Elearning via ecourses has exploded over the past decade and it’s no secret why. Decentralization of knowledge leads to lower costs of education. With the ecourse market looking to hit $325 billion by the year 2025, savvy folks are looking for ways to tap in and take a cut.
But what exactly is an ecourse? What are the benefits? And how does one actually make money selling their own ecourse? We’ll explore all this in our article.
Feel free to jump to a specific section:
- What exactly is an ecourse
- Future of eCourses
- What are the best ecourse tools for course creators?
What exactly is an ecourse?
Ecourse, short for “electronic course” (some even say “email course”), is any tool or service that provides learning through digital, auditory, or visual means. Typically, this allows instructors to teach students at a much larger scale than in a traditional classroom setting.
With the internet becoming more accessible and the cost of attending college rising, many see the elearning industry as an alternative for continuing education.
For domain experts, creating online courses has become a viable means to grow their income “passively.” And with the cost of creating online courses decreasing (although the folks at Racoon Gang say otherwise), many people see the ecourse industry as a low-risk opportunity to grow their businesses.
The Future of eCourses
The ecourse market is expected to keep growing. According to Business Wire:
A key factor driving the growth of the market is the increasing e-learning enrollments in higher education. The proliferation of digital learning resource providers such as content providers, learning management systems and services, and technological advances have revolutionized e-learning at a global level. Overall enrollments for e-learning have been increasing significantly as factors such as flexible formats for courses (self-paced courses), certifications, and degree programs that facilitate job placement, professional growth, transition to other disciplines, and advanced studies drive e-learning enrollments in universities.
Business Wire | April 23, 2019
As of 2019, there are still a handful of elearning industry leaders with the rest of the market made up of individual course creators. Some of the biggest players are:
- LinkedIn Learning (formerly Lynda.com)
- Udemy
- Corseara
- SkillShare
- edX
- Codecademy
What are the best e-course platforms?
There are a variety of e-learning platforms out there designed to fit your needs and budget. We’ve broken down the array of ecourse building tools into three categories: Beginner, Amateur, and Pro.
Beginner
If you are looking for a low to no cost option, Teachable has a free version of their tool to host your first online course.
Amateur
You can always go the self-hosted route if you have your own WordPress website. Tools like Learndash and Memberpress offer you the ability to protect your courses behind a paywall.
We’ve written a review of Teachable versus a DIY route.
Pro
Kajabi is an all-in-one online course machine. They offer the ability to host, market, and grow your online courses. On top of that, they do have features such as:
- Email broadcasts
- Memberships
- Assessments
- Digital downloads
- Landing page builders
- Video hosting
- Drip content