What Are Learning Styles? And Why They Don’t Matter When Building an Online Course

When it comes to online course creation, there’s one common misconception I absolutely can’t stand: learning styles. 

Learning styles are different ways individuals prefer to understand, process, and retain new information — and there’s a new “model” for it every other time you go to Google. 

And sure, it’s interesting information to have (just like your human design or astrology sign), but learning styles are not the defining moment determining if (and how well) your students can complete and understand your online course. 

Here’s what you need to know about learning styles and how they really impact how you build your online course:

What Are Learning Styles?

To clarify, we’re not debating people’s preference for learning (you can have and could cater to preferences, but that’s all they are, preferences). 

There are two “types” of learning style models that are popular: 

• VARK Model, which breaks down into visual, auditory, reading/writing, and kinesthetic learners.
• Kolb’s Experiential Model, which breaks down into diverging, assimilating, converging, and accommodating learning styles.

Now, before you take that at face value and assume that’s all the information you need to know — it’s not. For example, you should know that these learning styles aren’t proven by research.

Also, there are over 50 different theories of learning styles (one study even suggested the use of a cell phone was a learning style, HAH).

But learning styles assume that if you’re one type, then all information should be presented using that method to guarantee success, and that any other method of delivering information/learning would make it HARDER to learn.

What Do Learning Styles Have to Do With Online Course Creation?

When you create an online course — mini, signature, or even a masterclass — you’re stepping into the role of “educator.” As an educator, it’s your responsibility (and as a business owner, a necessity) to understand how people, or rather, adults, learn and consume information.

Learning styles is the popular recommendation.

Unfortunately, it’s not the best recommendation. 

Actually, it’s not a good recommendation at all. It both limits your creation to what you think is your audience’s main learning style OR makes it too broad and you’re pushed to cater to all learning styles (which isn’t realistic — or necessary).

If Learning Styles Don’t Matter, What Does?

For online course creation, you’re working towards an end result — a transformation. The key is to provide ONLY the information needed for that transformation and present that information in a way that makes sense to adult learners.

An adult learner is an adult who is engaging in learning to meet personal or professional goals. 

Adult learning concepts are based on research (yay!!) and have multiple moving parts. For example, the visual way your text is presented and “chunked” (yes, that’s the real term) helps students process and remember information.

But it also includes adding assessments and building a true course curriculum that includes only the information your audience needs to know and the tools/resources they need to get there (and not everything in between).

If you looked at it side-by-side, it brings in bits and pieces of different learning styles, and it serves your audience soooo much better by creating a course they can actually comprehend AND apply.

How to Build Your Curriculum (and Course) Around What Your Audience Actually Needs

I cannot emphasize this enough: your audience needs a curriculum and course that they can actually use. 

If they can’t put into practice what you’re teaching, they won’t be able to experience the transformation. And if they can’t experience the transformation promised, they’ll lose trust in you, too. 

But when they can have the promised transformation (and the amazing experience), they trust you more — they book your 1:1 offers, join your group programs, and mention YOU as a recommendation at every opportunity.

It’s what actually allows your course to give you time freedom.

Ready to get started and build a course your students love? Join Coaching to Curriculum, a self-paced program teaching you how to build a high-impact offer.