses may require 95% practical work because hands-on experience is essential for mastering the material. On the other hand, some subjects might be 100% theory-based, where understanding the concepts is the primary goal.

Rahul Iyer

Great Question @MarinaT…

Online web-based learning is a different beast compared to the live training sessions. We are not in front of the audience and we need to ensure that the content is absolutely engaging even if the subject is dry. As instructors, we need to maintain a delicate balance between theory and practical applications of the subject. Else, the course ratings are in jeopardy.

I always script all my courses. And when I write these scripts, I imagine that I am sharing/talking to someone who is right in front of me. A (mental) visual run through of the content is extremely essential, in my opinion, to ensure the theoretical part is addressed followed by giving the audience the practical understanding using real-world examples or real-life situations. While imagining that someone is right there in front of you, you can easily think about the next question that would come to your student's mind while he/she is listening to the theory and/or the practical examples. As a result, you are able to maintain the right balance easily.

The other important thing that I try to follow is to make the content as simple as someone who is in standard 8 can understand. One of my gurus shared, make complex things simple and simple things complex. Teaching is all about breaking down information in the simplest possible manner. This aspect plays a critical role in helping you get an understanding of whether the theoretical topic is discussed well enough and how much of a practical understanding is required.

These two things, 1) imagining the audience is right in front of you, and 2) the communication is simple to understand are the two key things that drive each lecture in my courses. So, I never have to worry about finding the right balance between theory and practical application.

Hope this is helpful 😊

LawrenceMMiller

This is a good question and I like the above answers. Of course there is no one right answer. It depends on the subject of the course. For example, my first exposure to Udemy was taking a course on acoustic blues guitar by Jim Bruce. There is music theory but most of us trying to sound good on the guitar don't care much about music theory. Where do my fingers go and what does it sound like. You see the instructor and you copy what he is doing. It is very practical.

My subjects are very much like Rahul's - business management and leadership. I am very fortunate in that I worked in corporations changing the culture, implementing change management, org design, lean management, etc. Manufacturing in particular, is a wonderfully practical process. For every production line there are outcome measures - quality and productivity. You make a single change in the process and you can measure the change in outcomes. Nothing is more practical. The methods I taught and helped to implement in my clients are the same as those I teach. Throughout my courses I am referring to my experience implementing changes. My students tell me that they appreciate my real world experience.

In management there is little theory. When doing live workshops, which I did for many years, the participants were patient listening to theory for about ten minutes. Then they wanted to hear or see real world examples. I knew that participants were always looking at me and asking the best question of all…. "So, what?" So, why should I care? So, what do you want me to DO? So, why does this matter? I learned that you had to answer the "So, What?" question before they asked it. That means you had to give them proof of the principle or practice you were teaching. The best kind of proof was when the participants had their hands on, the practiced in real time.

I used to do an exercise that would require about a half day of a workshop. It was The Eagle Rock Basket Company. I had twenty or thirty managers literally making paper baskets. I first divided them into cutters (they had paper and sissors), then staplers, then decorators. Each was a separate department and they were told to stay in their own department and "Do your own work." I was the customer and would pay them five dollars for every basked that met MY SPECITICATIONS! In the first round it was common that none of the baskets met my expectations. No income. But, they had expenses. Then I had them redesign the system. Long story short, at the end they were making money and making very consistent baskets. Each team was now self managing and in control of their work. At then end they were cheering and giving each other high-fives. They learned the value of self-management, teamwork, rapid feedback, talking to the customer, etc., not because of a) a theory; or b) my sharing the experience of my clients; but c) their own emotional reaction to the frustration of the first system and then the joy of teamwork and making changes to how they did their own work. This is the best kind of learning.

In my courses I give assignments that I hope will give them experience, proof, that will reinforce principles.

peter_dalmaris

Hi all,

coming from Academia, my first course was filled with theory (physics).

Even though I was teaching practical electronics, I automatically found my self explaining how sensors work at the molecular level. Several students messaged me and said that while they appreciate the effort, they only want to learn how to use the sensors and whatever else I was teaching in the course practically, and if they wanted to learn the physics they "would go to Harvard etc.".

So, from that moment I concentrated on making my courses practical and to-the-point. If I had to discuss a topic at a more fundamental level, I would do it as quickly as possible, and provide reference for further study for those students who want more.

At the end of the day, my understanding is that people that come to Udemy are after practical knowledge and solutions, and the opportunity to acquire this knowledge as quickly as possible.

For my technology courses, theory is about 1%, practice is 99%.