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May 24, 2011

Learnable – Share Your Knowledge

Just because you didn’t get a PhD in physics doesn’t mean you don’t have knowledge and skills worth sharing. Learnable is a web-app that lets people capitalize on their talents by creating and teaching online courses about whatever topics they wish. The creators behind Learnable have built a virtual environment where some people can take courses, some people take teach courses, and some people can do a little bit of both.

If you’re interested in education and you’ve got some time on your hands, then Learnable is for you. Create an account, and you’re instantly able to start browsing through courses and designing classes of your own. Before you teach a class, however, it might be a good idea to take a few in order to learn what types of lessons do and don’t work in the online format. Browse through the available courses by category or use the search box to find a course by keyword. When you find a class that seems interesting, click on the title to read a course description, learn about the instructor’s background, and find out the price. To enroll, click “Enroll Now”; Learnable accepts payments for classes via Visa, MasterCard, and PayPal. Learnable courses are made up of mini-lessons, and may include videos, text, and other educational exercises. If you have questions about a particular section, use the Learnable Q&A system to start a discussion with other users – just like you would in a real world classroom.

Once you’ve taken a few courses and benefited from the knowledge of others, it may be time to share your own passions and skills. To do this, click “Teach” and “Create a course.” Learnable will guide you through the rest of the process with easy, step-by-step instructions that help you construct lessons, create student exercises, and put together downloadable resources. Not only will you benefit from knowing that your knowledge and effort is helping other people, but you may make a little money in the process, too.

Practical Uses:

  • Take an Introduction to Spanish class in your spare time
  • Learn the basics of HTML
  • Teach other people the basics of bicycle repair
  • Make money by sharing your passions and hobbies with other people

Insider Tips:

  • Students have one year to access their courses from the date they enroll
  • Teachers can set their own prices or let Learnable advise them on proper pricing
  • Course teachers retain ownership of the content their post on Learnable
  • Learnable will transfer the money you’ve earned into PayPal when you reach $100

What we liked:

  • The courses on Learnable are actually fun, and many are based on practical skills
  • People who live in remote areas can take online courses from home
  • Instructors who get tired of teaching can suspend enrollment in their classes
  • Students can converse through the Q&A system if they have questions about a lesson

What we didn’t like:

  • Instructors have to wait until they’ve earned $100 before Learnable will transfer their money into their PayPal accounts

Alternatives:

Company Info:

  • Launched: April 2011
  • Privately Held
  • Headquarters: San Francisco, California and Melbourne, Australia
  • Founded by: SitePoint
  • Web site: https://learnable.com

Costs:

  • Courses are individually priced, although most cost between $10 and $30

Comments

  1. Hey thanks for the review.
    We’re working hard to make online learning (and teaching) both fun… and rewarding 🙂

  2. Colin Pittendrigh

    Be careful with learnable.com What look like one-time-only fees for ebook digital downloads sometimes contain hidden “free 30 day subscription trials” you didn’t notice. At that point they already have your credit card number. So after 30 days they start charging you $30 USA dollars a month for a subscription you didn’t want. Cancelling the subscription, once you do notice you’re getting ripped off, isn’t easy.

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