How Udacity democratizes education

TL;DR

Udacity has successfully created a basic educational model that works, focusing on computer science and providing a service layer to improve student retention rates and accreditation.

Transcript

it seems like every time I see you in an interview or pick up something and read about what you're doing there's sort of a whole another Avenue that you're going down I mean the second that we start to you know pigeon hole you as this Stanford guy who's really you know democratizing I League education then you're doing you know Partnerships with Sa... Read More

Key Insights

• ☠️ Udacity has focused on making education work by offering MOOCs and a service layer to improve retention rates and accreditation.
• 😌 The company's success lies in its ability to adapt and expand into various educational areas, including vocational courses.
• ☠️ Student support and engagement has been crucial in improving retention rates, with tutoring staff and personalized communication methods.
• 🧑‍🎓 Udacity recognizes the importance of tangible benefits like employer acceptance and college credits in motivating students to complete courses.
• 👶 While certain experiments, like helping remedial math students, have not been as successful, Udacity continues to explore new avenues and refine its strategies.
• 🥺 Financing solely through job placements has proven challenging, leading Udacity to focus more on adding value to its educational services.

Questions & Answers

Q: What is Udacity's strategy and how has it evolved?

Udacity's strategy involved making the basic educational model work by introducing MOOCs and a service layer to help students progress effectively. The company has experimented with different levels and found success, leading them to plan a vertical expansion in computer science education.

Q: How did Udacity improve student retention rates?

Udacity faced low student retention rates in their MOOCs but managed to increase them to nearly 100% by implementing a service layer. They hired a tutoring and mentoring staff to assist students with technical problems and provide support through helplines, email, and text messages.

Q: What role does accreditation play in Udacity's education model?

Accreditation is important in giving value to Udacity's classes. By providing credit and the chance to gain something tangible, such as employer acceptance and college credits, Udacity incentivizes students to stay engaged and complete the courses.

Q: What are some experiments that did not work for Udacity?

Udacity tried to use online technology to help remedial math students, but it did not yield significant results. Additionally, their attempt to finance the company solely based on job placements for students proved challenging due to a high reduction factor between sign-ups and placements.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Udacity has been successful in creating a model for online education, with the invention of massive open online classes (MOOCs) and a service layer to assist students and improve retention rates.

• The company has focused on making education work, irrespective of the level, by offering courses in various areas, including vocational ones in partnership with Google.

• Udacity is now planning to expand vertically and concentrate on computer science, offering a complete educational experience from high school to job placement.