https://future.a16z.com/cohort-based-courses/
In this detailed article by @WesKao, a co-founder of Udemy and AltMBA, she talks about the challenge for education content creators to monetize their expertise in the current environment of online training because of the abundance of free, and low-cost content on the internet. The article goes on to argue that cohort-based courses (CBC) are much more effective and therefore more valuable to students even with the higher costs versus free or low-cost content. At HobbyHack, we think both approaches can be leveraged in a Social Learning environment. That is, people grouped by common interests and skill level can working together to improve their skill and expand their social learning networks.
For context, free of course means YouTube and Google searches, where low-cost courses are formal courses you might buy on a one-off or series basis that are self-paced and available anytime you are. These courses are referred to as MOOC’s or massively open online courses and you’ll find these on sites like Udemy, LinkedIn Learning, Udacity, Masterclass, WWGOA or Craftsy. They rely completely on self-motivation to complete and are taken by the individual and completed entirely on your own. Cohort based Courses (CBC) are described in the article as containing a couple of specific elements like, having a specific outcome or skill achieved, they’re interactive, time-bound, contain practice for that outcome or skill, and are done in a community setting. Cohort based courses therefore seem to fit the social learning model better.
At HobbyHack, we’re taking elements of both the MOOC and CBC approaches to create a learning environment for woodworking where we’ll use small group dynamics, as well as readily available content to speed our member’s time to their desired skill while building real, online friendships around common interests. Our approach will be to deliver a 9-level framework to guide members learning journey using existing online content, but group people into “crews” to achieve their desired outcomes for skill and expanded relationships. We envision the small cohort approach will keep members more motivated throughout their journey, achieving better results and having more fun than they would on their own.
So, signup for the app right from our home page: https://hobbyhack.com
Our view some additional content from our Blog Page: https://www.hobbyhack.com/online-learning/
