Kelsi ClymerYou’ve spent months (or years) building your course. You’ve poured in your expertise, polished every module, and delivered real value to your students.
But then…
They disappear.
Engagement drops. Course completion rates are lower than you expected. And students—who once seemed excited—move on to the next thing.
It’s not you. It’s not your course.
It’s the way online learning works. People start with the best of intentions, but without support and accountability, they fall off.
That’s why a community isn’t just a nice add-on—it’s the key to helping your students succeed.
Why Course Students Disengage (And Why It’s a Problem)
Here’s the hard truth: most online courses have awful completion rates.
A 2014 study by Harvard & MIT analyzed 17 online courses on the edX platform and found that:
📉 Only 5% of registrants completed the course and earned a certificate.
📉 Another 5% engaged with at least half the content but didn’t finish.
That means 90%+ of students never complete what they signed up for.
Why?
The Gym Membership Effect
Think about gym memberships.
Most people sign up with great intentions. They’re going to work out, get in shape, and stay consistent.
But after a few weeks? Motivation fades. Without accountability, most members stop showing up.
Online courses work the same way.
- Students get excited when they buy.
- They start strong but struggle to stay disciplined on their own.
- Without a clear support system, they drop off—sometimes forever.
That’s bad news for them (because they don’t get results) and for you (because they don’t stay engaged with your brand).
So how do you fix it?
How a Community Keeps Students Engaged and Learning
A community doesn’t just complement your course—it transforms the experience.
1. Built-in Accountability = Higher Course Completion
When students see others making progress, they’re more likely to push forward themselves.
A community offers:
✅ Progress check-ins to keep them on track.
✅ Group challenges to encourage participation.
✅ Milestone celebrations to reward commitment.
With peer accountability, students don’t just start—they finish.
2. A Community Becomes the “Live” Part of Your Course
Recorded lessons are great. But real transformation happens through discussion and interaction.
A community allows students to:
✅ Ask questions and get answers fast.
✅ Share insights and examples from their own experience.
✅ Join live Q&As, expert sessions, and study groups.
Instead of being passive learners, they become active participants in their growth.
3. Peer-to-Peer Learning Multiplies Value
If your students rely only on you for guidance, your course becomes a one-way street.
But in a community, something amazing happens:
Students help each other.
✅ New members get answers from more experienced students.
✅ Students reinforce what they’ve learned by teaching others.
✅ Your course becomes a dynamic, living experience—not just pre-recorded videos.
This means more engagement, deeper learning, and less pressure on you to answer every question.
4. Long-Term Engagement = More Opportunities for Growth
A community keeps students in your ecosystem long after they finish the course, leading to:
💡 Higher retention rates (because they stay connected)
💡 More referrals (because engaged students bring in others)
💡 Stronger relationships with your brand (which leads to repeat business)
It’s not just about this course—it’s about the lifetime journey.
How to Seamlessly Integrate a Community with Your Course
The Best Experiences Seamlessly Combine Both
The best results happen when your course and community exist in the same space—so students don’t have to jump between platforms.
And here’s the good news:
🚀 Circle, my favorite community platform, has a built-in Learning Management System (LMS)—at no extra cost.
That means your students can:
✅ Watch your course lessons and
✅ Engage in discussions—all in one place.
No switching tabs. No lost momentum. Just seamless learning.
Want to try it out? Use my exclusive discount code and get a free 14-day trial of Circle. 🎉
How to Add a Community to Your Course (Mix & Match These Strategies!)
There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to integrating a community with your course. You can combine multiple strategies to create the best experience for your students while also generating new revenue.
🔥 Embed your community into the course experience – Give students a dedicated space to connect and discuss what they’re learning as they go.
🔥 Offer ongoing support beyond the course (for a fee!) – Instead of losing touch with students after they finish, offer a paid community where they can continue getting support, networking, and learning. This creates an additional revenue stream while keeping them engaged with your brand.
🔥 Use your community as a learning lab – Pay attention to the conversations happening in your community. The questions, struggles, and insights shared by students can help you iterate and improve your existing courses—or even spark ideas for brand-new ones.
The best course communities aren’t an afterthought—they’re an integral part of the student journey. Whether you use one or all of these strategies, the key is keeping students engaged, supported, and connected at every step.
Conclusion: A Community Fixes What Courses Alone Can’t
A course without a community often leads to:
🚫 Low engagement
🚫 High dropout rates
🚫 Missed opportunities for long-term relationships
A course + community means:
✅ Higher completion rates (because of accountability)
✅ More student success (because of interaction)
✅ A stronger business for you (because students stay engaged)
If you’re ready to build a thriving community for your course, grab your free 14-day trial of Circle today!