Skillshare is an eLearning platform designed for teaching practical skills to students. It lets you layout a syllabus, create video lessons, and specify project steps. Students receive peer reviews on their finished projects. If you already teach an adult education class, then Skillshare can be a natural progression for you.

Online Vs. Local

Skillshare lets you teach two sorts of classes: online and local. Online classes must meet a specific set of guidelines and you must apply to teach them. They do reach a larger audience. Local classes don’t require any sort of vetting before you start to put them together. The difference between the two is that online classes have video lectures, whereas local classes take place at real world locations. Both formats allow for a class feed that can be accessed through the Skillshare site.

Combined with an Adult Ed Class

Adult education programs are generally organized through the town or school system. They are usually poorly funded, which means access to eLearning tools is limited for adult education teachers. Skillshare can offer you some of these tools. It is an easy way to create an online syllabus that your students can access. It also gives you a space for discussion and questions outside of the classroom. You can create a free, local class to use in combination with your adult education course.

Expand Your Options

Skillshare gives you the option of collecting fee for your classes through PayPal or Stripe. This can give you the opportunity to arrange for more classes outside of the local adult education program. You can create more advanced courses for students who wish to further pursue the topic you are teaching. You can also create classes with sizes as small as two. Most adult education programs have a minimum enrollment of five or more before they run the class.
Offering your class online will further expand your potential audience. Online classes involve video lectures, so you may need to make an investment in equipment if you don’t already have access to a video recorder. However, they are fairly common, so you should be able to borrow one if you don’t already own it. You can make a point of recording lectures while teaching one of your local classes. Successful local classes will also add to your tools for promoting your online class.

Keeping in communication with your students outside of class times and providing them with an easy-to-use electronic syllabus are both positive ways you can use this eLearning platform. The interface is simple, so you don’t need to spend a good deal of time learning a new piece of software. It is also free to use and can be accessed through either email or your Facebook account. If you are looking for a quick way to integrate some eLearning tools with your adult education class, or if you are seeking to expand your offerings to more advanced topics, then Skillshare is a tool you should consider.