Note: If you are participating in the current Teach Challenge, please visit the Workshop page for your specific project milestones and dates.

Your project for this class is to create your first Skillshare class. We’ve broken this project into four manageable milestones, outlined below. Keep in mind you will be creating one project for this class and updating it for each milestone.

To get started, grab a copy of our Class Planning Template to help you plan and organize your class.

Milestone 1: Plan Your Class

Take some time to plan the foundational elements of your class! Choose a topic and consider a possible title. Then, write your class description and come up with an engaging class project for your students.

Deliverable: Make a copy of the Class Planning Template and add your title, class description, and an engaging class project idea. Then, post the link to your template to your project. Alternatively, instead of posting a link, you can copy and paste your title, class description, and project description into the body of your project.

Milestone 2: Outline Your Class

Outlining your class helps you think through the nuts and bolts of class production. It’s also a great way to ensure your video lessons are well-organized and engaging.

Deliverable: In your copy of the Class Planning Template, start outlining each video you plan to add to your class: your intro video, project video, each lesson video, and your conclusion video. Then, post the template link to your project. Alternatively, as above, instead of posting a link, you can copy and paste the text of your outline into the body of your project.

Milestone 3: Film & Edit Your Class

Now it’s time to film and edit your lessons. Review our tips for selecting equipment, setting up your space with lighting and props, and preparing to film. You’ll also want to practice techniques for teaching confidently on camera. Our article on editing your class will help you simplify production and produce polished lessons, all on your own.

Deliverable: For this milestone, you’re encouraged to film and edit your entire class, so you can continue to work towards publishing your entire class. For this deliverable, however, you need only share an excerpt: upload your introduction video or a sample video lesson to YouTube and add the link to your project.

Milestone 4: Optimize and Submit Your Class

Optimize all the public-facing elements of your class — class title, video lesson titles, class description, and project description — so it can be discovered by students. Don’t forget a cover image! Give all of your content one final review and then start a class draft to upload it — we’ve got full instructions here.

Deliverable: Upload your content to your class draft and hit the Submit button!

Before you publish, check out these sections of the Skillshare Teacher Help Center to learn how to attract students to your class and sustain engagement.

Niamh Prior

Author & Poet, PhD

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