What Goes Into Online Courses: The World of the Content Team

From schools to colleges, from MBAs to preparation for competitive examinations, from digital marketing to product management courses, everything has been converted into e-learning. The rise of the Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) and other types of ed-tech models, have today provided us with a range of options when it comes to quality and industry oriented education.
The success of these courses depends on many teams, but the core determinant, also often called the backbone of such courses, is the content team. Different organisations have different responsibilities and work areas for the content team. This article discusses the what, who, why and how of a content team.

Let’s dive into the world of content!

• What does the content team do?
• Who constitutes a content team?
• Why is the content team the heart of an Ed-Tech organisation?
• How, on a daily basis, does the content team come up with new and enriched content?
• How is a content team built?

Answers to the above questions are varied. Most of them depend on the nature of content that is to be developed, and the dynamic parameters to include while creating the content.

In this article, we will focus on the first question, and relate it to various stages included in the content development process. This article will also serve as a guide for the candidates who are looking to join the content team of different organisations.
India’s education sector needs a new avatar, a contemporary approach

What does the content team do?

The obvious answer, “Create Content”. Right?

But, a lot more goes into creating content. The content development process is mainly divided into five stages:

• Ideation – Stage where various ideas are thought of and conceptualized.
• Research – Stage where efforts are made to work in the direction of ideas. It includes selecting credible and relevant resources for content creation.
• Framework Development – This stage gives a logical flow to all the information gathered. Organizing ideas can be done through the following ways:
  • Excel, Spreadsheet
  • Problem-to-Recommendation Table
  • Visualization
• Optimisation and Creation – Optimising the resources, and developing content.
• Review and Launch – Review the content created, and upload on the learning portal to make it ready for launch. After this, the course is good-to-go for the learners to study and derive value from.

Who constitutes a Content Team?

A content team typically includes content writers, content developers, content strategists, delivery managers and project managers. The work of the content team is not only limited to within the team but also involves interactions across teams such as Production, Instructional Design, etc.

Why is the content team at the heart of an Ed-Tech organization?

No Content – Nothing to sell. It’s simple – Isn’t it?

But there is much more value than only bringing value to the selling point of an organisation. The content team is the heart of an Ed-Tech and e-Learning organisation. It is full of enthusiastic members, who work day and night to bring the most creative and engaging content for the learners. It infuses impact not only on the users but also produces a vibrant energy among the colleagues in the organisation. It’s the efforts of the content team and the interaction they have across verticals which compels the learners and users to return to the platform to learn, to make them visualise concepts in the most innovative ways.

How, on daily basis, does the content team come up with new and enriched content?

This is the toughest part. What keeps the content team going?

It boils down to the character and motivation each member carries to simplify the only solution – “Bringing out the best content to simplify learnings for every individual who is a potential user of the course”.

How is a content team built?

Every member goes through various recruitment rounds, which sounds like a lengthy process. However, if the candidate is motivated and has a quick ability to learn this space is easy to fill. The content team is built on a blend of creativity, motivation, problem-solving skills and an aptitude for learning. E-Learning content development necessitates a combination of creativity, technical skills, team-work and time management; regardless of how stressful it can be at times, it is always a fun process and most definitely rewarding.

Thus, the world of content is not only a creative land but also an ocean of knowledge. I’d like to shed some light on what the culture within the Content Team at UpGrad is like. After multiple rounds of interviews when the candidate enters the doors of UpGrad, the first day starts with a warm welcome and a mail stating “Shubh Arambh”. Although the beginning is exciting, the best is yet to come.
The Idea Called UpGrad: Why Education is Serious Business

The creative, diverse and quality peer group constitutes one of the best teams in the industry. All the members at UpGrad are mature enough to understand their roles and deliver as per requirements and even more. The team will create an ambiance which extracts no less than the best from every individual.

Aftr eall this work, one thing that the UpGrad content team will always win is the Dart Game. Yes! The content team does take out time to hit the bull’s eye. From Diwali celebrations to evening pizzas, from working rigorously to playing cricket, from enjoying tea in the cafeteria to watching India win a cricket match – each moment at UpGrad is to rejoice.
If you are someone, who wants to be a part of this revolution and fun, please visit the UpGrad careers page to know more about the open positions or send your resume at kushagra.sharan@upgrad.com.