In this episode of The Online Course Coach Podcast, Raymond Mogdlin shares how he teaches live classes and online courses for those seeking real estate CE credits. He also shares why he created his own LMS (Learning Management System). I find a tremendous opportunity for growth in markets that require CE credits, like realtors, nurses and many other professions. If you already teach in these fields, now is the best time to start creating online courses for CE and CEU credits.
Real University - Live Classes and Online Courses for Real Estate CE CreditsRaymond Mogdlin is the Director of Real University, the online university for the continuing education (CE) of real estate professionals. Having taught live classes until the middle of 2013, he taught real estate to students at Purdue University. When Purdue switched to having online classes, Raymond moved along with the times and began teaching online training courses as well. From there, Real University, which is accredited for real estate agents in the State of Indiana, was born as a way to reach more students throughout the State. His unique style of teaching CE training courses is inspiring and he shares his thoughts and tips with us.
There are so many advantages to administering CE classes through an online course. Not only can more people be reached through this medium, but students can complete the training wherever they are, no matter the time of day. Online courses need to be updated from time-to-time, but do not require constant maintenance. The only downside, Raymond says, is if someone needs the accountability factor that goes along with attending live classes.
As part of each course, Raymond uses a screen capture software that will display a PowerPoint slide, while the audio of his voice plays over it. He also uses the app DrawMe for iPad, which allows him to draw on the screen, recording what he draws. This method is especially useful for concepts that are more complicated, that would be too static to put on a presentation slide.
Raymond says that his content takes center stage, as opposed to him as the instructor being in the spotlight. During the times where he needs to be in front of the camera, he uses two-70” television screens to display content on the video. When he uses a white board, he will keep notes of what he does, supplementing with an extra video of that information, using his methods on the iPad.
Different methods work for different people, but Raymond says that the best method for him in releasing a course is to complete the entire course before students consume it. Some like to use what he calls a “drip-drip” method, releasing a little bit as they go, but he doesn’t think that’s the most effective way. Because what Raymond does is regulated by the State, he has to ensure that all students are taught the same information. Doing it ahead of time helps him to be sure he’s releasing the correct information prior to getting it authorized by the State.
Marketing Online Courses for Real Estate CE CreditsIn terms of marketing, Raymond uses the website for Indiana’s real estate board. The site lists all the accredited CE course providers in Indiana, which gives him free marketing. To piggyback on that, however, he uses a lead gen technique. For that, he will offer some courses for free. After each free course, the listener will have the option to send it to someone else they know could benefit from it. Raymond’s hope is that when someone passes it along, the recipient will become a client for the paid courses he offers. His thought is that when his training courses are something people pay for, that limits the likelihood that someone will take his information and put it into their own portfolio.
It may be obvious in today’s world that social media plays a part in almost everything we do, especially in marketing. Knowing this, Raymond uses what he calls “The Big 3:” Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Facebook Live is a tool he uses to interact with his audience on a weekly basis to either keep them engaged or bring in new audience members. He found that using paid Twitter advertisements were not especially beneficial to him, but they may be helpful for others.
Many of his marketing efforts feed into themselves. Specifically, he offers a real estate license online course through Real U called “Get Your License.” Because this is the first course many take, Raymond can count on at least a few years of his audience members coming back to him because they will need those CE credits.
This leads us into pricing. Raymond’s pricing model for a 12-hour online course is low enough with the hope that he will sell it 12-1,300 times. In order to do this, he has had to become well-versed in overcoming objections, therefore convincing his potential students that these real estate CE courses are better done online, rather than in person. Because CE is something they have to do, as opposed to something they want to do, he doesn’t think that developing pricing tiers is beneficial for this type of online course.
Raymond says that sometimes a learning management system (LMS) like Moodle can be beneficial, but there are times where it’s best to pave your own way. For instance, he had a hard time managing his courses with Moodle and scheduling live classes. Looking for a better way, he hired a developer on his own.
As of late, Raymond is starting to offer his LMS to others, for use by license. He has 40 hours of approved material, which gives his audience a library of topics to choose from. This process is currently in beta. This can be found at rootlevelup.com.
To get in touch with Raymond, visit myrealu.com. All of his contact information is on that page and he is happy to help however he can.
Online Course Coach Podcast Show Notes Raymond started in nuclear engineering but transitioned into real estate He was told that he was a good teacher and started to teach live classes he started out with in person training classes Most of his training is live training while capturing his computer and that creates the online course content He uses an iPad app to do more intricate writing, calculations during the class and then puts it as bonus content Raymond has learned to have the live class perfected before he tries to do an online course. He has to know exactly what content the student will need for the online course. Legally in Indiana, real estate agents have to do 12 hours of continuing education credits. He uses free classes as a lead generator, so real estate agents can take the free class He prices his live classes and online courses affordably to get more students He built his own LMS since his business is live and online. He started with Moodle but it wasn’t robust enough for his needs. He outgrew Moodle and decided to build his own Learning Management System. He can assign a course to the live class or an online course (or both) The LMS can track CE credits within the system RootLevelUp.com is where his LMS is available There are only 9 schools in Indiana that does CE credits for realtors and they recommend him He uses Facebook Live to broadcast to his audience He’s used paid Twitter but it didn’t work well He speaks to national audiences for keynotes Raymond Modglin has a radio show in Indianapolis with him talking about real estate, real estate investing and more He transitioned his radio show to a podcast but put it behind his website Questions Ray Modglin Answers on The Online Course Coach Podcast What is your background? How did you go from Nuclear Engineering to real estate and online education? How did you get started in creating online courses? How do you create your online course content (screen capture, on camera, PPT, etc)? How do you use free classes as a lead generator? Why did you decide to develop your own LMS instead of using something that’s already on the market? What is a challenge you’ve had with your online courses over the years? What are some successes you've had? What are some marketing strategies that you've had that's worked? How have you leveraged your platform to speak[gravityform id="14" title="true" description="true"]
