‘Crashing’ Down Barriers. Here’s How You Can Begin to Earn College Credits on YouTube
Credit: Image Credit: Westend61 / Getty Images- Arizona State University, YouTube, and online learning channel Crash Course partnered in 2020 to create videos that support college-level courses.
- Under an expanded partnership, Crash Course is offering four courses on common core college classes.
- Students will be able to watch these videos, and, if they are interested, enroll in an online class for college credit.
- The videos will be free to watch. Students will pay $25 to enroll in a class and $400 to receive college credit.
Arizona State University (ASU) is expanding its partnership with YouTube and the online learning channel Crash Course to offer college credits for online courses that start on YouTube.
Students can sign up for four foundational college courses through the Study Hall platform. Each course will cost $25 to register and $400 to receive credit. Courses can be retaken, and students will only have to pay for credit when they like their grades. Classes will be taught by ASU faculty and the credits will be transferable to any institution that accepts ASU credits.
Courses start March 7 and last seven weeks. Those who register before March 7 will be eligible for scholarship pricing, which reduces the cost of each course credit from $400 to $350.
Interested users can use the Study Hall platform to explore their options. While it costs money to register for courses, Study Hall also offers a variety of videos for potential new students. They can learn how to navigate applying to college with the “How to College” series and explore popular majors, all for free.
Additionally, before enrolling in courses, potential students can learn more about each topic by watching Study Hall videos covering four common first-year college courses: English composition, college math, U.S. history, and human communication.
According to the Study Hall website, all videos available on the four topics are also included in the course materials for the classes offered, giving learners a “head start” if they decide to take a course for credit.
“A college degree is still the best opportunity for upward social mobility,” an ASU spokesperson told BestColleges. “Millions of Americans have some college credits but no degree or are just starting their college journey. Study Hall aims to provide engaging, compelling, and applicable information to assist with the enrollment process and allow students to earn their first year of college credit before even applying.”
According to a news release, Study Hall is expected to have 12 courses available by January 2025, allowing students to receive transferable credit for their full first year of college.
ASU first partnered with Crash Course in 2020 to create videos about college-level courses and the college process.
“In partnering with YouTube, ASU and Crash Course are committing to an even larger impact with videos covering not only the most challenging early courses but also the hidden curriculum of navigating college,” the spokesperson said.
ASU also said that the response has been “overwhelmingly positive” and that they will try to “serve as many learners as possible” with the courses offered.
Hank Green, science communicator and co-founder of Crash Course, announced the expanded partnership on social media, including on his TikTok account, which has over 7.3 million followers.
@hankgreen1 It’s also on youtube!! Guides to making decisions about college and foundational college courses that are FREE!! You only pay $25 to start the actual learning and then, if you are satisfied with the course and your grade, you pay $400 for transferable college credit. Less than a third of the cost of the average college class.
♬ original sound – Hank Green
Green said he was motivated by the statistic that 40% of people who have student loans do not have and will not get a degree, and he tried to figure out how to help learners with his background of making YouTube videos.
“What are the big barriers to student success? Really there are three. There’s money, the sort of intricacies of the bureaucracy, and then there’s the information itself. It’s hard to learn,” Green said in a video announcing the project. “Well, we’re taking on all of those problems [with Study Hall], which is a place that starts your learning journey at YouTube and ends with transferable college credits.”