In an April 2, 2013 profile, Skillshare founder Michael Karnjanaprakorn described the company’s focus on practitioner-taught, real-world skills. After starting with in-person classes in 2011, Skillshare launched 15 online courses in August 2012; by the time of the report, it said it had hosted 150 courses with more than 50,000 students.
Sources
https://www.inc.com/best-industries-2013/april-joyner/skillshare-education-gap.html
Anyone can sign up to teach a course on Skillshare. For online courses, the company vets proposed courses mainly to ensure that they aren’t redundant. The company ensures quality by asking students to rate courses. Teachers set their own price, and Skillshare takes a 12 percent cut; the average price is $20 per student. Skillshare then matches teachers with specialists on its education team to help them develop syllabi for their courses. Courses typically include a combination of pre-recorded instruction videos, individual assignments, and live-streamed “office hours,” during which students can review work with the instructor. Students can also create or join online groups to discuss and collaborate on assignments.