Unlike many other MOOC websites, which only offer instruction from university professors, Udemy allows for any subject matter expert to teach a course through its website. This for-profit corporation was founded in 2010 by Eren Bali, Oktay Caglar, and Gagan Biyani. Students can take the courses through the Udemy website or the company’s iOS app.
Course Prices and Instruction:
The website offers both free and paid courses, with prices generally ranging from $29 to $99. While the majority of the profits from Udemy course registrations go to the instructor, the website also receives some of the profits from student tuition charges. The rate is dependent upon whether the instructor, Udemy, or one of the company’s affiliates attracts the student to the website. Some course instructors have even crossed into the $100,000 range for their instruction.
Udemy encourages its instructors to promote the courses online to boost registration, as instructors who promote their own courses will receive 97% of the profits for student tuition charges. In some cases, however, the names of the instructors themselves do enough to promote the course. Both Dan Rather and George Lucas have taught courses through Udemy.
As Udemy course offerings are coming from anyone who claims to be an expert, visitors may find the course review feature useful. Prospective students can view a course’s numerical rating and read student testimonials to determine of the instructor’s course is worth taking. This feature helps to alleviate any concerns students may have regarding the authenticity of the instructor.
Class Format:
Instructors who create courses through Udemy will have the opportunity to create and upload video files, audio files, PDF files, and PowerPoint presentations. The course lessons are generally divided into lessons and often feature tests that students can complete.
Discussion boards are also implemented into Udemy courses so students can interact with one another and talk about the subject. Like in other MOOCs, instructors may also take the time to interact with students on the forums.
Class Offerings:
While Udemy has an Academics section for students interested in learning about mathematics, the sciences, the social sciences, and the humanities, the majority of the course offerings on the website focus on non-academic subject matters. Language courses in English, Spanish, German, French, Arabic, and Chinese are also available through the website, as are college-entry and graduate entry exam preparation courses.
Individuals interested in taking courses for professional development will find a great number of skills-based offerings on Udemy. For example, students can take courses on a variety of business subject matters, including entrepreneurship, management, communications, sales, and business law. Additionally, marketing courses that focus on advertising, content marketing, branding, and search engine optimization are also available. Students can also take courses on programming languages, web development, network security, and operating systems.
The company also offers an Udemy for Organizations training program. Through this feature, businesses can set up education content for internal use only. Udemy also offers a package of courses specifically aimed at businesses. Universal and Oracle have used Udemy for Businesses for the purpose of training their employees.
Finally, Udemy offers a variety of courses for individuals interested in improving their lifestyle. Classes on gaming, travel, home improvement, and pet care are available through the website. Personal development courses on broad subjects like happiness, self-esteem, and creativity are also available. Creative courses like arts and crafts, photography, and music can help students to learn high-difficulty talents at their own pace.
Investors:
Udemy originally struggled to received support for its website. However, as interest in the organization’s course offerings grew, so did the company’s financial investments. The company raised $32 million in a Series C funding round. The investors included Norwest Venture Partners, Insight Venture Partners, and MHS Capital.