Pathwright – Launch an Online School

Pathwright is a web-based application that people can use to create educational courses, and even entire schools, from their home computers. Because Pathwright courses are hosted in the cloud, educators can focus on creating the best curriculum possible, without worrying about any of the technical requirements associated with selling courses to students online.

Before you can create a “learning path” for your students to follow, you’ll need to sign up for a Pathwright account and launch your online school. Of course, every school needs classes. As the primary educator at your school, you’ll be responsible for creating the curriculum for whichever courses you’re going to offer. Map out the content, and add your own videos, audio, assessments, and live streams. You also have the option to embed content from sites like Scribd, Vimeo, and YouTube. Once your curriculum is set up, students will be able to register for your courses. Accept payments via credit card, making sure to give returning students the option to pay for monthly subscriptions, as well.

Pathwright courses are inherently social. Students are encouraged to discuss the topics being presented amongst themselves or personally with the instructor. Meanwhile, instructors can connect with students directly to share feedback on any of the work or projects they submit.

Practical Uses:

• Create a branded online school
• Make extra money by teaching a course about any topic you choose
• Share your knowledge of obscure topics with passionate students
• Make promotional videos as a way to promote your online courses

Insider Tips:

• Set up a custom domain for your Pathwright school
• Instructors get 100 free registrations before they have to start making payments to Pathwright
• Create reminders to let students know when a “learning step” is due
• Instructors can sell their courses outside of Pathwright

What we liked:

• Pathwright provides a great way for educators to make extra income on the side
• Instructors can grade their students based on the projects they submit
• Pathwright offers custom theme options for branding purposes
• Discount codes help entice new students to join a course

What we didn’t like:

• Pathwright doesn’t offer a way to host videos on its site
• Instructors can’t bill in any currency other than US dollar

Alternatives:

• Khan Academy – https://www.khanacademy.org
• treehouse – http://teamtreehouse.com
• Udacity – https://www.udacity.com
• Udemy – https://www.udemy.com

Company Info:

• Launched: March 2012
• Privately Held
• Headquarters: Greenville, South Carolina
• Founded by: Mark Johnson and Paul Johnson
• Web site: http://www.pathwright.com

Costs:

• Instructors pay $7, plus 4% of sales per student who registers