Technology has made it possible for anyone to create an online course. But the label "online course" can flatten what should be a rich, human experience. Authentic online teaching isn't about production quality or feature lists — it's about bringing your unique voice and genuine presence to the learning experience.
Why Voice Matters More Than Information
In 2026, information is everywhere. Your students can find facts, frameworks, and how-to guides with a quick search or AI query. What they can't find is your perspective — your particular way of seeing a problem, your hard-won insights, your point of view about what matters.
As Diego Rodriguez of IDEO put it: "A person with a point of view... if you don't have a firm point of view about what matters, your chances of doing something remarkable drop to zero."
Your course isn't valuable because it contains information. It's valuable because it contains your interpretation of that information — the meaning, insight, and clarity that only comes from someone who has lived with the material deeply.
Finding Your Unique Point of View
Here's an exercise: Imagine a client is paying you a significant amount for a full day of your time. You've prepared ten things to teach them. But at the last minute, they say: "I can only stay for one hour. Pick the single most important thing." Which one survives?
That's your point of view — the one idea that everything else connects to. It might be a framework, a principle, a counterintuitive insight, or a specific approach that you've developed through years of practice. Build your course around that core, not around a comprehensive list of topics.
For more on narrowing your focus, see Design Your Course Backwards: Start with the Transformation.
Being Present, Not Just Producing Content
The second dimension of authentic teaching is presence — showing up as a real person in your students' learning journey. This means more than just recording videos. It means being a trusted guide who walks alongside your students.
Presence shows up in several ways:
- Empathy: Understanding where your students are emotionally, not just intellectually. When someone is stuck, acknowledging the frustration before offering the solution.
- Care: Noticing when a student goes quiet and checking in. Responding to questions with genuine attention rather than canned answers.
- Personal touches: Small gestures that can't be automated — a personal welcome message, a thoughtful response to a student's work, a follow-up question that shows you actually read their submission.
Practical Ways to Build Presence
Authentic teaching doesn't require being available 24/7. It requires being genuinely present during the moments that matter:
- Live sessions: Even one live call per week creates a sense of connection that pre-recorded content alone can't achieve. Students can ask questions in real time, and you can read the room and adjust. Platforms like Ruzuku integrate video sessions directly into the course experience.
- Short personal videos: Record a 2-minute personalized video responding to a student's question. It takes less time than typing a long email and has ten times the impact.
- Discussion participation: Don't just post discussion prompts — actively participate. Share your own experiences, ask follow-up questions, highlight good contributions.
- Handwritten notes: Some course creators send brief handwritten notes or personal messages to students at key milestones. Tea Silvestre sent painted bookmarks. Melissa Dinwiddie included personal messages with each interaction. These moments of unexpected care are memorable.
Authenticity in the AI Era
As AI-generated content becomes ubiquitous, authenticity becomes your competitive advantage. Students can get AI-generated explanations of any topic. They come to your course for something AI can't provide: your lived experience, your professional judgment, your ability to say "here's what the textbook says, and here's what actually happens in practice."
This doesn't mean avoiding AI tools — they can help with administrative tasks and content drafting. It means ensuring that the core teaching experience carries your authentic voice and perspective, not a generic one.
The Connection Between Authenticity and Engagement
Authentic teaching naturally produces higher engagement. When students feel genuinely seen and supported, they show up more consistently, participate more actively, and complete the course at higher rates. For more on building engaging courses, see 5 Keys to an Engaging Online Course.
Cohort-based courses are particularly well-suited to authentic teaching because the live, group format naturally creates space for presence, empathy, and real-time connection.
Your Next Step
Try the "one-hour client" exercise above. What's the single most important idea you'd want a student to walk away with? That's the seed of an authentic course — built around your genuine point of view, not a comprehensive checklist. Start there, and let your voice carry the teaching.
For more on creating courses that go beyond information transfer, see Creating Transformative Online Courses.