Exploring a different dynamic in the online learning space, Teachable is one of many software companies out there that now offers the opportunity to create your own online courses, market and then sell them to prospective students. In essence what it promises to do is allow educators to monetize their trade. Founded in 2013, Teachable boasts over 310 000 courses with just under half that amount of instructors on their platform. Revenue earned is estimated at just over half a million dollars. Essentially, these companies help you build a course on their platforms (an alternative to using an LMS) by creating easy drag and drop features (similar to website design spaces such as Weebly) and helps you set up payment options and even includes features such as certificates of completion for your courses. Some other big names include Thinkific and Ruzuku. I’ve singled out Teachable in this post as it specifically targets the online and mobile user with an app that students can access their courses with to complete them (two markets for the price of one maybe?). Is Teachable a new middle man in the business of education or are they truly offering a space for educators to become entrepreneurs?
I think this is an intriguing idea that has actually been around for a few years that I just hadn’t noticed before. The option of creating and selling your own courses is interesting to me because educators are taking their skill set and adding a touch of entrepreneurship to take charge of their careers. Teachers pay teachers is another platform that sees educators entering a market space where they can monetize their trade. As we shift to more mobile learning, I think more content designed for mobile interfaces will come into demand and there also the demand for educators that can understand how content and learning experiences need to be shaped to cater for this market.