The evergreen course model is a great option for professional associations that want to create monetizable learning options that members can continuously access and benefit from. Evergreen courses provide valuable content that members can access at their convenience, meeting the demand for flexible, on-demand learning.
We’ve created a guide answering the question “What are the top 5 learning management systems for associations?” Now we want to show you how you can use your learning management system (LMS) successfully. Evergreen courses deliver ongoing value to members and can also serve as a powerful tool for lead generation, helping your association attract and engage new potential members.
What Is the Evergreen Course Model?
Evergreen courses are learning options that you can leave open for enrollment year-round. This model works best with self-paced courses that are available on demand, so learners don’t have to attend at a specific date. You should ensure they’re hosted on an accessible platform that makes it easy for learners to complete modules and review materials anywhere and at any time.
One of the main benefits of this strategy is that it allows you to get more out of the continuing education courses your association spends time and money creating. Rather than hosting a 2-month course that’s only accessible for that specific timeframe, evergreen options allow you to keep generating revenue and helping association members on an ongoing basis. Evergreen courses remain relevant over time and require minimal maintenance compared to traditional courses.
How To Create an Evergreen Course
Now, you need the right online course launch strategy for continued success with this model. Here’s how to create evergreen learning courses for your association online:
1. Identify Core Topics With Long-Lasting Relevance for Evergreen Content
Evergreen content creation is best for topics that will continue to be relevant for your association’s members. To maximize visibility and ongoing traffic, choose topics that are commonly searched and based on top keywords related to your field.
For example, an accounting association may want to create a continuing education course on management and leadership skills. It’s a topic that will continue to stay relevant as new accountants progress through their careers, so it can be something you keep directing association members to as they work toward becoming effective leaders. By avoiding references to current events and pop culture, you help ensure the course remains relevant for years to come.
Every industry changes quite a bit over time, so even if you pick a topic with lasting relevance, courses will need to get updated at some point. Fortunately, a good learning management system (LMS) will make it easy to update your course materials, which requires less time than creating a brand new course.
2. Develop the Content in Step-by-Step Modules
You should plan your continuing education content so each module is formatted in a step-by-step process that’s easy to follow. Incorporating slide decks and media files such as videos and images into each module can enhance engagement and make the material more visually appealing.
For instance, a course on management and leadership may have a module on conflict resolution where you outline a three-step process of:
- Identifying problems
- Assessing what each team member is experiencing
- Constructive strategies to come to a healthy resolution
That format makes it easy for learners to follow each point while being able to pick up where they left off each time they log in to the course.
Plus, it’ll help you update sections as needed when industry requirements change. Using pre recorded content makes it easier to update individual modules as needed, since you can simply replace or edit specific segments without redoing the entire course. Updating a short 5-minute video in a module is a lot easier than trying to re-record an hour-long one that just needs a small change in one section.
3. Utilize Multimedia
You should use varied media and types of content throughout courses. For example, you could include reading materials, audio, videos, interactive activities, and quizzes throughout your modules. Incorporating interactive elements and engagement features, such as live polls, Q&A sessions, and automated feedback, helps create an engaging experience for learners.
Switching up the learning process keeps courses interesting for learners to boost engagement and completion rates. It also gives different types of learners multiple ways to apply the information. By using these strategies, you can maximize engagement and improve course completion rates.
4. Automate Course Onboarding and Delivery
Onboarding and delivery for evergreen courses should require minimal management on your team’s end after you get it set up.
The LMS you choose should allow you to automate onboarding and delivery, so new learners instantly get login credentials and essential information sent to them after signing up.
How To Create a Course Plan
Next, it’s time to do some association course planning to ensure yours contains everything you need for success. Building a content library of educational offerings and training programs can significantly enhance your association's value, providing ongoing resources for members and supporting professional development. You can use this as a course launch checklist as you’re developing a strategy and building modules:
- Define learning objectives: After choosing a relevant topic, you want to create some learning objectives that you want members to take away from the course. It’s often a good idea to align these with your association’s message so it feels on brand for you.
- Organize modules, lessons, and activities: Plan each of your modules, lessons, and activities so they make sense, progressing from one to the next and building off of one another. Structuring educational content clearly ensures learners can follow the progression and gain maximum value from each module.
- Create a course outline: An outline will help you review each of your modules, how they progress, and make changes before you build. Then, create a timeline for how long it’ll take to create each section and when you want to launch the course.
- Build a launch preparation checklist: Make a note of everything you need before launching your course, such as marketing materials, platform setup, and testing. Be sure to optimize the registration process, design an effective registration page that aligns with your branding, and make the registration link easily accessible across your website, emails, and social channels to maximize sign-ups from potential learners.
Once you’ve prepared each of these elements, it’s time to execute the plan, review the course, and launch it. After launch, track the results to see how receptive your association members are to the course, if they’re completing it, and listen to any feedback you receive to improve your course offerings over time.
Free and Online Tools for Launching Evergreen Courses
It’s common to want to know how to create evergreen learning courses for your association for free. While there are free digital course tools, they often have several limitations that aren’t the best fit for evergreen course creation.
Free platforms often limit how many online courses you can host on the platform, how many members you can register, and the amount of customization available.
Associations planning to build a longstanding, evergreen course library will want to opt for paid options to get the best results. When choosing a webinar platform or evergreen webinar platform, look for one that offers seamless integration with your existing tools, such as marketing automation or CRM systems. It’s worth the investment when you can:
- Customize your course with your branding and for your audience’s needs
- Host tens or hundreds of courses as you continue building your library over time
- Have the flexibility to use different types of learning, such as audio, visuals, interactive activities, etc.
- Promote social sharing to create a community feel
- Register as many learners as you want who will benefit from your courses
- Integrate it with the software you already use, such as your AMS
- Use evergreen webinar software to automate and scale your online courses
When you need an option that will help with all of these elements and more, our LMSs at Cadmium are a great choice.
When building a course library, focus on creating evergreen assets and high value content. These elements contribute to the long-term success of your educational offerings by ensuring your materials remain relevant, engaging, and accessible over time.
How Elevate and EthosCE from Cadmium Can Help
Cadmium’s LMS built for associations, Elevate and LMS built for healthcare professionals, EthosCE, can help you host evergreen learning materials in a searchable course library. Cadmium’s LMS ensures the highest quality learning experience and provides valuable insights into learner engagement patterns, helping you optimize your educational offerings.
Elevate is our LMS for associations and nonprofits. It’ll help you create a center for knowledge, monetize learning materials, customize based on your needs, promote social sharing, and measure and track your results. Elevate supports a global audience and helps both existing customers and new customers throughout their customer journey by providing ongoing access to resources and guidance. Elevate has everything you need to help your association’s members grow wherever they are in their educational journey. Click here to learn more.
EthosCE is our LMS for healthcare organizations and associations. It’s built for detail-oriented learning needs and compliance in the healthcare industry. You can use it to build enduring content, create a searchable course library, and track educational outcomes as learners complete courses. Click here to learn more.
