YouTube debuts college credit-bearing courses

YouTube has launched online credit-bearing courses. The Study Hall program is developed by YouTube in partnership with Arizona State University (ASU) and video company Crash Course. These courses are eligible for college credit transfer. 

The program is accepting applications for four courses, called the College Foundation, that are slated to begin on March 7. It includes first-year college courses in maths, human communication, rhetoric and composition, and US history. These courses are developed and taught by ASU faculty members. By January 2025, the partners are planning to increase the number of courses to 12. Interested students will have to pay $25 for the course, and an additional $400 to receive college credit. 

There is no minimum Grade Point Average (GPA) score required to enroll in the courses. “Each course can be taken as often as needed until the learner is satisfied with their grade. This credit can then be used at any of the hundreds of institutions that accept credits from ASU,” the YouTube blog read.

In December 2022, during the Google for India 2022 event, the company introduced Courses feature on YouTube, a repository of academic and vocational courses in several Indian languages. Currently available in beta, this feature will allow trainers to publish their video content along with reading materials and questions on the video app. Going forth, this feature will also allow creators to monetise their content.

Citing an Oxford Economics impact report, Google said that the creator economy of YouTube contributed ₹10,000 crore to India’s GDP in 2021 and generated 7.5 million new forms of employment.