A couple of years ago I figured the only way to get a better handle on the company was to try the platform itself. So I signed up for a brief (free) Blockchain course via the University of Technology Sydney.
Registration was simple, and I found it to be a very clean and uncluttered interface. Each module of the course allowed for comments, questions and general interaction by the students with the course facilitator. What I thought was interesting is that each module/activity displays all the previous knowledge and contributions by others who have ever taken the course since its inception (which can be filtered by most recent/most likes). This means you get the widest repository of information available compared to traditional teaching methods. Chances are, if you have a question, someone else has already asked and had it answered - which saves a lot of time.
You can integrate video/images/hyperlinks seamlessly into the course material. It was nice to see industry experts from the Australian Digital Commerce Association and ANZ Bank contributing material, for example. When you complete a module, you are usually prompted to complete a learning activity by commenting and sharing your answer with the rest of the online 'class'. Everyone gets their own profile and on your profile you can get a course "badge" (micro-credential) that verifies that you successfully completed the course. You build up a portfolio on your profile, which allows you to build up an online education CV (sort of like LinkedIn).
By the end of it, it really felt no different to what would traditionally be delivered by a very expensive contractor in a face-to-face classroom (except faster).
And I believe that this is where real disruptive potential exists. For a fraction of the cost and overhead, you can deliver teaching material to a much wider audience all over the world - which enriches the learning experience because you are getting contributions from people with all different backgrounds. And I would argue that participation and interaction online is actually higher than what it would be in a face-to-face environment (because people are more comfortable learning in their own home).
I think this is why we are seeing interest now.
Just my $0.02
OLL Price at posting:
4.5¢ Sentiment: Buy Disclosure: Held
